For over forty years, DiMarzio has been painstakingly crafting electric guitar pickups designed with rich high-gain tone specifically in mind. From Kurt Cobain to Frank Zappa, David Gilmour and more, guitarists across several genres have used DiMarzio pickups to carve out a piece of their signature sound. If you’re the type of guitarist that demands a sound with plenty of growl and killer attitude, you’ll love what DiMarzio is cooking. Below, we take a look at four DiMarzio pickups that are sure to excite distortion-lovers everywhere.
Virtual Vintage 54 Pro
If you’re familiar with DiMarzio’s Area 58 and Area 61 pickups, you’ll love the Virtual Vintage 54 Pro. While they are all based on the same in-house tech and design, the 54 Pro is more than just a simple rehash. Overall, the Pro 54 has a warm, woody tone with a slightly compressed feel. Compared to the Area 61, this pickup is slightly hotter and has a much fatter tone when picked. Just imagine a smooth overdriven rhythm tone that can instantly get chunky in time for that kick-in-the-face solo. While this type of pickup works great on several guitar-driven genres, classic rock and blues players will find the sound of this single-coil perfectly suited towards those styles. And like all Virtual Vintage models, the 54 Pro was built to be dead quiet.
Super Distortion
The Super Distortion humbucker is the pickup that turned DiMarzio from a little known boutique manufacturer to a true force in the world of high-gain tone. What made this humbucker different from the rest was the fact that it was specifically created to push an amplifier into overdrive while giving the perfect mix of power and tone. Despite the fact that the first Super Distortion was released in the early seventies, it remains a staple of the high-output pickup market to this day. From Ace Frehley to Paul Gilbert and many more, the tone of the Super Distortion has been helping guitarists produce platinum records for over three decades. The tone of the Super Distortions consists of a classic, thick humbucker sound along with boosted mids, prominent lows, and thick highs. The perfect all around high-output pickup. Available in traditional-spaced, F-spaced and stacked single-coil configurations!
Tone Zone
The dreaded “mosquito” noise – a high treble shrill that sticks on top of your notes, especially at high volumes. While not every amp is affected, if yours is, the Tone Zone is the right pickup for your setup. Not only will the design of the Tone Zone help in alleviating this type of noise, but the pickup itself also sounds great. Although it is hot enough to be considered a high-output pickup, the Tone Zone also features a wide dynamic range; plenty of power with hard picking while a softer attack will yield a much cleaner and quieter sound. It also features tremendous bass and subtle low-mid response to reinforce the bottom end and make the overall sound bigger. If you’re looking for a humbucker that offers big, dominant chords as well as single notes with plenty of depth and articulation, the Tone Zone delivers. Available in traditional-spaced, F-spaced and stacked single-coil configurations!
Gravity Storm
Designed in collaboration with guitar great Steve Vai, the Gravity Storm neck and bridge humbuckers are the ultimate plug and play pickups that don’t require any optimization to sound great. Whereas Steve’s other signature DiMarzio pickup (the Evolution) was made for power and a sharp tone, the Gravity Storm Bridge is about depth, articulation, and warm highs and mids, with plenty of bite and sweetness. And thanks to its thick high-end, you can increase the treble response on your amp without losing any tone and sustain, even on the higher frets. Meanwhile, the Gravity Storm neck features a throaty quality, similar to a cross between a single-coil and a humbucker. It also does an excellent job of allowing players to create rich, vibrant harmonics, something not common with most neck humbuckers. With tons of warmth, bite and plenty of Steve Vai’s signature flavor, the Gravity Storm is an excellent choice for players searching for a bold new sound. Available in both traditional and F-sized spacings.
Final Thoughts …
While the four pickups above are just a few of our favorites, there’s plenty more where that came from! To check out more from DiMarzio including Telecaster, Stratocaster and bass pickups, make sure to visit our DiMarzio Brand Page. Have a question about the pieces above or any other gear we carry? Don’t hesitate to chat with one of our friendly Soundaria pros by using the live chat feature below or calling us toll free at 1 877-671-2200.
