damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

\m/(00)\m/ · Jul 11, 2004

the other day when i put in the 59 in my charvel to replace the super distortion, i experimented to see if i could take the ceramic magnet out of the super d and pout it into the 59. well to my unsurprise i couldn't do that, when i took the back off the pickup i noticed how cheaply it was made. wax everywhere, couldn't pull anything too far or wires might break and all that crap. now when i tried to put the dimarzio back together i screwed the screws in the coils were off balance. instead of being flat like it was before, the coils are now angled. even though it's only a slight angle it is just really cheaply made and it got me mad :yell:

the duncan wasn't like that all, i even took the a5 outof the duncan for about 10 minutes and put it back in, and it's completely fine. sounds great too!

while i'll still play dimarzio's but it looks like i'll never take a magnet out :smack:

That90'sGuy · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

What really ticks me off about Dimarzio (and I've heard Duncan is doing it now) is the leads. They're thin and fragile and are in plain english, crap. The Dimarzio leads are unbelievably shoddy and it doesn't exactly reflect very well on the company.

My Duncan Antiquity leads were awesome, I think every company should make them like that.

UCSDBoy · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

Man, I hope Duncan never compromises on their quality - that would hella suck. I don't know if other people have problems spending money on their pickups but I go out of my way to buy Duncans 'cause I know they're made well and sound awesome!

Boston Joe · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

I had an 80's DiMarzio P.A.F. style that was very microphonic-- opened it up, and there were no bobbins, just the coils wrapped in paper. Now, I do have an early HS-3 and old Jem HS-2 that have thick leads and a heavy duty ground. the later versions are somewhat fragile. I like the sound, but I do need to be careful when cutting the shielding.

Curly · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

I don't know a thing about DM's, but I can tell you that Seymour goes to a lot of effort and expense to get the most authentic materials possible.

Lewguitar · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

Duncan's quality, even for standard items like a JB or 59 humbuckers, exceeds that of some very expensive boutique pickups I've used. The fit and finish of bobbin tops for Duncan pickups is equal to the Tom Holmes humbuckers I have in my Les Paul.

I agree that Dimarzio's seem a little more cheaply made. The look of the polepieces is rougher and the bobbins are not as smooth and polished looking.

I don't have any Dimarzios in any of my guitars. Any that had them, like my '94 Fender Japan "Custom Shop" Mary Kaye Strat, have been replaced.

Lew

\m/(00)\m/ · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

not to mention it's easier to switch magnets too in duncans!!

Stratcat · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

I have always said that dimarzio makes a second rate product. IMHO, larry dimarzio is a Jerk and a bad business person, ala Double Cream Fiasco. There is nothing that compares to the Quality, Tone and Workmanship of a Duncan.

Jack Z · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

check this out... compare the consturciton of a dimarzio to a $30 MIK duncan performer. the duncan performer has a bent leg nickle bottom plate, better plastic bobbins, better hookup cable and more "heft". i duno what there doing at dimarizo, but id rather play duncan performers at least based on the quality

some_dude · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

While I do dislike the build quality of DiMarzio pickups, I can't complain about the sounds they make. Personally, I don't really care about what stuff looks like. As long as it sounds good and doesn't come apart in my hands, it's all good.

hernia · Jul 11, 2004

Re: damn! dimarzio's are cheaply made!

I'm having a very tough time trying to figure out what would be the best humbucker to put in the bridge of my fender deluxe fat strat. Others have been saying to put a 59' in or a super distortion or hot rails. I honestly don't know a lot about pickups and I want a good sounding pickup. I play alternative/metal stuff.

Stratcat · Jul 12, 2004