DiMarzio is an American company that specializes in producing a wide range of guitar pickups. The different series exposed here are factory-installed on several Ibanez models. More DiMarzio pickups are available on the aftermarket.
Warm, open-sounding pickup, introduced in 1995. Common pickup for Ibanez Prestige and J Custom models. Usually in neck position combined with DiMarzio Tone Zone in bridge position.
Originally introduced for the Universe series, this 7-string neck pickup was introduced in 1990. A slightly different model, called "DiMarzio Blaze II" is found on Steve Vai's UV7.
Single coil, 7-string pickup designed to match the Blaze humbuckers in split mode. Introduced in 1990. A slightly different model, called "DiMarzio Blaze II" is found on Steve Vai's UV7.
Inspired by the DiMarzio Steve's Special humbucker, this 7-string version was introduced in 1990. A slightly different model, called "DiMarzio Blaze II" is found on Steve Vai's UV7.
The sound of The Chopper is a cross between a single-coil and a full-size humbucker, with more body than the single and more clarity than the humbucker. Excellent choice to fatten tone and increase power of Strat bridge position. More power is concentrated in the mids and low end for a bigger sound with more crunch. It features side-by-side coils and twin-blade construction, so there are no misaligned poles or string-pull problems.
Specially designed for Steve Vai's Ibanez JEM models, introduced in 1993. Dual-resonance configuration to reproduce more harmonic overtones than conventional humbucking pickups.
Specially designed for Steve Vai's Ibanez JEM models, introduced in 1993. Dual-resonance configuration to reproduce more harmonic overtones than conventional humbucking pickups.
Introduced in 2004, specially designed for Steve Vai. Comparable to the Evolution Bridge with similar tone but with less output. Used for the 2010 JEM77 FP2.
In pursuit of the perfect Iron Label pickup, Ibanez collaborated with DiMarzio® to develop Fusion Edge, a series of pickups dedicated to the fullest expression of Iron Label’s sonic character. Six, seven and eight stringed instruments each have their own requirements and each Fusion Edge pickup model is built to excel in that instrument’s range.
The Fusion Edge pickup series was designed to produce a modern, progressive metal sound, with clarity, power and velocity. The neck and bridge pickups are calibrated in terms of both output and tone quality to work together as well as produce distinctive individual voices. Although all of the pickups were designed for the same purpose, they are not modifications of one design. Six, seven and eight string guitars have different performance characteristics, and the pickups for these guitars were designed individually for best performance in the individual instruments.[1]
The sound of a Norton® is right between FRED® and The Tone Zone®. It’s got some FRED®-like harmonic overtones that can only be described as nasty, with more of the power and mid-range of the heavyweight Tone Zone®. The same patented dual-resonance design used in FRED® and The Tone Zone® delivers a sound that’s hotter and “bigger” than any vintage model, but not as loud as a distortion-class humbucker. Norton® might be our most versatile bridge pickup.[2]
The last few years have seen Joe develop a new signature tube amp and start using heavier-gauge strings more often. Both developments emphasized the importance of the Mo’ Joe™ having a high degree of string separation without sounding sterile or processed. We got this by slightly increasing the distance between the center frequencies that the coils are tuned to, without increasing DC resistance. The result is a pickup that’s both hotter and more articulate.[3]
Eight-string version of the classic PAF pickups, introduced in 2012.
The extended frequency response of 8-string guitars works very well with a pickup that is neither very bright nor very bassy. The EQ of the PAF 8 was specifically tuned to match this response. It has a sparkling clean sound, and maintains clarity and picking dynamics with a heavy, overdriven sound as well.[4]
The PAF Joe is a pickup DiMarzio developed for Joe Satriani. Satriani wanted a neck position humbucker that combined the best qualities of the PAF Pro with those of a late 50s Gibson humbucker. He describes this tone as being “tubular”.
What does “tubular” mean? In this case, it means making low notes “speak” more clearly while giving high notes a rounder voicing. This accomplishes two goals: chords have better definition, and single notes at higher fret positions remain warm-sounding rather than getting thinner. The PAF Joe has slightly less power than the PAF Pro.
Through the use of Virtual Vintage technology, clear-sounding low frequencies are blended with warm-sounding mids and high frequencies, which makes the PAF Joe equally good for chords and single notes. Satriani first used the PAF Joe throughout the 2003 G3 tour.[5]
The Satch Track™ Neck bridges the gap between classic humbucker and single-coil performance. It tracks pick attack and string vibration quickly and accurately like a single-coil, but the voicing is wider and stronger, like a humbucker. The highs are very warm, and clarity is created by keeping the mids and lows tight and focused.[6]
High-output pickup with wide dynamic range, introduced in 1991. Common pickup for Ibanez Prestige and J Custom models. Usually in bridge position combined with DiMarzio Air Norton in neck position.
If you’ve heard the cliché that Alnico 2 means warm, soft sound, prepare to be surprised. This is not a polite pickup, and the closer it’s adjusted to the strings, the more raw it gets. In particular, the Alnico 2 magnetic field opens up all of the attack and definition of the low strings. It’s a hot pickup with a strong attack in the bridge position, and its Alnico 2 magnets allow it to work very well in the neck position as well, for players who want a very warm, round sound. If you want an in-your-face-and-proud-of-it sound, the Virtual Vintage® Heavy Blues 2 is the top pick.[7]
