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Hatsubai « Tweaked Air Norton S »
Published on 03/23/11 at 08:01The BC-1 is a pickup that DiMarzio recently made for Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins. It’s a single coil sized medium to high output humbucker. It features the signature blade rails like so many other single coil humbuckers feature and four conductor wiring standard.
Billy Corgan used to be a big user of the Air Norton S for awhile in his strats. The Air Norton is renounced for its fat, smooth sound, and this humbucker is modeled after that very sound. The main difference between this and the Air Norton S is that one of the coils is wound differently to enhance the bass, as well as opening up the midrange a bit more so it’s not quite as compressed.
As a whole, this pickup sounds pretty close to the Air Norton S it was modeled after. The changes between the two are fairly small, mainly just a touch less mids and a little more bass. The output is nearly identical with the Air Norton S as well. That means that it works best in neutral to brighter woods. It features a smooth, warm sound that has liquid sustain for days. It’s sort of like a more modern PAF. If you’ve ever heard John Petrucci’s tone, you’ll get an idea as to how this sounds in the neck. The reason I mention Petrucci is because he used to be a big user of the Air Norton.
If you’re looking for a smooth, fat humbucker for your strat, but you’re limited to a single coil sized pickup, this is worth checking out. The only thing I’m not a total fan of is that it’s a Billy Corgan signature pickup. I tend to stay away from signature gear simply due to not wanting any artist affiliation. If the Air Norton S isn’t working out for you, see if this fits the bill.
Billy Corgan used to be a big user of the Air Norton S for awhile in his strats. The Air Norton is renounced for its fat, smooth sound, and this humbucker is modeled after that very sound. The main difference between this and the Air Norton S is that one of the coils is wound differently to enhance the bass, as well as opening up the midrange a bit more so it’s not quite as compressed.
As a whole, this pickup sounds pretty close to the Air Norton S it was modeled after. The changes between the two are fairly small, mainly just a touch less mids and a little more bass. The output is nearly identical with the Air Norton S as well. That means that it works best in neutral to brighter woods. It features a smooth, warm sound that has liquid sustain for days. It’s sort of like a more modern PAF. If you’ve ever heard John Petrucci’s tone, you’ll get an idea as to how this sounds in the neck. The reason I mention Petrucci is because he used to be a big user of the Air Norton.
If you’re looking for a smooth, fat humbucker for your strat, but you’re limited to a single coil sized pickup, this is worth checking out. The only thing I’m not a total fan of is that it’s a Billy Corgan signature pickup. I tend to stay away from signature gear simply due to not wanting any artist affiliation. If the Air Norton S isn’t working out for you, see if this fits the bill.