Late to the party - Finally tried a DiMarzio D Activator!

[Rex_Rocker]

Long story short: It sounds nothing like an active pickup, LOL.

Not that it's a bad thing, though! Hear me out!

Background: I replaced a Black Winter on my Fender Strat with the D Activator. I wanted more of a broader EQ, especially towards the high-end, without losing too much power. Also, the Strat's bridge pickup is almost a full cm further away from the bridge than it is on my Les Paul, so I wanted to offset that by having an asymmetrically wound pickup so that I could turn the hotter coil towards the bridge, and hopefully, get some more bridge-like characteristics. I did not quite get there, but I do like the pickup and found it promising.

It is not as hot as the Black Winter, as expected. The Black Winter, IME, is pretty much on par with the X2N in terms of output. The D Ac is not quite there. It is pretty hot, though. Probably around the levels of the Duncan Distortion, perhaps a bit lower, but I have not had a Duncan Distortion in a while to directly compare.

The EQ is broader than on the Black Winter. The Black Winter is super mega mid-focused. It has a very emphatic and unique raspy voicing to the attack that I have not gotten out of any other pickup. It has a pretty dramatic low-end rolloff. The D Activator is not quite like that. As the DCR would suggest, the D Activator has a pretty rich high-end. It can get harsh, so you gotta watch out for that. Then again, right now, I have the hotter coil towards the bridge. I'm going to try to experiment flipping it, but I doubt that's going to get me what I want.

It doesn't have as much of a dramatic low-end rolloff as the Black Winter, but it not a fat bassy pickup like the X2N. The midrange is there, but it's not nearly as in-your-face and up-front as most high output Ceramic pickups like the Duncan Distortion, Black Winter, or Gibson 500T. Even if the low-end is deeper, though, it is not loose. It's very immediate. The pickup itself has got a very dry feel to it. You gotta work harder for it to really pump some power out.

The D Activator is got more of a modern pickup feel. I will say, though, as objectically speaking as I can, it is looser than the Black Winter. Not that it's a bad thing. The Black Winter is pretty firmly an overwound supercharged hot pickup with a ton of Ceramic in it. The D Activator is almost got a mid-output pickup vibe, except with more power to push.

Honestly, though, if you're expecting a passive EMG 81, this it not it. The Duncan Black Winter or the DiMarzio X2N capture that vibe a whole lot more, but even those sound nothing like an EMG 81 either. It's just not possible. If you want an EMG 81, you gotta get an EMG 81, or maybe even a Fluence Modern. Not to say the Fluence is 1:1 an 81, but it's got the active pickup vibe because it is an active pickup. There is no way of replicating the active pickup EQ curve and feel without the preamp.

So... that's my two cents. I would like to hear your opinions on it if you have experience!

[Inflames626]

Long story short: It sounds nothing like an active pickup, LOL.

Not that it's a bad thing, though! Hear me out!

Background: I replaced a Black Winter on my Fender Strat with the D Activator. I wanted more of a broader EQ, especially towards the high-end, without losing too much power. Also, the Strat's bridge pickup is almost a full cm further away from the bridge than it is on my Les Paul, so I wanted to offset that by having an asymmetrically wound pickup so that I could turn the hotter coil towards the bridge, and hopefully, get some more bridge-like characteristics. I did not quite get there, but I do like the pickup and found it promising.

It is not as hot as the Black Winter, as expected. The Black Winter, IME, is pretty much on par with the X2N in terms of output. The D Ac is not quite there. It is pretty hot, though. Probably around the levels of the Duncan Distortion, perhaps a bit lower, but I have not had a Duncan Distortion in a while to directly compare.

The EQ is broader than on the Black Winter. The Black Winter is super mega mid-focused. It has a very emphatic and unique raspy voicing to the attack that I have not gotten out of any other pickup. It has a pretty dramatic low-end rolloff. The D Activator is not quite like that. As the DCR would suggest, the D Activator has a pretty rich high-end. It can get harsh, so you gotta watch out for that. Then again, right now, I have the hotter coil towards the bridge. I'm going to try to experiment flipping it, but I doubt that's going to get me what I want.

It doesn't have as much of a dramatic low-end rolloff as the Black Winter, but it not a fat bassy pickup like the X2N. The midrange is there, but it's not nearly as in-your-face and up-front as most high output Ceramic pickups like the Duncan Distortion, Black Winter, or Gibson 500T. Even if the low-end is deeper, though, it is not loose. It's very immediate. The pickup itself has got a very dry feel to it. You gotta work harder for it to really pump some power out.

The D Activator is got more of a modern pickup feel. I will say, though, as objectically speaking as I can, it is looser than the Black Winter. Not that it's a bad thing. The Black Winter is pretty firmly an overwound supercharged hot pickup with a ton of Ceramic in it. The D Activator is almost got a mid-output pickup vibe, except with more power to push.

Honestly, though, if you're expecting a passive EMG 81, this it not it. The Duncan Black Winter or the DiMarzio X2N capture that vibe a whole lot more, but even those sound nothing like an EMG 81 either. It's just not possible. If you want an EMG 81, you gotta get an EMG 81, or maybe even a Fluence Modern. Not to say the Fluence is 1:1 an 81, but it's got the active pickup vibe because it is an active pickup. There is no way of replicating the active pickup EQ curve and feel without the preamp.

So... that's my two cents. I would like to hear uy

I never considered X2N powered Death to be bassy, but when you're playing through Valvestates....

Loved the tone on "Human" even though it can sound like a beehive at times. But they didn't have as much stuff in 1991 as we do now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0zCD1XCtQ

[Rex_Rocker]

I never considered X2N powered Death to be bassy, but when you're playing through Valvestates....

Loved the tone on "Human" even though it can sound like a beehive at times. But they didn't have as much stuff in 1991 as we do now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0zCD1XCtQ

Oh, yes, absolutely. I originally got the X2N thinking I love the tone on Symbolic and Flesh. But nope. The pickup was a huge disappointment. It's been a while since I've had the Invader, but I found the X2N to be sort of along those lines.

Chuck did use a pretty bright BC Rich (alder body, maple neck-thru, ebony board), and I tried mine in Les Pauls. That... and Valvestates are some of the tightest/leanest amps around.

Also... old X2N's from the 80's were slightly underwound compared to today's offerings and also had a nickel baseplate instead of brass. That, I'm sure, would help them as well.

[DonP]

I have an X2N and a de-activator x neck in a Charvel SoCal and love them. I have the pickups a mile away from the strings.

[Seashore]

I have an X2N and a de-activator x neck in a Charvel SoCal and love them. I have the pickups a mile away from the strings.

That's the key with the Invader too.

[Rex_Rocker]

I didn't feel the X2N had a worse problem with string pull than the BW? The BW does have more Ceramic in it. I keep mine at 2.75 mm from the strings myself.

[Rex_Rocker]

Gotta say... REALLY liking this pickup! I think it may actually the first DiMarzio I've really bonded with.

The only thing I'd change about is to give it more of that upper-mid snarl ala the 500T in my Les Paul, but I think that has more to do with the position the pickup is mounted in. I've already got another pickguard on the way where the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge itself. As it is right now, it almost has some quasi-neck-pickup-like charactersitics. But that's not the pickup's fault.

It's REALLY balanced for a high output hummy. It's not midrangey like the Distortion, but it's not scooped like the Custom. It doesn't have the DiMarzio nasal mids that the Dominion has either. It has high-end detail, but it's not raspy. It has a deep low-end, but it's not boomy. It's just all around middle-of-the-road when it comes to EQ, which is kind of rare for a pickup this hot.

[Coryd]

Gotta say... REALLY liking this pickup! I think it may actually the first DiMarzio I've really bonded with.

The only thing I'd change about is to give it more of that upper-mid snarl ala the 500T in my Les Paul, but I think that has more to do with the position the pickup is mounted in. I've already got another pickguard on the way where the bridge pickup is closer to the bridge itself. As it is right now, it almost has some quasi-neck-pickup-like charactersitics. But that's not the pickup's fault.

It's REALLY balanced for a high output hummy. It's not midrangey like the Distortion, but it's not scooped like the Custom. It doesn't have the DiMarzio nasal mids that the Dominion has either. It has high-end detail, but it's not raspy. It has a deep low-end, but it's not boomy. It's just all around middle-of-the-road when it comes to EQ, which is kind of rare for a pickup this hot.

I had one for a while and really like it! I think the only reason I got rid of it was that I sold the guitar it was in. I may have to try one again sometime. Nothing like an 81 IMO, but has its own thing going. I may try one again in my alder Tele.

im really happy at the moment with the pickups I’ve got. All Duncan’s at the moment. My fav lately has been the Alpha Omega set. Been trying to focus on writing more but I always find myself looking for new pickups. ♂️

[Rex_Rocker]

I had one for a while and really like it! I think the only reason I got rid of it was that I sold the guitar it was in. I may have to try one again sometime. Nothing like an 81 IMO, but has its own thing going. I may try one again in my alder Tele.

im really happy at the moment with the pickups I’ve got. All Duncan’s at the moment. My fav lately has been the Alpha Omega set. Been trying to focus on writing more but I always find myself looking for new pickups. ♂️

I like it. I like swapping pickups around all the time, so give it some months, and I'll probably swap it out for something else. However, I do want to keep the pickup in case I wanna swap it back into another guitar in the future, much like I did with my Black Winter or 500T or Fluence Classics or Modern Alnicos. You sometimes stumble upon some great pickups you keep coming back to. I think it's still early to say, but I'd almost say this is one of them.

[ToneFiddler]

Description sounds good. Thanks for the review.

I am kind of the opposite: I hate changing PUs, and if i like a PU and all my guitars are already filled, i will have to make/get a new one.
But yeah i got enough PUs in boxes, that might get used or sold some day.

[DonP]

I didn't feel the X2N had a worse problem with string pull than the BW? The BW does have more Ceramic in it. I keep mine at 2.75 mm from the strings myself.

Never said it was for string pull.

When I bought this MIJ SoCal, the X2N had a stripped base plate hole, so when I tried to get it close to the strings it would pull through back down level to the pickguard on the bass side.

MIJ’s come with a top mount Floyd making the pickup far from the strings. I liked the tone and left it mounted low when I fixed the pickup mounting hole and installed the neck De-Activator X.

Really a great sounding axe. Punchy and clear, not muddy at all.

I might lower my 500T and Duncan Distortion pickups as well.

[Rex_Rocker]

Reporting back. Honeymoon period is over.

I REALLY like this pickup. Like I said, it's the first DiMarzio I've bonded with.

However... not really sure if it's the right pickup for this particular guitar. The guitar itself is kinda dark acoustically. The bridge pickup is kinda far from the bridge itself too. I love that the pickup is balanced and has some top end detail.

However... I feel it might be a little too balanced at times. I'm wishing it had more midrange agression similar to the Black Winter, Duncan Distortion, and 500T that I really like.

I wonder if there are any pot values that are a middle ground between 500K and 1Meg? Maybe?

[Overlord]

I have mixed feelings with the D'Activator bridge. Like you, I also didn't like the mid thump of the Dominion. The D'Activator is tighter than the X2N, but has this sort of nasaly flat eq as you said. I tried it both directions and depends on the day which way I prefer. But definitely doesn't sound like an EMG 81 at all. The closest passive pickups to an EMG 81 I have tried are the Duncan Distortion and the Dimarzio Evo 2. Which I really like both of them. Have you tried the D'Sonic? That's another one to consider, but perhaps not as tight as the other ones mentioned with a bigger low end and pushed mids. I liked it better than the D'Activator bridge myself.

[Rex_Rocker]

I have mixed feelings with the D'Activator bridge. Like you, I also didn't like the mid thump of the Dominion. The D'Activator is tighter than the X2N, but has this sort of nasaly flat eq as you said. I tried it both directions and depends on the day which way I prefer. But definitely doesn't sound like an EMG 81 at all. The closest passive pickups to an EMG 81 I have tried are the Duncan Distortion and the Dimarzio Evo 2. Which I really like both of them. Have you tried the D'Sonic? That's another one to consider, but perhaps not as tight as the other ones mentioned with a bigger low end and pushed mids. I liked it better than the D'Activator bridge myself.

I actually don't find the D Ac nasal whatsoever. That's kinda why I like it. It's very flat and balanced with a hint of aggression up top.

I tried it both ways, and I found flipping the cable end towards the neck smoothed it out a tad too much, and it lost the aggression and twanginess that I like about it.

To be completely honest, I like it. I really do. But right now, I want something even more aggressive, dirty, and mid-focused like the Duncan Distortion.

I have not tried the D Sonic. I've wanted to try it ever since it came out. And the Evo 2 too.

I have honestly not found a single passive pickup that does the EMG 81 thing whatsoever. I agree, if you want that, the Distortion might be aggressive and mid focused, and very loosely, along the lines. But personally, whenever I plug a guitar that's equipped with an 81, and then one with a Duncan Distortion, the DD comes out so scooped and broad by comparison (even if it's so mid-forward compared to most other passives). On the other hand, if I setup my stuff around a Duncan Distortion, the 81 sound so thin and narrow. That's kinda why if I ever comit one of my guitars to actives, I have to turn them all active.

[ToneFiddler]

I got an iceman with D-activators, recently.
I made the comparison to the EMG 81 and i agree it's NOT very close.

The bass is quite controlled for a passive PU which i like and the overall tightness of the PU.
I think they have too much low mids (while still being tight) and core mids to resemble a EMG 81.

A duncan SH-6 with a highpass/boost will get you closer, me thinks.