DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

[9unslin9er]

Well I just installed a set of the new X's into my Ibanez ART.

...and it went all Super Saiyan on my amp.

The pickups have just bonkers amounts of gain. Mind you, I've had Blackouts and Livewires in my Godins and Deans through the same amp, but they never punished the preamp like these do.

It is actually clipping my Plexi setting. Not volume clipping, but gain clipping. Like my amp is trying to tell me "Hey man, those pickups are really gnarly and articulate, but I might break."

Needless to say, my once very workable Roland JC setting now sounds like a Rectifier, and I need to reprogram.

These pickups are awesome and it makes me want to throw a set of Duncan Invaders in my other Ibanez just to A/B.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

FYI, before I turned on my noisegate, I'm pretty sure I heard my neighbor's baby crying through my amp.

It might be the rails. Who knows.

 

[Maynardo]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

I think that's a Hybrid of d-activator and x2n . How is the string separation compared to other pups you have?

 

[metalmachine]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

Maybe the pickups is what made the baby cry

 

[Ironbird666]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

This is kind of a stupid and obvious question, but since I own an X2N (another hot Dimarzio) I have to ask. Did you try lowering them considerably? My X2N is lowered quite a bit and it's still very high output, but it's not a TON more than my other pickups, not in the way you're describing. The D-Activator X shouldn't be that much different than the X2N in output, and they shouldn't be that much crazier than the Blackouts unless you have them way too close to the strings (same thing happened when I installed the X2N so I'm speaking from experience, lowering it solved the problem and it's still heavy as hell).

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

I've still never tried one of these, but when describing what I was going for Steve recommended it. I'm still curious, can you do more of a review when you get your patches straightened out?

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

I haven't owned a X2N or a regular D Activator so I can't comment on either of those. I wasn't a huge fan of the EQ of the original D Activators as they seemed to be trying too hard to copy EMGs (which to my ear are super sterile and have no grunt whatsoever). The Blackout bridge I had was a HUGE step up from the EMG 81 it replaced but still very upper-mids oriented.

I was really going for a Super Distortion kind of tight bottom end but as it was a thick sounding guitar to begin with, I didn't want TOO much bass.

I was overexaggerating about the brutality a bit. The X is extremely high output. I have the pickups at normal height and volume-wise they aren't super loud, but they decimate your gain stage. String separation is very very good and articulate. It sounds like you're playing extra dense strings.

Comparatively, I have never owned any pickups like these. They do as they're advertised, to kind of give that High Def sound to your guitar.

I'll post clips through my Marshall AFD100 when I get some free time. Otherwise, I'm busy reprogramming all of the banks in my Valvetronix.

 

[Ironbird666]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

Cool deal. The X2N is just about the same mV as the D-Act X (a touch hotter I believe) so I was using it as a reference. My X2N is LOWER than all of my other pickups because it's just so damn monstrous sounding and beefy, I love it for what it does. I'd like to check the X out since it seems to be voiced more "modern" than the X2N so I think I'd prefer it more overall.

The hotter Dimarzio's will typically slam the preamp pretty hard. The Super3 I used to have hit the preamp pretty hard, so do the D-activators I have. The good thing is they are holding up to the claims of great articulation which isn't helping my pickup GAS. :lmao:

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

Did you try lowering them considerably?

This.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

I'm not complaining that they are really powerful.

I'm just letting everyone know they are beast. They are already pretty low.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

wiring them in parallel will reduce the output by 30 percent.

But then my power level wouldn't be OVER 9000!!!

 

[Ironbird666]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

But then my power level wouldn't be OVER 9000!!!

I spit coffee into my hands, thanks. :lmao:

This makes me want to replace the X2N in my SG with a D-Activator X, not because it sounds bad, just because. Internet post inducing unneeded pickup lust FTW. It sounds pretty cool on paper. How do they sound when play distorted chords? I know you mentioned they had great string separation and I'm curious if they are like the rest of the modern Dimarzio line (great for high gain chords, works well for my style of playing).

 

[dvadneau]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

As Ironbird666 mentioned, the X2N is typically set lower away from the strings because of the increased magnetic pull. I bought one used, but it still had the papers in the box, and there was actually a warning paper that said you should set the X2N at 1/4" away from the strings. No joke. When you do that, you really get the character of the pup, instead of just insane gain. Not saying insane gain is bad, but in case you wanted to try it.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: DiMarzio D Activator X too powerful

Man, I LOVE the D-Activator X neck. Probably my favorite neck pup for the style I play. You can hear it a lot in the videos in my sig.