DiMarzio Pickups
The american company DiMarzio, created by the engineer Larry DiMarzio that has become famous with his “Super Distortion” pickup, and haven’t stopped inovating since his creation in 1975. Used on stage and in studio amond the greatest guitar players like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci or Andy Timmons, the DiMarzio pickups permit a broad spectrum of sound possibilities and keep an incredible manufacturing quality that have achived legendary success. Since 1988 Joe Satriani and DiMarzio are working hand in hand to elaborate more efficient and beautiful pickups like the Mo’ Joe or the Satch Track, to mention just the most recent.
We wanted to say more about those pickups, but it seems that Larry DiMarzio is in a better position to speak about all the technical specifications of his own pickups and their incidence, so just take a look at what he have to say about Joe’s pickups and if you want to check all his wonderful creations, go on his website.
Models used by Joe Satriani :
Demonstration of Mo’Joe and Satch Track
Joe Satriani has used FRED as his main bridge pickup for years. In 2005, Joe asked us for a hotter and bigger version to replace the FRED in his new Ibanez guitars. The new model called the Mo’ Joe is all about tone and definition. Its name says it all. It has more power than FRED but it doesn’t sacrifice clarity or dynamics. Additionally, all the harmonics that made FRED so good are all there ready to jump out at the touch of a guitar pick. Having more output makes the Mo’ Joe a perfect match for the PAF Joe in the neck position. The combination delivers great versatility and control from rhythms to solos.
Recommended for Bridge position, “solid” and “semi-hollow“ body guitars.
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. Mo’ Joe is used by permission of Mojo Musical Supply, with whom DiMarzio, Inc. is not affiliated.
DiMarzio Medium Power Mo’Joe DP216
Wiring : 4 Conductor
Magnet : Alnico 5
Output mV : 320
DC Resistance : 9.76 Kohm
Year of Introduction : 2006
Patent : 4,501,185
Tone Guide
PAF Joe
The PAF Joe is a neck pickup DiMarzio developed for Joe Satriani. Joe wanted a neck position humbucker that combined the best qualities of the PAF Pro with those of a late 50s Gibson humbucker. Joe describes this tone as being “tubular”. 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. Joe first used it throughout the 2003 G3 tour.
Recommended for all positions, “solid”, “semi-solid” and “hollow-body“ electric guitars.
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. It balances well with bridge pickups like the PAF Pro, FRED, The Breed Neck Model, Air Norton, and Norton.
DiMarzio Medium Power PAF Joe DP213
Wiring : 4 Conductor
Magnet : Alnico 5
Output mV : 272
DC Resistance : 8.26 Kohm
Year of Introduction : 2004
Patent : 5,908,998
Tone Guide
PAF Pro
The PAF Pro was created when chops-intensive playing was first starting to happen, and high-gain amps and rack systems were becoming popular. A pickup was needed that combined a lot of presence and “cut” with an open-sounding PAF vibe. The transparency of its sound lets the PAF Pro slice through heavy processing, where darker-sounding pickups get lost in the mud of the effects chain. Low notes have both snap and chunk, and there is a spike in the mid-range that gives the pickup a subtle “aw” vowel sound, like a wah-wah pedal stopped in the middle. Treble response is tweaked to produce highs that stand out without getting brittle. The PAF Pro makes an outstanding neck pickup in almost any guitar, and it’s an exceptional bridge pickup when high output isn’t required.
Recommended for all positions, bridge, medium and neck.
This is a great building block pickup, because it’s effective in many different situations. Try it in the neck position with a hotter bridge pickup — anything from a Norton to an X2N will create a good two-humbucker match. As a bridge pickup, it’s really effective with single-coils, because it won’t drown them out with too much power, and it’s bright enough to blend in tone-wise.
DiMarzio Medium Power PAF Pro DP151
Wiring : 4 Conductor
Magnet : Alnico 5
Output mV : 300
DC Resistance : 8.4 Kohm
Year of Introduction : 1986
Patent : n/a
Tone Guide
FRED
We designed FRED to bump the mid-range of the PAF Pro EQ up a notch, but in the process something unusual happened. Harmonics that humbuckers usually don’t reproduce started popping out, particularly with overdriven amps and distortion units. FRED has about the same power as the PAF Pro, but the unusual overtones create a sound with more crank and growl. Joe Satriani was the first player to discover and exploit these qualities, and it’s been his main bridge pickup until the introduction of the Mo’ Joe. FRED is really sensitive to changes in pick attack and control settings, and its distinctive tone makes a great recorded sound for both penetrating solos and tight rhythm tracks.
Recommanded for Neck and bridge positions in all “solidbody”, “hollow” and “semi-hollow” body guitars.
FRED started out as a prototype designed to add a little midrange to the PAF Pro. When we sent one of the first ones to Joe Satriani, he discovered and exploited a unique tonal characteristic — the ability of the FRED to emphasize upper midrange and treble harmonics through an overdriven and distorted amp. Many standard humbuckers have a tendency to fatten up with distortion. The FRED does the opposite; it gets tighter and brighter, much like a single-coil. Joe uses the FRED strictly as a bridge pickup, but it’s also a distinctive neck pickup — it works really well with any humbucker of equal or higher output.
“There was a famous American children’s TV show called “The Flintstones” and we were sending samples of new pickups to Joe Satriani. We decided to use the names of the characters from the show instead of A, B and C because we thought it would be easier to remember it that way. Joe gave an interview and talked about the new pickup models and we decided keep the name the same.” Larry Dimarzio.
DiMarzio Medium Power FRED DP153
Wiring : 4 Conductor
Magnet : Alnico 5
Output mV : 305
DC Resistance : 10.38 Kohm
Year of Introduction : 1989
Patent : 4501185
Tone Guide
Pro Track
It’s warm, it’s friendly, it sounds like a vintage PAF and will drop right into your Strat. The Pro Track has enough power for any pickup position, and the twin black blades mean there won’t be any problems with string-alignment or dropouts. In the bridge position, this is a great blues pickup: combine it with a Fast Track 1 or Chopper (neck) and The Cruiser (middle) for a solid mix. Match a Pro Track in the neck with a Fast Track 2 or any full-size humbucker in the bridge position for a heavy yet versatile rock sound.
Recommanded for Neck, center and bridge positions in all “solidbody”, “hollow” and “semi-hollow” body guitars.
Treble response on the Pro Track is smoother than that of typical vintage humbuckers. This makes for a good jazz sound in the neck position, as well as an excellent solo voice with heavy gain. The Pro Track performs very well in parallel humbucking and split modes.
DiMarzio Pro Track DP188
Wiring : 4 Conductor
Magnet : Ceramic
Output mV : 275
DC Resistance : 7.70 Kohm
Year of Introduction : 1996
Patent : n/a
Tone Guide
Satch Track
Joe Satriani is continually refining and sharpening his sound. Two years in the making, the Satch Track Neck is Joe’s first single-coil size signature pickup. Articulate, vocal and musical, it is our most advanced Fast Track-style pickup to date.
Recommended for neck, but can be used in all positions, bridge, medium and neck.
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.
DiMarzio Satch Track DP425
Wiring : 4 Conductor
Magnet : Ceramic
Output mV : 245
DC Resistance : 7.02 Kohm
Year of Introduction : 2013
Patent : 4501185