DiMarzio DP708 Crunch Lab 7 Guitar Pickup

One thing has stayed consistent throughout John Petrucci's long and successful career: the DiMarzio pickups in his guitars. John has been pushing the envelope of progressive metal since the late eighties, and the DiMarzio Crunch Lab 7 Bridge Model ensued from their most recent collaboration with John. He used it throughout Dream Theater's tenth studio album, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings". John swears this is the best live and studio sound he has ever had, and the name says it all -- "crunch" is what it's all about with a big, tight sound that's neither muddy nor thin.

John Petrucci talks about his custom DiMarzio pickups:

Recommended for:

Bridge position

Tech Talk

The Crunch Lab 7 is noteworthy (bad pun alert) for what it doesn't do -- it's not a screamer, and it's not about thundering lows. Its physical appearance is identical to the D Sonic 7, but the internal design is a lot different. It's louder, and the highs have more depth. The lows and mids are more open, and this is crucial for playing chords with body and presence through a gained-out amp. The way the pickup attacks a note is both sharper and stronger, and this allows the Crunch Lab 7 to be installed with the solid bar towards the neck.