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Hatsubai « PAF Pro-esque »
Published on 03/24/11 at 12:46The DiMarzio Chopper is the first true revision of the Fast Track 1. Where as the Fast Track 2 was actually a different pickup, this is a direct descendent of the original Fast Track. It features dual blade rails, four conductor wiring and a ceramic magnet like most of the other DiMarzio single coil humbuckers.
The Chopper is very reminiscent of the Fast Track 1, but it’s much more powerful and versatile. It still has some strong treble, but the mids and bass have bee boosted, as well as the output. This actually makes it somewhat similar to the very famous PAF Pro in many ways. It’s very punchy and sounds a lot bigger than the original Fast Track 1 while still retaining qualities of the original.
Those of you looking for a single coil PAF Pro will most likely be looking at this pickup. It has similar output and EQ curve. Because it’s so similar to the PAF Pro, this can be used in both the neck and bridge without any problems. In the bridge, it’s a bright, clear and fairly open sounding hard rock pickup. In the neck, it’s a precise, clear and punchy sounding pickup. Split tones are very nice, but I haven’t tried it in parallel.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of wood you have. This pickup will jive with just about anything out there, just like the original PAF Pro. I find it tends to work best in woods like alder and basswood, but maple and mahogany all work wonderfully. If you do put it in the neck, be sure to get a hot enough bridge pickup so that the neck won’t be overpowering the bridge sound. Something like the Fast Track 2, the Super Distortion S or the Tone Zone S would work great for that.
The Chopper is very reminiscent of the Fast Track 1, but it’s much more powerful and versatile. It still has some strong treble, but the mids and bass have bee boosted, as well as the output. This actually makes it somewhat similar to the very famous PAF Pro in many ways. It’s very punchy and sounds a lot bigger than the original Fast Track 1 while still retaining qualities of the original.
Those of you looking for a single coil PAF Pro will most likely be looking at this pickup. It has similar output and EQ curve. Because it’s so similar to the PAF Pro, this can be used in both the neck and bridge without any problems. In the bridge, it’s a bright, clear and fairly open sounding hard rock pickup. In the neck, it’s a precise, clear and punchy sounding pickup. Split tones are very nice, but I haven’t tried it in parallel.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of wood you have. This pickup will jive with just about anything out there, just like the original PAF Pro. I find it tends to work best in woods like alder and basswood, but maple and mahogany all work wonderfully. If you do put it in the neck, be sure to get a hot enough bridge pickup so that the neck won’t be overpowering the bridge sound. Something like the Fast Track 2, the Super Distortion S or the Tone Zone S would work great for that.