Your opinions about DiMarzio Area T pickups, please!

[Royal Tele]

I'm thinking about putting a set of DiMarzio Area T pickups in my Tele. Can anyone give some opinions about them? (Preferably if you've owned them or used them personally.) I'm playing mostly through a POD HD 500 these days (for the sake of noise issues and it's ideal for the venues I play). I'm particularly interested to know if these pickups sound like legitimate Tele pickups, considering the "stack" design that makes them noiseless. I actually like a Tele pickup to be a tad hotter than "standard" or "vintage"... Let me know what you all think about them!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Webfoot]

No 'noiseless' pickup will sound like a true single coil pickup. All 'noiseless' pickups to some degree, take away the aliveness or pure tone factor.

I have used area Ts and thought they were very good and would use them again. They are quite popular with a lot of players. I am constantly trying pickups and am now trying lots of traditional pickups. But if gigging in a noisey place and needed noiseless pickups, I would get the area Ts. Very inexpensive and they get the job done nicely.

Also in a gig situation, no one would know except you if you were using area Ts. Of course at home at lower volumes when playing clean, you would notice a slight difference and maybe none if using distortion.

 

[MonkeyKing]

I was underwhelmed. A little better than the reg`lar stock fender I changed area t for wilde`s.

 

[HOBBSTER01]

I love the neck.
Not so much the bridge.

 

[AirBagTester]

I'm particularly interested to know if these pickups sound like legitimate Tele pickups, considering the "stack" design that makes them noiseless. I actually like a Tele pickup to be a tad hotter than "standard" or "vintage"... Let me know what you all think about them!

I have a MIM tele with Area T's in them. They are significantly hotter than the stock single coils in my Squier CVC. If you're looking to eliminate noise, they're great! I can't really say if they sound "legitimate..." They don't sound the same as the single coils in my other tele, and they don't sound anything like the alnico V humbuckers in my LP copy.

Here's a clip of my Area T tele through a Pro Junior:
http://airbagtester.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/dull_surrender-backing_music1.mp3

At least one (if not both) of the guitar tracks are on the bridge pickup.

 

[TG]

I've used the virtual vintage regular output tele pickup (DP412?)..which was the original noiseless model they discontinued to bring out the AreaT and the Area HotT.

Of the 3 I actually like the original dp412 virtual vintage tele (I think it was called) the most and I complained to Dimarzio when they discontinued it. They replied that they have to keep improving, etc, etc...but when I said that they'd kept the ds1 strat pickup for decades and that the dp412 didn't need improving they didn't reply. Oh well.

The AreaT is OK but I have an Area HotT in my guitar now and I prefer it. Balanced and 'telecasterish'...but with a slightly P90 sort of feel as well, IMO. Quite a bit like the Duncan AlnicoIIpro bridge pickup I used to use.

Anyway, with these pickups height is everything. And being alnico2 you can raise them quite close to the strings.

I'm keeping the Area Hot T in my guitar.

 

[harphunt]

Still on the fence about replacing my stock bridge PU and was looking at the Area t. Here:

Clean...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP3boydSFfQ

Not clean...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS1nO4ltjl8&feature=related

Sound good to me.

peace

 

[Parma_TeleMon]

I've had an Area T neck pickup for about 3 years now and love it to little bitty bits.

 

[TG]

Another clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vze49xositc

 

[harphunt]

Hot Area T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVizkv-5J2k

peace

 

[Royal Tele]

Thanks to everyone for the input and the links to the YouTube demo videos. I really appreciate it! I think I am going to go for a set of the Area T pickups after all!

 

[Royal Tele]

Hot Area T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVizkv-5J2k

peace

This video is by far the best video I've seen that gives a fast, concise side-by-side comparison that allows you to immediately hear the audible similarities/differences between a set of stock Tele pickups and the Area T pickups. Thanks so much!

 

[harphunt]

This video is by far the best video I've seen that gives a fast, concise side-by-side comparison that allows you to immediately hear the audible similarities/differences between a set of stock Tele pickups and the Area T pickups. Thanks so much!

Mind you... that is the hot bridge.

 

[Hoodster]

This is my demo of the bridge pup:



I think it's excellent for noiseless but definitely is missing the mojo of a vintage-style true singe coil.

 

[Royal Tele]

This is my demo of the bridge pup:



I think it's excellent for noiseless but definitely is missing the mojo of a vintage-style true singe coil.

Can you tell me what wiring schematic from RS Guitarworks you used for that Esquire? I'm thinking about setting up my Tele as an Esquire, and I really like the tones you gut from your guitar--especially the "cocked wah" tone (instead of the muffled bass tone).

 

[Stylemaster]

I like the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Hot Tele bridge pickup DP413 way more than the Area Hot T which I sold soon after installing it. The Virtual Vintage Hot Tele is an amazing pickup, one of the best pickups I've ever played in a Tele. It's like a very high output, ballsy Nocaster pickup and it is totally hum cancelling. It's very Rock 'N' Roll full on but can get twangy country tones when you lower the volume (but you need 500K pots, a .022uf cap and a treble bleed to make everything sound as I've described). I can't believe they discontinued it in favor of the Area pickups.

 

[Hoodster]

Can you tell me what wiring schematic from RS Guitarworks you used for that Esquire? I'm thinking about setting up my Tele as an Esquire, and I really like the tones you gut from your guitar--especially the "cocked wah" tone (instead of the muffled bass tone).

Thanks. It's their "Modern Esquire" kit. Front position is with the cap to give a cocked wah, middle is pup with tone control, rear is pup wide open. Very sweet and incredibly versatile.

 

[DivadYug]

I don't like areaT. Not enough presence. I sold them after 1 month of playing.

I don't like humcancelling pups in fact...

 

[Kevinpenguin]

I'm getting the Area T 615 for a little more output (but not as much as the hot) in the bridge paired up with the neck version. I have the Pod Pro HD. I want noiseless pickups for the same reasons you do. I do not have it yet or installed.

Here is the one that I am looking at, it's in between the stock bridge and hot version.
(link removed)

 

[Durango Twango]

I'm getting the Area T 615 for a little more output (but not as much as the hot) in the bridge paired up with the neck version. I have the Pod Pro HD. I want noiseless pickups for the same reasons you do. I do not have it yet or installed.

Here is the one that I am looking at, it's in between the stock bridge and hot version.
(link removed)

It's a very good set. Take them for what they are - while you can hear some differences between Areas and true single coils, I find a lot of the Areas characteristics work great live.

I had the 418 but switched out to the 615 a couple of weeks ago and really like the extra little zip and output. Wire them up with a 4-way switch - the series sound is great.