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).
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