The History of PUs and the Brands that Adorn Them
The leader in replacement pickups
Larry DiMaggio's Trajectory
The history of replacement pickups for electric guitars can be traced back to one man.
That person is Larry DiMaggio.
DiMaggio?" Yes, that DiMaggio you've all heard of at least once. If you have ever had to replace pickups, you know how great this brand is!
A Fateful Encounter with Bill Lawrence
Larry DiMaggio's ("Larry") career, which can be said to have pioneered the concept of replacement pickups, began in earnest when he started working at Bill Lawrence's store in 1972-73. Larry had been doing wiring work at a guitar repair store in New York for some time, but he felt his own skills were limited. So he went to Bill Lawrence with two pickups of his own making. Bill saw Larry's talent and said to him, "I'm going to have to hire you, or you're going to become a competitor. Thus, Larry begins working for Bill.
Larry learned flexible thinking and outstanding skills from Bill. What influenced him most was Bill's spirit of experimentation, which overturned the conventional wisdom of the time. At a time when alnico magnets were the natural choice for pickups, Bill was exploring the possibilities with various types of magnets, including ceramic magnets used for amplifiers.
(Excerpt from DiMarzio HP)
While working for Bill Lawrence, Larry frequently saw Telecasters and other instruments being brought in for repair and the front pickups being replaced with Gibson mini-humbuckers and the like. Larry, who loved old and beautiful instruments, could not tolerate the practice of adding a counterbore to the body. This inspired him to come up with the revolutionary idea of replacement pickups, which could be mounted without extending the counterbore. With the knowledge and skills of Bill Lawrence behind him, Larry went on to realize this idea.
The Birth of DiMaggio and the First Steps to Success
In 1975, DiMaggio was founded. Larry went to a trade show in Washington, D.C. with minimal luggage: a guitar, a suitcase full of pickups, and a price list.
The sound of the pickups he presented there had a huge impact on the public, and the response was even greater than expected.
At the NAMM show held in the same year, sales and orders were strong enough to convince people that the pickups would be a success. At the NAMM show held in the same year, the pickups received enough sales and orders to convince people that they were a "go!
From here, the history of DiMaggio as you know it began!
(Excerpt from DiMarzio HP)
(Excerpt from DiMarzio HP)
The Impact of "Super Distortion" and the Establishment of the Brand
Incidentally, the first three pickups exhibited at the NAMM Show were the "Super Distortion," "FS-1," and "PRE B-1," which are still in the lineup today.
Of these, the Super Distortion, which is still immensely popular, used a ferrite magnet and wound a wire thinner than that of Gibson pickups, thereby increasing the number of turns.
This enabled it to achieve a high-power sound that could not be reached with conventional Gibson PUs. Perfectly suited to the rock music scene of the time, it quickly gained popularity. Furthermore, DiMaggio actively supplied OEMs to various guitar makers, dramatically increasing their recognition.
Subsequently, the 4-core model of the Super Distortion, the Dual Sound, etc., were also released.
Famous artists such as Eddie Van Halen, Ace Frehley of KISS, and Carlos Santana have used DiMaggio pickups, and they have remained popular.
The Present and Future of DiMaggio
Today, DiMaggio pickups still boast a large lineup of pickups, including many signature models from artists.
This is proof that DiMaggio is a brand that places great importance on its relationship with artists as well as end users.
If Larry DiMaggio had not existed, perhaps some songs would not have been created in this world.