DiMarzio has set out on a quest to make electric guitar players fall in love with Telecaster neck pickups by releasing a new set that looks to remedy a glaring issue that plagues most traditional units.
Hearing the cries of Tele players who hate the guitar’s traditional pickups owing to the perceived muddy and dull tones that lack clarity, DiMarzio has launched the Muscle T set, which “adds more of the glassy sparkle that Tele neck pickups always lacked” in a bid to save the day.
Hand-wound and tested at its New York facility, the Muscle T neck is joined by an accompanying bridge pickup. Utilizing a traditional magnet stagger, it takes inspiration from the firm’s favorite '60s Tele pickups but kicks “the output up a notch”.
The set also packs more sustain and has a warmer top end “to eliminate harshness.” Vintage-inspired but bestowed with a modern touch, the Muscle T offers “balanced lows, mid-range snarl and a clear top,” but doesn’t lose the positive aspects of those '60s pups.
That includes “dynamic response” in abundance, and it’s been “carefully calibrated with more volume and presence to keep up with the needs of modern players.” Finally, there’s the promise of a greater string-to-string balance.
The DiMarzio Muscle T pickups cost $89 apiece. The bridge is available in a traditional dress only – black with chrome pole pieces – while the neck comes in Chrome, Black, and Gold covers, and an unplated version.
It’s been joined by another new release, the Super PAF Ceramic, which puts a high-octane spin on the OG DiMarzio PAF ceramic humbucker design.
“The Super Distortion started a sound revolution,” DiMarzio says, with no room for humility. “Replacement pickups simply didn’t exist before the invention of the Super Distortion; it was the first pickup specifically designed to kick a tube amp into total overdrive and is still the standard by which all other high-output pickups are measured.”
Ace Frehley, Al Di Meola, and Phil Collen were early adopters of the pickups as hard rock roared to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, proving to be the secret weapon of countless players.
With increased power equating to “a wall of sound,” its invention redefined what pickups could do, and it's unlikely the likes of other tonal pros, including Seymour Duncan and Bareknuckle, could have existed without it.
The DiMarzio Super PAF Ceramic bridge pickup is available now for $106, and there’s a wealth of customization options, from vintage stylings to technicolour madness.
Head to DiMarzio for more.
