Tracing the history of replacement pickups for electric guitars reveals one key figure.

That person is Larry DiMaggio.

"DiMarzio?" Yes, that DiMarzio you've all heard of at least once. Anyone who has ever replaced pickups knows the greatness of this brand.

(Excerpt from DiMarzio's website)

While working under Bill Lawrence, Larry frequently saw Telecasters and other guitars brought in for repair having their front pickups replaced with Gibson mini-humbuckers or similar. For Larry, who loved old and beautiful instruments, the act of routing out the body was unacceptable. That's when he had the groundbreaking idea of a replacement pickup that could be installed without expanding the routing. With Bill Lawrence's knowledge and skills as his backing, Larry brought this idea to life.

Then, in 1975, DiMarzio was founded. Larry went to a trade show in Washington with minimal luggage: just one guitar, a suitcase packed with pickups, and a price list.

The sound of the pickup they played there had a huge impact on people and generated a much greater response than expected.

At the NAMM Show held that same year, it garnered enough sales and orders to convince us that "this is going to be a hit!"

This is where the history of DiMarzio that you all know begins.

(Excerpt from DiMarzio's website)

(Excerpt from DiMarzio's website)

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

Among them, the Super Distortion, which still enjoys immense popularity, uses a ferrite magnet.RecruitFurthermore, by using thinner wire than Gibson's pickups, we were able to increase the number of turns.

This resulted in a high-powered sound that was unattainable with conventional Gibson pickups. It perfectly matched the rock music scene of the time and quickly gained popularity. Furthermore, DiMarzio actively supplied OEM parts to various guitar manufacturers, dramatically increasing its brand recognition.

Later, the Dual Sound, a 4-conductor model of the Super Distortion, was also released.

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

DiMarzio pickups still boast a wide range of products, including numerous artist signature models.

This is proof that the brand places great importance not only on its end users but also on its connections with artists.

If Larry DiMaggio hadn't existed, there might be some songs that never came into existence.