DiMarzio

collapse expand iconDescription

The DiMarzio DP153 FRED Pickup is for neck and bridge positions -- suitable for solid, semi, and hollowbody guitars. DiMarzio FRED humbuckers are like the PAF Pro with more gain, mid EQ, and overtones. The DiMarzio FRED gives you a wide, fat tone with more crank and growl. Also very responsive to picking so you can pick harder to shift from crunch to overdrive. Great for combined lead/rhythm players. In power trios, the FRED pickup helps fill the mix. For straight-in recording, the DiMarzio FRED lets you make the changes from your guitar.

FRED is built to bump the mid-range of the PAF Pro EQ up a notch, but in the process, something unusual happened. Harmonics that humbuckers usually don't reproduce started popping out, particularly with overdriven amps and distortion units. FRED has about the same power as the PAF Pro, but the unusual overtones create a sound with more crank and growl. Joe Satriani was the first player to discover and exploit these qualities, and it's been his main bridge pickup ever since. FRED is really sensitive to changes in pick attack and control settings, and its distinctive tone makes a great recorded sound for both penetrating solos and tight rhythm tracks.

The Fred started out as a prototype designed to add a little midrange to the PAF Pro. When we sent one of the first ones to Joe Satriani, he discovered and exploited a unique tonal characteristic - the Fred's ability to emphasize upper midrange and treble harmonics through an overdriven and distorted amp. Many standard humbuckers have a tendency to fatten up with distortion. The Fred does the opposite; it gets tighter and brighter, much like a single-coil. Joe uses the Fred strictly as a bridge pickup, but it's also a distinctive neck pickup - works really well with a Norton, Tone Zone or Evolution bridge model.
DiMarzio DP153 Fred Humbucker Pickup Pink F-Spaced
DiMarzio DP153 Fred Humbucker Pickup Pink F-Spaced
DiMarzio DP153 Fred Humbucker Pickup Pink F-Spaced

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • Works well in both bridge and neck positions
  • Recommended for solid, semi, and hollowbody guitars
  • Wide, fat tone
  • Able to emphasize upper midrange and treble harmonics through an overdriven and distorted amp
  • Gets tighter and brighter with more distortion
  • Warms when guitar volume is rolled back but keeps its bite
  • Sweet, round vintage tone with guitar tone rolled back
  • Standard 4-conductor wiring
  • Alnico V magnets
  • Output 305mV
  • !0.07K DC resistance

collapse expand iconSpecs

  • Wiring: 4-conductor
  • Magnet: Alnico 5
  • Output: 305
  • DC resistance: 10.07
  • Year of introduction: 1989