DiMarzio DP181 Fast Track 1

The DiMarzio Fast Track 1 was the first revision of the Cruiser to come along. The Cruiser was always known for having a powerful single coil or P90 vibe but without the hum. This is more like a hotrodded version of that original Cruiser. It features blade rails like many other DIMarzio single coil humbuckers, four conductor wiring and a ceramic magnet.

When DiMarzio went to tweak the Cruiser, they came up with this pickup. It’s hotter, but it still maintains the character of the Cruiser is that it’s very clean and bright sounding. Compared to the Cruiser, it has a touch less treble and a touch more bass + mids, but the main difference is the output. The output is kicked up a good bit compared to the old Cruiser. Split sounds are fairly bright, and I haven’t tried it in parallel, so I can’t comment on that.

The pickup works well in any position, but I recommend watching out what woods you pair this thing with. Because of the abundance of treble, it can sound bright in woods such as maple, alder, walnut and the such. The ceramic magnet also adds a tighter sound, but they tend to sound a little less alive than the Alnico counterparts. If you run it in the bridge, try using a lower output neck pickup so you’re not overpowering the bridge. Despite its output increase, this is still a very medium output pickup.

If you found yourself wanting a more powerful Cruiser with a touch more bass and mids, this is worth checking out. Both of those pickups tend to have this kinda Humbucker From Hell vibe going on, but the treble isn’t nearly as extreme as the original pickup. Just be careful what woods you put this in. Mahogany and basswood will probably be best, but alder could work nicely if it’s a more neutral piece.