Dimarzio Titan 7

[karpathion]

I know the 6 string version has been talked about and covered at length, but I have to throw a little love for the 7 string version.

Somehow, about 3 weeks ago, I ended up buying a used Shecter 7 string. Nothing fancy, just the Diamond series, budget, 7 banger. Less than $200 used, you know? It was for a 7 string project that fizzled after just 2 practices.

Right from the start, I did not like the stock pups. Very scooped, muddy, hissy, and not a ton of power. Almost like a cheap, ugly, crossing of a JB and an Invader. Not really too appealing in a 7 string setup. The bridge pup had to go first.

At first thought, and on pure instinct/ex-fanboyism alone, I started looking at Duncan's offerings. Then I remembered how much I can't stand the current owners and operators, and how bad they have been over the last 5-6 years, I decided to dig through Dimarzio's offerings, on their very informative pick up page. They have a section just for 7 bangers, and all the info you need is there.

After about 4 hours of reading, watching youtube videos, and listening to sound clips, I took a swing on the Titan 7, in white. Thought it would be a nice a contrast to the black guitar. And holy shit, I just hit the sonic lottery with this thing! Words can not explain my love for this pup, but I'm about to try.

First off, the highs and lows are perfectly balanced. it's just enough bottom end to slap you in the face, but not enough the mud up, or flub out. The highs always stay right in that range where it doesn't ice pick your ears ever, but doesn't get lost to the mids or low end. I feel that it's part of the reason the pup stays so clear, not matter how you set your amps controls.

Now for the mids - Oh that beautiful mid hump that it has... Most of our modern amps are naturally mid scooped. It's just part of the modern styles. And sometimes, we can lose track of where that mid should be. This Titan will make you find it again. The wonderful little mid hump it has is what rounds out the tone. It's in the perfect spot to mix with the high and low end, to really never lose articulation, and clarity, even in the most scooped amps, and insane amounts of gain. It's like this pickup was designed to be exactly what a 7 string pup should be. That low string pushes our amps into a sonic area that is starting to get into bass and bass amp territory, and this Titan helps your rig retain that guitar feel and tone, without allowing you to get lost in the bottom end, which is easy to do.

Last but not least, the power. I'm pretty sure there a few pups out there that may have a little more output, but I'd be willing to bet that none of them can match the clarity, and articulation that the Titan 7 has. And they probably only have a slight power advantage. 

Basically, you can't go wrong with the Titan 7, if you are looking to replace the stock pups in your 7 string, or just want to try something different. I would call this the golden standard of 7 string pups. Everything else should be compared to it for its versatility, sonic range, power, clarity, and articulation. You will never get lost in the mix, and probably never need more than what the Titan 7 offers. It's The Shit, Titties, Clutch, Money, or whatever word you want to use for perfect. You can't go wrong with this bad boy.