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Hatsubai « Similar to the Blaze Neck »
Published on 03/28/11 at 14:00The DiMarzio PAF 7 is basically a tweaked Blaze Neck. Instead of the adjustable pole pieces on both coils, this pickup has slugs on one coil, adjustable screw heads on the other, a ceramic magnet and four conductor wiring.
DiMarzio basically offers two pickup for those wanting a medium output pickup – the DiMarzio Blaze Neck and the DiMarzio PAF 7. Both of these pickups, however, are fairly similar in their tone and EQ curve. The biggest difference between the two is that the PAF 7 is a bit cleaner sounding and has more note definition. Given that the PAF 7 is lower output, this really isn’t a surprise. The high end is crisp enough without sounding too harsh, the mids are pushed back a little bit for clarity and the low end is boosted ever so slightly just to help keep everything in check.
The one thing I really wish this pickup had was an Alnico 5 magnet. That would really help this pickup sound more organic than it currently does. As it stands, it’s pretty much a PAF Pro variant for the seven string market. It has some compression going on, but it still retains its picking dynamics like most other low output pickups out there. It’ll mate with any wood you throw at it, so there should be no issues when it comes to installing it in your favorite seven string guitar.
If you’re looking for a lower output pickup in the seven string DiMarzio world, you pretty much have to choose between this or the Blaze Neck. Both pickups deliver a great tone, and I really don’t think you can go wrong with either one if you’re looking for a very clean and fairly open sounding pickup. Personally, I’d probably run the Blaze Neck in basswood and the PAF 7 in mahogany, but that’s just me. If you find yourself needing a bit more output than the PAF 7, check out the Blaze Neck. The same is true in reverse.
DiMarzio basically offers two pickup for those wanting a medium output pickup – the DiMarzio Blaze Neck and the DiMarzio PAF 7. Both of these pickups, however, are fairly similar in their tone and EQ curve. The biggest difference between the two is that the PAF 7 is a bit cleaner sounding and has more note definition. Given that the PAF 7 is lower output, this really isn’t a surprise. The high end is crisp enough without sounding too harsh, the mids are pushed back a little bit for clarity and the low end is boosted ever so slightly just to help keep everything in check.
The one thing I really wish this pickup had was an Alnico 5 magnet. That would really help this pickup sound more organic than it currently does. As it stands, it’s pretty much a PAF Pro variant for the seven string market. It has some compression going on, but it still retains its picking dynamics like most other low output pickups out there. It’ll mate with any wood you throw at it, so there should be no issues when it comes to installing it in your favorite seven string guitar.
If you’re looking for a lower output pickup in the seven string DiMarzio world, you pretty much have to choose between this or the Blaze Neck. Both pickups deliver a great tone, and I really don’t think you can go wrong with either one if you’re looking for a very clean and fairly open sounding pickup. Personally, I’d probably run the Blaze Neck in basswood and the PAF 7 in mahogany, but that’s just me. If you find yourself needing a bit more output than the PAF 7, check out the Blaze Neck. The same is true in reverse.