covered BK similar to a Dmz TZ

[Spitfire]

hey people.. i dont really know anything at all about BK pickups.. but have noticed that all the big pickup manufacturers seem to have different readings for output and things, so im thinking they cant be directly compared on this.

i have got a 3 pickup SG arriving tomorrow, and want a covered BK similar in tone to the uncovered Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge of my Mahogany Ibanez SZ, but with a slightly smoother tone, only slightly tho.

any suggestions?

[ericsabbath]

holy diver would be between jb and tone zone, but has less mids than both

the neck version of miracle man/warpig sounds a bit like a tone zone when used in the bridge
bassy and middy but lacks some treble (like tone zone does)
very smooth, but powerful

[Ratrod]

I installed a Tone Zone in someone's LP copy a couple of weeks ago. Fairly low output pickup. Sounded like a blues pickup to me. I'd say the closest BKP would be the Riff Raff

[Philly Q]

I installed a Tone Zone in someone's LP copy a couple of weeks ago. Fairly low output pickup. Sounded like a blues pickup to me. I'd say the closest BKP would be the Riff Raff

Sorry Ratrod, I hate to argue but there must have been something wrong with that TZ, it's quite high-output and has TONS of bass and mids.  It's nothing like a Riff Raff - I've had both those pickups in the same SG and there's no similarity at all.

The TZ sounded boomy, muddy and horrible in the SG.  I don't know what BKP to suggest, but I wouldn't go for a TZ-like pickup unless you want a really thick bassy tone.

[Peter Antal]

Fairly low output pickup. Sounded like a blues pickup to me. I'd say the closest BKP would be the Riff Raff

Hmm, the Riff Raff doesn't sound like the Tone Zone to me. I used to have one in a Strat-copy and it was quite a hot pickup. The highs were pulled back yet the mids were harsh and aggressive enough to make it seem fairly bright.

[Ratrod]

The one I installed only measured around 9K. I tapped on both coils to check if they both worked. The guitarist in question got it for free and it was an improvement over the stock Vintage pickups. You could be right that there's something wrong with it.

I did tell him I wouldn't have chosen that pickup for what he plays. He would have been so happy with a Miracle Man, Nailbomb or Warpig but this guy is on a zero budget.

It was a cr@ppy guitar with cr@ppy pickups with now one slighly less cr@ppy pickup. :lol:

[Philly Q]

I used to have one in a Strat-copy and it was quite a hot pickup. The highs were pulled back yet the mids were harsh and aggressive enough to make it seem fairly bright.

Yeah, it's a pickup that seems to sound quite different depending on the guitar.  I tried mine in a few different mahogany guitars and it was just too bassy and mushy.  I finally gave up on it and sold it a few weeks ago.

But I also had an ash-bodied, maple-neck EB/MM Axis with the EVH pickups - DiMarzio say the TZ is the closest of their production models to the EVH bridge, although it's not identical.  And in that brighter guitar, it sounded really good, much more focused.

The one I installed only measured around 9K.

Oops, it's supposed to be 17.31K!  :lol:  That's the second dud DM I've heard of recently, I've got a new (well, unused) Tele pickup with a completely dead coil.

[dave_mc]

doesn't tim always say not to put medium high output alnico V pickups in SGs or they can get muddy? cos that's kinda what the TZ is... and then when you factor in that the TZ tends to get muddy anyway...

[lulusg]

I did not have that problem with the Emeralds on my SG. I have read about it before, weird huh?