DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup

Vintage output. Open, warm character.

Item: DIMPAFBK

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DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

3 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 7 out of 10

 

1 Person wrote a review :

Read all DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Classic Humbucker, Low Output and TONE, TONE, TONE."

Feature:
Comes with 4-conductor wiring for single-coil and series-parallel coil switching, if that's your thing. Wire the center leads together for standard, classic PAF series wiring.

Quality:
The DP103 'Original Design' PAF is a very reliable pickup, as long as you don't spill liquid on it. This pickup is warm and fat with a good, even EQ built in. There's a wax sealer in the pickup to eliminate microphonics and harsh feedback.

Value:
Very good value for $60. Best deal on the best pickup available.

Desirability:
Looks great, and sounds better. I prefer the creme-color, but black is totally fine, too.

Sound:
A perfect sound from a very low output pickup (203 millivolts). Very warm and full without being harsh at all. This pickup goes a long way to keep your signal from breaking up (get your overdrive from your pedal and/or amp). No dirt, just TONE. Great for Chet Atkins-style playing, or any Rockabilly, Country, or Jazz. Good for Rock 'n' Roll, too. Ed Van Halen used this type of pickup on the first six Van Halen albums. Great versatility!

Ease of Use:
Just wire it up. Works best with a 500K audio-taper pot for both volume and tone controls. Don't forget to place a .001 uf ceramic capacitor between the center and hot lugs on the pot, that way your treble will stay intact when you roll down the volume to your taste. Turn your amp up all the way, and use the guitar volume to control clen-to-overdrive. That's the good old-fashioned way, and it's still the best. Fuzz Faces and Tube Screamers will clean right up if you use the guitar volume to control gain.

Overall:
Get some of these while you can, because Dimarzio is going to replace this model with a "new" DP103, with a harsher, higher (250+ mv) output (yuck).

Submitted: 11/11/2008

Style of Music: Rock, Country, Jazz

5 of 6 people (83.33%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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Read all DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup reviews...

iconThis item must be exchanged directly through the manufacturer if it is found to be defective, and can only be returned to us if it is unopened. details

About This Product!
Description
Classic vintage tone - a smooth, almost voice-like quality - the PAF has that intangible swell to the notes after attack. It possesses vintage output and breathes freely with an open, warm character. Played flat-out through non-master volume tube amps, the PAF recreates the deep character of the great plug-in, turn-up, and wail school of tone.

Modern potting techniques and tight, consistent winding eliminate squeal and microphonics, which are common to the originals. Here is solid tone for both neck and bridge positions. It balances well in the neck with hotter bridge humbuckers.

Recommended for neck and bridge positions in all solid, semisolid, and hollowbody guitars.

Tech Talk
There are 2 basic types of vintage humbuckers: those that have a hotter, like new tone and those that have a softer, aged sound. The Air Classic has the softer sound, and the PAF is a little tighter and tougher - very useful for cleaning up muddy sounding neck positions. It's also good as a bridge pickup combined with neck and middle single-coils: not loud enough to overwhelm them, and bright enough to blend well.

Technical Info

Wiring: Standard 4-conductor

Magnet: Alnico 5

Output: 203mV

DC Resistance: 7.65K

Year of introduction: 1974
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