DiMarzio Super Distortion

My SD is a black F-spaced for a strat (f=fender) type guitar. It is a A high-output bridge pickup.

The guitar i put this pickup into is a behringer strat copy. It sounded ok for a beginners guitar and I was used to playing it that I had to get a new pickup to make it sound good. It is in the bridge position and is currenty the onl pickup in that guitar. Amp is a custom made 60 watt Soundmaster (what it says on the head) and has quite a nice tone. Think it's solid state.

I am EXTREMELY satisfied with the sound it produces. It has a very high and good output and handles distortion like a dream. The tones are very balanced which is good. If your using dist and play a chord with all the strings, you can hear every voicing of the chord. It is good with any type of rock-related music, I myself play alternative, hard rock and punk rock. The clean is ok, but i don't mind a bit of grit to my clean tones anyway.

NOTE: when i first installed the pickup, my strat copy had 250k pots. The sound was better, but still a bit weak. I installed a 500k pot a week later and thats when this pickup showed its full potential. Just remember, 500k is the way to go with this.

It was either this or a duncan jb, and i have no regret buying it. I would buy another one anyday. It is an awesome pickup and now the only thing I play is on this guitar. Just remember, 500k pots.

I play a 2004 50th anniversary fender american strat. i have all three super 2's (black) with a blend switch. playing thru a 96 twin reverb. these puppies get some raunchey sounds love them to death.Also am running a gk3 synth with it. Immulating Jerry Garcia's of the grateful dead. I recomend these to any jerry lover out there its as close as ur guna get to his sound. and when its topped off with brass hardware the sound is somethin u dont wana turn down or off. mike jones East Ash Street Band Columbia Mo

my super distortion pickup is just a standard sd and black, not zebra.

I own a 2003 Gibson SG. i play it through a peavey valveking100 with 4 tubes. the head is ran through a marshall 1060 412 cab. when the stock pickup in my SG started to die from so much use i was in desperate need of a pickup. i heard some good things about it so i went ahead and put it as my bridge pickup. My guitar is solid black with a black pickgaurd.

the output level is frekin wild!!! (in a good way)
as far as amps go i would totally recomend something with tubes. with tubes you can really bring out the pickup and the guitar's full potential. the super distortion is a passive pickup(unlike the actives such as some emg's. i personally like the dimarzio super distortion because it is passive wich really lets the wood of the guitar give it your signiture sound. even if u put an emg active pickup in a baseball bat you would still get the same sound. i like a really unique sound.

TONE- The tone is great!!! before i got the dimarzio sd i was using my dying gibson stock humbucker and it sounded really really muddy and crappy. i thought it was my amp at first and i was super pissed but as soon as i popped that new sd in there it was a total difference.
in my band (www.myspace.com/aynsleyrock)i play lead guitar. its kind of a senses fail/armor for sleep sound with more intense solos and thats why i needed the sd. the best postition i would reccomend for the sd is the bridge. this thing has alot of tone so make sure your trebble isnt up mad high

if something happens to it like getting destroyed or stolen just get another one..its worth it
ive been playing for about 9 years. and out of all the stuff ive seen this is byfar the best. overall i am very satisfied

Double cream humbucking, ~14K, ceramic magnet

Installed in an '06 Gibson 1960 Historic (R0) in the bridge. Replaced several bridge PU's. I have an1958 for PAF sounds, so I use this guitar as my "hot" guitar. The stock PU was a Burstbucker 2. Of course, tons of people use or used this pickup: Miaden, Ace, Al Dimeola, Paul Gilbert.....

I have used the SD for years in various guitars. When all else fails and you want a great hot pickup, this is it. The sound is fat with pleanty of low end and sizzle. Harmonics are great as well. The mids are not scooped, but rather pushed, so all you nu metal lovers run now. LOL, it will actually do fine for any type hard rock or metal but isn't the best PU for cleans, but fairs well with volume roll off. This pickup is made for a hot, but musical tone, not some lame percusive drop-B BS. The sustain is unreal in a good intrument. I would advise running good 500K pots and decent caps to get the most out of these. I would not recommend a SD in the neck as it will be too muddy. Try a more PAF-type A2 magnet pickup, such as a Burstbucker, Antiquity, Seth Lover, etc. The middle position sound will be unreal.

All of you trying the newest Dimarzio, Duncan, this is THE pickup that seems to get overlooked for some reason. Buy one and throw out your EMG's and start hearing your guitar and not what a preamp. Batteries are for toys. This is the original pickup all hot pickups are spawned from.

Ibanez Jem 77FP bridge position
Replacing a Steve's Special (not a fan of the scooped mid's)
I have a Pro Track in the middle and an Air Norton in the neck

I wish I had made this decision a long time ago. This pickup is just what the doctor ordered. This pickup is very hot and can just scream. First thing I did when I played on it was throw out some Vai. Great tone out of this pickup.

I would definitely get it again. I feel that this pickup is the perfect match for my Jem. It is a huge improvement over the Steve's Special it replaced.

DP100 Dimarzio Super Distortion Humbucker
Zebra painted coils ,high output humbucker

Installed on a 83'Burny Les Paul STD, bridge position, replacing stock pickup, which is good but lack of punch to my taste.
I was just about to change pedals and other gear, to find my sound,
don't need it anymore.
There are many rock guitarists using this pick up, mostly any good rock guitar player from 70's and 80's replaced stock pickups in their Les Pauls to SD's for "that" legendary Hard Rock tone

The output is super hot, you have to dial your volume to play with the signal, is practically the double(or more!)of a traditional PAF pickup
the tone is great and balanced (at least for me) it has the right amount of bass, without being boomy, the highs are not piercing and the mids are great with presence. I have a Matchless Clubman 35, it sounded like a cranked Vox AC-30 with the stock pickup in the Les Paul, after the change my amp sounds more like a 50w Marshall 1987 head!
I mostly play classic rock, so it suits my needs very well, I don't see any other application for this pick up, other than blues and/or hard rock...so it would be a matter of taste for you and your style.
A good match for this pick up (if you play Les Paul or other guitar with H+H configuration) will the Dimarzio's: Steve Morse DP205/ Breed DP165 awesome neck pickups and the next upgrade for my Les Paul

I LOVE THIS PICKUP AND I'M ABOUT RIGHT TO SAY THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING PICKUP IN THE HISTORY OF ROCK, TOTALLY UNDER RATED...
IT DESRVES A PLACE IN HISTORY LIKE LES PAULS AND MARSHALLS,

I will load my other Les Pauls with this pick up again and again...
I have been playing over 25 years and sold and trade too much gear and crap...looking for good sound.
Many people don'realize this"HOW MUCH A GOOD PICKUP WILL DO FOR THE TONE" and starts selling amps, pedals or guitars, frustrated in the search of good tone....switch to decent pickups and you'll see too much difference!
I have load a Les Paul Custom once with a Duncan GL Screaming Demon
the SD totally kills it....and it also cost much less
BUY IT!!

Oh No O Man Holy I found the Sound in my Head!!! I Bought a Super Distortion for my les paul...This is my holy grail humbucker..The sustain and harmonics are CRAZY>>>>>>> Ive been playing with paf humbuckers so long i had no idea what i was Missing..I LOVE DIMARZIO SUPER DISTORTION!!

installed in a les paul bridge postion ..Most all Great classic rock guitar players from the 1970s great time in music...Kurt cobain... sonic youth i could start a list but i wont ,This pickUp is GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

High output Beautiful harmincics CRUNCH SUSTAIN Come on im in love with a pickup...Good old rock ala grunge garge punk perfect for sonic love to the open air

Im Gonna rock the casBah and buy 500 les pauls 600 strats 900 teles and load them with Dimarzio Super Distortion pickups set the 1000 marshall amps to 11 and Set the world Free riding on a blazing light
of temporal lobe anThems..JUst like Jimi did at woodstock only longer and louder............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ill never go back to 8ohms pafs again i have been reborn oh yea!

Passive humbucker. Impedance... whatever a passive pickup is supposed to be... It'll feed a guitar amp with a high input impedance, it won't feed a stereo for example with a low input impedance. It won't drive headphones. But it works with guitar amps and that's all that matters.

BC Rich NJ series Mockingbird (2000, I believe), bridge position.
It came with the guitar so I can't compare it to the pickup the guitar originally had, though I can compare it to the neck pickup.

It's great for distortion. It's called the "super distortion", what did you expect? The distortion is smooth, with high output and a fairly balanced sound-- plenty of low end through midrange power, but still with enough high end to make those harmonics cut through. It can make great chunky or "crunchy" distortion without making your amp sound like fuzz-- it can overdrive the piss out of anything but doesn't lose smoothness, in other words. Unlike other pickups I've played, though this could just as easily be the guitar this one happens to be installed in, low notes don't drown out high notes. A power chord is a chord, not the bottom string only. Notes played over a string ringing out can actually be heard.

The less said about the clean sound the better. It sounds weak and distorted, with a slightly lacking midrange and more definition than clean pickups should have-- it's harsh, not accurate sounding. I switch the neck pickup, a stock BC Rich pickup in this case, for clean sounds.

Having not heard the Duncan Invader or any of the EMG active pickups, I don't know whether they'd be the best choice or if I'd get another one of these if I needed a new pickup. It sounds great for heavy metal power chords (like the intro to Master's Apprentices by Opeth) and for solos, it's got an awesome lead tone.
As for the value-- the guitar I got this is was priced as if I was getting a free guitar thrown in with a pickup, not the other way around. The whole package was so ridiculously cheap that I can't really complain about the value of any of the parts. If I were to buy this for the $70 it sells for though, I'm not sure it'd be worth it. The BC Rich neck pickup does it's job (clean sounds) really really well. If the BC Rich bridge pickup the guitar originally came with did its job (distortion) as well as that, then I wouldn't need this Super Distortion. On a guitar that doesn't come with good pickups in the first place, though, it would absolutely be worth the price paid-- which happens to be on the low end in terms of upgrade humbuckers, many are over $100, well past that if they're actives.

- High Output dual coil passive Hambucker
- Mine is "creme" color
(high out impedance, because high level)
- Adjustable individual pole piece with an Allen Key.

- I have a 1975'US Fender Strat, and i put it instead the bridge single coil PU (a fiend help me to make the bigger "hole" in the Strat body !)
- As this Strat had only a 3Ways selector (PUs choice= 1,2,3), I put 2xSwitches in addition, to have the following possibilities (SD= Super Distorsion, SW= Switch)
** Actual Fender SW= 1,2,SD
** With the Add of a new1 SW, in combination= 1+SD, 2+SD, SD
** With the Add of a new2 SW= 1-SD,2-SD, SD

NOTE: to have a good overall balance between the 2 types of PU,I had to increase the distance between the strings & the SD, in order of "lowering" the SD level output: so, it match with the Strat single coil (The SD Hum noise will be a little higher, but it remains very low)

- SD alone= Super Hot !! (great for "high-medium sounded" solo like Santana), lot of "fat" sustain, noise is low: not as clear as a 57', but exactly what i needed.
- SD+ SingleCoil= big sound, well balanced, with harmonics (ideal for melody, fingerPicking)
- SD- SingleCoil= special ! lot of trebble, ideal for Old'Disco Riff (Shaft !)
- Single Coil= classic Strat: Sharp bass, Clear & brillant !

- If it was destroyed, i would buy it the same !
- No problem, I put it for approx 20 years on my 1975'Strat; I play ballad & 1970's Rock, on a MesaBoogie MarkIV & Marshall JCM900 (w/5881). I own also a PatMetheny PM120 Archtop Ibanez & acoustic Yamaha LL16, plus some late 1970's vintage MXR, Electro-Harmonics and other effects.

Humbucker,passive.

Dean Dime O Flame.Neck position.Replacing Dean humbucker.Dimarzio Super 3 bridge.Artists,Vivian Cambell,Dave Looney.Wanted a HOT neck pickup.

!!!Very HOT!!!I use a Crate BV120HR Red Voodoo head loaded with a quad of E34Ls and ECC83 preamp tubes,5150 slant cab,power brake and a GT-6.Tone is very balanced with the Super 3 in the bridge.Great in the neck,not muddy at all.I play all styles of Metal.No cover tunes.This is a great pickup combo.I have never used it in the bridge.It is a GREAT neck pickup.

I would buy another.I have been playing 26 years.If you are into Heavy Metal you need to try this in the neck.Just make sure your bridge pickup is louder the the Super Distortion.

humbucking pickup see other review or their site for details.

Im using an Ibanez S620EXQM. Slim neck and slim mahogany body with floyd rose style bridge. The stock pickups were "designed by EMG" made for ibanez pups. They were really THAT bad but after buying the guitar and playing other EMGs on different guitars I realized I hate the EMG sound, so I decided to replace them.

The output on this guy is pretty hot and powerful. Right now Im using it through a VOX valvetronix. The VOX in itself is already a pretty warm amp but it seems to compliment the super distortion pretty well. I use the VOX in the "UK Modern" setting which I think is just a modern marshall amp sound. The distortion has really great power with this pickup. If Im not using my VOX Im recording through my PODxt using the Soldano model. Ive never heard my PODxt sound so awesome. Sounds really full, powerful and professional.

I mostly play old school neoclassical type shred and this is definitely the pickup to pull that off.

The overall tone of this pup I have to say is balanced. Its just really hot and distorts extremely well. But I dont really notice any overall bass or treble of mids killing anything. Its warmer than my old EMG style ones but I was expecting that.

Great sound IMO.

If it were stolen I would buy another one. There are other pickups Im interested in hearing but this pickup rocks pretty hard. Much better than the Ibanez stock EMG things.

Ive been playing guitar for about 15 years now. I was playing bass for about 4 years until I saw G3 and then I switched back to guitar :P

Ive gotten more seriously into metal leads and shredding for about the past 6 months now.

Ive read in some places that this pickup is "outdated" and thats kinda one of the reasons I bought it. I knew it would get that classic shred tone and yup, I was right. Although Im sure it has many modern applications. Its really great for anything heavy I would think. It is a shred master though for those looking for that tone. If you want power in your distorted leads this is a great choice.

Passive humbucker.

Gibson Les Paul Classic. This bad boy replaced the EMG 81 that I was oh-so-in love with. Paired (perfectly) with a DiMarzio P.A.F. I just got tired of the active pickups and I wanted something a bit hotter than the P.A.F. in the bridge postion of my Music Man so I experimented on the Paul.

HOT HOT HOT!!!! I play through a Boogie Mark IV and this thing screams. Its surprisingly quiet for such a hot pickup though. If I need a little more sustain all I have to do is turn towards the amp a bit and there it is. The tone seems to be a little heavy on the lows but I'm going to have to attribute that to my Les Paul. I play drop tuned rock and sometimes metal and this thing is great. Even the cleans are better than I thought they'd be. I wouldn't put it in the neck position though.

For my Les Paul, I think its a great breath of fresh air. I'd definitely get a new one if it came down to it. I've been playing for almost 10 years now. I am TIRED of active pickups. I wanted something that looks classic and can sound either vintage or a bit more modern and I got both with the Super Distortion. I thought about Duncans again but I really wanted to try something new. I wasn't dissapointed!

Passive

Gibson Les Paul Studio. neck. replacing stock gibson humbucker.
got it cause frehley used it.

HOTT. sweet highs gret mids killer lows. sick for riffing.

never gonna use another type of replacement pick up again. best you can get.

It's a high-output active humbucker.
Exact specs can be found a http://www.dimarzio.com

I installed it in the bridge position of my 1969 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (it was routed out for full-sized humbuckers by its previous owner).
I'm replacing the DiMarzio Virtual PAF (Bridge) humbucker.
My neck pickup is a DiMarzio PAF (standard).
I'm not really sure who's playing on it, but there's a list on DiMarzio's website.
I'm changing because the Virtual PAF (Bridge) sounded too much like a single coil and didn't have high enough output.

It's designed by DiMarzio to be a high-output pickup (and it is).
I'm playing through a Marshall JCM2000 TSL 60 (it honestly sounds better than the 100w version, better bass response and it's not so brittle) using no effects except the occasional Crybaby Wah (an original).
It's got great mid-range crunch with heavy bass and almost not enough treble. The only thing I don't particularly care for (this is why I gave it a 9) is the ceramic magnet. The alnico magnets sound better.
I play mostly classic rock, everything from Zeppelin to Halen and it's perfect. At low gain I get a great crunchy sound and at high gain I get an awesome Avenged Sevenfold-ish sound.
I've never put it in the neck position, but it's supposed to sound alright.

If it was destroyed or stolen I would definately buy another one, 'cause it's the best sounding pickup I've ever played. I've played DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, Gibson, Fender, and many others (they all sound good depending on what you want, but I seem to always prefer the DiMarzios) but none come close.
I've been playing for about 6 years and I've played many guitars, however I've never played anything that sounds or plays as good as a Gibson Les Paul.
I'm very satisfied with this pickup and don't know if I'll ever find "that sound", but this is pretty damn close.

humbucking passive with allen screws.

its the bridge picup on my quest atak 1 i dont know if its stock as the guitar is used i use basically the kurt cobain rig and i have his sound and playing syle.

really hot plenty of harmonices very trebly and plenty loaud

no comment

I bought a Creme colored humbucking passive pick-up.

I installed it in my 2004 Gibson Standard Premium Plus guitar. I installed it in the bridge position. I replaced my original Burstbucker Pro pick-up. I kept the original neck pick-up in it. As far as other musicians using this pick-up, Ace Frehley was the reason why I picked this pick-up. The reason was I wanted the same sound as Ace...

This is a very high output pick-up. The harmonics that it can create is awesome. I have two effects loops that run into my amp. Both loops start with my Ibanez Weeping Demon pedal into my Fender tuner, then to my Boss A-B switch. Loop A then goes into mt Boss Noise Suppressor, then to my Marshall EVH Compressor, and then into my Boss Overdrive 3 pedal. Loop B goes into my Boss Amp Modeler. Then they end up going into my Peavey Valve King 212 Combo Amp and then into my Marshall AVT. 412 cab. The sound that it creates is awesome. This pick-up is bright and it growls even at low volumes. I play mostly older Hard Rock and Blues and it really sounds good. My next guitar is an Epiphone Ace Frehley Les Paul and it has 2 Super Distortion pick-up and 1 Deuo Sound pick-up. That's how much I like this pick-up.

I have been playing for over 20 yrs. and I should have bought this pick-up yrs. ago cause I wouldn't have invested so much effort into trying to copy this sound. It even sounds good on my clean channel. Ace Frehley had it right with putting this pick-up into his guitars cause nothing else comes close to the sound that this pick-up puts out.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: American Fender Stratocaster hh
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender Black Cobra (Stock)
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio PAF Pro
Artists using this pickup: Kurt Cobain
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: I was so dissapointed with the stock pickups. So I went online the very same day I recieved my guitar and ordered a Dimarzio Super Distortion and PAF Pro.

Perceived output level: I believe you could say it was "hot"
Tone: Middy? trebly? Who knows, all I know is this thing has got style. You can just tell its a higher class of pickup than the stock ones
Sonic evaluation: A few weeks ago I was playing a ?140 Jag copy with a Marshall AVT50 and for the price it sounded great. I then bought my American Double Fat Strat and the difference through the amp wasnt noticable. So i then got this beast fitted and i can feel my dream rig come together. I cant wait to hear this thing through a valve amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock and thats what this thing was made for. I haven't got much experience but as far as im concerned its the greatest pickup for heavy rock ever invented. Unsuitable for neck position i hear, the Dimarzio PAF Pro is its perfect partner for it.

Comments: The best piece of musical equipment I've ever bought. There is nothing to hate about this thing. It will blow away your stock pickups no matter what your playing. Playing heavy rock and still searching for that elusive perfect tone? I think you'll find it in one of these.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Custom Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan '59
Other pickups on guitar: Single Coil
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock & Roll
Reason for pickup change: Lack of tone

Perceived output level: Hot - Med/High Output
Tone: Chunk-Chunk-Chunk w/transparent tone (Chunk is Good)
Sonic evaluation: Marshall Bluesbreaker with a YJM308 DOD pedal in front of the Amp. Killer Rock tone - Deep Purple - AC/DC. Makes my Strat sound like a Les Paul or SG without losing it's Strat qualities.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Rock/Punk Rock - A GREAT PICKUP!

Comments: I would replace it in a second. I've been playing 27 years. I also have a 72 Tele Deluxe. I have never had a Pickup with high output sound so transparent & clear, yet still give you sustain & bottom that you don't get from a PAF or Single Coil in a Strat. If you like the Rock & Roll Music & need some more balls from your Strat, Buy this Pickup.

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

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Floyd Rose Stratocaster, Alder Body, Maple Fretboard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fender DH-1
Other pickups on guitar: 2 x Fender American Single Coils
Artists using this pickup: ... a lot
You musical style(s): 80's Metal and Hardrock
Reason for pickup change: Fender DH-1 wasn't hot enough for my style of music.

Perceived output level: definetly Hot, a lot hotter than the DH-1
Tone: I think that this pickup is very balanced in this guitar. But look at the tonechart on www.dimarzio.com. It think in a guitar like the Gibson Les Paus it's to bassy, but in this strat with a maple fret board it's perfect !
Sonic evaluation: I play my guitar direclty trough a Marshall Valvestate 100 Watt guitarcombo without any effect and it's sounds great to my ears. I played trough an ENGL Richie Blackmore Top with a 4x12 cab and my eggs start shaking !!!! It sounded killer !!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I mostly play Metal and Hardrock like Savatage, Metallica, Europe and little bit of AC/DC ... I think this pickup perfect for everything of that styles of music. It is definetly a bridge pickup. I would never put it in the neck position.

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen i would buy the same pickup again. To my ears it sounds really killer ! It's good for every style of music !

Pickup features: Humbucker, Passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epi LP
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Original Epiphine Crap
Other pickups on guitar: Both Super Distortion (Bridge is F-Spaced)
Artists using this pickup: Me.... and some other guys
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: Original Pickups did nothing but feedback at a hi Gained Amp

Perceived output level: Hot (for passive)
Tone: well balanced w/ great midHole
Sonic evaluation: I?m playing Marshall JCM800 model MA2210 with some extra gain Mod. The Pickup does perfect work with that amp. In Humbucker Mode you can get screamy distortion with good harmonics. Also very clear for distorted rythm guitar.
You can switch it to single coil mode for clean sounds (in humbucking mode it has to much output).
I use the bridge for distorted only. The other pickup in single coil mode only for clean sounds.
Thru my practise amp (ENGL E101) it doesn?t seem to have enough output. so you need a Hi-Gain Amp!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal yea its a match.... for moderate price. if you have more money.... go ACTIVE!

Comments: hmmm ..okay

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: hot ceramic

Model of guitar or bass: Guild S300-D
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: this guitar w/ Dimarzios replaced an Ibanez w/ EMG 81/85 set
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio PAF
Artists using this pickup: Paul Gilbert/Racer X among many; i don't care, but thought it funny that he uses them in neck position also
You musical style(s): rock, from 50s to modern indie; picking up jazz; quiet solo stuff to extreme metal/hardcore w/ bands
Reason for pickup change: mainly came as a guitar change, but aside from build quality, the EMGs sounded too artificial for me; good sustain and harmonics, but pickup dressed up the guitar too much; notes sounded like they were wearing a sweater all the time.

Perceived output level: hotter than average, seemed about equal to EMG bridge; similar to a Gibson 500T, to my ears
Tone: bright, biting, good bit of sizzle and harmonics; very tight on muted picking, fast response. poor cleans, too harsh without tons of depth.
Sonic evaluation: The Dimarzios came as an upgrade on several late-70's Guilds, including my S300. The guitar is odd, part strat, part paul, part SG, just the right balance and meat. I'm playing through a Mesa MkIV and a Rivera M60, which makes me sound like a boutique tweaker, but i found both for less than $600, so the price and tone were a great deal.
I've had the guitar for about a year and a half. In that time i've had mixed feelings about this pickup-- As my interests have shifted away from metal and heavy blues, i've liked it less, but when I want those sounds it's been ready. At first I thought I noticed a slight decrease in harmonics from the EMGs, but I feel like the harmonic range is actually broader. The EMGs seemed to synthetically amplify harmonics, this pickup sounds more natural. At times it's sounded flat, a little thin on the low end, harsh on the top. It doesn't seem suited to the Rivera, which has a bright/harsh plexi-voiced lead channel without much girth, so the SD exacerbated that sound. I've been thinking about shaking up my gear lately, and reevaluating sounds. I did a lot of tweaking with the Mesa, which has a kind of lifeless crunch channel, but after a lot of time I ended up with a nice, balanced, raw kind of edge of breakup sound-- like a bassman with a treble booster on it. This pickup started to really come through once I found a voicing on the amp that I really liked. It's pretty touch sensitive, cleans up enough for kind of Hendrix-y Marshall clean chording, spank when picked harder. I found a sound I really like as a bluesy clean tone by dialing back the volume on this pickup to about half, using both humbuckers on the guitar, with the neck volume about at 8, and the tone on the SD down just a hair. Great fringe of clean sound for fingerpicked classic rock sounds. Unless I'm just fucking around and shredding, I always find myself backing off the treble a smidge; it tends to be piercing.
I have been considering replacing these pickups, and in the process of researching others, I realized I'd never tried adjusting the pole pieces on the SD, and they were set flat when I got it. Both coils have poles that adjust with a hex key. I left the bottom coil flush with the cover, and staggered the poles by ear on the coil closer to the neck-- trying to emphasize just slightly more bass and decrease the harshness. I'm pleased to say that there was enough of an improvement in tone that I'm not in such a rush to get rid of this anymore. Was able to get a slightly thicker bass side, and de-emphasize the harsh highs for a bit more balance. The adjustable poles are a great feature that I hadn't thought would make a difference, but it seems like you could do quite a bit of tuning between the two coils to get a better sound. The pickup seems like it's not going to make a bad amp sound better, but responds well to a good amp. Very well suited to classic rock leads and classic metal rhythm, from Ozzy to Maiden to early Megadeth and Metallica. Because the PAF is pretty dark sounding, it's a good way to blend some top end into a clean tone using both pups, though I wouldn't use it for clean alone. Pretty crisp with a good push to it, but not overwhelmingly harsh and shrill like other modern distortion pickups. Hot but with a hint of 70s warmth.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I would never put this in the neck position, but others have done it and liked it, so who knows. Maybe I'll try it, since I usually feel that the neck pickup is too murky. I'd never use this by itself for clean rhythms, but for leads and metal I can't imagine anyone needing much more output. Not the heaviest sound, but enough to drive the

Comments: I am happy with this as a stock pickup; it's definitely *the* sound of late 70s heavy rock and early 80s metal. If I spilled acid on it and it stopped working, I'd explore some other options. It's better than a lot of things, but harsher than Duncans. As adjusted now I like it equally as well as the Gibson 500T, or the Dirty Fingers. My tele copy has Fralins in it, my first set of hand-wound pickups, and I find myself playing the tele all the time because of the harmonic depth of those single coils. I'm probably going to get a set of Fralin humbuckers (haven't decided on the combo) but I'll keep these, and likely put them in a 1980 Ibanez Artist I have coming, depending on the sound of the Ibanez electronics. They're definitely better than many other options out there, and have their own characteristic sound, but they're not deep enough for me, not what I hear as I'm falling asleep at night. If I could afford to keep a guitar set up just for this tone I'd want it at times; The difference to me is that they sound just good. The Fralins make me play longer and more creatively because they have so much nuance, and that's what seems to separate a great pickup from a very decent one.

Pickup features: Passive ceramic magnet humbucker
Impedence or other specs: The only "specs" you need: It sounds KILLER!

Model of guitar or bass: 1973 Gibson SG
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock 70's Gibson Bridge Pickup
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Most noted: Tom Scholz of Boston, that numb-nut from KISS, you know...the less faggy of the two KISS guitarist who named himself after a comet, and whats-his-name with the hair from Iron Maiden
You musical style(s): From classic rock to punk to rockabilly
Reason for pickup change: Stock 70's Gibson just didn't have enough "Umpf" to it...very lackluster and unbalanced sound...high notes lacked solid tone, got tinny while low notes were too flubby and not defined. So if you played a full chord you got mud at the start and too much treble at the end.

Perceived output level: Like a very hot PAF without being overbearing. Enough push to make a good amp break up on the cleaner settings.
Tone: Thick yet articulate...seems very balanced to my ears eventhough its rated as having boosted mids and bass.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a 73 Gibson SG with a Tech 21 Trademark 120 (an amp that is unforgiving to crappy pickups, one reason for the switch) Beautiful solid tone, hands down. I love it. Classic hot, thick, singing humbucker tone that pushes an amp just the right amount without overpowering. Fat yet tight and articulate...I can play a full bar chord with full on distortion and hear every note and nuance. If you are looking for a classic solid rock tone this is what you need. Sounds great with any level of overdrive and/or distortion...edgy, tight, articulate, and thick, yet never muddy or over powering. Doesn't do clean on its own very well...in fact I can't get a completely clean tone out of my amp with it. However if I use it conjunction with my neck pickup on the SG it yields a very nice warm fat clean tone just on the edge of breakup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play eclectic rock ranging from classic blusey rock to old school punk to weirdo effecty Cure-like stuff. Probably wouldn't be a good neck pickup if you wanted to play clean at the neck., otherwise you'll probably get a very fat singing distorted neck tone

Comments: This is THE humbucker by which ALL hotter 'buckers should be judged by. Dimarzio brought these out in 1976 and they're a classic, an overlooked classic at that, more people should check the Super Distortion out when looking to put more power in their sound and quit messing around with actives and all these other zillions of overpowering muddy or screechy pickups. I tried a Tone Zone first...TOO bassy and middy, just ridiculous actually. Completely overpowers your tone. Dimarzio recommended I try a Fred and swapped me for one...the Fred sounded like a beefed up single coil and was very fizzy sounding when overdriven, so I went for the classic Super Distortion and realized that's what I should've gotten in the first place! Kicking myself for not giving it a go a long time ago!

Pickup features: Humbucking passive pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: epiphone les paul standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: some other dmarzio i'm not sure
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues rock and a little bit of everything else
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: trebly and has good distortion but sometinmes it is a little to trebly so i put the switch in the middle position to even it out.
Tone: trebly and good with distortion for screamin' solos
Sonic evaluation: epiphone les paul with a mesa boogie amp. sounds great.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: bluesm,rock and some other stuff it is a great screamin rock solo pickup

Comments: good but sometimes the treble can get annoying. I like it reccomend for rock lead guitarists.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 425 mV output, around 13.5K Impendance

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG570
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio PAF Pro
Other pickups on guitar: the PAF Pro was moved from bridge to neck + crap ibanez single (about to be replaced)
Artists using this pickup: Paul Gilbert, Iron Maiden, Al DiMeola......
You musical style(s): Thrash Metal / Progressive Metal / Instrumental (neo-classical)
Reason for pickup change: the PAF Pro is a lovely pick-up in the bridge position, sweet harmonics and great clarity... but lacked any sort of bass end and wasn't high output enough for my liking. consequently i moved it to neck position (where its awesome) and purchased a Super Distortion to go in the bridge position.

Perceived output level: Much hotter than the PAF Pro. with mids scooped and lots of gain, this gives EMGs a run for their money
Tone: Lots of bass end, at the same time great PAF-Pro like clarity on high notes. think of it as a PAF Pro with more bass and higher output.
Sonic evaluation: I use it in my '91 Ibanez RG570, through a modded Crybaby, Boss DD-2 and running into a MetalHead Electronics boutique rack pre-amp (with a mesa 20/20 power amp coming soon!).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: High output enough for all types of metal and hard rock, enough clarity for shred.

Comments: awesome tone. responds to amp EQ change extremely well, with mids scooped this is a thrash monster; with mids full-on, its a great classic maiden (sabbath / maiden) and shred pick-up.
i certainly love the bass end it puts back into my tone (just as DiMarzio say, 'it puts back the low end that a tremolo equipped guitar can bleed off'.
its a great pick-up, definetely has a unique tone.
not my favourite however (Evolution's hold THAT position in my aural heart), but definetely very usable, with great tones.
i'm the sort of guy that will not buy the same pick-up twice, because i want to have a wide range of tones available to me - so even though its not my 'perfect' pick-up, i do use it, and plan to use quite a lot in my solo / recording work.
its versatility will make the RG my main live guitar as well.
also, DiMarzio customer support is worthy of being mentioned. very quick response, very helpful - a great addition to an already great product line!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 425mv

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard AAA Flame
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock 498T
Other pickups on guitar: PAF Pro
Artists using this pickup: ME
You musical style(s): EVERYTHING Rock/Metal/Blues/Country
Reason for pickup change: 498t was a wimp. The 490R was overpowering it easily.

Perceived output level: This is much hotter than the stock pickup and right on par with the Neck PAF Pro.
Tone: CRISP Great distortion and good pick harmonics. Not screechy or 80's sounding as I have read.
Sonic evaluation: I play my Les Paul through a Genz Benz El Diablo 100 and Gflex 4x12. This pikup cuts through very well on this amp. It pushes the clean into bluesy breakup at full gain. I could barely get that with the stock pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Metal and Hard rock mostly but love to jam on the blues and some DMB.

Comments: I would buy this again. It is just righ for my needs. I can get as heavy as I want and still have the abuility to play other styles as well.