Description
Seth Lover cracked the code on the humbucker decades ago, and DiMarzio went back to the source to figure out why certain late-50s PAFs still sound untouchable. Rather than cloning an old pickup wholesale, they measured Larry DiMarzio’s own 1959 Les Paul and reverse-engineered the magic: a deliberately weak magnetic field that lets strings ring out longer while keeping note definition tight, almost single-coil-like in clarity. This black-covered set pairs the DP103BK Neck with the DP223BK Bridge so both pickups share that same design philosophy while doing very different jobs.
Both use Alnico 5 magnets and 42-gauge custom-coated wire, wound on computer-controlled machines for consistency, then wax-dipped to kill squeal and microphonics. Nickel-silver covers with DiMarzio’s updated plating stay magnetically transparent, so the covers don’t choke the tone the way older covers could.
The DP103BK Neck sits at 250mV output and 7.31 kOhm DC resistance — smooth without turning to mud, equally happy in neck or bridge duty. The DP223BK Bridge steps up to 285mV and 8.60 kOhm, giving you more push while retaining the low-end weight and midrange definition that made the original Virtual PAF models work. Highs stay big and smooth rather than harsh, and in 4-conductor wiring both pickups split cleanly into a bright, usable single-coil voice.
Wiring is 4-conductor (1-conductor optional) on both pickups, so coil-splitting and phase tricks are on the table if your wiring allows it.
- DiMarzio DP103BK PAF 36th Anniversary Neck, Black
- DiMarzio DP223BK PAF 36th Anniversary Bridge, Black
- Free D’Addario EXL110+ Regular Light Plus string set included
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