DiMarzio’s Dual Sound Pickup®, introduced in 1974, included the world’s first mini toggle switch to be used on electric guitars. In that pre-internet world, Larry DiMarzio had discovered these small switches in a closeout bin on Cortlandt Street in Manhattan (Radio Row). Feeling they would be the perfect size for his pickup wiring applications, he began using them in his repair shop.
The Dual Sound® was a Super Distortion® pickup with a three-conductor cable, and the switch allowed the coils to be connected in either series or parallel giving the pickup two distinct tones. Additionally, the parallel connection also reduced the pickup output and both wiring configurations were fully noise canceling.
In 1975, Neal Moser of BC Rich began using both DiMarzio pickups and switches in their guitars. Since then, guitarists have found countless ways to use one or more of these switches on a single instrument, such as coil tapping, simple pickup selection, phase reversal, and any number of creative combinations. Early examples of this can be seen on Al Di Meola’s DiMarzio-modified Les Pauls, shown on the Elegant Gypsy (April 1977) and Casino (February 1978) album covers.
DiMarzio’s 3-position On/On/On DPDT switch has a threaded shaft that is 11/32” (8.731mm) in height. The shaft diameter is standard 1/4” (6.35mm). Two nuts, a finish washer, and a saw-tooth lock washer are included for easy installation. Please refer to our wiring diagrams for detailed schematics.
If space is an issue in your guitar, and you need more switching options, check out our industry standard four pole double throw 4PDT EP1111 three-way toggle.
If you still have questions, please call one of our knowledgeable and friendly techs at: +1 (718) 816-8112 (Monday through Friday 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time) or email: [email protected]
