DiMarzio

collapse expand iconDescription

Although Eric Johnson is best known as a Strat player, he has always played humbucker-equipped guitars as well. After getting a new 1959 Les Paul reissue, Eric asked DiMarzio if it could be made to sound like an old Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar, and DiMarzio said, "No problem!" The guitar pickups they designed are exact replacements for standard, full size humbuckers. They are bright with great presence without sounding thin. When Eric tried them, he said they were almost as clear-sounding as Strat pickups, and he was surprised at how well they sounded with heavy distortion, because no matter how overdriven the sound, it did not become muddy. The EJ Custom is available with exposed coils in all standard DiMarzio colors and plated or unplated nickel covers at additional cost. Recommended for all positions, in solid, semi-solid and hollowbody electric guitars.

Tech Talk: If you look at the DC resistance specs for these guitar pickups, you will see they're very similar to PAF-style models. However, their performance is very different in 2 important areas. They have less power and much more treble response than "vintage" humbuckers. In fact, treble response is comparable to that of typical single-coils, but since bass response is still very solid, the EJ Custom isn't thin-sounding. It's outstanding for chords and fingerpicking, and has exceptional definition for soloing, even with extreme amounts of distortion.
DiMarzio DP211/DP212 EJ Custom Pickup F-Spaced Black Neck
DiMarzio DP211/DP212 EJ Custom Pickup F-Spaced Black Neck

collapse expand iconSpecs

  • Wiring: 4-conductor
  • Magnet: Alnico 5
  • Output: 178
  • DC resistance: 7.01
  • Year of introduction: 2004