Before his untimely and senseless death Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott was just beginning to share with us the tools that helped shape his signature sound. From Randall Amps to Dean Guitars Dimebag’s endorsement would be an indication to guitarists that the piece of equipment in questions was designed for maximum aural assault.
One piece of equipment in my opinion that best captures Dimebag’s sound is probably the most misunderstood, Seymour Duncan’s Dimbucker hi-output pickup. The Dimebucker weighs in at 16.25 k we are talking about twice as hot as your average rock pickup. Once you step on your distortion box strap in, you are about to see how hot this pickup actually is. The Dimebucker will take you on a wild ride. The hi tones are crystal clear and bright despite this pickup having an incredibly low bottom and powerful bass.
The Dimebucker gives you guttural crunching rhythms and searing leads. Bent notes seem to never choke out as the sustain goes on forever. With dropped tunings the bass remains round and clear without sacrificing a bit of the hi-end of the guitar.
Application: Ultra high output blade humbucker built for aggressive playing styles. Recommended for rock, metal, hard-hitting solos and other heavy rock styles.
Description: The Dimebucker uses a powerful ceramic magnet coupled with stainless steel blades for hard-hitting crunch. The SH-13 has both high d.c. resistance and a high resonant peak. The result is a high-output, aggressive humbucker with more treble bite and clarity than an SH-8 Invader; as well as punchy bass response and exceptional dynamics. The blades make the Dimebucker great for balanced bends. Comes with four-conductor hookup cable and its own form-fitting mounting ring.
Complete setup: Recommended for bridge position. Dimebag used a ’59 Model in the neck for P.A.F. tones.
As expected this is a monster metal pickup. What wasn’t expected is this pickup is awesome for classic rock also. Without the aid of a stompbox the Dimebucker has just enough heat to overdrive your amp naturally. I found myself immersed in the British Invasion. The pickup was nailing some of Keith Richards more distorted tones and was a nice match for a few Who tunes. Even when playing some of Paul McCartney’s more aggressive guitar lines from The Beatles like Taxman the pickup did an awesome job.
Adding to the awesome dynamics of tone I installed a coil split switch on my Dimebucker. Split this pickup sounds incredible. Still clear and balanced with beautiful harmonic overtones but obviously slightly less aggressive.
For those of you shredders and medal gods looking for a replacement pickup look no further. The Dimebucker is phenomenal. You classic rock guys, don’t be afraid of the dark. It just might be time for you to mix it up a bit. The response and sustain you will get with this pickup is jaw dropping.
I have a Dimebucker in the bridge of my 1980 Ibanez Iceman with a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck. Both pickups are coil split and I installed a phase switch. I don’t think there is a guitar tone this combo can’t nail.
