The History of Pickups and the Brands That Define It

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The Legacy of Larry DiMaggio

When tracing the history of replacement pickups for electric guitars, one name stands out.

That person is Larry DiMaggio.

“DiMaggio?” Yes, that’s the DiMaggio you’ve all heard of at least once. If you’ve ever replaced a pickup, you’re well aware of this brand’s greatness.

A Fateful Encounter with Bill Lawrence

The career of Larry DiMaggio (hereinafter referred to as Larry)—who could be said to have established the concept of replacement pickups—truly took off when he began working at Bill Lawrence’s shop from 1972 to 1973.Larry had previously been doing wiring work at a guitar repair shop in New York, but he felt he had reached the limits of his own skills. So, he took two pickups he had built himself and visited Bill Lawrence. Bill recognized Larry’s talent and said, “If I don’t hire you, you’ll end up being my competition.” And so, Larry began working under Bill.

Larry learned flexible thinking and exceptional technical skills from Bill. Above all, what had a profound influence on him was Bill’s experimental spirit, which defied the conventions of the time. In an era when Alnico magnets were considered the standard for pickups, Bill was exploring possibilities with various types of magnets, such as the ceramic magnets used in amplifiers.

(Excerpt from DiMarzio’s website)

While working under Bill Lawrence, Larry frequently witnessed Telecasters and other guitars brought in for repair with their front pickups replaced by Gibson mini-humbuckers. For Larry, who loved beautiful vintage instruments, the act of routing a hole in the body was something he found unforgivable. That’s when he came up with the groundbreaking idea of a replacement pickup that could be installed without enlarging the existing routing.Drawing on Bill Lawrence’s knowledge and technical expertise, Larry set out to bring this idea to life.

The Birth of DiMarzio and the First Step Toward Success

And in 1975, DiMarzio was founded. Larry took on a trade show in Washington with the bare minimum: a single guitar, a suitcase packed with pickups, and a price list.

The sound of the pickups he demonstrated there made a huge impression on people and generated a response that exceeded all expectations.

At the NAMM Show held that same year, he secured enough sales and orders to convince him that “this is going to work!”

This marked the beginning of the DiMarzio history you all know today

(Excerpt from the DiMarzio website)

The Impact of the "Super Distortion" and the Establishment of the Brand

Incidentally, the first products exhibited at the NAMM Show were three types of pickups that are still in the lineup today: the “Super Distortion,” “FS-1,” and “PRE B-1.”

Among these, the Super Distortion—which remains immensely popular to this day—utilized ferrite magnets and was wound with thinner wire than Gibson pickups to increase the number of windings.

This achieved a high-power sound that conventional Gibson pickups could not reach. It perfectly matched the rock music scene of the time and gained popularity in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, DiMarzio actively supplied pickups to various guitar manufacturers on an OEM basis, dramatically increasing its brand recognition.

Later, products such as the Dual Sound—a 4-conductor model of the Super Distortion—were also released.

Renowned artists such as Eddie Van Halen, Ace Frehley of KISS, and Carlos Santana used DiMarzio pickups, cementing their popularity.

DiMarzio’s Present and Future

Dimazio Pickups continues to boast an extensive lineup today, including numerous artist signature models.

This is a testament to the brand’s deep commitment to its connection with artists, as well as its dedication to end users.

If Larry DiMaggio had never existed, there might be songs that were never born.