Below is a complete list of DiMarzio® pickups produced since 1972. If you are trying to find out what pickup you may have, the numbers are on the back, and this list may be used as a cross-reference. Most are available to order today, however there are discontinued models that may be special ordered through the DiMarzio Custom Shop.
DP100 - Super Distortion® - Available
DP101 - Dual Sound® - Available
There is no specific distance that works best for everyone. We measure string height from the top of the polepiece to the bottom of the string when the string (usually the high or low E) is held down at the highest fret. For standard, full-size humbuckers, a reasonable starting point for the bridge pickup is at least 1/16" (1.5mm) from the high E and 5/64" (2 mm) from the low E. There are no recommended distances for the other 4 strings.
For most pickup models, you can use standard pickups in a left-handed guitar or bass. For the models where it makes a difference, you can get a special left-handed version at no extra charge. Those models are True Velvet™, True Velvet Bridge™, Red Velvet™, HS-4™, all Virtual Vintage® and Area Strat replacement models, Injector™ neck and bridge, Area T™ neck model.
Terms like "neck" and "bridge" models aren't meant to be rules. The only rule that's good to follow is to not put a pickup in the neck position that's louder than the bridge pickup. String vibration is stronger at the neck position, so it may be difficult or impossible to balance neck and bridge pickups if the neck pickup is louder than the bridge pickup.
If your DiMarzio® single coil-size pickup has a replaceable plastic cover, you can order a replacement cover in the color you want by contacting our sales department. However, in all other cases, "right model, wrong color" does not qualify for a free exchange, which is intended only for performance issues. Our full warranty and exchange policy can be found here.
1) In the early 1990s, DiMarzio designed both the neck and bridge pickups for the (now discontinued) famous Van Halen Music Man signature guitar. This was the first ground up guitar design that Van Halen made. (See DiMarzio Remembering Van Halen)
Several of our 6-string models are available in 7-string versions of the same name. Additionally, our Blaze™ neck model is very similar to an Evolution® neck model, and our Blaze™ bridge model is very similar to a Steve’s Special™. All 7-string models that we presently offer are listed on the 7-String pickup page; we are unable to make custom 7-string versions of any other 6-string pickups at this time.
Humbucking pickups are designed to reduce low-frequency hum from the power lines at 50 - 60 hertz. However, there are often rooms with sources of noise at higher audio frequencies. This “hash” can be distinguished from “hum” by noting that it changes when you adjust your tone control, while line frequency “hum” hardly changes at all. Humbucking pickups do not completely eliminate this high frequency noise.
When two pickups are out of phase with each other, there is significant signal cancellation across the guitar’s entire frequency range. This results in a hollow sound and a drop in output. However, two pickups are never either completely in or out of phase, because they are located under different parts of the string, and are therefore cancelling different frequencies. The specific distance between the 2 pickups and the specific pickup models will affect how much cancellation occurs. The out-of-phase output drop is most apparent with a dead-clean amp setting.
Although "black back" is not a nickname that we have ever used, it commonly refers to the fact that some of our humbuckers have black base plates rather than brass or nickel silver. This is simply a cosmetic choice which does not affect performance, and it doesn't actually refer to specific models. However, the Breed™ and Evolution® models are built with black base plates as a standard feature.
Regardless of what type of pickups are in your guitar, higher potentiometer resistance values produce a little more power and treble response. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is a matter of individual taste. In the early days, Gibson used 500K controls and Fender used 250K, thereby starting the single-coil = 250K, humbucker = 500K theory. Even though neither company has stuck strictly with this formula since then, the theory lives on.
