Gibson Dirty Fingers

I have these stock in my Les Paul XR-1

Incredible. These are by far the best sounding pups I've ever used. I have a Les Paul XR-1 that these reside in and a Les Paul Studio as well. Both sound great, but I prefer the sound of the Dirty Fingers to the 498t's they put in standard LP's. The Dirties have a high gain output, and a punchier sound. However, you can still get that warm lathery tone that you would expect from a Les. Not quite as thick though. Anyways, I've been able to get just about any tone I've desired out of these with my XR-1 and am pretty convinced of their overall usability. I thought they would have a bit more low end, but that is ok. That is the only thing they are lacking, if you would even consider it lacking. They have a more middy to treble sound.

I would replace these any day of the week. In fact, I'd like to put them in some of my other guitars.

Passive humbucker pickup, 16 ohms impedance, 900 mV output.

Gibson '67 Reissue Flying V, replaced stock 500T in bridge. Neck pickup is a Duncan '59. Replaced the 500T because it was hot, but I wanted hot with more attitude. Considering replacing the '59 with a Dimarzio Super Distortion, just so there's not as much of a tone contrast between neck and bridge.

I know Tom Delonge uses this in his signature semi-hollow, but I'm not a big blink-182 fan so not too familiar with the tones he's getting.

Output is extremely hot and aggressive. As in, 'rattle the fillings in your teeth' aggressive. Using it with a 40W Marshall Bluesbreaker and standard wah pedal, and at volume four I have to make sure no neighbors are home within a two house radius. Sound is versatile and wide ranging, very clear on single notes and massively pronouced drive and tone on heavy chords, great sustain. The louder you play through this pickup the more balanced tone and sustain it produces. Good for heavy, Cream style blues, jazz if you like to play really loud and obnoxious jazz, and of course hard rock and metal. Pickup is unsuitable for the neck position unless you find another Dirty Fingers that's a of slightly less output.

I would get the exact same pickup should this one be stolen. I've tried "comparable" pickups (Dimebucker, Duncan Invader, Bill Lawrence L-500XL, etc.) and while some have good individual qualities, none come close in versatility and sheer tone. Love the tonal range and thump, cleans up well enough, don't like the way it goes from sweet clean straight into overdrive with little warning. But hey, that's the character of it! With experience I will probably be able to make the clean-to-power transition more smoothly. Well worth the money to buy one and install it in your favorite bridge position guitar.

I also play a 2003 Les Paul, 1986 Ibanez Roadstar and 2006 Custom Shop SG Reissue. Play through a Marshall Bluesbreaker with Dunlop wah, no other effects. Been playing for about 10 years now and wish I would have found this pickup earlier.

Humbucking Pickup, passive. Specs. on Gibson Website.

A 1975 Les Paul Jr. Re-issue, Bridge Position. Replacing a Seymour Duncan Custom, Custom. Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the Neck position. Don't know which artists use this pickup. I wanted to get more sustain, and the highs were a little thin with the Duncan Custom, Custom.

Very high output level. I use a Marshall TSL 122 Amp, a Snarling Dogs Wah, Boss Chorus, and an Ibanex Delay pedal.This pickup is great, the tone is very well balanced in my opinion. I play Blues, and Rock, and this pickup works great playing this type music. Gibson recommends using this pickup in the bridge only.

If this pickup were lost or stolen I would DEFINITELY replace it with another Dirty Fingers pickup. I've been playing for 20 years. I also use a 1970's Les Paul Deluxe. That guitar has a Gibson 500T in the Bridge and 496R in the neck. I love the tone of those pickups also. I'm very satisfied with the Dirty Fingers pickup, I've done many guitar modifications, using different pickups. For my type of music, Gibson pickups are the best for me. My searching is over!!! If you are a lead guitar player in a Rock, Blues, band you would be VERY satisfied with this pickup.

Humbucking Pickup, passive

I had this installed in my Gibson 1957 Les Paul Jr. Re-issue. It was installed in the Bridge position. I replaced a Seymour Duncan Custom. I have a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickup in the Neck position. I thought the Duncan Custom was a little thin sounding, and it didn't sustain that well for lead playing. I needed a pickup with more "Scream".

This is a high output pickup. I use a Marshall TSL 122 Amp, and effects, I use a Snarling dogs Wah, A Boss chorus, and an Ibanez Delay pedal. The "Dirty Fingers" pickup is a good match with the Duncan Pearly Gates Pickup. The tone of this pickup is very well balanced for the music I play. With the Tone And Volume knobs, I can keep my guitar turned down for Rhythm playing, and crank it up come Solo time. I play Rock, and Blues. Gibson recommends using this pickup in the Bridge only.

I would get another one of these in a heartbeat, if it were lost or stolen. I've been playing many years. I also use a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe from the 70's. That guitar has the Gibson 500t and 496R pickups, also VERY good pickups. I'm VERY satisfied with this pickup. I guess you can compare it somewhat to the Gibson 500T, but it's a different sound. I think the Dirty Fingers might be a little "Cleaner". Great sustain though, not sterile sounding at all. I think if you played Rock or Blues, and were looking for a pickup that has "Cut" and "Crunch" I don't think you would be disappointed.

passive humbucking pickup, 15.9k / 16.1k, multiple ceramic magnets. recently reissued, although I am reviewing an original 1980s set.

Installed in an Epiphone Gothic Flying V with Floyd Rose in both the bridge and neck positions. Replacing the stock epi pickups, which were not bad, but muddy. John Sykes used to use this pickup.

Output level is very hot, the hottest I've played in fact.

Using it plugged direct in a Marshall JMP50 Master Volume.

Firstly, I agree with all the previous reviewers. You should be able to get a good impression of this pickup by reading these.

I have a Dimarzio super distortion, and this is a very different pickup...

Dirty Fingers are indeed quite similar to a 500T (as someone else said) but it is audiably different. The Dirty Fingers is a bit hotter, with more aggressive lower mids and bass. The Dirty Fingers has nicer upper mids and treble, it is more reponsive and has more cut. If the 500T is an aggressive mugger with a flick knife, then the Dirty Fingers is something like an agressive football hooligan with a big wooden club ;) While the 500T can sound a bit sterile (good in some situations) the Dirty Fingers is organic and characterful (good in other situations)

The Dirty Fingers sounds good in both bridge and neck position, and it cleans up *really* well in fact. Overdriven, it can have a slightly processed sound to it, even with no effects, very much like John Sykes when he used this pickup - I mean this in a good way.

Although good clean, I'm not so convinced about bluesy break-up sounds.. 500T is better in this regard. Dirty Fingers is an all or nothing kind of pickup, at least in my opinion. The responsiveness of the pickup does help with blues, but the sound is not perfect.

Really good for jazz I'd say (thick and nice clean sound), and excellent for hard rock and metal of course... Would be a very wise choice for punk too. Can do blues, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Its an interesting pickup, and I'm happy I own a set... I probably would try something else if they get stolen. It certinally has a strong character and tonal signature.

Pickup features: Humbucker - splittable
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: ES-347
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None - Standard on this model.
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Apparently, both Robben Ford and Larry Carlton admit using 347s for about 20 minutes each!
You musical style(s): Style is a function of one's limitations (Kottke). I'm all over the map -- lots of limitations, I guess.
Reason for pickup change: N/A

Perceived output level: As others have said, these pickups are HOT. Split, they are very manageable. In HB mode, though, I seldom get to turn the guitar's volume knobs past 4!
Tone: They can be all these things - plus clear, clean, and 3-D. More below ...
Sonic evaluation: I own a bunch of instruments and amps. What inspired me to offer this review is that this guitar and these pickups seem to provide the very best evidence I've experienced in 30+ years of playing that the interaction between instrument and amplifier is CRUCIAL. Without a lot of tweaking, these sound great through my Princeton Reverb, suck through my Pearce G2r, are clearly mediocre through the PRS HG-70, actually sound OK through my GK-400RB bass head with the Ampeg 4x8 bottom (Try it sometime!), and I haven't had a chance to put it through the GT Soul-O 45 because the sucker's still in the shop. Bottom line? Read ALL equipment reviews with skepticism ... and recognize that good or bad sound probably has to do with LOTS of factors and not just one. I LOVE this guitar largely because it's so freakin' beautiful (now that I've sold the black one and have a sunburst); plus the neck feels so right ... but depending on which amp I plug into, I either want to yank the pickups right away, or put down the 347 and pick up my PRS (Custom 22 semi-hollow), which NEVER disappoints, no matter WHAT you plug it into. OK ... end of rant.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I mostly play bass (Kubicki) in a contemporary Christian church praise team. At home, though, I play a lot of electric guitar, mostly blues/jazz, some rock. I've gotten reasonably fat arch-top tones from this guitar/pickup combination and it has really surprised me. Overdriving almost anything is impossibly easy, though. Learning to control that is the challenge.

Comments: If it were lost, I would need to be heavily medicated; if it were stolen, I would probably hurt the perp who did it. I've been playing since Lloyd Loar was with Gibson, it seems. I own way too much gear for my talent level (sound familiar anyone?), and love/hate the complex variety of sounds available from this guitar and these pickups. If you want an easy life with a 335-type instrument, get a Heritage H-535. Those pickups (DiMarzios, I think) are hot, versatile, and easier to live with in many ways, but I can't help myself, I just love the 347. BTW, if you want to by my pristine 535 in original sunburst, let me know. I'll be putting it on ebay sometime this spring (2005).

Pickup features: Dual coil humbuker. Wax potted with 3 ceramic bar magnets.
Impedence or other specs: ??

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson PC-1
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio Super Distortion 3
Other pickups on guitar: stock and Sustainer
Artists using this pickup: Phil Collins
You musical style(s): Rock and metal
Reason for pickup change: The SD3 was sterile on chords and thin sounding on single notes.

Perceived output level: It's a powerful pickup
Tone: The tone is fairly flat and balanced
Sonic evaluation: Framus Cobra PC-1.
Good smooth lead sounds, notes well defined and full. Nice crunch to the chords under distortion. Somewhat like a 500T but with a much sweeter top end and friendlier mids, slightly less presence and harmonics, but the pickup sustained into harmonic feedback better than the 500T, and the base tone is warmer and less sterile than the 500T and the previous pickup, the DiMarzio SD3, which can sound a little synthetic, but not so much as say, a Tone Zone.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: All styles, jazz to metal to pop.

Comments: It's a very high quality pickup. It doesn't quite sound like the original dirty fingers. It lacks some of that resonance the old Dirty Fingers has.
The sound would be described as full range, with a tight low end and crisp midrange and a full clean treble, without the breaking glass chime of say a Duncan Custom.

Pickup features: Humbucking, passive.
Impedence or other specs: 16K ohms, 12 adjustable polepieces, 3 high power permament ceramic magnets...

Model of guitar or bass: 1980 GIBSON E/2 Explorer
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None, these are stock
Other pickups on guitar: None, just the Dirty Fingers.
Artists using this pickup: I'm sure many did 15-20 years ago...
You musical style(s): Most anything heavy & roots rock. Metal Rules!!!
Reason for pickup change: Stock, you don't have enough money to get me to change these.

Perceived output level: Fairly hot but not over the top. Maybe a few steps hotter then a PAF
Tone: Very solid and punchy tone. Good string balance and definition.
Sonic evaluation: These pickups are stock in a 1980 Gibson E/2 Explorer with a quilted maple cap on it. This guitar pretty much ONLY runs directly into a Rivera M60 1-12 combo with a EV in it. I use a Korg Hyperdistorion on the really heavy shit, but not as much as I used to. I can get nice crunchy power chords and screaming leads with the tone rolled off and the bridge pickup cranked. I can also get a NICE warm tone with the neck pickup with the tone and volume at various places. They don't have the drive of my EMG's but I wanted a more organic tone and these deliver. I still like the EMG's slightly compressed tone on the really heavy shit, but these Gibson's are excellent everywhere else.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly "classic" metal and it's a match made in heaven. Really good for rock also.

Comments: I have several other Gibson's (mostly Explorers) and a few shred style axes as well as a Strat and a few other amps (another Rivera and some other stuff) I've been playing for 18 years or so and using EMG's for most of 12 years, if not longer. I love these pickups in the E/2 but not sure how I'd like them elsewhere, but in this particular axe they kick massive ass. I can damn near nail a lot of the 70s-80s metal-rock tones I love with these things on the E/2. I already have another pair of these and havn't figured out what to drop them into yet, maybe I'll get me another beater Gibson to play with...

Pickup features: Humbuckers, Dirty Fingers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Sessions XR-III
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: BLAZIN
Tone: Trebly when the coil is spilt. A way deeper darker voodoo tone.
Sonic evaluation: I have a coilsplitter on my guitar and the neck dirty finger was turned backwards to create a hendrix tone that is deeper and darker. When I fire the coil spliter the sustain and the sensitivity on the guitar doubles but the sound thins out. This guitar is a blazer. It smokes I love these pickups. There are SMOKIN.
I play on a peavy bandit 112 and I love the combination.
I would tell anyone who likes rock or blues to get these pickups

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Blues, I Use All Positions

Comments: If Stolen I would Cry.
Only a Gibson is good enough.
These pickups are perfect for me.

Pickup features: Hot humbuckers w/ factory coiltap on my ' 79 335
Impedence or other specs: Ceramic magnet; overwound

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson ES-335 CRR ( brass nut & coil tap!)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Standard issue on model
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Don't know
You musical style(s): Traditional rock, blues
Reason for pickup change: None, I'm submitting an evalutaition of the guitars' stock p/u's.

Perceived output level: Very high output. Extra winds on a Ceramic magnet.
Tone: Muddy, quick to overdrive.
Sonic evaluation: usually an old Deluxe reverb. My old Vibro-Champ sounds like ZZ Tops' "Sharp Dressed Man" with the volume set only on 4!I'm a "rocker", but these p/u's are too hot for me. Wonder how they match up with Seymour Duncans' distortion p/u's? Admitedly, I'm not experienced with humbuckers..

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I'm a 'Stones lover (Chuck Berry, too-that's why I bought the 335 which came with these pu's). Hard rockers would appreciate this p/u, but it's too hot for my taste. Not right for a 335

Comments: I'd likely not replace these p/u's with the same "Dirty Fingers"; just too hot.I've been playing for 20 years, and am proud to own a lovely Sunburst 335 Gibson! I'm still searching for that authentic vintage tone (Love Chuck Berry!)..any suggestions for replacement p/u's for my 335?. "DF's" are possibly a real "secret weapon" for hard rockers out there-powerful! I prefer to let my amp do the overdriving, not the p/u.