DiMarzio DP123 Model J

Another favorite of mine. Not as much output as the Model P, but they are still pretty hot. As with the Model P, the adjustable pole pieces make setting each strings output a breeze. I got my first set back in 1983, and I have used them a lot over the years since.

I'm curious about the brand new Area J pickups. Apparently, they're supposed to sound like more traditional Jazz pickups, but in a hum-canceling, modern style DiMarzio shape.

Is Area the brand name, Martin?

No--it's a new model by DiMarzio. Check DiMarzio's website. I think the naming comes after the Area 51 humbuckers and have been created in a similar vane. I heard a bunch of talk about it on TB, so I checked it out. They just added them to their website a couple days ago.

Yup, brand spagley new, I'm betting they're awesome though, I might have to swap the Duncan Designed's in my Squier fretless for them.....

I might try one in My Charvel...

I just looked, and they only list the specs, but no pictures. Interesting!

As I said--brand new! I haven't heard anything official about it yet, just TalkBass conversation/speculation. I don't think they're even officially released yet. Maybe they were revealed at the last Muzikmesse?

Chowderboots wrote:

No--it's a new model by DiMarzio. Check DiMarzio's website. I think the naming comes after the Area 51 humbuckers and have been created in a similar vane. I heard a bunch of talk about it on TB, so I checked it out. They just added them to their website a couple days ago.

This. It's a Dimarzio naming convention. Any "Area" pickup means that it is a hum canceling version of a vintage single coil.

Anyway, I have one of these in my Kramer. I think I had it solo'd for most of the time when I was recording those sound clips. Great pickups. If you dig in on the lower strings, you get this awesome growly crunch. They have a bit more bass than a traditional J pickup, which is good in my case, because between the aluminum neck, the walnut and maple body, and the placement of it about a cm away from the bridge, a normal J pickup would be insanely bright. Too bright, probably, even by my standards. And it's almost dead silent, unless you're near a computer, electrical outlet, etc, and then there's only a little hum.

Kugelspot wrote:

This. It's a Dimarzio naming convention. Any "Area" pickup means that it is a hum canceling version of a vintage single coil.

I suppose it is!

So is that an actual term instead of a brand name? Meaning that we can safely assume that any pickup refereed to as an "area" is a hum canceling version of a single coil, regardless of who makes it? Or is this only a term DiMarzio uses?

Kugelspot wrote:

This. It's a Dimarzio naming convention. Any "Area" pickup means that it is a hum canceling version of a vintage single coil.

Anyway, I have one of these in my Kramer. I think I had it solo'd for most of the time when I was recording those sound clips. Great pickups. If you dig in on the lower strings, you get this awesome growly crunch. They have a bit more bass than a traditional J pickup, which is good in my case, because between the aluminum neck, the walnut and maple body, and the placement of it about a cm away from the bridge, a normal J pickup would be insanely bright. Too bright, probably, even by my standards. And it's almost dead silent, unless you're near a computer, electrical outlet, etc, and then there's only a little hum.

I didn't know that...makes sense. I'm pretty sure that the pickup in your Kramer would be a DP123, man...I could be mistaken (again, I haven't read any official statements about them), but the Area J pickups were first released a couple weeks ago at most and aren't really available yet.

Here's the thread I saw on TalkBass (so pretty much everything I know is hearsay):

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=532778

EricHaven wrote:

Kugelspot wrote:

This. It's a Dimarzio naming convention. Any "Area" pickup means that it is a hum canceling version of a vintage single coil.

I suppose it is!

So is that an actual term instead of a brand name? Meaning that we can safely assume that any pickup refereed to as an "area" is a hum canceling version of a single coil, regardless of who makes it? Or is this only a term DiMarzio uses?

Just DiMarzio use the "Area" term, as a vintage but hum canceling pickup.

Right-o!



Mmh speaking of which, Malt-o-Meal Honey Nut Scooters are much better than their Cheerio counterparts. They are fantastic.

Chowderboots wrote:

Mmh speaking of which, Malt-o-Meal Honey Nut Scooters are much better than their Cheerio counterparts. They are fantastic.

Which clearly has a lot in common with DiMarzio bass pickups!