I just had to... new clip... some changes...

[EJSLPlexi]

Ralle that "we die young" clip is nailed to the nuts VH I tone IMHO! it has that growl in the chords i asked about in another thread and has the intricate things a DSD is missing
So the MM 1400 vintage is looking like the best bet for the VH I frank tone.
Since these 1400's are so rare and expensive i wonder how the dimarzio super 2 would subsitute?
the 1400 and super 2 have the same spec. 9K and ceramac

But nonetheless your 1400 clips here have gotten the closest to VH I that i have heard so i am off to find a 1400 type of pu.

[Tone Slinger]

Well,pictures of Ed with his sun burst strat (very early'77) and his all black Franky (spring/summer'77?) show a double creme DSD or MM (Sun Burst) and a Zebra coil (Dimarzio only had the double creme at that time, so it had to be a MM). Maybe only the 1400 was available as a Zebra ?).Maybe Ed had the weaker 1400 Zebra in the Franky when the demo's were recorded. His strat did sound sort of thin and nasty(what you would expect from a 8kish ceramic magnet pu)on those demo's,wheras before and after the demo's, his sound was great ?

[EJSLPlexi]

I listened to the "We die bold" and RWTD clip again and that 1400 has that open but very aggressive tone eddie had pre '78.
to me that 1400 has element of both a PAF and DSD and that is what i always heard on VH I. Both the dsd and 1300 lack the detail that the pre 78 EV H tone had.
I think that is the closest you have came to his tone ralle, maybe just a touch more hair(gain) would put it over the edge,
.