DiMarzio

The Ionizer 8_ Neck, Middle & Bridge Model pickups were designed for Tosin Abasi. Tosin is pushing the envelope with 8-string guitars. He needs lots of sounds, and he wants pickups that can make them all. It�s taken us nearly two years to develop the pickup Tosin envisioned. It�s warm and open like a vintage humbucker, solid and tight like a modern metal pickup, and performs like a classic single-coil in split mode.

The Ionizer 8_ Neck, Middle & Bridge Model pickups were designed for Tosin Abasi. The Ionizer 8_ Middle pickup was created specifically to work with the Ionizer 8_ Neck and Bridge Models. It�s clean, bright and well balanced.

The Ionizer 8_ Neck, Middle & Bridge Model pickups were designed for Tosin Abasi. When we asked Tosin to describe what he wants in a bridge pickup, he said it�s all about the mids. 8-string guitars have extended high- and low-end response, and it_s the mids that need to power the bridge position so the sound doesn�t wash out. It�s also good to have enough output to overdrive an amp without making the sound muddy, and enough headroom to clean up when the volume is rolled down.

DiMarzio Model J_ pickups reproduce the warmth and roundness of the traditional Fender_ Jazz Bass_ sound with increased power and hum-cancellation. The additional power translates into a bigger sound that emphasizes the resonant character of the instrument. The DiMarzio Model J_ pickup�s sensitivity and deep tone are also the perfect complement to fretless basses. Double-stop glissandos and delicate violin-style vibrato speak with a classic, woody voice simply by backing off slightly on the tone control. For an even more varied choice of tones, pair a bridge position DiMarzio Model J_ with a DiMarzio Model P_ pickup. The warm, fat tone of the DiMarzio Model P_ plus the tight punch of the DiMarzio Model J_ open up the sound of any bass.

One thing has stayed consistent throughout John Petrucci�s long and successful career: the DiMarzio_ pickups in his guitars. John has been pushing the envelope of progressive metal since the late eighties, and the new DiMarzio_ Crunch Lab 7_ Bridge Model ensued from our most recent collaboration with John. He used it throughout Dream Theater�s tenth studio album, _Black Clouds & Silver Linings”. John swears this is the best live and studio sound he has ever had, and the name says it all _ _crunch” is what it�s all about with a big, tight sound that�s neither muddy nor thin.

_A player�s player” is a perfect description for Andy Timmons. He has great touch, phrasing, and tone. Since 2001, he has been playing a DiMarzio_ custom bridge humbucker that has only been available on his signature Ibanez_ guitar, and it has been his first-line pickup ever since. The outstanding characteristics of the DiMarzio AT-1_ are balance, warmth, and clarity. It achieves this blend with the same patented technology as the PAF_ 36th Anniversary, but the sound is hotter and the focus is rock.

Have you ever heard a bridge pickup that made a guitar sound like a giant mosquito attack? If you�ve run into this problem, The Tone Zone_ is the solution. The Tone Zone_ is hot enough to qualify as a high-output pickup, but it has a wider dynamic range _ hard picking will produce a lot of power, and softer picking will be much cleaner and quieter. It�s got tremendous bass and low-mid response to reinforce the bottom end and make the overall sound bigger. The highest single notes have depth, and chords sound huge. Patented dual-resonance coils reproduce more overtones than you�d expect from such a fat-sounding pickup. It makes a great match with an Air Norton_, PAF Joe_, or PAF Pro_, and split-coil mode produces an excellent single-coil sound as well.

The PAF Pro_ was created when chops-intensive playing was first starting to happen, and high-gain amps and rack systems were becoming popular. A pickup was needed that combined a lot of presence and _cut” with an open-sounding PAF_ vibe. The transparency of its sound lets the PAF Pro_ slice through heavy processing, where darker-sounding pickups get lost in the mud of the effects chain. Low notes have both snap and chunk, and there is a spike in the mid-range that gives the pickup a subtle _aw” vowel sound, like a wah-wah pedal stopped in the middle. Treble response is tweaked to produce highs that stand out without getting brittle. The PAF Pro_ makes an outstanding neck pickup in almost any guitar, and it�s an exceptional bridge pickup when high output isn�t required.

We designed FRED_ to bump the mid-range of the PAF Pro_ EQ up a notch, but in the process something unusual happened. Harmonics that humbuckers usually don�t reproduce started popping out, particularly with overdriven amps and distortion units. FRED_ has about the same power as the PAF Pro_, but the unusual overtones create a sound with more crank and growl. Joe Satriani was the first player to discover and exploit these qualities, and it�s been his main bridge pickup until the introduction of the Mo' Joe_. FRED_ is really sensitive to changes in pick attack and control settings, and its distinctive tone makes a great recorded sound for both penetrating solos and tight rhythm tracks.

In 2006, we took a close look at the most popular active neck and bridge humbuckers to see if we could capture all of the good qualities and eliminate the disadvantages: cold sound, limited dynamics, running out of headroom when played hard, and the need for batteries. The end results are the D Activator_ Neck and Bridge. They use coils tuned to specific frequencies. The purpose is to shift the resonant points of the pickups to the fundamentals and harmonics that you want to accentuate from the guitar, and they respond instantly to hard or light pick attack. The sound is powerful, clean, and open, with excellent harmonic overtones and very tight lows. The best way to describe the D Activator_ Neck pickup is that it is big, bright, and open sounding with surprising string - to - string balance. The D Activator_ Bridge has an enriched harmonic quality and the notes want to sing.

For nearly 30 years, the DiMarzio_ X2N_ has been the top choice for all-out power. In the last couple of years, we've developed totally new ways to combine power with clarity, which first resulted in the D Activator_. Now we bring you the D Activator-X_ Neck Model. It features the same striking look as the X2N_, but we've adjusted the output and tuned the coils to different frequencies to create a powerful sound wide open with a surprisingly clean sound when the volume control is rolled down, even with extreme metal and high-gain amps. The neck model is designed to produce a highly focussed attack centered on the upper mid range, with less magnet pull and output in order to balance perfectly with the Bridge model. The D Activator-X_ Neck Model features universal spacing for both standard and F-spaced applications.

The Evolution_ Neck and Bridge humbuckers are the result of two years of research to come up with the right sound for a very demanding player: Steve Vai and his Ibanez_ Jems. Both pickups are designed for maximum impact and power. The neck pickup is fat, punchy and loud. The bridge pickup is tight, aggressive and louder. Both pickups have our patented dual-resonance configuration to reproduce more harmonic overtones than conventional humbuckers. Evolution_ pickups are not polite-sounding, and they�re not for the inexperienced, but _ if you�ve got the chops and a hot amp _ your sound will burn. The Evolution_ pickups were originally designed with live gigs in mind, but they have so much presence and definition that they�re great recording pickups, too; they slice right through even the densest mix.

Active humbuckers have a distinctive sound - powerful, clean, open sounding, with excellent harmonic overtones and very tight lows. The down side for many players is that they also sound cold, have limited dynamics and run out of headroom when played hard. And of course, they need batteries. In 2006 DiMarzio took a close look at the most popular active neck and bridge humbuckers to see if they could capture all of the good qualities and eliminate the disadvantages. The D Activator neck and bridge models are the result. The DP220 pickup has the same loud yet clean sound as the active humbuckers players are familiar with, and killer harmonics. They also respond instantly to hard or light pick attack. In a word, the DP220 pickups rock. And they don't need batteries.