Has anyone swapped out the stock Dimarzio pickups in their late 70's/early 80's sunburst. If so, what did you go with and did you prefer it over the stock Dimarzios? The Dimarzios seem to be on the hot side, I find myself rolling back the volume to about 7.5 - 8. and it sounds great. 13.7k seems pretty hot to me! I understand DC resistance doesn't necessarily correspond to output but in most instances I've found it to be a good indicator.
Dimarzio replacements?
- Thread starter jimi page
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They ARE hot. That was exactly the point. DiMarzio got started rewinding and over-winding PAFs.
I LOVE them, but only for a certain tone. They're a touch bright, tight, and very rock and/or roll of their era by PAF standards. Good 80s dirty pickups with that tight distortion texture.
That said, for replacements you can get ANYTHING. It all depends on what YOU want, so that's like asking what your favorite motorcycle oil is. 10 people will respond with 15 answers, and pretty much all of them will be good. But only you can decide what you want.
I have two suggestions. Josh Gravelin or John Galup. In fact, I'd start with @JGravelin since he's here on HFC. He knows tone, knows pickups, and can decipher weird descriptions of what you want and create a formula for you. They'll even look right in the guitar and his work's top tier.
John is Dawgtown pickups. He duplicated some of the DiMarzios for another member here and nailed it. If you want something close but maybe only slightly different, John is a good alternative.
If you're just looking for off the shelf we need an idea what tone you're chasing man. There are scores of good alternatives.
I LOVE them, but only for a certain tone. They're a touch bright, tight, and very rock and/or roll of their era by PAF standards. Good 80s dirty pickups with that tight distortion texture.
That said, for replacements you can get ANYTHING. It all depends on what YOU want, so that's like asking what your favorite motorcycle oil is. 10 people will respond with 15 answers, and pretty much all of them will be good. But only you can decide what you want.
I have two suggestions. Josh Gravelin or John Galup. In fact, I'd start with @JGravelin since he's here on HFC. He knows tone, knows pickups, and can decipher weird descriptions of what you want and create a formula for you. They'll even look right in the guitar and his work's top tier.
John is Dawgtown pickups. He duplicated some of the DiMarzios for another member here and nailed it. If you want something close but maybe only slightly different, John is a good alternative.
If you're just looking for off the shelf we need an idea what tone you're chasing man. There are scores of good alternatives.
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At 13 plus K I doubt that pickup is stock.
The best match I found for a Sunburst with a Sustainblock was the Pearly Gates. I had a slew of Duncan's and Dimarzio's but the PG was a great fit for that bridge. Others here have used Rio BBQ. Try something with an A2.
The best match I found for a Sunburst with a Sustainblock was the Pearly Gates. I had a slew of Duncan's and Dimarzio's but the PG was a great fit for that bridge. Others here have used Rio BBQ. Try something with an A2.
Dave Scepter
Well-known member
I believe that's the hotter wind version of the DiMarzio dp103... perhaps you can replace it with the dp103 PAF 36th anniversary... Personally I love the SD Seth lovers or antiquities...
A2's with about 8.5k is generally what sounds nice in most humbucking guitars IMO. I''m really not much for hot pickups, unless your trying to get a vintage non master Marshall cooking early on, then they have their purpose.
The bridge pickup is indeed non original but is supposedly "period correct" (it does have square mounting ears which I assume would be correct for 79). I haven't actually measured the resistance of mine, just found that every dimarzio from the late 70's on the web was around 13k. What should a stock Dimarzio that was wound for Hamer read? and what type of magnets did they use?
Had a Pearly Gates in a Strat once and it seemed to fit that guitar well
There's just no good reason to prefer anything over the stock Dimarzios...they're awesome in those guitars.
This old thread is full of comments from our resident Dimarzio experts.