DiMarzio EJ Custom

Passive split coil.

I have an Dimarzio EJ211F & EJ212F in neck & bridge in both an original Raven DC (mahogony) and a custom made strat-like guitar (50-year aged black walnut). I was looking for something with a clear tone that brings the sound of the guitar and boxes into the amp and not sound like a bunch of over-magnetic-mud. At the same time I wanted to be able to give it a richer humbuker sound than found in a single coil. I hit the jackpot with these pickups.

These pickups are a great match for what I play: blues, classic rock, and contemporary Christian. The clean tone of the pickups is unbelievable and the output is what I'd call medium - very adequate for most music. For some heavier songs I do wish it had more punch on the lows. I use a Vox VTX60 set at 15 watts and cranked to the loudest clean sound I can get for tones: AC15, Black Face 2x12, and Boutique. I use a very sweet modded TS9, DOD Milbox, BBE Sonic Stomp and a vintage Yamaha EQ to color the tone.

Overal grade is a solid 9.5 If I had to replace these, I'd do so in a heartbeat. I've been playing for 40 years. They are great for both lead lines and rythem. The tone through the amp & boxes I use is great. Like I said, there are times I wish I could dial up hotter lows for a Tex-Mex ZZ-top sound - however don't I think the pickups were designed with that type of music in mind. They work for it anyway, but I might replace one of the two sets with something a bit hotter.

This Pickup is a standard humbucking unit, and fits into a normal "Gibson PAF" slot. As far as Dimzario's features, I'm not sure if it employs "Airbucking" technology, but I know that it's very quiet with a wide-range response. The metal-covered units are exceptionally quiet, but even the exposed coil units are very quiet.
The pickups are fairly low-output, but give a good level to drive longer cables, a tube amp, or to record direct.

I installed these Dimarzio EJ Customs in my favorite guitar, and Ibanez Artstar AS-193. This is a beautiful guitar,(it was an incredible gift from someone very special,)that is a like a Gibson ES-335 but with more of a "Jazz Guitar" vibe, and a slimmer Ibanez Prestige neck. These Japanese Artstars have Super 58 pickups, which are sort of the Ibanez equivilent of a Gibson PAF. The Super 58's however, are very clear sounding, slightly lower-output, and have a balanced response. I love those pickups- there's nothing wrong with them at all. But I was curious, because if Eric Johnson, a notorius tone-freak, designed a set of pickups that actually satified him, well, than they must be good!

Anyway, I bought a pair of these pickups to give a shot. They were on sale, so I decided to experiment. With nice chrome covers they look completely stock, but the sound has really opened up. I wouldn't say it's totally different, but rather, it's like adjusting a camera lens so that I can more clearly hear the true instrument.

The EJ's are unbelieveably clear-sounding. Dimarzio sort of implies they were going for a Filter'tron sound, but all I can say is that these have far more treble than any humbuckers I've heard, but it's a musical, sweet treble, rather than a shrill tone. The bass response, however, is just as full as a regular humbucker, so you end up with a really interesting hybrid: humbucker depth and warmth with single coil breadth and clarity. As a side benefit they adjust better to tone and volume changes, as well as picking and dynamic changes than any other humbucker I've tried or heard, including handwound "boutique" custom pickups. For jazz, (like I play,) or blues, fingerpicking, R&B rhythm or solo guitar, they are exceptional. With some tube amp overdrive, they are like a PAF injected with some great Fender clarity, and they never get muddy or thin! What a great tone!

If you want pickups that translate every nuance of your right and left-hand technique and approaches, these are the best humbuckers I've found. They are a perfect combination of clarity and warmth, and as a result are very versatile. While I mainly play jazz, they are also capable of truly excellent, non-generic blues and rock tones. If you have a clean technique and want a transparent sound, you owe it to yourself to give these a try. At any price they'd sound just as great, but for what Dimarzio charges, it's almost silly not to try. They're made to a high standard, the sound is second-to-none, and they cost less than most any other U.S. made pickups. Thank you, Dimarzio for a wonderful sound!

Passive humbuckers.

These pickups replaced the stock pickups (C22J and C22B) on a walnut Carvin DC400W--a 24 fret neck-thru with a claro walnut top, five piece maple/walnut neck. The Carvin pickups are excellent, but the walnut guitar is a different animal and unfortunately, one-size-doesn't-fit-all. The guitar is visually stunning, but the density of the wood plus probably the type of neck contributes to a weird frequency response that is strong on a midrange that is accentuated by the standard humbuckers, especially in the middle pickup position. Different websites suggest single coils on walnut solid-body electrics, and I knew from playing with a EQ pedal that the guitar was capable of sweet sounds.

These pickups saved the guitar from going onto eBay. The scooped out midrange and strong treble response in these pickups have eliminated the guitar's overbearing midrange, and give it a sound similar to my Epi Casino with P-90's. I've never played a Gretsch, but there is definitely some wonderful old George Harrison twang in the middle and bridge positions if you adjust the pickup heights properly--keeping the neck pickup low and the bridge pickup high. When you hit the high strings with a little force, it puts some wonderful hair on the treble through my EL-84 amp that cuts right through everything. As with the P-90's, the EJ Customs sound better to my ear with the "bright" switch on when playing in a mix. These pickups truly do fit single-coil sounds into humbucking slots.

I can't really report on how these sound with high gain distortion since I rarely play that way.

In addition to this guitar I own a couple of Rics, a Tele, Casino, and a Strat, so you can see I really prefer clean vintage tones. These pickups are good for any kind of single-coil music in my opinion: classic rock, country, surf etc. I think the neck pickup is good for jazz as well. Again I am not a high-gain player, so I will refrain from expressing an opinion on that mode.

Dual humbucker, passive

Installed in both bridge & neck in an Ibanez S520ex. Replaced not so clear, muddy Ibanez stock pickups. Wanted that clear, crisp, clean guitar sound.

Excellent sound! One of the best if you love clean guitar. With switch at center position, sounds beautifully balanced. This can sound almost like my acoustic guitar! Nice full spectrum sound with clarity. Wow! I love my electric guitar now!
Using it with an Ibanez Acoustic Amp (35 watts with spring reverb and chorus functions). Wow, the pickups sound incredible. Just the sound I was looking for. I've plugged the guitar into the computer and it records equally great. Applying software distortion filters also sound great. This pickup should excel across the board- but I am playing folk, country, rock styles.

Nice gold plated covers really enhance the look of my black guitar. I have found the sound. Now, the guitar is ready for professional prime time. I would dare say the unenhanced sound coming from the guitar is recording ready. That's how good it sounds. I want to thank the people in this review for recommending it, because I was exhausted searching through reviews for the perfect pickup. I almost went with Seymour Duncan Jazz, but I am glad I stumbled upon this. The Seymour Duncan sample sounded a little middy-jazzy, not bright. Dimarzio didn't have a sound sample of the EJ on their website (what's up with that?)so I trusted the people's opinions here - they were right! If you are here, you here for a reason. Dimarzio does have a 30 day exchange policy on pickups if you don't like the sound.

Mid-output passive humbucker.

Impedance around 7-8 KOhm.

Installed in bridge position Squier 51.
Replacing stock pickup as an experiment.

The impedance is middle-of-the-road at between 7-8 KOhm. I'm using it with a VG-88 for delay/reverb/compression, and a 70's silverface Fender Champ.

The tone description on the website describes it as Gretsch-like, but to me it is definitely more like a bright PAF type of sound. It has a clear top-end, without being ice-pick bright, and is a nice clean-sounding pickup for anything that would require that kind of thing (like country or jazz or clean alt-rock stuff). You can hear a subtle hint of the tone that EJ gets, but more the violin tonality than the glassy stratocaster clean sound.

When the pickup is split into the single-coil mode, there is a substantial volume drop, and it brings it slightly closer to a strat pickup sound, but you lose quite a bit of the bottom-end.

It is a pickup that shares some common-ground sound-wise with the other DiMarzio PAF pickups.

Please don't buy this one, seeing the word Gretsch in the description on the DiMarzio site, thinking that you're going to get a TV Jones, Setzer-type tone, because it's not trying to do that at all.

I like it in the Squier 51 because it gives a bit of the Strat clanky bottom-end, but it has some of the PAF smoothness, too. The 51's are such inexpensive guitars, you can spend a bit more trying to mod them, but they do require a good setup to be playable, as they arrive pretty quirky.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Low

Model of guitar or bass: Epihone Dot
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Korean (Indonesian?) Alnico Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: EJ Custom Bridge
Artists using this pickup: Salvadore Dali, Michangelo and Me
You musical style(s): Instrumental Pop, Jazz, Blues (low volume- clean sound)
Reason for pickup change: Stock were too muddy and high output FOR ME

Perceived output level: Low Output
Tone: slightly bright, slightly scooped mids- enough bass to for depth but not too much.
Sonic evaluation: Playing these p/u's through either a Peavey Classic 30 or a Trace Elliot Velocette (like a Gibson 15 Watt Goldtone).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pick-up would be GREAT for any music where a CLEAN tone is desired or when a distorted tone with DEFINITION is wanted.

Comments: I'm sold hook line & sinker on Dimarzio pick-ups for all of my guitars. EJ Customs in my Epi Dot, Virtual Vintage (mid. position) in the middle and neck of one Strat, and V.V. 54's (bridge position) in the middle & neck of my other Strat- style guitar. The Dimarzios I'm using really do sound GREAT- and they're inexpensive, also. About the Dimarzio EJ Custom- Neck; for me, low output pick-ups are the way to go. Period. With all humbuckers I've heard, you really can't get a good CLEAN sound because there too damned HOT! I get the feeling, most guitar players want distortion. I got tired of it long ago. Plus, if you play a lot of intervals in your chords or harmonies- distortion SUCKS, not to mention a clean guitar sounds way prettier. You Don't like pretty and you need "mean" sounds? Well, put instrument down and pump iron. Or watch grown men drive real fast: IN CIRCLES!- (NASCAR) Okay, I'm done venting. Phew. I love these pick-ups. There are sweet highs, slightly scooped mids (for clearity), and enough bass for a full, warm tone. Hint from an old (48 years old) guy: think less about getting "your sound" and learn more chords and music theory. done preachin'.

Pickup features: HUMBUCKER
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: GIBSON ES-333
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: GIBSON
Other pickups on guitar: DONT KNOW WHAT THE OTHER ONE IS--GIBSON I GUESS..I DONT PLAY THE NECK PICKUP MUCH..
Artists using this pickup: ME AND I GUESS ERIC JOHNSON..SO FAR
You musical style(s): MUSIC
Reason for pickup change: THE GIBSON BRIDGE PICKUP SUCKED..TOO UNDEFINED..NO GRIT..NO SPARKLE..TYPICAL GIBSON HUMBUCKER SOUND...GOOD BUT ...TOO MUDDY FOR ME..

Perceived output level: ITS HOT...CLEAR AND GRITTY...AND IT HAS GOOD GRIIND TOO
Tone: OVERALL VERY WELL BALANCED...NOT TOP HEAVY..NOT BOTTOM HEAVY...HAS SHIMMER THAT NO GIBSON HUMBUCKER WILL GIVE YOU
Sonic evaluation: I PLAY THROUGH A TUBE AMP...A MATCHLESS SPITFIRE...SOUNDS AWESOME TOGETHER

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: GET THE ROARING 60'S SOUND...VERY GRETSCH LIKE..NOT EXACTLY LIKE A GRETSCH..BUT CLOSE

Comments: I LOVE THIS PICKUP..FOR THE MONEY..IT'S A GREAT DEAL...

Pickup features: Passive Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: Neck & Bridge Model

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Artcore AF 85 VLS
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez Stock PU
Other pickups on guitar: see above
Artists using this pickup: Eric Johnson obviously...
You musical style(s): Harder Rock Music
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to get that mighty Gretsch Twang, added a Duesenberg Bigsby style Vibrato and wanted to see how close you can come.

Perceived output level: Low/Moderate
Tone: Clear, percussive, not ultra Tele bright but shiny, very good overtones.
Sonic evaluation: Marshall Silver Jubilee / Fender Super Champ

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's best suited for Jazz and Rockabilly and all the styles that need a crunchy tone (e.g. Southern Rock)

Comments: Does it deliver that mighty Gretsch twang? was the question on my mind buying this pair of PUs. It german distributer told me to wait 8 weeks(!!!), although it was tested in Germany's most important guitar magazine in that very month. After 17 weeks (no kidding here, I'm absolutely super pissed!!!) they finally arrived - when I had to recognize that "Zebra" at DiMarzio's means the ohter way round it's usually seen (my mistake, could have looked it up on the internet...), the creme coil inside. But let's get tot the point: Yes, they DO sound quite gretschy in my Ibanez Artcore, they are definetly smacky, crunchy and full but not muddy sounding (when not put too close to the strings, which has it's own charme by the way - bit ill sounding Jazz Crunch, a soundscape for a John Frusciante record). They are NOT exactly copying that Gretsch sound and feeling, but they are very, very close. I'll keep 'em and consider them satisfying since they are better sounding than the P-90's I tried out once before, perhaps a liiiiittle bit lifeless (it's that certain gooey feeling associated with that DiMarzio Virtual Vintage PUs... you can feel it more than hear it, but there's something stiff in evolving the tone). Because of that I'll rate it "9". Perhaps I'll try some other PUs in the future, but right now this is the best solution available to me and fitting my guitar.

Pickup features: Humbucking, Passive
Impedence or other specs: Resistance 7.85K bridge, Output 200mv: 7.0K neck Output 178mv

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Double Fat Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): New/Old Rock, Country
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a pickup with less midrange pickup and lower output that more complemented my other strat.

Perceived output level: Simular to a PAF but with a sound all it's own
Tone: Very balanced sound that doesn't loose anything when you overdrive
Sonic evaluation: Very suprised by the low end respose of the bridge pickup. The Dimarzio web site lists it as being more bright. I think it is just adds definition when you play clean. It really bites when you cruch it and really screams when you overdrive it. It goes from Metalica to Rolling Stones at the change of the channel on the amp or just rolling off on the volume on your guitar. The neck pickup is very warm and very user friendly. These pickups complement each other extremely well. When you put them out-of-phase you can get a nice Knopfler like tone that is both bright and meaty. I play through a Marshall 1/2 stack that really loves these pickups. I have the black and cream F spaced models that complement my bright red double fat Strat.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Hard rock to blues to country. Covers all styles. Would be great for Jazz.

Comments: I am very impressed and love everything about these pickups. I have been playing for 25+ years. Playing in two bands now. I have really found a sound I love and probably will hang on to these for a long time. I really like the low output level. This allows my amp to do all the work when its time to Rock. The when its time to clean up and get that crisp, clean and bright tone it just dials right in. These got rid of the overly middy tone of the Pearly Gates and put in a really balanced tone that can cover the whole spectrum by changing the tone controls on your amp and dial in whatever distortion level you want. They respond nicely to your amp and are very touch sensitive. I really believe these to be a fanstasic value. I Love 'em den dere now hey don't cha know.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 7.01k

Model of guitar or bass: Tele with northern (hard) ash mody, maple neck/fretboard
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan '59
Other pickups on guitar: GFS Fat TC in bridge
Artists using this pickup: Eric Jonhson
You musical style(s): Jazz, Fusion, Blues, Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a neck pickup that wasn't as muddy sounding as the '59. To get a nice beafy tone out of my bridge pickup, I typicaly boost the bass and mids, and cut the treble on my amp. This resulted in a less than clear sound coming from my neck pickup.

Perceived output level: Less than the '59, but not by much.
Tone: Contrary to what the DiMarzio website states, this pup does NOT provide a great deal of presence (treble). Compared to the '59, it offers a rounder (bassier) tone.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a Tech21 Trademark 10. While I do not believe the DiMarzio website description of the EJ Cutom Neck is accurate, I still feel that the pup offers very smooth sounds taht are especially useful for clean jazz applications. It's also quite nice overdrive since it rarely sounds overly harsh.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for clean jazz and distorted tones that are more elegant than crunchy/nasty.

Comments: