Dimarzio DP201 - Al DiMeola Model™ Neck

[idsnowdog]

Re: Dimarzio DP201 - Al DiMeola Model™ Neck

Where did you get those specs? I was always under the impression that they were Dual Sound pups with brass hex screws? I always avoided them because I thought they were ceramic...

The Dimeola pickups are an odd duck. They don't really sound like much else and they aren't dual sounds. They are a loud, clean, transparent and precise pickup. I didn't care for them because they didn't behave like most other pickups when used with distortion. Instead of smoothing out and taking on a singing quality they stayed loud, clean, hard and precise.

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Dimarzio DP201 - Al DiMeola Model™ Neck

The Dimeola pickups are an odd duck. They don't really sound like much else and they aren't dual sounds. They are a loud, clean, transparent and precise pickup. I didn't care for them because they didn't behave like most other pickups when used with distortion. Instead of smoothing out and taking on a singing quality they stayed loud, clean, hard and precise.

His signature pickups are lighter powered versions of the high output ceramic pickups he used on his iconic recordings? Just like George Lynch did with the Screamin' Demon huh? Good to know.

I have had a bunch of chances to pickups up a pair of these over the years. I stayed away from them because I thought they were high output ceramic pickups. now that I know, I don't play DiMarzios anymore. lolz!

[idsnowdog]

Re: Dimarzio DP201 - Al DiMeola Model™ Neck

His signature pickups are lighter powered versions of the high output ceramic pickups he used on his iconic recordings? Just like George Lynch did with the Screamin' Demon huh? Good to know.

I have had a bunch of chances to pickups up a pair of these over the years. I stayed away from them because I thought they were high output ceramic pickups. now that I know, I don't play DiMarzios anymore. lolz!

Al Dimeola used both the Super Distortion series and his own signature pickup at about the same time during 70's & 80'a. It wouldn't surprise me if he used different guitars each equiped with Dual Sounds and his signature pickups depending on the song he was playing. He probably used the Dual Sounds for his overdriven legato songs and his signature pickups for his clean staccato songs. I have no doubt that the Al Dimeola series can sound good in the right hands, but in mine it was like putting a bidet in a gorilla's cage.

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Dimarzio DP201 - Al DiMeola Model™ Neck

Al Dimeola used both the Super Distortion series and his own signature pickup at about the same time during 70's & 80'a.

The Steve Morse signature pickups were introduced in 1983 and they are DP200.

Not that DiMarzio keeps their model numbers in consecutive order or anything but... I haven't seen any information that signifies when the DP201 and DP202 went into production. They could have come out around the same time as Morse's signature pickups. I suppose Al could have been using them before they went into production as a custom pickup wound especially for him. An email to DiMarzio would probably get the information of when they started the DP201/202 set.

It wouldn't surprise me if he used different guitars each equiped with Dual Sounds and his signature pickups depending on the song he was playing. He probably used the Dual Sounds for his overdriven legato songs and his signature pickups for his clean staccato songs. I have no doubt that the Al Dimeola series can sound good in the right hands, but in mine it was like putting a bidet in a gorilla's cage.

What did you think of the combined neck and bridge tone? Al never used the neck or bridge alone but used the in between position and the individual volume knobs depending on what tone he wanted to get.

Of course, his late 70s tone comes out of a cranked non master volume Marshall half stack... so that's probably another key to his soaring sustain.

I wish there was a decent tab book for Elegant Gypsy and Casino. lolz! Learning that stuff by ear is really hard, have to slow it down and even then it's difficult to tell exactly what he is doing.

LOVE Al DiMeola!!!!

[idsnowdog]

Re: Dimarzio DP201 - Al DiMeola Model™ Neck

The Steve Morse signature pickups were introduced in 1983 and they are DP200.

Not that DiMarzio keeps their model numbers in consecutive order or anything but... I haven't seen any information that signifies when the DP201 and DP202 went into production. They could have come out around the same time as Morse's signature pickups. I suppose Al could have been using them before they went into production as a custom pickup wound especially for him. An email to DiMarzio would probably get the information of when they started the DP201/202 set.



What did you think of the combined neck and bridge tone? Al never used the neck or bridge alone but used the in between position and the individual volume knobs depending on what tone he wanted to get.

Of course, his late 70s tone comes out of a cranked non master volume Marshall half stack... so that's probably another key to his soaring sustain.

I wish there was a decent tab book for Elegant Gypsy and Casino. lolz! Learning that stuff by ear is really hard, have to slow it down and even then it's difficult to tell exactly what he is doing.

LOVE Al DiMeola!!!!

I tried it in the middle and neck position of a 3 humbucker guitar with on/on/on switches. It was just too different for my tastes and it didn't blend well with the Dimarzio PAF and Humbucker From Hell I had in the guitar. However JEM Ghost's description is very accurate regarding the sustain and the strong pick attack. You really need that wide loose vibrato like Yngwie or Al with this pickup due to the lack of sustain, otherwise it sounds kind of choked.

Glad I am not the only one who thinks of it as a very good pup!
Most people call it very cold and sterile sounding and another complaint is that it has no sustain at all, and that it is oversensitive to pick attack.
I personaly don't think of it as cold or sterile, it is accurate as a scalpel (which is a plus for me) and with the treble pot rolled down, a very warm and sweet tone steps out, like having 2 totaly different (and very usable) tones from your neckbucker with just a turn off the pot.

I have to admit that I do wish it had a bit more sustain, but that would make the pickup near perfect, and it not always a little about compromising in the pickup world?? ;-)
Don't get me wrong if there comes a pickup that does all the DP201 does and has more sustain, I will get it without any doubt lol.
But I don't think there is somehting like the perfect pickup to be honest, there is always a little this or that that you would change when given the option, at least that is my experience.