DiMarzio Red Velvet Single Coil Guitar Pickup

The difference between a vintage Strat bridge pickup sound and a classic Broadcaster or Tele tone is mostly a matter of attack and definition - the Strat stings and screams, while the Tele punches and sings. DiMarzio thought it would be neat to have a Strat pickup that does both, and this is it. The punch comes from the bottom-loaded Power Plate, the sting from custom coil-winding and the Blue Velvet magnet stagger, and a unique mid-range "growl" that's a result of a hand-calibrated magnet structure. Try a Red Velvet bridge pickup with a pair of Blue Velvet pickups for a sound that's both classic and new.

Recommended For: All positions.

Tech Talk: One of the obvious effects of mounting a plate on the bottom of a pickup is to boost the magnetic field. DiMarzio wanted the bigger sound that the plate provides, but they didn't want any increased magnet-pull, so they calibrate the magnetic field of every Red Velvet after it's assembled. The Red Velvet was originally designed for the bridge position, but it will also work well in the neck and middle, where it can be combined with a bridge humbucker like the Air Classic.