Description
DiMarzio didn’t just clone a vintage PAF humbucker — they reverse-engineered one, using Larry DiMarzio’s personal 1959 cherry sunburst Gibson Les Paul as the benchmark. That guitar’s magic wasn’t only the pickups, but DiMarzio zeroed in on what they could replicate: a deliberately weak, soft magnetic field that lets strings ring out longer and gives the tone a surprisingly single-coil-like clarity and definition, wrapped in genuine humbucker warmth.
Each coil is built on computer-controlled winders with 42-gauge custom-coated wire for a precisely tuned frequency response, then wax-dipped to kill squeal and microphonics before it starts. Nickel-silver covers with DiMarzio’s updated plating stay magnetically transparent, so nothing gets in the way of the signal.
The DP103BK Neck model is smooth without turning muddy, equally happy in neck or bridge duty like the best 1950s humbuckers. The DP223BK Bridge model runs hotter, borrowing the punch of the Virtual Hot PAF and the low-end/midrange definition of the Virtual PAF Bridge, with bigger, smoother highs than either. Both are 4-conductor (1-conductor optional), so coil-splitting is on the table if your wiring allows — and in single-coil mode the bridge stays bright without going sterile.
- DP103BK Neck: Alnico 5 magnet, 250mV output, 7.31k DC resistance
- DP223BK Bridge: Alnico 5 magnet, 285mV output, 8.60k DC resistance, introduced 2008
- Both: 4-conductor wiring (1-conductor optional)
- Bridge patents: 5,399,802 & 5,908,998
This bundle includes a free set of D’Addario EXL125 Super Light Top/Regular Bottom strings, so once these are wired in, you’re ready to plug in and dial that ’59 tone.
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