It's a rare and fortunate player who's had the opportunity to play a great 50's or early 60's Strat. That's the player we had in mind with the Virtual Vintage 2.1, because that's the player who really knows if a pickup measures up to vintage standards. In every way, the 2.1 will stand the comparison. It even has resistance, impedance, and inductance specs like the best 50's pickups, and it was designed to work with the original 250K controls. Obviously, DiMarzio doesn't expect a player to take the original pickups out of a 50's guitar, but if you've got a great Strat from any era and want to experience the real deal (with no noise and less string pull, from special Alnico 2 magnets), the Virtual Vintage 2.1 is it.

Recommended for all positions.

Tech Talk
DiMarzio feels very strongly that this pickup reproduces the sound and feel of the best single-coils from the 1950's, so they've replaced the original Virtual Vintage Standard (DP401) with the 2.1. At the same distance from the strings as you'd normally adjust a pickup with full-strength Alnico 5 magnets, the 2.1 has the same power as a pickup from the 50's. However, because they're using AL 2 magnets with about 40% less pull, you can increase the power by adjusting the 2.1 closer to the strings without affecting string vibration or intonation. They've included pickup height recommendations with the 2.1 instructions.