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Published on 04/09/11 at 14:03The DiMarzio Area ‘58 is a new evolution of the Virtual Vintage series. It’s a single coil pickup that features an Alnico 2 magnet, staggered pole pieces and four conductor wiring.
The Area ’58 is a noiseless single coil that’s meant to replicate the very old school single coil tones of yesteryear. It does this by utilizing DiMarzio’s Virtual Vintage technology to keep everything quiet but also allowing it to sound fairly natural.
This pickup is very bright, but it’s not terribly harsh. The low end and midrange are pushed back a bit in favor for the treble to come through more. This makes it sound more like a natural single coil as the Virtual Vintage technology that DiMarzio uses can sometimes mask the natural highs of a true single coil. The low end has that extremely vowely old school tone that everyone knows and loves with single coils. The treble in this pickup helps it really scream and give you an “in your face” attitude but without being over the top like so many other single coils can get.
The pickup is not a hot pickup. In fact, it’s a fairly low output pickup, so keep that in mind when choosing its position. It can work in any position, but I find it works best in the neck. Putting it in the neck will yield crystal clear tones that the old Fenders produced back in the ‘50s. The pickup seems as if it was modeled around alder bodies with maple necks, but it should be able to work in nearly any wood that isn’t too terribly dense. I wouldn’t run this in maple, personally.
If you’re looking for a vintage sounding single coil pickup that is quiet but still sounds natural, I highly recommend checking out the Area ’58. This pickup pairs nicely with the other Area series to help create the ultimate sounding Strat.
The Area ’58 is a noiseless single coil that’s meant to replicate the very old school single coil tones of yesteryear. It does this by utilizing DiMarzio’s Virtual Vintage technology to keep everything quiet but also allowing it to sound fairly natural.
This pickup is very bright, but it’s not terribly harsh. The low end and midrange are pushed back a bit in favor for the treble to come through more. This makes it sound more like a natural single coil as the Virtual Vintage technology that DiMarzio uses can sometimes mask the natural highs of a true single coil. The low end has that extremely vowely old school tone that everyone knows and loves with single coils. The treble in this pickup helps it really scream and give you an “in your face” attitude but without being over the top like so many other single coils can get.
The pickup is not a hot pickup. In fact, it’s a fairly low output pickup, so keep that in mind when choosing its position. It can work in any position, but I find it works best in the neck. Putting it in the neck will yield crystal clear tones that the old Fenders produced back in the ‘50s. The pickup seems as if it was modeled around alder bodies with maple necks, but it should be able to work in nearly any wood that isn’t too terribly dense. I wouldn’t run this in maple, personally.
If you’re looking for a vintage sounding single coil pickup that is quiet but still sounds natural, I highly recommend checking out the Area ’58. This pickup pairs nicely with the other Area series to help create the ultimate sounding Strat.