Post by Erik Rupp on Aug 15, 2013 15:56:26 GMT -5
Steve Vai's first collaboration with DiMarzio, the DP159, "Evolution," humbucker, was a hot, bright pickup that produced a tone that really cut through and stood out.
But for most guitars the Evolution's tone lacks a good bottom end. I had an Evolution loaded into an Ibanez AR305, and while the tone did cut through, it lacked the fat sound that a Les Paul type guitar should have. The Evolution has a fairly articulate sound (each string comes through pretty clearly - more than with many pickups), but it was a little bright and thin for that type of guitar.
Vai recogized this and had DiMarzio come up with a new pickup that he could load into his Ibanez guitars to get a fatter, more Les Paul type sound. The result was the DP166 Breed pickup.
So did they achieve their goal?
Yes.
The Breed is a great pickup if you're looking for a fat sound. Interestingly, it has a little lower output than the hotter Evolution pickup, but it doesn't sound any less powerful. The tone is big, fat, and clear. It has a certain crispness to the sound, but doesn't get harsh on the high end. And the low end doesn't made the sound mushy, either. It's a punchy low end.
When playing the guitar clean, the Breed sounds fairly warm and has a nice tone. It is a pickup with a wide range of stylistic uses. From Classic Rock to Country to Metal, the DP166 works well with all of them.
It also comes in several colors and cover options. I went with the gold cover (which looks like the chrome cover above, only gold, of course). It is one sweet looking pickup.
But, it is the sound that really counts, and in that category the DP166 is a huge success.