NPupsD!

[rnolan]

Nice  :thumb-up:

[Systematic Chaos]

Hey Kim,

any updates??

[Kim]

Hey Kim,

any updates??

Sure!   
DiMarzio CrunchLab
Ok, after further review I think the CrunchLab is not for me.  It sounds really good though, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.  It has a nice crisp feel to it, the harmonics really pop, and has a decent amount of power.  However, to me it lost too much of the Lows and seemed just a tad too piercing at times (probably due to my guitar not having a Tone control).  Even with the Lo on my MP-2 at +12 (where I normally keep it) it just doesn't have that pounding that I want in my current sound.  A Tone pot on my guitar would help with rolling back the Highs just a wee bit, but there's no room in the cavity to add another pot. I could add a circuit that incorporates the Tone rating/capacitance/magick without actually adding another pot, but that won't bring back the Lows anyway.

Remember, this is all very subjective.  I feel that the others who love this pickup have a very good reason to, and I certainly won't knock it because it is a very nice sounding pickup....just not quite what I'm looking at this time.  I'm glad I got to try it, because you never know until you do.  Reading and comparing the specs doesn't nearly as much as actually trying it IRL.  However, if I keep the CrunchLab I wouldn't have a "backup" guitar anymore; I'd have "another" guitar.  Know what I mean?

DiMarzio Breed
This pickup is one of the two models that brought me to love DiMarzio passive pickups. (Thanks Systematic Chaos!  )
I find that the EQ balance of this one is perfect for what I'm doing, but the polepieces need to stay at level for that. Raising the pole pieces under the higher-radiused strings to balance the distance between the poles and the strings result in quite a substantial midrange spike...more than I would've guessed and definitely more than what I need. I'll keep 'em flat across the surface of the pickup.
A good amount of power, and cleans up nicely with the guitar volume control.  Good dynamics, and nice beefy tone without becoming overbearing in any frequency area.  Very responsive to picking attack. This would be my current pickup of choice for the Bridge, and will very likely get another for my other guitar.  :thumb-up:

DiMarzio PAF Pro
I absolutely LOVE this pickup in the Neck position!  It is exactly what I was looking for there, and I can't explain it but the EQ of it, the power, the feel is exactly what I was looking for.  My gosh, I was missing out on this for all this time?  Very "vocal" sounding, meshes perfectly with the Breed (I actually do use the middle position of the 3way toggle quite a bit), and even sounds really good in a Parallel humbucker mode as well.  In the Parallel mode, the volume drops down a bit but really digging in on a Clean amp setting brings a certain desirable "spank" or "quack" quality and makes me play/noodle something a bit SRV or maybe even Blackmore-ish inspired licks.  On a Hi Gain amp setting, I can't help noodling out some of the more neo-classical Yngwie-inspired licks.  LOL  But the main point here is that this pickup is everything I'm looking for in a Neck pickup; I'll look no further for another.  Very very pleased with this one.

Actually quite pleased with all 3 even though 2 of them are the clear winners for me.  I'm very glad I made this switch from active pickups to DiMarzio passives.  The actives aren't bad.  I loved them for a long time, but my tastes have changed. 
DiMarzio FTW.   :thumb-up:

[Systematic Chaos]

Nice sum-up and review!
I'm a bit surprised by your CL experience though....Especially the lows and lower mids outplay or compliment its highs in all of my guitars (mahogany, alder, basswood and ash). It's been nicknamed MudLab or ThumbLab for its eq ;-)
Especially the high notes have so much belly/depth and cream.
Did you use a 500k or a 1Meg pot?
Anyway, personal preferences and subjective tone definitions with all of us  8)
Glad you found a combo that works for you!

[Kim]

I'm a bit surprised by your CL experience though....Especially the lows and lower mids outplay or compliment its highs in all of my guitars (mahogany, alder, basswood and ash). It's been nicknamed MudLab or ThumbLab for its eq ;-)
Especially the high notes have so much belly/depth and cream.
Did you use a 500k or a 1Meg pot?

I used a 500k pot.  MudLab?  lol   No, no mud here.  It's very defined, but lacking a certain heft in the low end.  Perhaps it's the fact I use a Baritone tuning and therefore my guitar's range is shifted downward slightly out of the CL's comfort zone? 

[Chip Roberts]

For what it's worth, I use the Crunch Lab in my particle board Les Paul with 11-70 gauge strings in drop C and it's probably my favorite pickup out of all my guitars  :dunno:  I understand I'm an outlier.  Definitely a matter of preference; I've never tried a Dimarzio I didn't like, they're all great for different applications.

[Systematic Chaos]

For what it's worth, I use the Crunch Lab in my particle board Les Paul with 11-70 gauge strings in drop C and it's probably my favorite pickup out of all my guitars :dunno:  I understand I'm an outlier.  Definitely a matter of preference; I've never tried a Dimarzio I didn't like, they're all great for different applications.

Absolutely

[Kim]

Thanks for the comments!   I've since bought another Breed to replace the CrunchLab and made that swap this morning.  But first, I fired up the QuadTube and played around a bit with the CL still installed just to refresh myself on how that pickup played/acted/reacted with both a medium-gain setting and a somewhat higher-gain setting.  Made the mental notes I needed, and shut the amp off to start the swap.  I didn't remove or unlock the strings at all; just pulled the trem springs off so I could take the whole bridge off and carefully laid it aside and got busy. 

After I had the pickup changed I put the bridge back in and installed the trem springs, closed everything up, plugged in and fired it up to play some more.  (Still in perfect tune too after removing and reinstalling the bridge without removing or unlocking the strings!)   :thumb-up:

I absolutely made the right choice, IMO.    

[Kim]

Update:

Still loving the Breed and PAF Pro.   :thumb-up: 

But....this is the look I wanted for this particular guitar so I found new nickel covers from DiMarzio and added them! 

[rnolan]

Very nice  :thumb-up: