DiMarzio Steve's Special

Humbucking pickup - coils are tuned to different frequencies.

I used this pickup in the bridge position in a Esp Viper, Epiphone LP Custom, and an Ibanez RG570. I previously was using a seymour duncan JB, Dimarzio Evolution, EMG 81, and a Dimarzio Super distortion.... Just experimenting different pickups for a cool sound. I plug into a soldano avenger biased to take el34s and 6550 into a cab loaded with 2 celestion vintage 30's and 2 g12H30 in a x pattern. I usually lower the gain and push the soldano with a maxon od808 for the metal stuff.

Dimarzios best kept secret. This is the ultimate rhythem pickup in my opinion. I started off using a emg 81 and a dimarzio evolution and while is a great lead pickup it sucks for rhythem and chording. everything blends together and you cant hear crap. With the steves special its hot enough to do any kind of metal but cold enough to be absolutely clear about it. If you have some brutal gain and you hit a chord you can hear every single note spread out gorgeously like a Effing Harp - and you wont get any more clear with any other pickup. I recommend a tube screamer to boost the mids to give the punch and chunk for the metal riffing. I noticed I had to turn up the mids on my amp which was cool cuz it only helped everything cut through better. It sounded pretty good in my esp viper but for some reason it sounded warmer in my cheaper epiphone LP custom?? which has an alder top. My hunch is it would sound good in a strat or a super-strat type guitars as well as gibsons, or esps

I think no other pickup can do what this pickup was designed to do and for that...its original and effective. Most pickups are designed for leads or classic but finally a pickup perfect for the rhythem guitarist. Ive bought this pickup twice already and ill prolly buy it again.

Bridge position on my Ibanez Jem 77FP

I've used this pickup with a Fender Twin Reverb, a Roland BC-60 Blues Cube, and a Blackstar HT-5 mini stack.

For me this pickup just doesn't quite fit the bill. Like another reviewer stated, the scooped mid's left me wanting more out of the sound. Not only that but when I dialed in mid's on any of my amps it just sounded terrible with this pickup. It does have some very nice qualities...but it just wasn't for me.

I play anything from jazz to metal. Typically this guitar was used for playing Satriani, Vai, or some Ozzy.

It is definitely usable and I'm sure is exactly what some people are looking for. I would not buy this pickup again. I have let it sit in my Jem for about 5 years and recently swapped it out for the Super Distortion. I'm glad that I finally did.

Passive Humbucker with 4 wire conductor. Dimarzio lists this as one of their "high power" pickups. Ceramic magnet - resistance is 17.89

Installed this in the bridge position of my G&L HB swamp ash hardtail. I ordered this guitar with the Duncan TB4, which I have really liked in other guitars, but in this particular guitar it had a very pronounced midrange spike to it. Very much like the open "wah" pedal effect that some people seem to like - not for me though. G&L stock alnico single coils are in the mid and neck positions.

Dimarzio specs state the EQ on this pickup has the mids pulled down a lot, so it seemed like the best option for this guitar. Turned out to be a perfect choice. Really toned down the mid-spike that the TB4 brought out - has an excellent articulate clarity to it - lows and higs very well balanced. Output is hot, but not so much to get mushy - chords and solos cut through - I prefer to let the amp push the signal. Plenty of meat in HB mode - nice sparkle and stratty quality to the coil split. I've played this through Mesa Stiletto Ace/Freda Live 2x12 and Carvin X-100B/Mesa 2x12 Vertical rigs with very pleasing results. My style leans to punk/classic rock to which this works excellent for.

I've been playing close to 30 years, and have been through a lot of gear through the years.
I would consider buying this again - although it seemed especially well suited for my situation. It really did what I needed it to do by taming the middy quality of this axe. I've always been a fan of Seymour Duncan pickups, and have only recently started checking out Dimarzios, and every one I've tried has been great.

Already listed. I will skip this section.

I installed this in a douglas WR model electric (Ibanez RG copy) to replace the bridge stock pickup.

The tonal quality of the pickup seems mediocre. It certainly sounds better than the stock pickup, but not by a whole lot. It added no notable color or quality to the overall sound. In this, I was the most disappointed, as it's nearly impossible to tryout a pickup before buying it unless it's a very popular model that comes stock on guitars in the stores.

I play all styles from soft rock / pop, to heavy metal and everything in between and really can't find a good tone in any of it. I have an Epiphone with stock pickups in it that I would rate higher than this one.

I would not buy this pickup again.

I've played for 27 years, have used the super dist. pickup in the past and loved it. I currently use duncan JBJ and other models and was just looking for something that was a change of pace, for the sake of playing with my tone. I think that was a mistake.

Its a passive humbucking pickup, I don't know the exact specs of the output, impendance, etc.

I installed this on a 2007 Ibanez RG1570. The Steves Special was put in the bridge and replaced a Dimarzio Evolution. I also replaced the Evo neck with an Air Norton, and the single coil with a Dimarzio Blue Velvet.

John Petrucci uses this pickup.

I changed the stock pickups because while they were okay, they just had very "neutral" tone, like they were doing there job, but they were just a little lazy. The sound was slightly muddy on lower notes and the sustain just wasnt enough.

I tried a set of Evos, and while they were good at getting the ballsy, smooth overdriven tones, they just couldnt get anything else.
Clean on a Evo is horrible!

I got the Steves Special and Air Norton because I loved the tones that John Petrucci got in the 2 Liquid Tension Experiment albums.
He would be doing a lead, and you could hear him roll back the volume and still get a nice mellow tone.

I play Blues, instrumental stuff (Satch) and most of the time have huge jams with all of my friends.


The output is high, not as high as an Evo though. The mids are slightly cut so the amp isnt overdriven right away, allowing you to still get clean/dirty sounds. I run it through a Fender Supersonic all-tube Combo. I also use an Ibanez TS9 and Boss SD-1 for boosts, and a Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah. The tone is AMAZING!!

After i installed them i jammed at my buddys house with the guys, so my amp was cranked. Notes literally seemed to "jump" out of the amp and best thing was that since the mids are cut, you can turn up the mids alot on your amp without it getting muddy. I cut right through the mix even with vocals.

With the switch putting one coil of the bridge with the single coil, you get this awesome twangish, dirty tele kind of tone. Especially overdriven. And for leads this pickup never has too much treble or too much bass, etc. Its PERFECT, and rolling back the volume to about 4-5ish = Hendrix/ SRV.


This suits my style perfectly, as its SO versatile, it responds very well to your picking attack and the settings of your amp and pedals.


I would say this pickup isnt good for the metalheads who think a pickup must be BROOTALZ enough to get CRUSHING tone out of their Marshall MG15.

If for some reason a guy stole the pickups out of my guitar (haha) i would definately buy another Steve's Special.

Ive been playing for about 2 years, i also have a Gibson Flying V that im thinking about putting the same pickup combo in.

I love EVERYTHING about it!

Single coil or humbucking? Active or passive? : Passive Humbucker

Impedance or other specs? : www.dimarzio.com

What model guitar or bass did you install this in?
Jackson KellyStar Japan Custom Shop

What position is it in?
Bridge

What pickup are you replacing?
Stock Duncan Designed PU

Other pickups installed on the instrument?
Neck PU is Dimarzio Air Norton

Any artists using this pickup?
John Petrucci & Steve Moorse, that is as far as i know

Reason for changing the pickup?
Need a more powerfull PU, n love for Metal Music!!

What's the output level like?
Output level is sufficient, not too loud, not too subtle, jst nice for my style of playing

What amps and effects are you using it with?
i mainlly use a Line6 Spider II 15 amp, and also a Line6 Toneport UX 1 for recording

Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced?
Tone is just what im looking for in a pickup. I dunt really like very sweet high mids, jst lows cz im playing dropped tunes, the lows is supported by the high trebles, not the mids cz as u all know, the mids r scooped. Yet playing is not muddy at all!

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
I mainlly play melodic death metal, this pickup has all that i want on my guitar. It works well clean, as well as very2 high gain. great grind with lots of fluidity.

If it was destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else?
if its stolen, ill go and have a go with the x2n or d activator x pickup!! hahaha!! no seriouslly.. ill buy another 1, and make xcuses that i need another guitar.. then ill get the x2n/d activator x thingy!! hahahah!!!

Passive Humbucker pickup.

I was looking for a pickup that would have a good balance of clean tone that wasn't too midrange heavy,but when distorted, still had a good heavy sound.

I use baritone guitars, dropped to C, through a Mesa Dual rectifier. My main guitar is an LTDMHB-400, which has a Maple body. Even though the Maple is supposed to make the pickups sound brighter than most woods, I was still having a problem with too much Bass and midrange coming through the overall sound. With the Mesa, I would still have to turn the Bass all the way down.

BLAM!!! Problem solved!! FINALLY!!!!
This is by far the best pickup I've ever come across. I have since bought 6 of them. They go into the bridge of every guitar I own.The clarity is absolutely amazing!! It is a perfect balance of treble and bass. Even though it's advertised as "mid scooped", I can use the natural mid sound of the amp to compensate very easily. This is a "must have" pickup for everyone. Metal, Rock, Alternative, Country, Jazz, it doesn't matter. Because this pickup will respond to your amplifier settings like no other pickup I've ever found.

The cleans are clean and clear. When distorted, the sounds can be heavy and dark, midrangy, trebly, all depending on how you set the eq settings on your amp.

Ive also tried this pickup in Mahogany, Alder, and Ash, through a Marshall valvestate 100v-8100, and a Peavey Ultra 120 as well as the Mesa.. It never has disappointed EVER in any combination or style.

I won't buy anything else for my bridge pickups. Dimarzio has got me sold on this one 100%.

I've been playing guitar for 25-years. My search for that perfectly versitile pickup is over.

If I could rate this pickup a "12" I would.

follow up!

RG520qs
rg1570
bridge position

harmonics are UNREAL on this pickups,
it sooooooooo easy to get,
mids scoops ar not even noticable..
it only makes your Notes.. more CLEARER.

UNREAL totally awesome.

390mv output
scooped mids

i have this pickup installed on 2 of my rg one is 520qs(mahogany) and 1570(basswood) both on bridge.with neck pickups - air norton on 520 and breed on 1570.

sounds amazing on both...mahogany and basswood,both sounds perfect to me. ive owned fred,paf pro,paf joe,evolutions,evo2 ,breed,norton,d sonic,air zone.

hands down perfect .even with scooped mids.is not really bad at all.very vocal -aww-like when doing fast runs ,even with scooped mid.doesnt mud at all even if u dialed mids all the way down..sounds incredible. fast runs very clear. harmonics galore ,very easy to get.

my search is over.never taking this one out. been playing for 16 yrs.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: www.dimarzio.com for specs

Model of guitar or bass: schecter c1 elite (mahogany body and neck)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: evolution
Other pickups on guitar: humbucker from hell (neck)
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci used it on many recordings when he used his Ibanez sig model guitar
You musical style(s): rock
Reason for pickup change: Evolution (not the new evo2) pickup was pure fuzz on the low notes, for solos it was just beautiful...but there is more to life than just solos (I think). NAH! But for tricky prog rock stuff the pickup was just not getting the job done.

Perceived output level: it's in the hot range.
Tone: Something like an EMG but much better. High's don't cut your ears like a razor.
Sonic evaluation: guitar -> digitech 2101 LE -> Carvin TS100 power amp -> two 4x12 cabinets stereo.
This pickup laughed at my all mahogany guitar and shot the mids right out of it. I messed around with the EQ a bit and was shocked to discover no matter HOW high I turned up the mids this thing never turned "fuzzy". I know others had claimed this as well but it's something you have to see/hear to believe. EMG pickups do this too but this is a different animal. This pickup still retains some "soul".
NOTE: This is was not a "plug and play" pickup, it took some work and adjustment of my ears to get what I wanted. I'm not disappointed.
As many other players have noted this pickup is very articulate. It will pick up everything, including your pick. I switched my ultex picks with the old assortment of old 80's color tortex picks and it seemed to help a bit with the pick noise, the ultex was just a bit clacky. It HAS to be the pick, no way could it be my technique. =P
Bottom line(s):
No doubt about it, you can get busy and this pickup will stay with you the whole way. With this particular guitar (mahogany)...I know this sounds wierd...it's easier to pinch harmonics with the SS than the evolution. Yes I'm sober.
If you want a big fat Billy Gibbons tone stay away from this pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Unsuitable for any style that -relies- on fuzzy guitar tones to hide mistakes.

Comments: I recommend this pickup to all my shredding brethren.
For slow solo passages I sill prefer the tone of the evolution.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: passive humbucker. fairly hot.

Model of guitar or bass: ibanez rgt42
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock inf1 and inf2
Other pickups on guitar: paf joe
Artists using this pickup: petrucci
You musical style(s): progressive metal
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups are sterile.

Perceived output level: hot. but in highs and lows mostly.
Tone: very clear. smiley eq'd. totally different animal.
Sonic evaluation: using this pickup on an ibanez rgt42 (mahogany neck-thru) along with a paf joe. playing thru a pod xt live. this pickup sounds alot like the olp mm1 (evh) pickup. i tried both and i think i actually prefer the olp pickup. the olp has more balls (and quack when coil tapped.) i also own the ibanez universe 7 string with the same steve's special type pickups (blaze). the clarity is definately there. not for the sloppy player. if you shred, you owe it to yourself to use a pickup that shows off all that practice time you put in.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i've used the pickup for a variety of styles, but it suits progressive metal the best.

Comments: if the pickup was lost or stolen, i'd first look on ebay for a set of olp mm1 pickups or maybe a set of carvin pickups. if not, buy the dimarzio's again.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer Standard USA
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG 81
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci, Steve Via
You musical style(s): Rock/Metal
Reason for pickup change: EMG's were too sterile for my changing tone prefference. My set neck mahogany Hamer sounded EXACTLY like my poplar bolt on Jackson Kelly

Perceived output level: Hot; scooped mids and open at the same time
Tone: Hard to describe.....Scooped mids, but sounded full, fat, open and clear all at the same time
Sonic evaluation: Hamer USA Standard explorer through a Peavey 5151 II modded to take EL34 groove tubed power tubes and switched to groove tubes ECC83 preamp tubes. No FX other than some use of a Behringer Ultra Q Pro Parametric EQ.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classic rock, 80's metal, heavy metal and some of the new swedish metal bands.

Comments: I have went through several pick-up changes in guitars since i started playing in 1991 at age 11. I was a DIE HARD EMG user for years. As i started to get away from strictly palmuted downpicking power chords and riffs i noticed that my sound was very limited. Changes made at the guitar made little difference. The EMG's don't respond to changes in pick attack very well at all. They also rob the natural wood tones away from the guitar they are in. I knew the kind of sound I was looking for so a good buddy of mine walked me through his stash of Dimarzios. Once we narrowed it down to a tone i was looking for he recomended the Steve's Special. Once I installed it I was blown away. I had no idea my guitar sounded that good. It made a great guitar even greater. I like the sound so good that I am affraid to try another pick-up in it.

Pickup features: Humbucking Passive
Impedence or other specs: 17.89K 390mv ceramic magnet

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG1570
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock IBZ V8
Other pickups on guitar: Humbucker From Hell
Artists using this pickup: Don't know of any that endorse it anymore
You musical style(s): Metal (neoclassical), Rock
Reason for pickup change: V8 wasn't bad, just not what I wanted. Plus I have an aversion to stock pickups.

Perceived output level: output is high, feels like it is hitting your amps front end pretty hard
Tone: it has a pretty broad EQ, with less emphasis on the mid range. very clear.
Sonic evaluation: As I said I use it in an Ibanez RG1570, and into several different amps, but mainly into a Laney GH100L feeding a Legacy 4X12 with celestion vintage 30's. I only have a boss delay in the loop as far as processing is concerned. This pickup has a very interesting tone to it, unlike anything I have heard before. Even Dimarzio states that it has very unorthadox sonic characteristics for a pickup in its type and class. It has boosted treble and Bass freq. while having a subdued midrange. Although the mids are cut, it has this very strong aww-like vocal quality to it. It also has a lot of clarity , but is very smooth at the same time. I find it useful because I play through a mid-heavy amp, and dial in alot of mids on my amps e.q. This pick-up lets me dial in alot of tone, without turning to mud. Apparently I was told Steve Blucher, the designer, being a legato player himself, designed it for that purpose. It works very well for Legato and picking equally. overall an excellent Pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I mostly do the shred thing, although I do dabble in various different styles. I think If you are a good player, and you use the right e.q. this pick would be able to handle anything. I probably would not recommend this pickup for the neck position though, It may be too hot to balance well with any other .

Comments: If it were stolen I would buy it again, this is actually my second time owning this pickup. I'm very satisfied with it but I kind of like a varity of sounds available to me, much similar to how I like my women, so I probably wont put it in more than one guitar at a time.

Pickup features: Humbucking Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SA 120 BK
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: AH4 (Stock PU)
Other pickups on guitar: AS2 medium and bridge
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci!!!!
You musical style(s): Since Jimmy Page to Dimebag Darrel
Reason for pickup change: Really need more clearly sound, more punch and dynamics than stock pickup can offer me. Looking for much more harmonics and trying to get clearly sound even using brutal distortion.

Perceived output level: I think output level is high enough, but on my guitar is well-balanced with bridge pickup
Tone: Great Basses!!!! enough trebble and scooped mediums, but don't worry you can get back all of your mids with your amp!!!!!
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a 60 wats AXL, poor poor amp, but trust me, change your pickup to this one and you'll get a sound completely different for the one you're used to. This pickup really suits the sound i was looking for. If you play with lots of distortion this pickup will show you how your guitar really sounds. If you play without distortion you'll find an indescriptible clearly sound, really matches the open strings arpeggios ala Petrucci and Steve Morse. The most impressive thing about this pickup is that you ALWAYS listen what you're playing, no matters how much distortion or effects you're using. If your guitar is made by mahogany don't think it twice BUY THIS PICKUP, it's really amazing how thos wood makes scream this pickup and, in the other hand, keep the sound woody, hot, and really full of harmonics. One more thing, try to play a tapping piece (such as Van Halen's Eruption) and you will see how much punch and sound definition this pickup can give you, AMAZING PICKUP.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play primary metal music (Petrucci fan) but you can get Hammet's sound, or Vai's bridge sound (with a little spent of time in searching the correct EQ), even Page's sounds and jazzy's sounds if you want to

Comments: I'm completely satisfied with this pickup. I've never thought a pickup can really change my sound like this one has did it. But one thing, this is a pickup (I think) for lead guitar, if you are a rithm guitarist, you may choose a Tone Zone or something like that. SS really works when you plays solos or open chords, if you're lookinfg for a pickup to play only power chords this one will not match you, or maybe it will give you to another universe in guitar playing :)

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 390mv

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 2550EX
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio/Ibz Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio/Ibz neck, middle
Artists using this pickup: None that I know of
You musical style(s): Metal, Rock, Progressive
Reason for pickup change: The Stock Dimarzio/Ibz sounded descent but a little weak for my taste.

Perceived output level: Hot, But not overly hot, Has a balanced feel, enough output that if you need it, it's there
Tone: A little Bassy but not at all muddy, Mids are slightly cut to give it an edge, Treble is balanced
Sonic evaluation: I am using an Ibanez RG2550EX through a Peavey XXL212 Combo with a Korg AX1500 Effects processer. This Pickup is very Balanced. It has a very clean sound meaning that all notes in a chord can be heard and this pick up keeps the distortion from getting muddy. For soloing, it creates good sustain, and best of all the arppegiated notes don't seem to run together as much as with other pickups. The result is a heavy but very smooth distortion which was exactly what I was after. The clean tone is actually pretty good too. It's punchy and full sounding.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play alot of different styles, from metal to classical and I think this pick is versatile enough to really handle anything

Comments: I'm a little new to Dimarzio pickups because I've used alot of Seymour Duncans in the past. Dimarzio is good for those who want a more cleaned up tone and actually want to have what they are playing come through instead of being lost in the mud of an say an invader that some power chord playing, Tom Delonge wannabe would use. I am satisfied with this pickup because it has a edge and at the same time you can solo on it and you can hear every note you are playing. Great pickup.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG1570
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock V8
Other pickups on guitar: Breed in the neck position / stock single coil in middle
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Heavy stuff
Reason for pickup change: Needed to drop the stock pickups

Perceived output level: Hot enough without overpowering
Tone: Bright and punchy without all the noise
Sonic evaluation: I ran this pickup through my friends rig, as well as mine. I eventually just plugged it into my V-Amp2. It sounded awesome. Compared to my friends Evolutions, it was a little less bright and more hard hitting for rhythm. The Evolution seemed more Vai'ish and this was more in the middle of the road. You can here all the notes on a very distorted amp. If you are looking to play a little of everything(Vai to regular Rock), this pickup is for you.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I like stuff from Vai to Sevendust. It is a good match for me since I like a lot of different styles.

Comments: I would buy it again. At this point, I don't need anything else in a pickup. My search is over.
Again, if you want a high output pickup that can sound similar to a lot of different players; buy one of these. Hey, Dimarzio will exchange it anyway if you are unsatisfied.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 1570L
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez V8
Other pickups on guitar: Di Marzio Evolution (neck)
Artists using this pickup: Me and John Petrucci
You musical style(s): Everything I like!
Reason for pickup change: I wasn't really disappointed with the old one but I knew it wasn't the best choice for my guitar

Perceived output level: It's not hot, it's cold, but in a very good way, maybe because of the (missing) mediums. Just after having installed the pick ups I think you won't notice any real difference from the old one, but I'm sure after having played for 5 minutes you won't change it anymore!
Tone: Not so much mediums, great basses and not so much highs
Sonic evaluation: I use this Ibanez on different amps, both tubes and transistor and everytime, most of the times driving them with a HUGE pedal, the good old DS-1!On tube amplifiers this pick up makes the difference.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I like this pick up because enables me to play so much different things, from heavy metal to regular rock music.

Comments: I don't know if I would buy it again, but I think it's a good pick up if you like to play with your hands and don't count on other toys to create your sound.

Pickup features: passive humbucker, nothing "special" for the looks
Impedence or other specs: output something like 390 mV, pretty high output

Model of guitar or bass: have it in 2 guitars: a Ibanez JPM100P4 and a Charvel Model 6 (japanese made SL1)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: in the Ibanez it came stock. The Charvel had some crappy Jackson PU's (J-50BC in the bridge) with a midbooster
Other pickups on guitar: on the JPM the standard DiMarzio Air Norton (great PU as wel) and on the Charvel there is a SD lil 59 in the middle pos and a lil screamin' demon in the neck
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci (duh)
You musical style(s): lots of styles, virutally everything except RnB. most of the stuff I do is somewhere in between rock and prog metal
Reason for pickup change: well, I only did that in the charvel (replace the PU). The first guitar I had with a dimarzio PU was the JPM and I had to get used to the very distinctive sound of the special. I mean, an PU with a scooped mid is unusual since a lot of amps have their emphasis on the mid frequenties and that are the frequencies a guitar has to do its job in a band. Actually I was thinking of replacing it, until I discovered how to tune my amp correctly for the PU and it started to live beyond imagination. So after a while I bought that Charvel and since the PU's on that particular guitar sucked donkey balls I changed the bridgePU to what had become my fav bridge pu: the steve's special. Hell, this is a lot of bullcrap to say the PU on the charvel were bad =D.

Perceived output level: the output is high, but since it is spread over a lot of frequencies that are not the main guitar freqs it is not that loud. still way louder than for example PAF's, but it is not as extreme as the output may suggest.
Tone: as said before: boosted bas and treble, mid is scooped
Sonic evaluation: guitar -> Mesa/Boogie Quad pre and fifty/fifty poweramp -> cab. no effects to suck tone; you get the purest tone this way and that is a good thing when having some nice guitars.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this thing covers up a lot of styles: from poprock to metal it does it all. for the more poppy sounds it is to harsh, to agressive or whatever you want to call it.

Comments: The first thing I want to say, is that I was surprised about how different this PU is responding to different guitars. I was always told that the sound of the guitar was made for 80% by the pu and 20% was the construction, the kind of tone wood, the type of bridge etc. Well, I can certainly underline a pu is very important, but the 80/20 thing is not correct. I was really surprised by the difference between the 2 guitars. The Ibanez is made of basswood (pretty even balanced tonewood, neutral is even a better discription) and has a bolt on maple neck. The charvel is made of poplar, which is similar to alder (warm? not really as far as I know) and has a maple neck through construction. so, a lot of maple (=higher frequencies response) for the charvel and I was really uncertain wheter it would sound shrill or trebly, because in the Ibanez it is not really bassy. well, you can imagine my surprise when I found out that it sounded really warm and full in the charvel, and the only thing that kept me from thinking it was a different PU was the agressiveness of the attack. That brings me to one of the really good things about the Steve's Special: the attack. Since I play mostly rock and metal, some punch is required and that is something this thingy provides.
the second thing is the destinctive tone. A humbucker (or a PU) with a midscoop is rare, lots of PU's concentrate on the mid/higher mid frequencies, and that is something this one does NOT do. result: an original tone, that sets you apart from other guitarists. Everyone is looking for his own tone, and I found my one to be in the SS and it is a good thing it is an original PU. so no complaints at all.
for the replacement I was having a tough choice between a Tone Zone and a SS (and as you can read from my description, the SS is really different from the middy tonezone). The reason for the SS was initially that I wanted 2 guitars with a similar bridge PU (because I was in living in the assumption of the 80/20 mistake). Well, that one was wrong, but it turned out to be the "best mistake" I could possibly make!
so everyone: ir you like to try something different from the bunch: this one is it!

Pickup features: Humbucking, Passive
Impedence or other specs: 17.89K , Output = 390mV

Model of guitar or bass: Godin LGT
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Lace D-150
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio Air Norton
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci during the mid-90's
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: Changed the neck pickup from a single coil to humbucker
(Lace Blue Sensor to DiMarzio Air Norton). Bought the Steve's
Special to match. Also wanted a pickup that retained its
clarity when distorted.

Perceived output level: Definitely hotter than the Lace D-150, but probably on par with most humbuckers.
Tone: Increased bass and treble with scooped mids. Crystal clear. Super clarity regardless of gain level.
Sonic evaluation: I have a Line 6 Spider 2X10, and love having the variety of tones. To
give me even more choices, I have my guitar wired with a double-pole
5-way switch and two push/pull pots. This gives me a total of 10 pickup combinations. Much to my surprise and delight, every combination is amazing - not a weak one in the bunch (including the Air Norton in the neck).
The Steve's Special is designed to remain it's clarity, even with the greatest of distortion. At this, the pickup really excels. I've heard other Line 6 Spider owners say that one of the amps presets, named "Insane", is so distorted that it's unusable. Well, I can tell you I can play seventh chords in the Insane mode and can easily distinguish every note in a chord.
In split mode, I hardly notice any drop in volume and the tone is very sweet on the clean channel with added chorus.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Well, I know John Petrucci made these pickups famous, but I have to honestly say that I have never heard a single note of his playing. I guess it's suitable for prog-rock, but I play classic rock, Pearl Jam type stuff and I love this pickup for what I do.

Comments: This is the third pickup I've had in my guitar, and I am finally able to say the search is over. I can get a hot tone, play jazzy type chords and hear every note.
It also sounds great clean, sounds great when split, and sounds great in combination with the Air Norton (full coils, split inside coils, and split outside coils).
Just beware if you're interested in the 5-way switch, two pull pot set-up. The wiring diagram is not on DiMarzio's site, but they will send it to you upon request. Unfortunately, there was an error in the diagram that resulted in a short in the 2 & 4 positions. It was only on my third trip to the guitar shop that the technician noticed the error, and called DiMarzio. I now have the proper diagram. (Should also point out that despite the error in the diagram, I have found DiMarzio to be very responsive and give them a 10 in terms of overall service).
Would buy again in an instant.

Pickup features: Humbucker, passive, CERAMIC bar.
Impedence or other specs: www.dimarzio.com

Model of guitar or bass: RG3120, mahogany body and maple top
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Tone Zone
Other pickups on guitar: Air Norton
Artists using this pickup: Petrucci and Rob Balducci
You musical style(s): Vai, Petrucci, Balducci, Satriani, the likes!
Reason for pickup change: Just decided to try. I was teased by Rob Balducci after he responded to my email saying that this pickup sounded great. He sounds great and he used tone zone like me for years so I said, lets just try a bit.

Perceived output level: tricky tricky. Say the output is supposed to be slightly more than a tone zone but sounds just like it. The scooped mids help it stay clean and don't break up as much.
Tone: Bassy and trebly. Very balanced on my guitar due to the wood.
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez RG3120--> Rocktron Preamp, voodu valve---> MesaBoogie50/50----> 4X12 Legacy cab (vintage 30's) wired in Stereo.
Steve's Special's history, blaze and 7th string guitars.
I believe this pick up can trace its background to the Blaze used on the 7-string Ibanez. That pickup came up after researching a method to obtain a broad range of frequencies to accomodate for the 7-string. That is to keep it not turning into mud. This was obtained by having two coils tuned to different frequencies. The blaze is still a very good sounding pickup up to today standards. Though lending a bit to "older" sounding than new modern tone. To get a picture listen to Petrucci's records from 7-string and entire Steve vai album Passion and Walfare.
The present,
Though I hold no evidence of this I can imagine that players after using their 7-string and liking the sound of that guitar started to ask dear Steve Blucher to make something along those lines. Hence Steve's Special was born. Equaly the same the Special has two coils that have substantially different sound together producing a wide spread of frequencies and again creating a boosted bass and mids. Yet it feels to me that the special sounds slightly more modern and better when clean.
The future,
As of today, year 2003 dimarzio has announced yet another pickup with again coils tuned to different frequencies. It is the DropSonic? and looks promising.
My story
I used tone zone for more than 7 years paired up with the air norton. I was a happy man with tone zone and by looking back I can't really say I had a good reason to change other that I wanted to try something new. I grew up listening to Passion and Walfare and wanted to sound like it all my life and when I heard petrucci I got really interested in trying this pickup.
So here we go, sonic evaluation:
Steve's Special produces a sound that is open. This is it keeps your attack clean. Yeah remember how you could easily make your tone zone (or paf pro or fred) break up, well not here. The Special stays clean and breaks up very differently. When it breaks up it does it trebbly sweet, on the other hand tone zone does it middy nasal.
With this pickup it really feels like my guitar sound is comming through. The chords are so balanced... you get that dimarzio trademark treble and is quite pleasent. Sometimes when using the tone zone I felt like I had to change the sound to play riffs and then again to play solos. On this pickup all the frequencies are there. When playing higher frets you hear the treble come through, excellent for solos and just the righ amount. When playing riffs you hear the bass, excellent for riffs a la vai, satriani, and of course petrucci. The harmonics jump out and sound like the most beatiful thing, very much like Passion and Walfare once again. Dive bomb and you will heard a great sounding well balance pick up that sounds simply amazing.
My guitar is a mahogany body with maple top. This wood combination matches the pickup simply perfectly. The sound is really sweet, powerful, hot and open like dimarzio says.
When I first installed the pickup I didn't like the sound. It is its nature so different from the common use of one frequency boost such as the one in the tone zone, paf pro and freds, that I just couldn't get used to it. But and this is a big but, you should give it some time because the sound definitly grows on you. After the second day I just loved it. I played to much for 3 days straight that my left arm hurt and I could't lift heavy objects. Moments like this make me rethink if I really want to be in Medical School.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Like I said, I play mostly Vai and Satriani.... It is

Comments: For now I can't think of anything else that would make me happier. I have been playing for 10 years now and I also own a Les Paul, all mahogany. That one has air norton(neck) and paf pro(bridge). I wasn't looking for A sound. I was honestly a bit concern that I would miss the mids but no way. The way this pick up works you can add it on your peamp and get the best of all worlds. To email me erase the NOSPAM part of my email. I am selling a tone zone if anyone is interested email me. Be happy, smart and enjoy life!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: www.dimarzio.com please.....

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez 540S
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio Evolution
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan 59
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci
You musical style(s): from blues to metal and everything in between
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a clearer pickup to balance out with the middy chatacter of the mahogany body.

Perceived output level: Fairly high. A bit less than the Evolution but barely noticeable.
Tone: Bassy and trebly with scooped mids. I definitely love it.
Sonic evaluation: I use this guitar with the following amps:
1) Mesa/Boogie TriAxis - Mesa/Boogie 20/20
2) Marshall Valvestate 8100 head
3) Rexx 602 - Marshall VS8008
All of them are hooked up to a Marshall 8412 4x12 cabwith Celestion speakers.
I think this pickup is perfect with mahogany bodied guitars. I have another one installed in an Ibanez RG (basswood) and there it sounds too trebly.
With the S series (mahogany) this pickup sounds warm and present, very well balanced on all the frequencies. The tone is definitely ideal for rock, crunch is raw and lead sounds are spatial and very definite even with higher gain settings (and Lord knows how HIGH a MESA/BOOGIE amp can go in the gain dept ^_^), maybe a little bit thin on the higher notes, but not that bad though.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I'm a rocker mainly and this pickup does the job!! I have used it in the bridge position (perfect match), dunno how it would do in the neck but I'd bet it has too much output for that application

Comments: This is MY pickup, this is THE tone i've always been looking for. I have had a DiMarzio Evolution installed in the same spot but it had to go... Middy pickup on a middy body and sounded like sh*t, undefined on the lower notes and weak on the higher.

Pickup features: Humbucking - 4 conductor
Impedence or other specs: ??

Model of guitar or bass: US MASTERS SUPER T
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio Super Distortion
Other pickups on guitar: PAF Pro
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): variety - rock / hard rock
Reason for pickup change: the super distortion pickups just don't cut it for me. while they work well for power chords everything else sounds like mud

Perceived output level: high output
Tone: drive with balance and articulation
Sonic evaluation: this is the closest thing you can buy over the counter that will sound like the pickup used in the music man petrucci model. i had this pickup in the guitar and changed it out with a super distortion. what a mistake that was. the steves special has about as much gain but with alot more drive than the super dist. hot and fairly balanced with pretty good note definition - all the thing the super dist in my opinion don't have

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock to hard rock - works real well - cleans up well too

Comments: i would buy another if i needed a good hard rock pickup that was versitle as well. i am pleased with the pickup and will keep this one.
highly recommended - this is a sleeper pup that no one talks about that is great

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: PAF PRO
Other pickups on guitar: PAF Pro in Neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Progressive Rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted open high output pickup

Perceived output level: Louder than Duncan Custom 5
Tone: pretty well balanced
Sonic evaluation: POD PRo, BBE 882, Carvin Stereo Power Amp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Bridge only

Comments: I started with a Duncan Custom 5. I like it for it's raw tone, but I wanted something with a little more output. I researched this for about 5 months before this purchase and I'm completely satisfied!! This pickup is raw with a very usable bass and treble, I wish that I had bought it before the duncan c5. I've played for over 34 yrs and this is the sound that I've heard in my head. I would buy another one in a heartbeat!!

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: check www.dimarzio.com

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG570EX
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Ibanez V8
Other pickups on guitar: V7 Humbucker in neck, S1 in middle
Artists using this pickup: Steve Vai, John Petrucci
You musical style(s): Prog Death Metal
Reason for pickup change: After flaying through the V8 for around half an hour it started to lose power and the volume started to swell up and down by itself (i know, wtf?) And i wanted a more scooped sound.

Perceived output level: Higher than the V8 but not by a HUGE amount. Fairly high output
Tone: Mids are scooped but not by that much, Boosted treble and bass. Very warm clean sound
Sonic evaluation: RG570EX(standard tuning)--> Digitech RP200 --> Laney HCM60R
This pickup is perfect for lead, even though it has scooped mids. It plays very smoothly and higher strings and has good clarity. It is good for rythm as well and can be very crunchy if you want it too. Sounds excellent if you turn the mids on your amp + pedals completely down, you get a sound similar to that of Dimebag Darrel. The mids need to be boosted on you amp/pedal to get that buttery smooth lead sound but that isn't a problem. Notes are VERY clear even on low notes with heavy distortion.
The clean sound isn't excellent but it is still good. The clean sound is very warm and the lower notes tend to drown out the higher. This isn't really a problem for me because i can adjust the equalizer on my RP200 or i can just use my single coil or bridge pickup. Lead tone sounds alot like the tone on "For the love of god" by Steve Vai

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: You can probably play anything from rock to death with this pickup. It is a very good match for my style.

Comments: If it was stolen etc. i would try out some other pickups like the X2N or the dimebucker. This is the first pickup i've bought so i don't really know what everything else on the market is like. The only problem with this is that the clean sound is too warm. People who use stomp boxes will need an equalizer pedal to lower the bass. Apart from that, no other complaints, especially since this pickups was quite cheap compared to some of the other di marzios

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 390 mV output, 17.89 resistance

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio Air Zone in neck, DiMarzio The Cruiser in middle
Artists using this pickup: Steve Vai, John Petrucci (Dream Theater)
You musical style(s): Progressive Alternative
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: A bit loud for a humbucker, but not extremely loud. Doesn't break up much for a pickup of its volume
Tone: Extended treble and bass response, without actually having the frequency boosted. So, heavy on the treble and bass, but still clear and not muddy.
Sonic evaluation: I use this guitar with a Digitech processor and a Peavy amp.
This pickup is full and wide open in all conditions. Clean, it produces a full, dry sound. It produces a notable bridge position "quack", but less so than most pickups. It doesn't break up quickly. When it does, it produces, an open ("Aw") sound that is thick and crunchy. It is sharp, thanks to it's clear treble, but not thin or brittle, thanks to it's heavy bass response that just doesn't get muddy. It's heavy on the harmonics.
Clean, this pickup is good for a full, dry sound. You won't get much bell-like or jangly tone out of this one. Chords sound full and individual notes played stand out well when playing with a band.
Distorted, it lends a very open sound to chords. You can also get a good "chunk" sound out of it. For lead, it produces an open tone that cuts through without being thin or overly sharp. The sound of individual notes really comes through, and it really picks up on the subtle aspects of how you play.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play in a style ranging from Smashing Pumpkins to Tool to Dream Theater. I have found it to be a most versatile pickup. It may not work well if you never like to use open, dry tones and prefer soft, bell-like, jangly tones.

Comments: I knew what I wanted out of a bridge pickup. A pickup without the piercing, brittle edge that many pickups get in the bridge position. A pickup with a full response that isn't brittle or muddy and with good harmonics. This really fit the bill. I could conceive of finding something better, but I haven't heard it yet.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: www.dimarzio.com

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio Super Distortion
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio PAF Pro
Artists using this pickup: ??
You musical style(s): Varied
Reason for pickup change: I needed to reduce an old muddy, microphonic Super Distortion

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: Balanced but in order to not make it thin, you may have to turn your amp treble DOWN!!
Sonic evaluation: Through a Fender Concert, the sound is so wonderfully clean that I can't say enough about it. Even with a Tube Driver/Les Paul I can't make it muddy. The peaky mids on the Fender are toned down a bit with this pickup. "Big" distortion tones are clean, all the way up the neck, even on the low strings. Roll off the tone on the guitar for some nice mellow sounds (not muffled). This pickup retains the highs with the volume down on the guitar, not like a Stupor Distortion. This is a perfect pickup for a Les Paul. It takes out the mud while retaining body and even adds some brightness.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a good straight ahead rock pickup because of it's clarity. Metal Heads/Death Rockers need not apply.

Comments: I would buy another one in a second should something happen to this one. This pickup balances well with a PAF Pro in the neck. With both pickups on, there is a delightful shimmer in the sound.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Performer PS2
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Jackson pickup
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio HS3 in neck position, and stock single coil in middle
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci
You musical style(s): metal/prog metal
Reason for pickup change: Original Jackson humbucker was too muddy... wanted a "real"
pickup.

Perceived output level: Pretty hot... hotter than my other pickups at least, but I don't think it's extremely hot
Tone: I think the tone is well balanced... the mid-scoop makes for a very cool sound... it really helps the Crate GX-130 that I play through most of the time.
Sonic evaluation: As I said before, I'm using a Crate GX-130C, with the pickup in my bridge position on the Jackson Performer. Very good metal sound, exactly what I was looking for in a pickup, not muddy at all.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal/progressive, and this is a great pickup for that style.

Comments: I would probably buy this again were it lost or stolen, I just love the sound it gives me, a hell of alot better than the stock Jackson pickups.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Sorry... couldn't tell you...

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez JPM100/4
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None. This is the OEM pickup.
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio Air Norton
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci
You musical style(s): Progressive/Heavy Progressive Rock & other eclectic things
Reason for pickup change: This is the OEM pickup. There has been no change.

Perceived output level: This is a medium/hot pickup. It's surprising because it is built on a ceramic magnet, yet the pickup us not terribly hot and still captures a lot of my nuances.
Tone: The tone is very trebly, but not harsh. It is bassy, but not like a Seymour Duncan AlnicoII Pro humbucker. This doesn't have too much bass. There are very little to no mids with this pickup, which is a problem to me. More on that later.
Sonic evaluation: I am using this pickup in an Ibanez JPM100/4 and it is the stock pickup (basswood body, pickups are mounted directly to the wood). My amp and cabinet are Peavey 5150's.
I'm comparing this pickup to how my EVH Wolfgang's sound through my gear. This pickup, when I first played the guitar, left me feeling empty. There was something missing. It doesn't sound harsh or terribly bassy, but the lack of midrange response leaves a bit of a hole in my sound. There is definately something missing. It didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy compared to my Wolfgangs, which have a high-midrange trend.
Also, the pickup didn't sound terribly full, possibly because of the lack of mids. They sound decent when listening to my cabinet at home, however I do a lot of recording on my Roland 880EX. When listening to tracks with my Wolfgangs, the sounds is very nice and full. My Ibanez with the Steve's Special sounds thin and clanky. The pick attack almost sounds like I record direct. Just FYI, I mike with a Shure SM57 and have it pointed directly at 2:00 on the speaker.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: You would think this pickup to be a perfect match for my style. It only goes to show how we're all individuals. I can't see this pickup really being useful, except in an amp which is extremely mid-heavy.

Comments: I already plan on replacing this pickup, however I am not sure what I'll get. I want something a little more full and with more mids. This, as I said, was compared to my EVH Wolfgangs. I have also played the same guitar with Seymour Duncan AlncioII Pro humbuckers. Although I do prefer the stock Dimarzio to those, neither one make me really happy.

Pickup features: humbucker, passive
Impedence or other specs: not sure, direct mounted on my JPM 100 P2

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez JPM 100 P2
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none, it came stock
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Air Norton, neck-direct mounted
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci
You musical style(s): heavy rock, instrumental - Vai, Satch, jazz (i'm trying to learn it), classic rock
Reason for pickup change: Didn't change it, it came stock with the guitar

Perceived output level: Pretty hot, but not insanely hot. Around the same level as a Dimarzio Evolution but a very different tone.
Tone: This pickup has scooped mids, and increased treble and bass response. I think there is a little extra treble due to direct mounting.
Sonic evaluation: Its a great pickup, very different than the Evolution in my RG 550. The SS is a bit more versatile, with lots of cut, it does well at both rhythm play (heavy chord playing) and it cuts thru nicely for leads. I'd say its meant more for heavy stuff, its clean tone isn't too great. However on this guitar, you can split the 2 humbuckers in the middle position for an awesome sparkiling clean tone. Its great for Dream Theater stuff, especially when using my POD on the Dual Recto settings. I suppose you could use it for extreme metal stuff but that's not really what I dig.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For rock, progressive rock, even some bluesier stuff its pretty good

Comments: Personally I think its a great sound. Lots of power and cut and sounds great in the guitar. Its not as in-your-face as an Evolution and also not quite as trebly. More of a modern sounding pickup, atleast in my opinion. For heavier rock situations, its a great choice.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio Tone Zone
Other pickups on guitar: DiMarzio Duel Tone (Neck)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, jazz, funk, metal......
Reason for pickup change: The quest for the god tone.

Perceived output level: mid to high output
Tone: Nice highs and lows, mid rangs scoop. NICELY ballance sound!
Sonic evaluation: Like I said, I put this bad boy in my RG 470. I play through a Mesa/Boogie Studio Pre, and a mono block 60 watt tube power section. This will be the last bridge pickup that I buy for this guitar! It kicks that much ass! The string balance is wonderful. I can hit a minor 7th chord with full on distortion and still hear every note in the chord!!! I love this pickup!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I don't see a style that you can't do with this thing.

Comments: I will be buying another one to go in my RG 570 as soon as I get paid again! Now all I want is an Air Norton to go in the neck position!

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: /

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul classic birdeye
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Original pickup on the guitar
Other pickups on guitar: Original pickup
Artists using this pickup: Steve Vai
You musical style(s): Alternative Rock
Reason for pickup change: With good bass line. Allow me to play powerful Riffs. It's much more better than the original guitar's pickup. DiMarzio really makes nice pickups.

Perceived output level: loud
Tone: It produce a clear bassy tone.
Sonic evaluation: Well, I got Boss Turbo Overdrive, Vox Distortion booster, Boss distortion, Boss Fuzz and a DOD analog echo FX. The setting seems give out a quite distorted sound. But the overdrive and analog echo FX make the sound smoother. My setting a bit similar to 3 eye blind and SP.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play pop rock/alternative rock, replacing the pickup with bridge position is the best conbination.

Comments: I will but it again and again with this model. But may be I will place it in my future's strat. I got a Fernandes strat ( go and see my other comment ). The reason I choose this brand is : The official site let me know the feature and info about the pickups. There is another good model "FRED". Go to WWW.DIMARZIO.COM to get more info

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Custom Jackson
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Jackson P.O.S.
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Air Norton
Artists using this pickup: Petrucci,
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues Metal
Reason for pickup change: Old P/U sounded like junk

Perceived output level: Moderately hot. Great for high gain amps if you want to play loud, crisp and full tube overdriven type sounds
Tone: The tone is very well balanced. Just enough bass to shake your bones, with an butt kicking percussive attack and treble string clarity to die for.
Sonic evaluation: I use this guitar P/u combo through a 5150 or JCM 800 stack. In both cases, the sound cuts thru the room like a knife, with a well balanced yet hard hitting sound that suits players of hard thru soft rock very well. If clarity and seething distortion together seem like an impossibility to you, try this P/U. Rapid fire alternate picking, Malmsteen or Gambale monster sweep patterns and full power 6 string chords ring out like bells. This P/U is not for wimpy or sloppy players....It will expose your mediocrity for all to hear. It is not a good tool for clean sounds, unless you have a fat chorus and EQ to mellow out and back off its' blistering midrange punch. This pickup belongs on quality instruments played by articulate players to reap all of its rewards, but would also be a fantastic accesory for any self critical player. You have to try pretty hard to get this thing to feed back uncontrollably...It only happened to me when I had 2 full stacks cranked to full rage in a moderately sized room. I friggen love this P/U. If someone stole it, I'd probably take thier mother hostage to get it back.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a Bridge P/U, although it would be interesting to slap it in a neck slot just to hear it. My bet is it will sound great, but since I'm so happy with the Air Norton thats already there....screw it.

Comments: This thing smokes the Tone Zone in its clarity and fries the Evolution in its lack of brassiness, yet retains plenty of clang, and zip where it counts. YEAH. I tip my hat to the people at DiMarzio for this one

Pickup features: passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: dunno

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez JPM100
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: -
Other pickups on guitar: Air Norton in bridge pos
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci
You musical style(s): Prog, Jazz etc.
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Not VERY hot. Good for clean sounds too
Tone: Lacks mids so if you want twang, forget this one. It's not muddy and bass & treble are nicely balanced.
Sonic evaluation: Works well with Ibanez RG bodied guitars (this is where I use it). I run my JPM through a Roctron VooduValve preamp to get great results.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I use this mainly for prog and it's great for distorted rhythm sounds since it doesn't muddy even full chords (unless you use too close voicings). In splitted coil mode with an Air Norton in neck it is perfect! NNNNice semi-clean richly chorused sounds, yyammm! With this pickup I can't get that Strat-like crispy twang, though.

Comments: This is an ultimate pickup in bridge position with Air Norton in neck. However I would propably try something different next time. I would like more mids and less treble in bridge. Works well in my JPM however and that is where I use it.
I'm still searching that Strat-like sound for my RG550.

Pickup features: Humbucking, passive
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio PAF Pro
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 57? Classic
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: Looking for the ultimate sound

Perceived output level: Sounds to me like it has got the same output like a DiMarzio PAF Pro although according to specs it should be a "little" louder
Tone: Bass 7 Middle 4 Treble 7 The bass is not muddy and the treble not too bright
Sonic evaluation: A good sounding, traditional humbucker sound. Compared to the PAF Pro it's a bit softer sounding with a little more bass and not the "chunk" you can get from a PAF Pro.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play hard rock with roots from KISS, Van Halen, Sabbath and so forth.. And to me it was a good sounding pickup but it didn't have that clean, distinct and present tone. I want a clean tone with attitude. I expected it to sound like the PAF Pro just a bit louder with a little more bass. But it didn't. More bass? Yes, without being muddy. Louder? Not to my ears. But then again 17 years of standing infront of a Marshall has paid it's dues. Too nice sounding, you could say.

Comments: I brought it back. I've tried several DiMarziopickups. I want a clean, aggresive tone with lot of harmonics. I don't want a high output pickup since I want to let the amplifier do the work. Of all the pickups I've tried, I always end up with a DiMarzio PAF Pro. And it lacks bass. What should I do to solve my problems? Start playing the harmonica instead?

Pickup features: Humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: 390 mv

Model of guitar or bass: self made Tele guitar, mahogoney body with two humbucking pickups
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none, the guitar was built from scratched by me
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Air Norton
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock
Reason for pickup change: No reason it is a homemade guitar

Perceived output level: Somewhat hotter than Gibson PAF, PAF Pro and Duncan 59
Tone: This pickup has considerable bass as well as a lot of treble for a humbucker. What is so interesting about this pickup is that the midrange is extremely low(which I found useful since the guitar body is already on the midrangey side.
Sonic evaluation: Currently I am using a Marshall JCM 900 Dual Reverb 100watt 1x12 combo. With this guitar/pickup/amp combonation the overall tone is fat but not overbearingly dark. This pickup allows for brightness to come though and a nice bass punch while the mids are at a moderate level. Dont forget that Marshall amps in themselves carry a very Midrangey sound. Buying pickups that further enhace this midrange most of the time result in a very muddy distortion and clean sound. For the guitarist seeking a high ouput pickup with low levels of midrange, a very open sound I would recommend this pickup. If you are looking for a crunching midrange buy a Super Distortion. When played clean the Steve's special has almost a humbucker twang to it, when overdriven it still retains harmonics that remind me of a single coil but the bigness of a humbucker

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues-It offers a certain degree of humbucker twang, but also a biting penetrating tone

Comments: I have never been disatisfied with Dimarzio pickups. If you read their catalog descriptions of their pickups they are fairly accurate considering no two guitars sound the same. Their tone is consistent, and non compromising. I have tried many pickups such as Duncans and Bardens but I keep going to Dimarzio. If you are new a the pickup replacing hobby I recommend saying yourself the stress on what what pickups to buy for your guitar. Just buy Dimarzio's you wont be disappointedc