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DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup

This humbucker pickup delivers tough yet warm vintage tone. The modern potting techniques help to eliminate unwanted noise.

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Product Description

zZounds is an
authorized DiMarzio dealer

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. zZounds is an authorized dealer of DiMarzio products.

Wiring: Standard 4-conductor

Magnet: Alnico 5

Output: 203mV

DC Resistance: 7.65K

Year of introduction: 1974

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging: Shipping Weight: 0 lbs; Shipping Dimensions: 4 x 2 x 2 in

Installation Instructions

DiMarzio Warranty

DiMarzio Warranty

If you have additional warranty questions, please call the manufacturer at 718-981-9286

zZounds is an
authorized DiMarzio dealer

This 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

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What Our Customers Are Saying About zZounds "This is the first time I've shopped with zZounds and I couldn't have had a better experience. I was able to find what I was looking for easily, and the processing was simple and fast." - customer on May 7, 2013

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Customer Reviews

4 out of 5 (10 ratings) Rate and Review This Product

Read 2 DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup Reviews

"Warning pickup to avoid like the plague. A cautionary tale"

Overall: I have been playing guitar for 45 years professionally. I have owned many quality guitars and occasionally done my own repairs and upgrades to my instruments. But generally leave it to the real pros for my guitar work. This is just to let you know I am not an amateur, that my experience and expertise is extensive. I recently purchased a PRS Single cut SE for playing live. Not the quality of my Gibson Les Paul Custom, but a less expensive quality guitar that could take the rigors of live performance and still sound good. I decided to upgrade the stock pickups to get a better quality sound. I heard the Gibson 57' Classic, Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan were all about the same. (NOT! Read on.) I looked at the price of all 3 brands and decided on the Dimarzio DP103 and DP223. The Gibson's were twice price. I then had the best guitar work guy in the state install the new Dimarzio pickups. I soon discovered why there was such a price difference between Gibson and Dimarzio. And it is NOT just the name brand thing. The Dimarzio DP 103 and DP 223 pickups are poor at best. And that's being way to kind. The pickups are very thin sounding, no warmth, no bottom end, no roundness! They were so trebly and "twangy" sounding that the guitar sounded more like a really cheap single coil Squire Stratocaster than a PRS with Humbucker's. Frankly, Dimarzio pickups do not rate the one star. But it gets worse. Read on. One of the reasons I chose the Dimazio was they have an "exchange" program. Supposedly if you are unhappy with the product they will exchange for a different pickup. Yeah right! So I called Dimarzio and spoke to their "tech support" guy. I politely explained the pickups were just not the sound I expected and would like to exchange them for one of their other pickup models. From the start, he was extremely rude. I was told there was nothing wrong with the pickups and there was no way Dimarzio would exchange them. Period! I politely asked again, saying that I really needed to exchange them and was there someone in management that I could appeal to for an exchange. The Dimarzio "tech support" guy replied NO! “Not going to happen”. Period! Without a doubt this was the rudest and worse support I have ever encountered in my musical career. (I suspect they only have one "support guy" too. I finally advised him, I would probably have to return them to the retailer then. He said "You do what you have to do", And then he hung up on me. So that's just what I did. I returned them. The retailer was awesome. I had no such problems with them and an exchange. They happily exchanged them for the Gibson 57' Classic and Classic plus no problem. And WOW! What a Difference. Pay the extra amount for the Gibson 57' Classic's. They have an incredible sounding pickup that just keeps giving. Worth every penney. Just go read the reviews on the Gibson 57's. They are all true. Avoid Dimarzio products like the plague. Trust me. This is THE review to read if you are considering Dimarzio pickups. Buyer beware, you get what you pay for.

Style of Music: Modern and Classic Rock, Modern country, Blues

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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful. "Classic Humbucker, Low Output and TONE, TONE, TONE."

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! 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. 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. 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. The Wow Factor: Looks great, and sounds better. I prefer the creme-color, but black is totally fine, too. 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).

Style of Music: Rock, Country, Jazz

27 of 29 people (93.1%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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Read 2 DiMarzio DP103 PAF Humbucker Pickup Reviews

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Available on
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Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

Fast approval.: We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
No interest. Ever.: It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
No paperwork. Nothing to track.: No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

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Available on
orders $249+

learn more

Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

Fast approval.: We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
No interest. Ever.: It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
No paperwork. Nothing to track.: No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

We'll wait on your money so you don't have to wait for your gear!

When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

on most orders $49+

Just $2.99 on
smaller orders

Really heavy stuff might cost you a
little more

learn more

Why fight traffic and pushy salesmen when we'll bring your gear straight to your home, free of charge?

zZounds free shipping is really free!: No hidden charges or hassles on returns.
Fast, reliable delivery: We have warehouses on both coasts, so most shipments arrive in 3 days or less.
We don't collect sales tax. Bonus!: Only NJ residents pay tax during checkout.

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