All user reviews for the DiMarzio DP161 Steve's Special

One of my biggest influences in guitar playing was seeing John Petrucci play. I remember thinking that he was so unique in his playing style, and this was quite a surprise because I was still more into the older hard rock kind of music given my age. He just blew me away with his chops and his tone. I started researching the gear he used, and at one point, he started using this pickup. I believe it was around the Awake period when he started using this, but my memory is a bit hazy these days. The pickup itself actually takes the exact opposite approach to most conventional logic. Instead of boosting midrange like so many other pickups do, this pickup takes away midrange. For those who know anything about guitar, you’ll know that midrange is the main frequency that is needed to be heard. That means that you need a guitar and an amp with lots of midrange. It just so happens that John Petrucci was running a basswood body, and basswood has a ton of midrange. John was also running a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+, and those amps have so much midrange that you have to scoop it out through the onboard EQ that they have. That is the secret to his old tone, and that is what makes this pickup work. For those of you who have even sounding, bass heavy or even bright guitars, this probably won’t work out for you. However, once you throw this into a basswood Ibanez and put that through a Mesa/Boogie Mark amplifier, you got that instant Petrucci tone that’s smooth sounding and very dynamic. The pickup responds nicely to your volume knob, so you can get some really chiming clean tones, hard rock and even metal tones out of this thing. Petrucci actually uses a three way switch with this, and the middle position has this and the neck humbucker split. Give it a try for three very distinct tones.

I have this microphone for a few months (to replace the neck pickup on my Ibanez QM1 s540FM).
I was looking for a neck pickup powerful and highly accurate. On these two points is the best!

I let you see the features on the site of DiMarzio. You will certainly be surprised by seeing the output level (390 mV for the lazy) is more powerful than a tone zone!

I use it mostly for clean sounds that are beautiful, be it slow or arpeggios for phrass faster! (Combined with a single coil, electro c better than one) and some solo passages or solos (part bluesy or faster).

In short it really is a super micro, powerful, precise, very typical Sir designed for Petrucci (Dream Theater)!
Still, it's not nothing

I play mainly heavy thrash like sepultura, testament, megadeth .... . This microphone is ideal for a quiet little game to play solos or more expressive.

I was tempted by the SH1 or SH2N Seymour but they were less accurate and less powerful nettemant I remake that choice again!

One word of warning: you have a pickup kind powerful enough X2N or SH13 (the one I have!) For an equivalent volume output of your 2 or 3 mics ...

Regarding the price, as usual with DiMarzio is a bit expensive (~ 140) but crying a little you should have a 120
In any case I think it's well worth!

If you think finding a neck pickup with the characteristics prcits, try the DP161, you tell me the news

The Steve's Special is a micro size for the distortion, including solos and sounds are creuss and clean. However for large heavy rhythmic although it lacks a little something in spite of a large output level (390 mV) because the mediums are not sufficiently supported and the sound is immediately more prcis but drier and less extensive as a super distortion or tone zone for example.
Its clear sound has little unless we intrt splits. In this regard, it is worth noting that the microphone is NOT symtrique, and the reels have impdences Properties and trs diffrent, it's good to know when splits the microwave, because according to the coil used, the sound will be DIFFERENT.
In short, a micro magnet recommended for solo sounds well saturated but relatively clean.

Guitar pickup humbucker home di Marzio, cramique studs, spacing floyd (regarding the one I). Output level 390mV, acute Middes 4.5 and 6.5 low 7.5. The particularity of this microphone is pronounced in the low mdiums, which is to give a t trs his own notament in distortion, it to improve the clarity of the rhythms and solos. Vai is that this report gives low trs own. The sound is warm but not in the spirit of micro size for the big rock style tone zone, plutt in the sense that the absence of high mdium not only harassed the ears. The output level sufficient lev keeps in mind mtal (t dvelopp it to Sir John Petrucci who frankly does not play the bagpipes). I use this mic for over a year. I installed to replace a tone zone (I got way too serious). My guitar is an ibanez rg prestige 2820. The special steve is a good mic for the trs metal. Trs is clean and warm prcis. But the advantages of this micro became his inconvnients for me: it is so clean that it lacks body nervosa. (For the distortion) The impression he gives is to play a clean sound even when playing on a hi gain channel. This impression is especially true depending on the sound of the amp and guitar. Clearly, however, this is good: the ultimate lens type stereo, almost perfect (the splitter as a condition of almost all the humbucker). I test normment of DiMarzio pickups. It is very well for mtal, but I think its default key is to fail to body and aggressiveness. The report qualitprix? ben o adpend achte it. Some sell the 120 is too much, others sell 80 ... you need to know to look! -) With the exprience ... I would do exactly that choice because it is good trs. It is empty it must be judged according to its hardware, the reasons that I can be me change my own.

Added 25/08/05: APRS prcise comparison with other DiMarzio on the same guitar, I s'avre prfrre steve special. So no change prvu

- How long have you use it?
ca will soon be a year and a half on my beautiful Ibanez JPM P3 ....

What is the particular feature you like best and least?
most: the micro well dug in the middle I like me much spare bcp ca notes and attacks to sound very very vesratile, it gives a much broader Polyval that some of these confrre as paf such pro ....
minimum: wha-wha he whistles open grave because of its level out but with a little technique we control and can make a nice controllable feedback

You've tried many other models before acqurir?
J had evo, tone zone, paf pro, emg, QM2 ..... and frankly it is in my prefried for its transparancy

- How do you report qualitprix?
by searching the net although it can be had for a crumb of bread (this was my case has always blows ^ ^)

Exprience with, you will do again this choice? ...
if I had enough gold coins and I will ride well all my guitars with this dp 161 with different tunings because its color and texture in my dsl 401 makes me really happy to make the most of my technical level in a game of compromise between the rhythmic EASILY heavy heavy net speed and the solos and sharp.

The 9 because I have not yet tested with other tunings, and I do not know his record ^ ^

-How long have you use it?
For 6 months.
-What is so special that you like most and least?
I like its high output, accuracy, its low, its clarity.
What I like least is a relative lack of character, smoother and less rock than Seymour.
-Have you tried many other models before buying it?
Some of the Tone Zone, Fred, recently the Seymour Duncan SH5 is good but has less output level, less bass and less accurately than the Steve's Special.
The SH5 was unbalanced with Paf pro in my neck while there, the sound balance Paf pro / Steve's Special is perfect.
-How do you price / quality ratio?
Excellent.
-With experience, you do again this choice? ...
Why not, I much prefer the D Sonic, the Steve's special is very nice solo, it's rhythm is missing trunk on an Engl amp 6L6 it lacks in medium but I would like to hear about an EL34 amp and there it should.
You can hear it on my com "Solene".

- How long have you use it?
Since 2006.

- What is so special that you like most and least?
To know that I had mounted an Ibanez S520 (supposed to be mid-range) and in the bridge position.
Assets:
-The sound is always clean, even at a gain level not possible, not leave the boil.
-The equation to the proper type in the larger rhythms and solos without one being eaten by the other.
A micro-balance with a good clean and rich in harmonics (it does not go in all directions unless you want).
-The output level that is neither too much nor too little, you can go in quieter styles without spot, and when we need the power, it was.
-The clean, totally unrealistic for a humbucker (and I speak not of the mode split)

Cons:
-The only negative: it does not. Well it may seem strange but as some have pointed out and as I tried to explain my opinion on the PAF Pro, it is so good and at ease throughout the game with him and turns quickly fade unsurprisingly, a bit boring after a while. After maybe if I had reinstalled on a guitar with a violin I better enjoy myself more, but at least now I have to admit myself really fun the first week.

- Have you tried many other models before buying it?
I have a guitar with a PAF Pro in bridge, I tried to scratch in Seymour in EMG, the Evos ... I do not know what else.

- How would you rate the quality / price?
I think if you are 100% sure of his shot, it's a good plan, otherwise it can hurt the wallet ...

- With experience, you do again this choice? ...
I think if I get the chance, I would do well with this one little micro scratches, but it is not really a priority, the sound did not seem "irreplaceable" by another micro .. .

I note the 9 / 10, much the same reasons that my PAF Pro, not really a criticism, but no real surprises either, and not a character incredibly unique and impressive ...

Mounted on my Ibanez rg 550 20th anniversary mmx, instead of the bridge pickup, 1 month ago
What is so special that you like most and least?
sounds clear, highly crystalline, while it is an exceptional mic level output distos sounds very balanced, modern and not at all showy
- Have you tried many other models before buying it?
Ibanez V2 it replaces, Seymour Duncan Invader, Ibanez h2 axis (right), Bill Lauwrence L500 (very good), but not all of them sound as good in his clear, at least not splitted.

How would you rate the quality / price?
bought 93 eur, ok

With experience, you do again this choice? ..
Certainly, even if the microphones are inconvenient parts to choose from, so hopefully, the preliminary test is almost impossible, and the choice bloated.

The DiMarzio Steve’s Special is a pickup that Steve Blucher wound as an experiment more than anything else. It happened to turn out to be quite an awesome pickup. Most pickups out there boost the midrange to really drive the amplifier, but this pickup is actually scooped. Normally, that would make for a bad combination, but it seems to work quite well in this pickup. It features allen head bolts on both coils for ultimate adjustability, four conductor wiring and a ceramic magnet to help keep everything nice and tight. This pickup got most of its fame thanks to John Petrucci using it for a very long time throughout his career.

The Steve’s Special’s specs aren’t normally the kind of thing you’d look for in a pickup. A guitar is a midrange instrument, so when you have a scooped frequency, you tend to get lost in the band mix. However, the frequency band of this is spread out pretty wide. It uses a dual-resonance design to help spread everything out. With the relaxed midrange, this actually aids in clarity. When mids are boosted too much, it tends to make everything a bit less clear due to the signal being pushed so hard. By pulling back on the mids a little bit, you can hear the detail a bit better.

This isn’t a neck pickup, and I can’t see a situation where you’d run it in the neck. It’s solely meant for the bridge. When split, it sounds like a really nice single coil, and parallel sounds pretty awesome too. I find this works best in basswood. Basswood actually has a good bit of midrange and some slightly relaxed treble, so the extended bass and treble of this pickup tends to be almost perfect. Using a basswood guitar with this pickup and running it through a Mesa/Boogie is the secret to that Dream Theater tone.