Opinions Please On DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 & Virtual Hot PAF DP214 For An LP

[5er driver]

Hi Dudes & Dudettes,

 

It's time to replace the stock pups in my Epi LP Custom for tonal reasons. I need open coils with creme colored bobbins for the cosmetics. For the tone I'm thinking about the DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 for the bridge and the Virtual Hot PAF DP214 for the neck. However, the DP100 doesn't have adjustable pole pieces. Looks like they have rivets instead of screws which are cheap looking and non-functional. I don't think I would actually need to adjust the pole pieces but I want matching (cosmetically) pups. Are you aware of any other pup manufacturers who produce creme colored open coils with the tonal characteristics of the DP100 & DP214 and in the same price range? I checked Seymour Duncan and some others but they don't have creme bobbins as an option, only white, zebra, & black. I know I can have any pup custom made to my specs but I don't need to convert this LP into a $1,000,000 guitar. It's just a jam/have fun guitar.

 

Thanks.

[smokestack]

It might be a good idea to contact one or two makers by e-mail and ask them if they will supply "double creams" to order. Sounds kind of stupid but at one time DiMarzio actually managed to take out some kind of patent on double cream pickups and other makers stopped officially marketing them.

This was years ago..and probably long consigned to history.

I know that Bare Knuckle will suply double creams...but they're in the UK and not cheap to start with.

[JamesPaul]

I cannot speak for the VHPAF but I have got a Super Distortion in an Explorer type body bridge slot. It was in the guitar when I bought it used and since sting to string levels sounded fine as is, I was not aware the pole pieces are not adjustable. I just thought they were hex head poles and would require a hex wrench to adjust if needed.

 

As for your cosmetics statement, I believe Dimarzio's Patent only specifies double creme open coil production pickups. If you were to find the tone/sound you desire an a Seymour Duncan pickup, there are a couple of ways to work around it.

 

You can order a covered Shop Floor Custom pickup from a Duncan dealer and specify double creme bobbins. When you get the pickup, you remove the cover, buff the potting wax off and you have an open coil double creme pickup. I think taking the covers off your pickups is an old Jeff Beck trick so Dimarzio really could not include this in their patent. SD Shop Floor Customs are a minimal cost over normal production SD pickups however you may have to wait until SD has a production run of your desired pickup scheduled to get one. It is the SD Custom Shop pickups that are the more expensive pickups however the turnaround for CS is about 6 weeks. If you consider the SFC route, there are some online SD dealers that ship international - http://www.martinsixstringcustoms.com - comes to mind.

 

There are also some very talented pickup winders and repairers available on the Seymour Duncan forum. A few of them take one SD Zebra & one SD Reverse Zebra pickup, split the coils apart and re-assemble them as a double creme and double black set.

 

I own a set of each of these work arounds although only the former is installed. Check the link below to a pic of my '96 Classic for the cosmetics.

 

I have approximately what an Epi LP Custom streets for today, invested in this guitar.

 

Click here to see my '96 Classic

 

edit: switched the image to a link.

[JamesPaul]

It might be a good idea to contact one or two makers by e-mail and ask them if they will supply "double creams" to order. Sounds kind of stupid but at one time DiMarzio actually managed to take out some kind of patent on double cream pickups and other makers stopped officially marketing them.

This was years ago..and probably long consigned to history.

I know that Bare Knuckle will suply double creams...but they're in the UK and not cheap to start with.

 

You beat me by a minute!

[5er driver]

Thanks Guys, upon closer inspection of some detailed pics I see that there are allen screw adjustable pole pieces in the DiMarzio DP100. I just ordered one for the bridge and a DiMarzio DP190 Air Classic Neck, both creme. They should arrive tomorrow but I won't have time to put 'em in for a while. It's going to be a real project for me as I'm replacing all the electronics on the git. Wires, pots, switch, & pups.

 

 

Thanks again.

[smokestack]

That's it. James refreshed my memory. Thank you ;^)

And if that memory serves...you can actually order the SD pickups with covers very lightly tacked on and with no additional wax. [they're not potted again after fitting the covers]