Description
Long before dual-mode pickups were common, DiMarzio built the HS-2 to answer a simple question: what if a Strat could have humbucker headroom without giving up single-coil character? Introduced in 1980 as one of the first HS-series humbucking Strat replacements, it’s held onto its reputation ever since thanks to a genuinely useful split personality.
Switched to humbucking mode, the HS-2 delivers a clean, natural voice that’s noticeably brighter and less compressed than a typical humbucker — it doesn’t smear pick attack the way many hotter designs can. Flip it to single-coil mode and you get vintage-leaning tone with real snap, but thanks to its patented (US 4442749) construction, it stays far quieter than a standard single coil, resisting hum even under gain or through rack-mounted signal chains.
Drop it into any of the three positions in a standard S-S-S Strat, mix it with HS-3 or HS-4 pickups for a custom voicing across the set, or pair it in an H-S-H layout alongside PAF Pro, FRED, Air Classic, or The Humbucker From Hell in the neck and bridge slots. Finished in white to match stock Strat covers.
- Wiring: 4-conductor
- Magnet: Alnico 5
- Output: 90 mV
- DC Resistance: 14.97 kOhm
- Introduced: 1980
- Patent: 4442749
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