DiMarzio Virtual Solo DP420

Passive noiseless single coil
Four Conductor
Magnet Alnico 5
Output 205mV
DC Resistance 11.7K
Year of introduction 2008

I installed the Dimarzio DP420 in the bridge of my Fender Strat Classic '70S to replace the Bill Lawrence L290S. In the neck and middle position, I still have the 2 x L280S. My volume and tone pots are all 250K.
The only reason for changing the pickup is just for discovering new aspects of tone, I would say that I am quite happy with the Bill Lawrence's L280 aqnd L290, their sound are really beautiful both in clean and distortion mode.
Artists using this DP420 pickup ? as stated by Dimarzio, this DP420 has been introduced in 2008, I really don't know who has used this DP420.

As for output, I would say it's not totally a hot one, but a well balanced full and warm tone with the L280 that I had in the neck and middle position. There is a clear increasing amount of mids and tight lows when the highs stayed smoother, especially in overdrive mode. I am using a Fender Twin, Marshall JC800, the DP420 performs beautifully in both clean and distortion mode. I also had a Xotic RC and BB Preamp, these pedals helped the DP420 to push the amps even further, I found that the Dimarzio DP420 excels the Bill Lawrence L290S in distortion because the lows are tighter and the mids jumped out a lot more. One remarkable feature of the DP420 is the harmonics, it's always there, ready to ring anytime you want.
Tone was always a matter of personal preference and taste, all the pickups manufacturers always did their best to offer the best quality of pickups, so, it's not an exception for Dimarzio.
As per some previous reviews by some other users, I did tried to change my volume pot to 500K, IMHO, the difference didn't not fit my taste, so, I switched back to the 250K.
With this DP420, I can play Iron Maiden, Gary Moore's a lot easier. Generally speaking, the DP420 suits very well the rock, blues, heavy rock. I believe that it will be a nice one for jazz too if it will be in the neck of middle position.

Playing for 30 yrs now, I always loved to have in hand a wide variety of tone thru different guitars ( I have Gibson LesPaul Std, Fender Strat American Std, American Deluxe, Classic '70s, Ibanez RD's, Suhr, PRS )
The Dimarzio DP420 is for me an interesting discovery, it's definitely a keeper to stay on my strat. As per my own concept, the Dimarzio DP420 cannot replace an EMG, a Fender Custom 54's or a Kinman MKII etc ... but neither of the other existing single coils in the market can replace the DP420. It's an excellent bridge single coil with all the warmth and harmonics that I was looking for.

Hum Cancelling Single coil sized Strat replacement pickup.
Alnico V magnets
DC Resistance 11.7
4 Conductor

I installed this pickup in the bridge position of my Suhr Classic. I was seeking a replacements for a set of Fralin Hot Vintage models that were just too noisy in the places where I was playing. I was tired of listening to the 60 cycle hum. I chose to try out the Virtual models from Dimarzio due to the fact that Suhr Guitars had been using a modified version of one of the Virtual models as their own "Noiseless" pickup. Along with eliminating the hum, I was also interested in getting a bridge pickup with a bigger sound than the Fralins were delivering for me. I wanted it to still sound like a single coil but with a a bigger bass and the ability to give me a tighter drive tone.

The output of the pickup is definitely hotter than a stock Fender bridge model. Along with being hotter, it also has a significantly larger sound. It is important to note that when I first installed it, I had left the stock 250k tone pot. The sound was lacking all the tone that the description boasted. I emailed Dimarzio and received an incredibly prompt response to a possible fix. The tech recommended switching out the 250k to a 500k for that pickup. The results were amazing. The pickup is Loud Dynamic and full of low end but still retains that single coil identity. This pickup sounds nothing like a Humbucker, if that's what you are after look at the chopper. This pickup is also not designed to sound Vintage. It produces a very Dynamic and modern strat tone. It is hands down the best Strat bridge pickup I have ever played. When comparing this to a stock American series strat, the Fender seems flat. I play a wide range of music from Slow blues to faster pop punk styles and it delivers on all. These must be run with a 500k pot! Do not play with a 250k, it will not deliver what this pickup is designed to do.

I am a self admitted gear snob and have owned a majority of the pickup brands out there. For some reason, I had a negative view of Dimarzio for a long time. I think that I may have equated their sound with the 80's Rock/metal scene that I grew up with. I think that I felt that every Dimarzio was "that" tone. I am glad I put that aside enough for me to try these pickups. After years and years and a small fortune in boutique pickups I ended up right back to Dimarzio and am thrilled to death about it. Dimarzio's email tech support is incredible. The emails are returned quickly and sometimes within hours of sending. This pickup is a keeper!