« You should try it in the neck position »

Im am in a small group of guitar players that use the Dimarzio Tone Zone pickup in the neck position of a guitar but it is also good in the bridge position, as it should be because that was where it was designed to go.. The Tone Zone came out in 1991 and immediately was known for its vowel like open wah sound. There is a story going around that EVH helped design the pickup and I tend to believe this. When you play with it in the bridge you cant help but think of those 80s metal tones with the loads of chorus on them. In the bridge position of a guitar with a brighter wood it would be really good for 80s metal or even modern metal when used with the right amp and rig. I use an X2N in the bridge so I had to find a pickup that would have similar volume and output so I wouldn’t have a big drop in volume switching from the bridge to the neck. I found that some players have matched the Tone Zone to the X2N so I decided to try it. In the neck the Tone Zone produces a laser like sound. It does not get overly muddy and is perfectly smooth but not so smooth that it gets lost in the mix. The pickup is voiced with a lot of low end so in guitars of certain woods it may begin to sound muddy. With all the mids the Tone Zone had it sometimes sounds as if you are playing with a wah on during your lead playing. This is why the Tone Zone gets a split opinion among guitar players. Some players like this tonal quirk and other players do not. So if you are looking for a neck pickup that matches well with a super hot bridge pickup the Tone Zone may be the way to go.