aftermath to Steve vai

[professeur]

If you use an Aftermath pickup in your bridge, can you play Satriani or Steve Vai  solos e.g. for the love of god.
Will the tone be as good as a DiMarzio evo or is the aftermath too hot?
Has any one played?
thanks

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Tim has recommended PKs for Vai tones. The EVOs are ceramic, so this makes sense. I use a C-Bomb and PK in my JEM77FP, and I love how it sounds. Nails Vai tones, but with it's own character. The EVOs were too dull and had a muddy quality with chords for my tastes. They are all a little hot for Satch sounds but amp adjustments and effects play a big role in shaping that tone. Cold Sweets also do pretty well. Notice I'm aiming at all the ceramic pickups!

Satch solos sound great with CS neck pickup, and I'd imagine so would the Aftermath neck. Vai, again mostly uses ceramic neck pickups, and has a more hot and compressed sound than Satriani. There are other possible options with the vintage hot pickups, but I honestly would stick with PKs or the C-Bomb/PK combo. DiMarzios are pretty bright but less open sounding than BKPs, so either set would be a huge improvement in dynamics, clarity, and overall character.

[darkbluemurder]

DiMarzios are pretty bright

I disagree with that as a general statement. At least the high output humbuckers to me are rather dark in the mids with a lot of fizz on top (I have had the Super Distortion/Dual Sound, Breed, ToneZone and have played the Evolutions). If you meant by "pretty bright" that artificial fizz/sizzle in the top end, then I agree.

but less open sounding than BKPs, so either set would be a huge improvement in dynamics, clarity, and overall character.

I agree to everything said here. BTW your C-Bomb/PK combination sounds like a very interesting one!

Cheers Stephan

[witeter]

+1 for the painkiller neck-got mine installed yesterday so will give a review soon - but i can so far say that its absolutely awesome and my fav. neck pup by a mile!

[darkbluemurder]

If you use an Aftermath pickup in your bridge, can you play Satriani or Steve Vai  solos e.g. for the love of god.
Will the tone be as good as a DiMarzio evo or is the aftermath too hot?

Steve Vai has three different signature pickups: the Evolution, the Steve's Special and the Breed. All are in the DiMarzio hot category so I doubt that the Aftermath will be too hot.

Joe Satriani has at least two different signature models for the bridge position: the Fred and the Mo' Joe. Both are medium hot pickups by DiMarzio's standards. The Aftermath is probably same or a bit more output than the Mo' Joe and definitely more output than the Fred - that pickup is not a firebreather. It should not be too hot, either though.

I would consider the ceramic Nailbomb (C-bomb) for Steve's and Joe's lead tones.

Cheers Stephan

[MAJ Meadows SF]

DiMarzios are pretty bright

I disagree with that as a general statement. At least the high output humbuckers to me are rather dark in the mids with a lot of fizz on top (I have had the Super Distortion/Dual Sound, Breed, ToneZone and have played the Evolutions). If you meant by "pretty bright" that artificial fizz/sizzle in the top end, then I agree.

but less open sounding than BKPs, so either set would be a huge improvement in dynamics, clarity, and overall character.

I agree to everything said here. BTW your C-Bomb/PK combination sounds like a very interesting one!

Cheers Stephan

Stephan you caught me; I was reffering to the fizzy top end for the most part. However, I have had EVOs, X2N, Fred, PAF (neck and bridge), and they all had a bright and thin quality, IMAO. I had them in either Basswood or Maple bodied guitars, which definitely played a part. The EVOs where a little darker, decent bottom end, but muddy at times which I agree is the mids not coming out and making chords darker. I had one in my 88' Kramer and it sounded bright and thin next to an Explorer with stock pickups. No warmth either. The Fred and PAF, stock in a JS1000 always had a bright tone. I'll admit the lesser the distortion the warmth and darker mids came out, but if I cranked the gain they thinned out and became overbearingly bright, and that's in overall character not just the top end fizz. This was played through a Crate combo, Line 6 Axis, and GH100L (awesome amp), primarily. I've played Tone Zone, Super Distortion, and D-Activators and agree they are darker in the mids. and overall in tonal character. Crunch Lab and Liquifire are the only current pickups DiMarzio makes that I really enjoy at the moment.

I'll give that a lot of DiMarzios sound darker, and the EVO was much darker than the other pickups I have owned. But that X2N was insanely bright (but in a good way) in my Stealth. It had a thin quality to the low end and low mids but it would really cut through a mix. I actually liked the pickup but I wanted something with a little more balls so I swapped it with a Miracle Man. I am actually toying with throwing a PK or Aftermath in there instead, because the MM sounds dark in that guitar. I didn't want to stray from the "Schuldiner" tone too much, but wanted a little more low end. I got a lot more low and low mids that's for sure! Great in D standard but I really think the guitar is designed for a PK or Aftermath.

[professeur]

Tim has recommended PKs for Vai tones. The EVOs are ceramic, so this makes sense. I use a C-Bomb and PK in my JEM77FP, and I love how it sounds. Nails Vai tones, but with it's own character. The EVOs were too dull and had a muddy quality with chords for my tastes. They are all a little hot for Satch sounds but amp adjustments and effects play a big role in shaping that tone. Cold Sweets also do pretty well. Notice I'm aiming at all the ceramic pickups!

Satch solos sound great with CS neck pickup, and I'd imagine so would the Aftermath neck. Vai, again mostly uses ceramic neck pickups, and has a more hot and compressed sound than Satriani. There are other possible options with the vintage hot pickups, but I honestly would stick with PKs or the C-Bomb/PK combo. DiMarzios are pretty bright but less open sounding than BKPs, so either set would be a huge improvement in dynamics, clarity, and overall character.

Would you say that your set up is more appropriate for a basswood body ? I owe a couple of mahogany guitars;does your advise still stand?

[Alex]

I think overall the Nailbomb would be the best compromise to cover those lead sounds. I find it highly articulate, it's a shredders dream in that sense.

However, the EVO is probably closer to the Painkiller than the Nailbomb. That said (in my opinion), I think the EVO sounds good if you've got Vai's skills, otherwise its a somewhat scratchy and nasty piece.

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Would you say that your set up is more appropriate for a basswood body ? I owe a couple of mahogany guitars;does your advise still stand?
[/quote]

Yes, my setup is very basswood appropriate right now! I have two mahogony JEM/RG project guitars with flamed and quilted maple tops that I haven't resumed work on. One will don a matched set of Miracle Man's, but I have not settled on the other. The Aftermath is the likely bridge choice, but I'm still up for other ideas. The Aftermath and Painkiller would suit you very well in mahogany. The C-Bomb is a bit dark and I have not played it in a mahogany guitar, so I'm not 100% sure if it will be too dark. Search through the forum and shoot Tim a line for an opinion on the wood, pickups, and sound you are after.