DiMarzio DP117 HS-3

For a long time this is the pickup you went to if you were looking for a Yngwie sound. This is the Dimarzio stacked single coil formerly used by Yngwie malmsteen. Since it is stacked single coil that means it is noiseless since it is technically a humbucker. This is not a modern sounding pickup by any means. This pickup has a very low output. Yngwie has a unique sound and part of that sound is boosting the amp so if you are running these pickups in a guitar straight into an amp you are going to get a pretty dull sound. These pickups have very low output so there isnt much spank or single coil shimmer to the sound. They are very smooth as well which to me does not combine well with the low output single coil sound. The clean tones are pretty dull. In the single pickup positions on the strat the clean tones were very thin. The in between positions thickened the tone up a bit but it was still pretty dull. With a high gain tone the top end seems a bit muted. Kind of reminds me of a nylon string guitar but I might be crazy. Since the signal coming from the pickup is so low you really have to crank your amp and pick very hard to get an aggressive sound. Nowadays every strat comes with Texas hot or some kind of hotrodded pickup in it. These pickups are like cold rodded. It is a very old school way of getting a dirty sound having to crank your amp instead of using hotter pickups.. If you are looking to imitate the Yngwie sound you cant go wrong with this pickup or the Seymour Duncan version. They pretty much sound the same. You will have to ask yourself if you really want that tone because it is a hard tone to handle in my opinion.

The DiMarzio HS-3 was basically designed to give a punchy yet pure single coil esque sound in a "stacked" configuration, which made it noiseless like a humbucker. The pickups were developed in the early eighties and a young hotshot guitarist named Yngwie J. Malmsteen picked up on them and, as they say, the rest is history!

Being a longtime fan of Yngwie's, I decided around December of 2007 to build a project Strat in homage to him. I knew that I wanted to use DiMarzio pickups, so when a deal came up locally for a loaded Strat pickguard with two DiMarzio HS-3 pickups (the same configuration that Yngwie used up until the development of his YJM signature pickup from DiMarzio), I jumped on it. I spent the next few months sourcing and building the guitar. Sadly, it didn't turn out very well. However, the one aspect that blew me away was the tone. The DiMarzio HS-3 pickups were exactly what I was looking for in a punchy pickup... perfect for the neoclassical shred I was aspiring to play at the time.

I had two of them installed, one at the neck position and one at the bridge, with a dummy coil in the center. Of the two, I definitely preferred the bridge pickup. It was very responsive to pick attack and dynamics, and though it didn't have a whole lot of output, it took to high gain settings quite well and produced a thick yet biting rhythm and solo tone that cut through very well in the shred project I was playing in at the time. The neck pickup had the same sort of thick yet biting characteristic to it. At first I really liked this, but once I got a chance to try the YJM, my opinion did change and I realized why the Maestro had switched to this combination. I find that the HS-3 in the neck position is almost a little bit TOO trebley and harsh. It can be tamed but it's worth noting that the YJM in the neck provides a much better contrast to the HS-3, at least in my opinion.

All in all I feel that this is a killer pickup that does the neoclassical vibe quite well. Because of its lower output nature, it does work great for classic rock and blues too. Definitely worth looking into if you want a killer sounding noiseless Strat pickup that will cut through the mix, or even if you're just a fan of Yngwie's early tone and want a piece of the fury.

The HS-3 was a creation by DiMarzio when they were helping create a signature pickup for Yngwie Malmsteen’s strats. Yngwie wanted a hum-canceling single coil pickup, and DiMarzio achieved that by stacking the coils on top of each other. Outside, it appears to be a normal single coil. Under the hood, however, it’s fairly different from most other single coils out there.

The DiMarzio HS-3 is a very low output pickup that is hum-canceling. It’s somewhat smooth, quiet and mostly “even” sounding. It features four conductor wiring to split it, but I can’t really recommend it. If you split it, it sounds pretty thin. On its own, it’s really lacking in most everything, despite that DiMarzio says.

The pickup got its notoriety thanks to Yngwie and his clones. The pickup does sound similar to Yngwie’s signature tone, but it doesn’t sound like a single coil. It’s almost like some sort of quasi-hybrid pickup that was created. The aggression and overtones of single coils are lost, and the power of humbuckers is also gone. The cleans on this are fairly dismal, which is surprising considering how low output this pickup actually is. The high gain tones sound somewhat open, and the notes are fairly clear. However, I didn’t feel it brought much to the table in terms of overall tone.

If you’re looking for a single coil pickup for metal, I recommend checking out the DiMarzio Virtual Solo or something like that. It has way more character than this pickup, and it actually sounds like a single coil. If you’re looking for a humbucker in a single coil size, check out the Chopper or other single coil sized humbuckers that DiMarzio offers. This is one of the few pickups that DiMarzio offers that I’m just not a fan of, despite being a huge fan of Yngwie.

Using this pickup for 2 years now. I dislike this for cleans.. as it is quite sterile and lacking in personality. It is not bad, per se... it can certainly be clean, but has no quack or other desirable single coil characteristics in clean or distorted mode for that matter.. this pickup seemed to be designed for one thing... to have gain heaped upon it and not get muddy.. even with the signal loaded, trebles up basses up. this can handle extreme amounts of gain. Retains clarity.. and begins to sing as you increase your gain. Very odd philosophy behind this. You totally use your amps gain.. this is very low output. The opposite idea behind say, an EMG 81. The signal hitting the amp is weak.. but this lets you dime your rig without your sound turning to mush. You would need to lower your gain on your amp if using hot pickups as opposed to being able to crank it. I have used lots of pickups.. this has changed my overall approach to my sound. I like using other devices to achieve my gain now.. and use pickups like this and the EJ Custom. Add all the distortion I want and no slop. Just a detailed warm sound with lots of heat. I can get metal sounds... but with character. Becomes more fluid/flutey as you add more gain.
I think this is an insane value for the price. If you can't get a great heavy sound out of this.. get rid of your amp. Or maybe get a guitar that is not made of concrete. Get a wooden one.
I will always have a guitar with this pickup in it. I give it a "9" because I need it for my tone. It allows me to achieve heavy heavy sounds.. but not at the expense of detail.