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glassjaw7 « Sharp and searing, but still touch sensitive »
Published on 03/21/11 at 23:01The Evolution bridge pickup by DiMarzio is a the outcome of the Steve Vai's very high demands as a player who knows exactly what he wants in a piece of gear. DiMarzio built the Evo to his specs and the result is a searing and sharp sounding humbucker with lots of output and harmonic content.
The pup is very tight in the low end, and not much low end is actually produced. It's not thin however, as riffs stay chunky with just enough girth. The high end is very present and almost shrill, but never quite becomes unpleasant. This pickup was made mainly for soloing when the guitarist must cut through the mix and be heard. I find that I like the pickup for tight rhythm playing just as much as shredding however.
The pickup has lots of harmonic overtones and a very lively sound. It will NOT hide sloppy playing, so be prepared to bring the chops with this one!
I think of this pickup as being an "acquired taste" and I don't think it works well with all gear. For example, it's too bright and thin to be played into a Marshall and V30's. A JCM 800 and Marshall cab with 75s was also a bit piercing and over the top in the upper mids, but better than the Marshall/V30 combo. However, this pup was right at home with a Boogie Mark IV, and even more so in my Dual Rectifier. The Rectifier's big low end countered the pickup's tight and somewhat thin low end to produce amazing hard rock and metal rhythm sounds! With the pup installed in my Les Paul and playing through the Vintage channel on the recto, I was getting tones that made my EMGs sound lifeless and stale. Not to mention, the Evo can get pretty good clean tones which surprised me.
As a side note for Mesa Boogie users, and especially rectifier users; ceramic pickups seem to sound smoother for some reason with these amps. Usually alnico magnets produce a softer sound, but with the recto ceramics just hold together better and sound smoother.
Overall, I'd recommend this pickup if you have a dark sounding amp or a thick guitar such as a Les Paul, and want to be heard and challenged as a player!
The pup is very tight in the low end, and not much low end is actually produced. It's not thin however, as riffs stay chunky with just enough girth. The high end is very present and almost shrill, but never quite becomes unpleasant. This pickup was made mainly for soloing when the guitarist must cut through the mix and be heard. I find that I like the pickup for tight rhythm playing just as much as shredding however.
The pickup has lots of harmonic overtones and a very lively sound. It will NOT hide sloppy playing, so be prepared to bring the chops with this one!
I think of this pickup as being an "acquired taste" and I don't think it works well with all gear. For example, it's too bright and thin to be played into a Marshall and V30's. A JCM 800 and Marshall cab with 75s was also a bit piercing and over the top in the upper mids, but better than the Marshall/V30 combo. However, this pup was right at home with a Boogie Mark IV, and even more so in my Dual Rectifier. The Rectifier's big low end countered the pickup's tight and somewhat thin low end to produce amazing hard rock and metal rhythm sounds! With the pup installed in my Les Paul and playing through the Vintage channel on the recto, I was getting tones that made my EMGs sound lifeless and stale. Not to mention, the Evo can get pretty good clean tones which surprised me.
As a side note for Mesa Boogie users, and especially rectifier users; ceramic pickups seem to sound smoother for some reason with these amps. Usually alnico magnets produce a softer sound, but with the recto ceramics just hold together better and sound smoother.
Overall, I'd recommend this pickup if you have a dark sounding amp or a thick guitar such as a Les Paul, and want to be heard and challenged as a player!