My DiMarzio Air Norton S review. I had a long brainstorming on what I will install in the middle position of my highly modified Ibanez Jem. I like the DiMarzio Air Norton so much, but I cannot replace my DiMarzio LiquiFire in the neck position as it is my favorite. So I searched, and I found this small sized version of the Air Norton. The Air Norton S is warm sounding, has the same unique tonal characteristics as the original and very well balanced.
DiMarzio Air Norton S Single Coil Sized Pickup – Black
So I decide to install this pickup in the middle position, and I am very happy with it. It compliments the DiMarzio CrunchLab and LiquiFire Set pickups on the bridge and neck position.
Is it Good for Coil Splitting?
If you noticed, I have those mini switches installed instead of the five-way pickup selector. I use this to have all the pickup combinations on the three pickups. I also have the option to use all pickups in single coil, parallel mode humbucker, and full humbucker mode. The Air Norton S is not the best pickup to split coil. It comes in four wires to achieve this purpose, but I do not find it satisfactory.
It sounds tiny like the Seymour Duncan Rail Pickups when split coiled. So I do not recommend these pickups for coil splitting. If you need a rail pickup for coil splitting, I recommend the Dimarzio P-Rails. It is designed for that purpose.
Why would you install pickups like these instead of a single coil on a single coil slot?
We all know that single coil pickups produce hum that is why major companies like Dimarzio manufactured small sized humbuckers to fit into a single coil slot. If you do not need a single coil pickup, this is a pickup to put in its place and have a small sized humbucker.
Will it sound like a single coil pickup?
No. This pickup is designed to give you the unique tonal characteristics of the original Air Norton in a single coil size. If you need a small sized rail humbucker that sounds like a single coil, I recommend you use the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for the bridge position, Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails for the middle position, or Seymour Duncan Cool Rails in the neck position.
Conclusion
This pickup is not a replacement for a single coil pickup for its sound. It is designed to be used as a small-sized humbucker to fit in a single coil slot. This is also not suitable for coil splitting although it is provided with four wires. If you have this pickup pre-installed and you need a single coil sound, the best you can do is wire both coils in parallel, then you will have a sound closer to a single coil sound, but not as good as the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, Vintage Rails and Cool Rails pickups.
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Hi Belden,
This was a very informative and detailed article! Thank you for sharing the wonders of the DiMarzio Air Norton S! 🙂 You seem very passionate about guitars. Perhaps you’ve tempted me enough to buy one in the future. I wish you all the best! God Speed!!!
Constantinos Roussos
Hi Constantinos,
The Dimarzio Air Norton S is a great drop in replacement for guitars with single coil slots. This single coil sized humbucker share the same characteristic as the full sized Air Norton. Thank you, yes I am very passionate about guitars.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
As a Fender Stratocaster-fanatic, the DiMarzio Air Norton S is a blessing as it can give the Strat more power while reducing the hum plus retain the looks of a Strat. I am glad there are humbuckers in a single coil size. I’m no expert on specific pickups, I mostly go by ear and never really pay much attention to details.
I’ve always been looking to add a Floyd Rose equipped guitar to my tiny collection and it’s been hard to decide wether buy a Jackson or an Ibanez. I’ve been leaning towards Ibanez and Jacksons mostly, but with a limited budget, making a decision is hard!
What would you recommend if I told you I had to pick between either an Ibanez or a Jackson? As I play mostly rock, I’m mostly in for the Floyd Rose whammy bar to screw around with,
Loved the review overall
Henric
Hi Henric,
The DiMarzio Air Norton S pickups is a great pickup for Stratocaster and for any guitar with a single coil slot. It will retain the look of a single coil while eliminating the hum as it is a humbucker.
If you go for the lower end guitars, I would pick the Jackson over the Ibanez. The Jackson licensed Floyd Rose is patterned after the original whereas the Ibanez has a different design Floyd Rose licensed tremolo. If you ever decide to upgrade the tremolo to an original Floyd Rose, you can drop it in a Jackson but you might do some wood routing on an Ibanez. I have done it a lot of times on my customer’s guitar.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
I am an electric guitar player and you addressed the questions that came to mind about the Air Norton S. You were straight forward in what you loved about the product and the two possible drawbacks for some players, the split coil issue (is that called a coil tap by some players?) and the fact that it does not sound like a single coil pickup. Thanks for the helpful information.
Hi Robert,
The Air Norton S pickup is not good for coil splitting, and it does not sound like a single coil. Coil splitting and coil tapping are two different things. Coils splitting is when you ground one coil of a humbucker, thereby disabling that coil and have the one remaining coil to function as a single coil pickup.
Single coil pickups found in electric guitars can be coil tapped to reduce the number of windings around the magnet. A tapped single-coil pickup typically contains three wires: ground, output, and a tapped output – with the two outputs wired to a switch on the guitar. The guitar player can then choose between the louder, punchy, midrange-heavy sound of the entire coil, or coil tap into the inner coil for a quieter, yet brighter tone with a more clear and detailed high end.
To summarize the subject, coil splitting is for humbuckers while coil tapping is for single coil pickups.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Hi Den,
What kind of music is the DiMarzio Air Norton S most suitable for? From my few years playing guitar I usually associate humbuckers with a heavier rock sound. Is that the case with this? Does this humbucker pickup do some justice to bands like Metallica, Disturbed, Megadeth, and the like?
Juan
Hi Juan,
Even though this pickup is a humbucker, this is still a medium output pickup. This is good from classic rock to progressive rock. Higher output pickups are the choice of those bands you mentioned.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Den,
Wow! I bought a Carvin and I am looking for ways to make it sound better. I’m not a guitar modifier but should be. It is nice to know that there is a single coil size version of the DiMarzio Air Norton. Your advise here is very pertinent to doing quality studio work – which is what I’m dedicated to.
Thank you fellow musician!
Hi Rick,
Thank you! The DiMarzio Air Norton S is a good option to install a single coil sized humbucker in a single coil pickup slot. This pickup is a drop in replacement.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Great review! I used to play guitar years ago but stopped for some reason for fifteen years. I must be in a mid-life crisis because I am 43 and have been thinking a lot about the good old days twenty years ago when I could jam out. (great way to meet girls back in the day!)
Anyway, I have an old guitar project that I had been working on a long time ago that I boxed up and tucked away. I came across it a few days ago in my closet and pulled the box out. It was a kit project I bought and never really got started on it. Coming across that, and now seeing your site and reading some reviews I think I am going to jump back into my build.
I need to go to a few local guitar shops and play around in their rooms and listen to some different pickup sounds and see what I like. I would like to check this DiMarzio Air Norton S as well.
Bookmarking your page for sure!
Hi,
Thank you! A player is always a player. If you need ideas for that guitar project just holler.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Thank you,this has some very helpful info.The mini switches sound like a much better idea than the 5 way pickup selector and the options are way cool for coil splitting:)
The DiMarzio P-Rails sound like an educated suggestion over the DiMarzio Air Norton S for coil splitting:) I’ll go with the conclusion in that it is agreeable.
Hi Rene,
Welcome. You are right , the mini switches is better than the five way pickup selector for coil splitting. I do not recommend the Air Norton S for coil splitting.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Didn’t know they have a “S” version of this pickup. This is one of my favourite Dimarzio pickups and I have it on the neck of my ES335. I like the modern sound it offers and has a versatile edge over just a traditional PAF humbucker. Thanks for reviewing this.
Hi,
Nice Acoustic Electric guitar you have there. I love this pickups and I have it installed on one of my Jems in the middle position and on one of my Strats in between two P-Rails.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Nice review about the DiMarzio Air Norton S. Nice to know there are single sized humbuckers. How’s the guitar itself? It is an Ibanez, right? I play bass and guitar, and I always end up with an Ibanez even when I do not plan on getting one.
For acoustic and electric I have that brand for both bass and guitar. You stated that you have modified your guitar many times. What other changes have you made to it?
Hi Ramon,
The guitar is amazing. This is the guitar that convinced my customers to upgrade their guitars. It is an Ibanez Jem and I changed the pickups to DiMarzio CrunchLab in the bridge position, Dimarzio Air Norton S in the middle and Dimarzio LiquiFire in the Neck Position. It is controllable for all pickup configuration using five mini switches. It has an FU-Tone Bridge with a Titanium Tone Block with all the upgrades ( Blackbox Tremolo Stabilizer, noiseless springs, brass spring claw) and the frets are stainless steel. The electronics are top notch.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Hi Den,
Cool article! Somehow I have never learned about humbucker pickups that fit in a single coil slot. These Air Norton seem really great. I’d like to play/hear one now.
I also like your guitar, it looks rad. It’d be cool to see more pictures. It reminds me of the guitars I see Steve Vai playing. I know it’s at least similar because of the brand and the handle, but you seem to have customized yours. What are those 5 circles on your guitar where his has a toggle switch?
-Geoff
Hi Geoff,
The DiMarzio Air Norton S is a very nice sounding humbucker pickup in a single coil size. Those five circles you see in my guitar are five microswitches. I use it to reconfigure the wirings on all those pickups. I can use the three pickups at the same time to add more power. I can also split coils so I can have a single coil, parallel humbucker and full humbucker on the three pickups. For me it is fun because I can have a lot of tonal varieties instead of having the stock Jem sound only. There are more pictures of this guitar in my gear page.
Thanks for the comments,
Den