DiMarzio
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DiMarzio (full name: DiMarzio Musical Instrument Pickups, Inc.) is an American-based electronic manufacturing company, famous for its guitar pickups. Company also produces miscellaneous guitar accessories, such as cables, straps and hardware.
DiMarzio became known for its Super Distortion model, which was the first after market replacement guitar pickup available to the mass market. It is still one of the most popular models.
The Super Distortion pickup produced a higher electrical output than the pickups normally fitted as standard to guitars at the time. It has around twice the impedance of a PAF type pickup, and a stronger ceramic magnet. This drove the input stage of guitar amplifiers with roughly twice as much voltage as a PAF pickup, so that an overdriven distorted sound was easier to obtain.
Two of the technologies that they are known for are:
- their patented Dual-Resonance design which uses two asymmetrical coils tuned to different frequencies to produce unique sounds.
- their Airbucker (tm) design which reduces string pull and increases sensitivity and sustain.
[edit] Notable users past and present
- Quorthon of Bathory (Super Distortion)
- Richie Sambora (PAF Pro, Fender Richie Sambora Stratocaster, Kramer Jersey Star)
- Eddie Van Halen (used on his discontinued Ernie Ball signature series guitars. Now produced as the Axis and Axis Super Sport. These pickups are custom made for Ernie Ball only. The closest sounding Dimarzio pickups are the Tone Zone and Air Norton)
- Steve Vai (The Breed, Evolution, Evo 2, Blaze II and many others)
- Billy Sheehan (Model One, Model P, Will Power)
- Joe Satriani (PAF Joe, PAF Pro, FRED, Mo' Joe)
- Eric Johnson (EJ Custom, HS-2)
- Brad Delson of Linkin Park (D Sonic, Tone Zone, Air Zone)
- Steve Morse (Steve Morse Model)
- Chuck Schuldiner of Death (X2N)
- David Gilmour of Pink Floyd (FS-1)
- Jimmy Page had a purple Les paul fitted with a Super Distortion in the bridge position (as seen in The Song Remains the Same.)
- Brian "Head" Welch of KoRn (Blaze neck and bridge, 7 string PAF)
- James "Munky" Shaffer of KoRn (Blaze neck and bridge, 7 string PAF)
- Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden (Super Distortion, humbucker)
- John Petrucci of Dream Theater (Modified Air Norton, Steve's Special, D-Sonic, Tone Zone, Humbucker From Hell)
- Paul Gilbert (Super Distortion,PAF Pro, Tone Zone, Humbucker from Hell)
- Yngwie Malmsteen (HS-3, YJM)
- Kristian Niemann of Therion (Super 2, Super 3)
- Andy Timmons (Cruiser, AT1 Custom)
- Randy Rhoads (Super Distortion, PAF)
- Sohron (Double Whammy)
- Jerry Garcia (SDS-1, Super 2, Dual Sound)
- East Bay Ray of Dead Kennedys(Super Distortion, PAF Pro)
- Ace Frehley of KISS (Super Distortion)
- Pete Townshend of The Who (Dual Sound)
- Bryan Levesque of The Routers (Super Distortion)
- Trent Coddington of Stevie Tan in Wonderland (PAF Pro, FRED)
- Kurt Cobain of Nirvana (PAF, Super Distortion)
- "Fast" Eddie Clarke of Motörhead (X2N, SDS-1, Super Distortion)
- Dave Murray of Iron Maiden (Super Distortion, PAF)
- Michael Romeo of Symphony X (X2N, Tone Zone)
- Herman Li of DragonForce (Evolution)
- Sam Totman of DragonForce (Evolution)
- Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age/Kyuss (Super 2)
- Tom Delonge of blink-182 (Super Distortion, x2n [1])
- Dexter Holland of The Offspring (Super Distortion)
- Bumblefoot of Guns N' Roses (Tone Zone, Chopper)
- Leslie West of Mountain (Megadrive, Fast track II)
- Buckethead (X2N)
- Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe (used Super Distortion in the bridge of his white BC Rich Warlocks in the early 80's. He once attributed the raw powerful sound on Shout At The Devil to his Dimarzio pickups and bare hands)
- Christiaan Verheij Van-Wijk of Aghast (Double Whammy, EJ Custom Neck, Al Di Meola Neck, HS-2, Steve's Special, Virtual Vintage 2.1)
- Chauntelle DuPree of Eisley (vintage 70's Super Distortion aka "dual sound")
[edit] References
Lawrence P. DiMarzio holds following US patents:
- US4,133,243 (1979-01-09) DiMarzio, Lawrence P. Electric pickup
- US4,227,434 (1980-10-14) DiMarzio, Lawrence P. Adjustable soundhole mount for a musical pickup
- US4,320,829 (1982-03-23) DiMarzio, Lawrence P.; Altilio, Daniel Merchandise display container — a special container for merchandising pickups.
- US4,442,749 (1984-04-17) DiMarzio, Lawrence P.; Blucher, Steven L. Electrical pickup for a stringed instrument having ferromagnetic strings
[edit] External links
- DiMarzio official website
- DiMarzio at Harmony Central
- The DiMarzio Forum
- DiMarzio Magazine
- DiMarzio Gallery