@@mikestamper can you make a comparison between the evolution bridge and paf pro? Please, i would be really helpful. I swear i will subscribe if you make it
After the Super Distortion and before the Tone Zone the PAF Pro was DiMarzio's most popular OEM pickup, used in many guitars including the Ibanez Jem. I still think it's a better fit for most players than either pickup. It's medium output but sounds great with overdrive, has just enough responsive low end, terrific harmonics and sustain, and great parallel and coil split tones. I've used all of these pickups including the Fred, X2N, MegaDrive, Norton, Super 3, etc. All very solid. But the PAF Pro is great if you want something that will fit into any genre of music. It will scream if you want it to, but it's not overwhelming without output and too much distortion. You can play Andy Summers one minute and Satch with screaming whammy dives and shredding the next. It does it all and it does it all well. The main issue players have with the Tone Zone is that it has too much low end. It will beef up a weak shred stick but will otherwise have too much low end for other axes. A JB is easier to work with. But if you're going the DiMarzio route, try the PAF Pro. It's a great choice.
How did you like the Super 3? Seriously considering putting on into an early 2000s Jackson with a Floyd Rose (Alder body) for some standard E thrash metals.
@@nickharper8145 Super 3 would be a good fit for your purposes. It's got more of that grind people like from certain Duncans for metal, but has that Dimarzio evenness that sounds quintessentially rock and metal guitar.
This confirms my own experience with an Ibanez RG I bought with the Tone Zone in the bridge - it's just an awful muddy mess. The PAF Pro has exceptional clarity and note separation even with distortion.
word up , just replaced the TZ in my new Prestige got rid of that God awful TZ and put a Super Distortion in the bridge. Ibanez is catering these Prestige’s to new metal uber distortion crap sounds, just pathetic. Give me 80’s metal tones please and thank you Ibanez something i can actually deal with.
Great video man . Tonezone user here decade or more ... At first i preferred the clean tone of the PAF PRO as it had a bit more treble but ehwn the gain came on im like , Theres my Tooonnezzzooonnee . Might buy a PAF PRO and give it a whirl but def a tonezone man for gain !
I have both. I put the DiMarzio Paf Pro in the neck with a tap coil and the tone zone in bridge in my Gibson V and I love what it puts outs. Very good clean tones from it and can go heavy!
Well you convinced me the paf pro is an amazing pickup. It beats almost everything. Could we possibly get a comparison to the DiMarzio FRED? it's supposed to be a hotter version of the paf pro. I'm curious if they ruined some of the amazing qualities of the paf pro when making the FRED or if it really is just more output
Back in the day you needed a hot pick up in order to push the amp harder. There weren’t any true High gain amplifiers. Now that we do, you let the amp do the work. A PAF style pick up has far more clarity and definition, all your chord notes ring. All of my favorite guitar players Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens, Phil X, Neil Schon, Pete Thorn ALL use a PAF And they’re known for their great tones.
PAF Pro is probably the most balanced pickup DiMarzio has. I think lack of promotion really hurts the PAF Pro, you never hear about it anymore. Surprisingly, it provides a sound as iconic as a JB, and is very comparable, but with more harmonics. Honestly, A LOT of the newer DiMarzio pickups are bass or mid-bass focused, boomy, and lack clarity; I play Floyd rose equipped guitars and even then, the Tone Zone is so boomy the pick attack feels like I'm picking with a damn sponge.
Any experience with the Super 3? Was thinking of giving one a try in an early 2000s Jackson with a Floyd Rose (Alder Body) Will be strictly for standard E thrash metal.
Both sound great i think the paf pro takes the cake. Sounds way more versatile here. Its bright, allows the lowend to cut and doesn't have that obnoxious sparkle in the top end. The tone-zone sounds great for EVH style tones where you want more fluidity for legato and tapping. It just doesn't cut it for tight aggressive metal, way too boomy in the lowend and sparkly in the top end. Better for like Deftones or Grunge-ish tones or even Pantera-ish tones, but I feel the Paf Pro would be able to do all of those with added gain or a boost.
The perfect pickup combination is the Tone Zone in the bridge and the PAF Pro in the neck. With that said. overall the PAF Pro sounds better...it's brighter...more bell iike...better dynamics.
You should get an EVH Frankenstein pickup and shoot it out with the Tone Zone. If you order from the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop, you can get a Trembucker version, covers, and whatever. Short leg only. 👍🏻 I just played the $2k Frankenstrat at the store the other day and it sounded really really good (I'm a Tone Zone guy usually), even though I wouldn't get the guitar because it's visuals don't fit me. 😂
Actually the original Frankenstrat har a jb with was damaged when evh pulled out a magnet by bending his e string. He said it never sounded the same again. That's the real frankenstrat tone
I am just discovering your channel, and I can't thank you enough for all these demo's! I am on the quest to load up my LTD Mirage Deluxe 87'. I am not a fan of the stock SD pickups so I am thinking possibly a PAF pro in the bridge and the cruiser in the neck. Thoughts? Thanks again!
It works awesomely in bridge position, and that's why many people use it there. But don't worry, if you wait a few days, there are neck comparisons for this pickup on the way, :)
@@XChristianNoirX I just don't really like the tone very much, and it's kinda smudged sounding, which like you say is from to much darkness, yet the tone zone sounds great for clean playing on the bridge pickup.
@@DiMarzio-Tone if you watch this channel's shootouts though... Tone Zone seems to either win or tie for almost everything. I use it all the time, but I do use boosts In a peculiar way. A parametric boost at 1.4k does the trick for me.
@@XChristianNoirX Yeah, I know. I'm not really putting it down, as I use the tone zone on my rg6pfgmltd premium, and it's not the metal grind like Seymour Duncan full shred bridge, but does sound way better on a cleaner sound compared to Seymour Duncan pups, I like it enough to still have it in my Ibanez rg6pfgmltd, and yeah it takes the cake as far as wins go on this channel.
The thing that is confusing me about this comparison is that the PAF Pro sounds like it has more gain.. But Dimarzio says: PAF PRO O:300 B:5.0 M:5.0 T:6.0 TONE ZONE O:375 B:8.5 M:8.5 T:5.0 Maybe I need to listen in different speakers.. Or maybe I'm getting some compression somewhere.. Either through TH-cam or something.. The big bass of the TONE ZONE might be hosing everything and bringing the mids/treble down along with it. TONE ZONE O:375 B:8.5
As someone who's been a proud user of Tone Zones in two of my favourite Ibanez RGs over the last 10+ years, I thought I'd throw my hat into this discussion: The Tone Zone will be thicker-sounding than the PAF Pros due to the higher DC resistance and ceramic magnet (most likely), and has more windings than the PAF Pro - though not by much. Spec-wise, the Tone Zone should be wiping the floor with the PAF Pro, what with 75 more millivolts and all of that DC resistance allowing for a thicker tone, but the PAF Pro can certainly hold its own as evidenced here, and can seemingly be pushed to distort more "openly" with its different alnico 5 magnet vs. Tone Zone's ceramic one. I'd assume that less pull = closer string reaction and better, clearer distortion? I could be wrong. All I know is that my next pair of humbuckers is a set of PAF Pros. :3
I replaced the paf pro that came stock in my 90s fender Floyd rose classic with a tone zone. The paf pro was weak and anemic when plugged into my jcm800 2304. The tone zone is way hotter and gives me a thick heavy crunch with lots of sustain that the stock paf pro just didn't have. It could also be that the fender branded paf pro is wound to different specs though.
man f the tone zone it sucks azz. I just got a new Prestige and second day took it in to Repair Zone and had them throw a Super Distortion in there. Stupid Ibanez needs to get with it, hate the Tone Zone big time.
You sir, are a treasure for making all these demos. Helped me out so many times. Big thanks!
Thank you so much and hope this service keeps being useful to all of you!
@@mikestamper can you make a comparison between the evolution bridge and paf pro? Please, i would be really helpful. I swear i will subscribe if you make it
@@akhileshsonawane8828 You have it here! th-cam.com/video/ujEE7zqIxdU/w-d-xo.html
Thanks Mike! Best pickup comparisons on the tube!! I think I've watched them all 2 or 3 times and the PAF Pro keeps winning.
I USE THE PAF PRO AS A NECK PICKUP AND IT'S AWESOME!
Thanks for these vidoes, they are invaluable!
Hmm, I'm gonna put my money on the TZ for bridge and the PAF Pro for neck.
After the Super Distortion and before the Tone Zone the PAF Pro was DiMarzio's most popular OEM pickup, used in many guitars including the Ibanez Jem. I still think it's a better fit for most players than either pickup. It's medium output but sounds great with overdrive, has just enough responsive low end, terrific harmonics and sustain, and great parallel and coil split tones. I've used all of these pickups including the Fred, X2N, MegaDrive, Norton, Super 3, etc. All very solid. But the PAF Pro is great if you want something that will fit into any genre of music. It will scream if you want it to, but it's not overwhelming without output and too much distortion. You can play Andy Summers one minute and Satch with screaming whammy dives and shredding the next. It does it all and it does it all well. The main issue players have with the Tone Zone is that it has too much low end. It will beef up a weak shred stick but will otherwise have too much low end for other axes. A JB is easier to work with. But if you're going the DiMarzio route, try the PAF Pro. It's a great choice.
I had the PAF in a stratocaster. Sounded great
@@chocolatecookie8571 It's great. Very adaptable, good clarity.
I always liked the Double Whammy as well. To me, it sounded like a higher output PAF Pro.
How did you like the Super 3? Seriously considering putting on into an early 2000s Jackson with a Floyd Rose (Alder body) for some standard E thrash metals.
@@nickharper8145 Super 3 would be a good fit for your purposes. It's got more of that grind people like from certain Duncans for metal, but has that Dimarzio evenness that sounds quintessentially rock and metal guitar.
This confirms my own experience with an Ibanez RG I bought with the Tone Zone in the bridge - it's just an awful muddy mess. The PAF Pro has exceptional clarity and note separation even with distortion.
word up , just replaced the TZ in my new Prestige got rid of that God awful TZ and put a Super Distortion in the bridge. Ibanez is catering these Prestige’s to new metal uber distortion crap sounds, just pathetic. Give me 80’s metal tones please and thank you Ibanez something i can actually deal with.
it’s probably an “awful muddy mess” because you don’t know how to turn down the gain knob on your amp / distortion pedal lol
In this demo the tone zone has more clarity lol
@@feltyash6484 I don't know what you mean by clarity, but with high gain the TZ sounds a lot more compressed with less note definiton.
@@geomusicmove Clear is the opposite of muddy, more definition and treble
Great video man . Tonezone user here decade or more ... At first i preferred the clean tone of the PAF PRO as it had a bit more treble but ehwn the gain came on im like , Theres my Tooonnezzzooonnee . Might buy a PAF PRO and give it a whirl but def a tonezone man for gain !
I have both. I put the DiMarzio Paf Pro in the neck with a tap coil and the tone zone in bridge in my Gibson V and I love what it puts outs. Very good clean tones from it and can go heavy!
Nice! I have a Tone Zone in my sg and it sounds great for metal.
@@ballsofdoom3124 sweet man I presume it’s in the bridge? Is the original guitar pickup in the neck?
@@HeathBlair Yep. Still have the 490r in the neck.
Hi, Have you ever tried a Di Marzio Super 2 in the neck? I am wondering how it sounds against the Paf Pro in terms of volume and clarity. 👍
I was hoping to see these too soon. I think I'm digging the Tonezone more but it's close.
Well you convinced me the paf pro is an amazing pickup. It beats almost everything. Could we possibly get a comparison to the DiMarzio FRED? it's supposed to be a hotter version of the paf pro. I'm curious if they ruined some of the amazing qualities of the paf pro when making the FRED or if it really is just more output
Sure thing. Fred is awesome pickup - fatter than paf pro and not too sharp in bridge position, and also has nice dynamic range
Paf pro v 36th anni please.
Back in the day you needed a hot pick up in order to push the amp harder. There weren’t any true High gain amplifiers. Now that we do, you let the amp do the work. A PAF style pick up has far more clarity and definition, all your chord notes ring. All of my favorite guitar players Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens, Phil X, Neil Schon, Pete Thorn ALL use a PAF And they’re known for their great tones.
PAF Pro is probably the most balanced pickup DiMarzio has. I think lack of promotion really hurts the PAF Pro, you never hear about it anymore. Surprisingly, it provides a sound as iconic as a JB, and is very comparable, but with more harmonics. Honestly, A LOT of the newer DiMarzio pickups are bass or mid-bass focused, boomy, and lack clarity; I play Floyd rose equipped guitars and even then, the Tone Zone is so boomy the pick attack feels like I'm picking with a damn sponge.
Any experience with the Super 3? Was thinking of giving one a try in an early 2000s Jackson with a Floyd Rose (Alder Body) Will be strictly for standard E thrash metal.
Las comparaciones, aunque odiosas, son especialmente de utilidad. Me encantan tus videos. Me suscribo......👍👍👍👍👍👍
Siempre son odiosas, desde luego! Pero, muchas veces, necesarias! Bienvenido, :)
Both sound great i think the paf pro takes the cake. Sounds way more versatile here. Its bright, allows the lowend to cut and doesn't have that obnoxious sparkle in the top end. The tone-zone sounds great for EVH style tones where you want more fluidity for legato and tapping. It just doesn't cut it for tight aggressive metal, way too boomy in the lowend and sparkly in the top end. Better for like Deftones or Grunge-ish tones or even Pantera-ish tones, but I feel the Paf Pro would be able to do all of those with added gain or a boost.
The perfect pickup combination is the Tone Zone in the bridge and the PAF Pro in the neck. With that said. overall the PAF Pro sounds better...it's brighter...more bell iike...better dynamics.
You should get an EVH Frankenstein pickup and shoot it out with the Tone Zone. If you order from the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop, you can get a Trembucker version, covers, and whatever. Short leg only. 👍🏻
I just played the $2k Frankenstrat at the store the other day and it sounded really really good (I'm a Tone Zone guy usually), even though I wouldn't get the guitar because it's visuals don't fit me. 😂
Actually the original Frankenstrat har a jb with was damaged when evh pulled out a magnet by bending his e string. He said it never sounded the same again. That's the real frankenstrat tone
I am just discovering your channel, and I can't thank you enough for all these demo's! I am on the quest to load up my LTD Mirage Deluxe 87'. I am not a fan of the stock SD pickups so I am thinking possibly a PAF pro in the bridge and the cruiser in the neck. Thoughts? Thanks again!
PAF Pro on bridge is like tons of clarity, which I found really useful for what I do. So much versatility, even for high gain tones.
@@mikestamper I wound up going with the PAF pro in the bridge and the chopper in the neck. Thanks!
Dimarzio clearly states on their site that the PAF Pro is primarily a neck pickup, but I can't find one review where this is the case.
It works awesomely in bridge position, and that's why many people use it there. But don't worry, if you wait a few days, there are neck comparisons for this pickup on the way, :)
Paf pro is just more full sounding all around in my opinion.
Other people say the Tone Zone has too much bass. 🤷🏻♂️
@@XChristianNoirX I just don't really like the tone very much, and it's kinda smudged sounding, which like you say is from to much darkness, yet the tone zone sounds great for clean playing on the bridge pickup.
@@DiMarzio-Tone if you watch this channel's shootouts though... Tone Zone seems to either win or tie for almost everything.
I use it all the time, but I do use boosts In a peculiar way. A parametric boost at 1.4k does the trick for me.
@@XChristianNoirX Yeah, I know. I'm not really putting it down, as I use the tone zone on my rg6pfgmltd premium, and it's not the metal grind like Seymour Duncan full shred bridge, but does sound way better on a cleaner sound compared to Seymour Duncan pups, I like it enough to still have it in my Ibanez rg6pfgmltd, and yeah it takes the cake as far as wins go on this channel.
The thing that is confusing me about this comparison is that the PAF Pro sounds like it has more gain.. But Dimarzio says:
PAF PRO O:300 B:5.0 M:5.0 T:6.0
TONE ZONE O:375 B:8.5 M:8.5 T:5.0
Maybe I need to listen in different speakers.. Or maybe I'm getting some compression somewhere.. Either through TH-cam or something.. The big bass of the TONE ZONE might be hosing everything and bringing the mids/treble down along with it.
TONE ZONE O:375 B:8.5
As someone who's been a proud user of Tone Zones in two of my favourite Ibanez RGs over the last 10+ years, I thought I'd throw my hat into this discussion:
The Tone Zone will be thicker-sounding than the PAF Pros due to the higher DC resistance and ceramic magnet (most likely), and has more windings than the PAF Pro - though not by much.
Spec-wise, the Tone Zone should be wiping the floor with the PAF Pro, what with 75 more millivolts and all of that DC resistance allowing for a thicker tone, but the PAF Pro can certainly hold its own as evidenced here, and can seemingly be pushed to distort more "openly" with its different alnico 5 magnet vs. Tone Zone's ceramic one. I'd assume that less pull = closer string reaction and better, clearer distortion? I could be wrong.
All I know is that my next pair of humbuckers is a set of PAF Pros. :3
The Tone Zone has an alnico 5 magnet just like the PAF Pro.
Yup, tone zone is also alnico 5.
The Tone Zone uses Alnico 5.
please neck position DIMARZIO Air Norton play
I replaced the paf pro that came stock in my 90s fender Floyd rose classic with a tone zone. The paf pro was weak and anemic when plugged into my jcm800 2304. The tone zone is way hotter and gives me a thick heavy crunch with lots of sustain that the stock paf pro just didn't have. It could also be that the fender branded paf pro is wound to different specs though.
man f the tone zone it sucks azz. I just got a new Prestige and second day took it in to Repair Zone and had them throw a Super Distortion in there. Stupid Ibanez needs to get with it, hate the Tone Zone big time.
Il tone zone "sbrodola" nel distorto.... Pessimo