Sugizo Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 I recently just put a Ibanez 2170FW on order, and I'm looking to get a really extremely smooth Vai-like tone, I know most of this probably has to do with the kind of amp I'd be using, but I love his balanced tone... So would Dimarzio Evolutions suffice? Also, what would be a great PU to put in the neck position? Thanks your your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 First thing you would want to do is check out Dimarzio's website, I think they list Vai's pickups. If I remember right, he uses a Breed and an Evolution. I would also do a web search and check the Dimarzio site to see if he has any special wiring. The one thing you have to remember with guys like Vai and Satch and so on, is that the majority of their tone is in their fingers. I've seen Chris Caffery play through 3 different amps that all have different voicings, and sound almost the same. But his tone like many others is in his hands, not his rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugizo Posted June 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Touche, but I was just curious, does he like... Use a evo in the bridge and a breed in the neck? I'm not looking for an exact sound, just a ballpark sound of what it is... If that makes sense. I do agree that the majority of tone is in the fingers, but there is an extent of which comes from the guitar and pickups, I know this is generally common knowledge, but I know that something like a Dimarzio X2N or a Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II isn't going to yield a similar 'ballpark' sound. I can't just go out and buy Steve Vai's fingers to sound like him, not to mention that I don't necessarily want to sound like him, it's just I really like that smooth tone he uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Your first conclusion was correct-- in addition to the inimitable (his fingers), his tone comes more from his effects and amp than the pickups. This is evidenced by the wide variety of pickups he has installed on various guitars: Neck: Blaze, PAF Pro, Evo, Breed Bridge: Blaze, Evo, Evo 2, Breed, Evo 7 I think you're pretty safe to get a pair of Evos, or an Evo 2 in the bridge and an an Evolution in the neck. According to the website (all this information is exceedingly easy to find at DiMarzio.com...), the Breed pickups are put onto a special guitar that he uses for a more typical PAF sound. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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