Someone asked me

[Aceman]

That said - I DID bookmark some cheap double creams for exactly that purpose (not DiMarzio) but a custom rewind bed.

[Mincer]

People are out there making double cream pickups. That is all the story that needs made. It can be done. Duncan Customers want it done. Educate me or I'm buying DiMarzio when the aesthetic is important.

Maybe there was an agreement between companies? I have no idea.

[CaptainWhizz]

To be honest, when I was younger and clueless, I did assume that any double-cream humbucker I saw was Dimarzio, so there’s definitely some basis for their claim. I’m lucky though, in that if I wanted double-cream by a different manufacturer, I could get Oil City and not have to worry about international shipping.

[beaubrummels]

See, from a distance I just thought exposed bobbins were Gibsons with the covers off. A double row of hex heads was the only thing that said ‘DiMarzio’ to me. So their claim of the cream aesthetic being central to their brand in the public eye just wasn’t entirely true.

[Aceman]

A double row of hex heads was the only thing that said ‘DiMarzio’ to me.

That - right there.

There was time when this made sense. Like, before 1982.

It is just pure foolishness now.

[CaptainWhizz]

It becomes self-fulfilling; if only Dimarzio can sell double-cream humbuckers, then double-cream humbuckers must be Dimarzios.

[Aceman]

It becomes self-fulfilling; if only Dimarzio can sell double-cream humbuckers, then double-cream humbuckers must be Dimarzios.

except that LOTS of people do.

[CaptainWhizz]

except that LOTS of people do.

Well then, if they’re US companies, there’s probably grounds to challenge. But they’d have to have enough visibility in the market for it to make a difference.

[Aceman]

And wasn’t that DiMarzio’s case? They are superior pickups and they are identified by double cream - so a NEW guitar player might think double C = DMZ.

But to the replacement pickup community TODAY - almost every consumer knows Duncan, BareKnuckle, GFS, EMG, FRalin, and others.

So - moot point

[CaptainWhizz]

Bare Knuckle are British and GFS are made by Artec, right?
Duncan don’t sell double cream, I’ve never seen any by EMG, and don’t know enough about Fralin.
Small-scale sales would be like people selling unofficial merchandise for bands and sports teams- the trademark holder will go after them where practical, but may not stop everything, so smaller US-based manufacturers might get away with it.

[Bogner]

BKP does it all the time as does others.

[eclecticsynergy]

In case anyone was still wondering about this issue, DiMarzio's trademark is only valid here in the US.
They can't do anything about pickups that aren't made here.

[GuitarStv]

In case anyone was still wondering about this issue, DiMarzio's trademark is only valid here in the US.
They can't do anything about pickups that aren't made here.

So we can get double cream Duncan Designed pickups?

[JB_From_Hell]

Maybe the only opinion that's never changed for me is that double creme is ugly af. Didn't understand the griping when I joined the forum almost 20 years ago, still don't.

[beaubrummels]

There are cases when double cream is the best option to match the existing guitar electronics and plastics. That should be the only time it's a significant issue.