Affordable Vintage Humbucker 1970s Dimarzio SUPER DISTORTION VS BURSTBUCKER
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 жов 2024
- Humbucker comparison: 1977-1980 Dimarzio Super Distortion which measure around 13.7 kOhm VS 2010 Gibson Burstbucker 2 which measures slightly over 8 kOhm. Played in a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom 1957 Reissue Black Beauty through a 2015 Marshall 1987x and a 1970 Marshall 2x12 model 1970 with JBL D120F Speakers. Everything kept identical except the pickup.
How to identify the vintage (Year) of your Super Distortion Pickup:
www.dimarziofor...
Post by zenmindbeginner
I have one of those Super Distortions. Bought it new in 1981. I've used it in at least three guitars. Still kicking!
Now we know why Dimarzio Super Distortion is legendary
Honestly prefer the super distortion. Great video as always Johan!
Thanks! So do I
Super distortion has that distinct 70s sound. I had to put one in my Les Paul When I was a kid, just because Ace used them and they made your guitar look extra cool too. Great video. Brought back some memories.
The dimarzio all the way. I'm partial because i have a 70's super distortion in one of my guitars. What a great pickup!
Yeah, it’s prominent in more useful frequcies than the Burstbucker. But the Burstbucker probably cuts through better in denser mixes.
Me to. I have an old 70s Super D in a Franken Squier body from the late 90s. It roars.
The Dimarzio is one of the best pickups around, I've got one fitted in my Ibanez RT650. Dizarzio and Seymour Duncan are the original replacement pickups and there is a reason why people in the 70's and 80's were replacing the original Gibson and Fender pickups including myself, I bought my super distortion used back in 83 or 84 in Denmark st. London
hi just a a question how good are the super distortion from the 70s??are they worth the money??and how much shall one pay for each pickup?thanks
DiMarzio Super Distortion has a sweet midrange and perfect impedance transparency that meshes so well with tube preamps. It's after you play an SD cranked up and roll back the guitar volume to clean it up that you begin to appreciate it's versatility.
The super distortion had more chime
I can’t believe I just said that
The chime comes from the hex polepieces
Is there anything cooler than a Johan Video? NOOO !! There is not! Not only do you get a few minutes of fantastic riffage and sometimes wacky comparisons and inventions, but you also get fantastic cinematography of Swedish scenery to watch as well !! I thought we Canadians were cool but you Swedes kick our asses !!! :) BTW I l have an old Gretsch BST with stock Super Distortions that I've had since 1980. No better pickup in my opinon. love 'em!!
Thanks my friend, you make my day! :-)
The super Distortion seems to push the amp harder. I used a Seymour Duncan Invader in the 80s before all the high gain amps you needed a little something extra. NowI like a little cleaner pickup I change Like the Wind. another great demonstration thank you.
Thanks! Yeah it measures 13.7 vs 8 on the B.B.
Yeah the Invader was 16.8 everything gets lost but it was great for power cords LOL. It really won't work on a high-gain amp.
I was amazed how good the burstbucker was! Despite its name, it's a relatively low gain pickup for Gibson. Amazing rock sounds!
Thanks!
I like the fullness of the DiMarzio, personally. I would have liked to hear more gain as I would never play a Marshall and a LP that clean.
I'll keep it in mind for the next pickup video
I have a 1976 SG Custom with 3 T tops. They rock. I can see why people swapped the bridge for a SD back then but with a modern MV amp it doesn't seem necessary. Mine screams! Great videos, I watch every day.
Thanks Patrick! That’s so good to hear! Cheers Johan
Thanks Johan! Back in the 70's every rocker with a Marshall put those in their guitars.
It was just what we needed to push those non-master volume heads into sweet singing lead tones. Super D's are a great pickup.
Yeah they pair nicely with the bright 70s Marshalls
I have put Super Distortions in a lot of my guitars through-out the last 35 years. My ex worked at a thrift store and somebody donated two of them, still shrink wrapped. She grabbed them and gave them to me. I had a no name Flying V and put them in that and man oh man what a difference. And I got that V from a guy for $50. Lol. Had that thing for years. I sold it after I took the Super Distortions out and put in a couple of Epiphone pickups. Still use Dimarzio today.
Great Job Johan. Thank you. I'm liking the Dimarzio a real lot.
Another great comparison. Each of these pickups has its strengths. The SD is hard-hitting and powerful relative to the BB, but it offers less definition. I can see applications for it, but for me, the BB would be a better, more versatile choice. It's more articulate, has better note separation, and cleans up nicely.
Nice comparison. I have 2 les pauls. One with a burstbucker 2 in the bridge and one with a super distortion in the bridge. Love both and both provide different qualities and feel. Your video provided the subtle nuances I couldn't distinguish objectively on my own. Thanks.
I also have a Super D in the bridge and Super D-2 neck position, in my 1976 Ibanez 59er Deluxe. Sick guitar.
I didnt notice you for the longest time in the intro lol!!! Undercover johan
Hahaha! ;-)
SOB. I didn't notice until I read this lol.
I have done this same thing a while ago, and I think the super distortion, is the best deal, hopefully they stay that way! Great job as usual!
Thanks! :-)
Dimarzio is hotter and a bit darker. Stands to reason considering the BB2 is a PAF style pickup. Nice demo m8.
Thanks man!
Very cool! I was just playing both of my 1981 Gretsch Beast guitars that came with Super Distortions through a fairly loud 1959s and notice microphonics that haven't shown up with other amps. So, I do a quick search and find Johan's video linking to a Dimarzio forum that tells me that my pickups probably weren't potted. At least they have a little black ribbon around that coils... Great sounding pickups! Thanks Johan!
Your intros are the best Johan! Great content as always. Burstbucker ftw in my opinion.
Thanks Jairo! ;-)
The Super Distortion was the first hot rod aftermarket pickup and launched Dimarzio as a company! At the time amps didn't have high gain circuits and this pushed those vintage amps into heavy distortion and saturation!
I bought an Ibanez deluxe 59er earlier this year. The pickups in it are vintage dimarzios(not the og super 70s unfortunately) and they don't have serial numbers. I was thinking they were pre-serial number super distortions and this video confirms it. The tone is spot on, and I'm a big fan of it.
I’ve had a BB 2 in the bridge of my 2006 SG VOS for years. Never had any reason to change it. For some reason that pickup is my happy place.
It’s a very versatile pickup that works in many setups, that’s why I primarily use that one too, although many other pickups sounds better than it for certain tones
One of the finest sounding pickups I've ever used or ever heard is the newer DiMarzio Master Series paf
absolutely fabulous pick up. DiMarzio is always really given good quality for value .... their stuff is always very reasonably priced
Cool, I’m gonna check that one out. I really like their 70s PAFs
I have Burstbuckers on my 2015 Les Paul, dislike them, and have yet to replace them, butIi will, I put a Super Distortion on my 1960 Les Paul custom in 1977 and loved it!
I have a 1981 Dean with a super distortion that sounds just like that. Beautiful.
Thanks man
They both sound great. . Would really depend on what tone you are going after. . The Burstbucker is definitely more defined where the Super Distortion is more muted due to more mid hump and lower end going on. The Super distortion works well for that traditional 50s & 60s rock sound but the Burstbuckers have more clarity and defined sound. The Dimarzio is more muffled like it has a blanket over it. Both great but it would really depend on the sound you are going after. For my style and taste I would definitely choose the Burstbuckers. Although I would never be without a set of Super distortions in one of my les pauls for when you want that traditional fat rock sound. Thanks again for another great demo.
Thanks Christopher!
Use the dimarzio for bridge and bb for neck.
Di Marzio: more mids, breaks up easier. BBII: a bit more clarity, highs more in your face. Tks for uploading. Still the ones I prefer are the CustomBuckers ;-)
Thanks!
frantisca ... well said.. totally agree on all counts
Good analysis, i would say the same. Listening on audio-technica ATH-M50X
super distorion is better for my ears, great vid.
Thanks Luki!
Today (some) people have prejudice against the Super Distortion as there is a trend toward PAF style pups with low -output- DC ohm readings and weak alnico magnets. And today the NeoAggroBlackMetalCore & Djent players find those DiMarzios too weak!
But the 80' 'metal' ceramic pickups like Super Distortion or Gibson 500t/496r finally are much more balanced and 'hifi' sounding than one may think a priori. I got the 500/496 in on of my guitar and they have a very nice clean sound. And with some gain (not to much) you nail the exact 80' power chord sound, with enough bass for a well grounded rythm and enough highs for aggressiveness (and if its to much you got the guitar tone control !).
The "scooped sound" came from that. These 'new' pickups had a much larger bandwidth, and hence the mid hump of older humbucker less prominent. With the years mids were scooped to a caricature with Eq. or "modern" voiced amplifiers...
Thanks man, great feedback!
DiMarzio all the way for me. I have the 70's pickup in my SG and Les Paul, and a PAF in my Epi Paul. Happy with the change.
Thanks for the comparison vid - interesting for me. I put some of the early DM Distortion Pick-Ups into my 1968 Les Paul Custom in the mid 70s and swapped them out within a week - just didn't work for me at all given the stuff we were playing (think Supertrampish pop rock). I still have them and thinking of grabbing a (heavily discounted) PRS SE Tremonti and banging them in for some of the more robust stuff I need for a friends album project . . . why not, eh!?
I have a old Super Distortion with 2 conductor cable with black sheath. Bought it on ebay back in 2004. It currently resides in a Epiphone SG.
Cool, the SG gets a good bark with these
It is audible that on record Dimarzio SD has significantly higher output level and amp reacts better - so technically it's not fair compare) I have got BB in Gibson Midtown Custom and they are really nice with clean )
Those pickups are HUGE! Johan is just barely taller than them in the beginning of the video, but they appear to have shrunk now that he's playing them
Hahaha! Yeah the marvels of Swedish engineering
i really thought this was quite funny.
Both sounds great, the Dimarzio has like a mid boost, and adds some compression to the tone.. very interesting...
Thanks Markus, yeah that compression is really nice for many applications.
I have twin super distortions in my 78' custom. I've had other non-rock r&b/jazz guitarists I've played with say they're too loud. Yes and they just light a half stack on fire, even a vintage Fender stack.
With an output over 13K and the name Super Distortion, no surprises that it distorts more than the 8K BB2 at the same settings. Also sounds more mid-enhanced, not a bad thing.
Yeah it’s got a lower mid that the B.B. would have to be heavily post EQ:ed to come lose too
that dimarzio is GOLD
Thanks Gonzalo! :-)
I love a good PAF style pickup, but Super Distortions strike the perfect balance of being able to really wake an amp up without getting muddy. They also split really well and are good at taming an overly bright guitar. I finally gave up and put one in the bridge of my hardtail strat after 30+ years of trying to make the bridge usable. It was my grandpa's '78 strat that was given to me as a graduation present, so I'll never get rid of it so out came the router, Super distortion in the bridge with coil split, 50's duo-sonic type alnico from a white lap steel in the middle and the stock 70's ceramic in the neck now it's PERFECT. The best dimarzio's I've ever heard are the super early pre SD ones in Steve Kimock's Lobue explorer, probably very similar to what Paul Stanley had in his Lobues.
Hi Erik! Strat with Super Distortion sounds really cool, like Iron Maiden. And Lobue were reallt cool, especially Gene Simmons classic bass. Cheers
Burstbucker every time , dimarzio sounds more raw and dare I say it, unrefined the opposite for the burst bucker, everything in the seventies wasn’t better but rock music certainly was!
Yeah 70s hard rock is the pinnacle of all music! :-)
alien Grey... Well said
you are my favorite Les Paul youtuber !
Hey , thats my rig ! I use a Lp Custom 97 with BB and a Lp Standard 81 with Super Distortion from 78 and run `em through a 1978 Marshall JMP 100w and stock Marshall 4x12 from 1978.
Nice rig indeed! \m/
Now I can hear a difference. I can definitely hear slight distortion and a more compressed sound with the Dimarzios when you play chords. The Burstbucker sounds more clear and open. I'd lean towards the Burstbucker, I feel it sounds a bit more like the vintage pickups. Which sound like a single coil but just a bit thicker.
Thanks Scott
I sold an early 80s Super about 6 years ago, and I have regretted it ever since.
I don't care much for the BurstBucker Pros in my Les Paul, they're a bit shrill to my ears.
They are still pretty common on eBay. Cheers
Both good pups, it's more do you want alnico or ceramic type sound. For my taste winner is BB2.
Thanks, yeah they both have their applications
Quite different when strummed; not as pronounced when picking.
Great demo. Clear tones instead of crazy gain.
With headfones on, The Burst-Bucker is cleaner in the first few sound comparisons. The Dimarzio Super is better for classic rock and metal IMO I suppose.
Thanks for the comparison. I have a set of vintage Super Distortions that sounded terrible in every guitar they were installed into. I thought I had a bad set and now understand through this video that they must all sound like that.
The vid is definitely interesting Johan, but you know what? I'd love to hear your Vintage SuperD against a modern one. In my experience they do NOT sound the same, but web says otherwise. Same for Duncan JB. Would love to hear the truth!
Super Distortion is an awesome pickup and very versatile in the bridge! P.A.F. style humbuckers, like the Burstbuckers or a Dimarzio 36th anniversary, are ideal for neck position for a sweet, velvety smooth sound. Waiting for the dirty sounds!! Cheers!
Hi George, more pickup videos soon. Cheers Johan
+Johan Segeborn holy crap do you have a lot of snow! I live in Eugene, Oregon in the U.S. and we get hardly any snow here, except in the mountains
This is actually one of a few days we’ve had snow here in Gothenburg Sweden this winter, which is unusual
Everywhere's had unusual weather this winter, the climate change is really noticeable this year. My home state has been in a drought for several years now, although we still get a lot of rain.
The snow scene was probably filmed at 11:00 in the morning! :D
Johan great playing as always. I love your playing man.
Thanks my friend, great to hear that!
👍🇺🇸❤DIMARZIO......warmer, creamier & tighter.
Hi, Johan! Actually yesterday my friend asked me about DiMarzio, and I told him, I dont like them to much. Burstbucker is much more lovely. Sounds like Scorpions's ballad. Burstbucker rools!
C.U.
Zigfrid
Cheers Zigfrid
Are there different versions if these? How do I find out which one I have? (DiMarzio SD)
I'm a mainly metal playing beginner and someone gifted me a Peavey Raptor Plus EXP, its playability is awesome and that might be also because it was played a lot before, so everything is kinda ''smoothed out''. And it was obwious that the owner must have swapped the bride pickup, but I didn't realize it's a DiMarzio SD until a guitar player I know pointed it out to me after playing my guitar.
I was kinda surprised since it has a solid reputation on the internet.
That explains why I always liked my guitar that much... and I played a few guitars over the time, but its really incredible how this kinda cheap setup keeps up with ''the big boys''.
For some reason, I never could mesh with the Super Distortion. I’ve tried them on various occasions and it just sounded a little too dark for me. Of course, we all attack the strings differently so a pickup that sounds awesome in one man’s hands, may not sound awesome in another. Of course, the guitar it’s in and the amps play a role in how it sounds. I have tried to love them because so many of my guitar heroes use them. But then again, I can’t play ANYTHING like my heroes. 🤷♂️
I prefer the Burstbucker for this, way more clarity and highs. I’m sure with higher gain the super distortion would do a lot better vs the Burstbucker though.
Thanks Tyler
Tyler Stelluti... well said
Black custom with 70's SD's is classic Al Di Meola first 2 albums :) He sounded like he chewed on a candybar where Billy G. prefered home cooked stew. The first high power humbucker and I am sure Eddie tried to love it.
:-) Cheers
Guys can somo ne Please tell me if the dimarzio super distortion is good for play led zeppelin
Nico.33 thank you very very much
Well, I certainly prefer the tone of the Super Distortion to the Burstbucker ...
If you can get your hands on a 70s/80s Dirty Fingers pick-up, that would make for an interesting comparison.
I've had a pair in an ES-347TD - that model came with a coil tap switch standard, and with those pick-ups (and the coil-tap), it could sound like anything from a warm piano tone, to a pseudo-Fender tone (still had the big, semi-hollow body, tho'!) ...
Cool, I didn’t know the dirty fingers had been around that long.
I'm sure they're original/vintage p/ups in that guitar. I can remember strumming the intro to Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis) at a gig, and being super pleased with the tone (the song's intro is on an acoustic piano). They are meant to be pretty hot p/ups, as I'm sure you know - but maybe not as hot as the more recent editions ... ??
Hahaha! :-) everything sounds better on a distorted guitar!
The irony is that super distortions sound great clean. They have a clarity to them.
the Dimarzio definitely breaks up more in the mid s, however the burstbucker has a chime and clarity that in this comparison is unrivalled, the solution would be for me super distortion in the bridge and burstbucker in the neck,would be a fantastic combo for a les paul. And that's my two cents. haha
Thanks Stepvan, I like that combination. SD+BB1
I like the Burstbucker II a bit more.
The Dimarzio have fuller sound but I like it janglier.
Thanks Magnus
during the intro, i think i saw a ghost at the background, spooky
Dimarzio for me deffo! Cheers Johan!
Cheers Clive!
Nice alternative option review, cheers!
Glad to hear it! Cheers
Love the super distortion they are what i use along with the paf pro from dimarzio
Thanks Donna! Yeah they make great PAFs too especially in the 70s
I was a little nervous about my preference... I like the sidetracked better. It seemed a little brighter compared to the dimarzio which h I thought was a tiny bit muffled.
Burstbucker! Damned auto correct!
Burstbucker does sound crisper, more mids. Super distortion warmer and more responsive to attack. Also bear in mind that the higher kohm super distortion will sound better split/coil tapped if you wanted. I heard that lower kohm humbuckers do not split well at all. Of course not the same as a single coil, but unlike Johan, some of us relatively mediocre players only have limited kit at our disposal. Nice one Johan, as always. How do you acquire this gear?????? You demo stuff most of us only read about online or in magazines!! Was your amp adjusted to account for the higher ohms? It would have been interesting to see how the burstbucker sounded on a higher master volume setting, so the dirt was comparable
Thanks, that's a good point! I'll keep it in mind to the next pickup video. Most of the gear on the channel is borrowed from friends :-) Cheers
🤓I'm not a fan of distortion / high output pickups ( too congested for my tastes) 🤓on a good note, I like the creamy warmth of the "DIMARZIO" ( lower ouput pickups ONLY !!!!!!) for that reason : "BURSTBUCKER II" wins👍
I compare the 70s Dimarzio PAF to the Burstbucker here
ua-cam.com/video/jr3H4votdRs/v-deo.html
I like both - I like the Gibson Custom the most
Hello Johan, I hate to criticize such a professional as yourself but you really didn't do either of those pickups justice by playing clean/crunch with them. To be able to tell what they were made for you need to play them with some distortion. Either naturally with a high gain amp or a clean amp with a distortion pedal. The SD was made to ROOOAR!! LOL.
Please don't take this the wrong way. I have tons of respect for you and appreciate ALL your videos.
P.S. I'm going to make a similar comment on your AC/DC Cab comparison.
Cheers, Joe
Thanks Joe, I actually compared these two on high gain in an earlier video but the more gain you use the smaller the difference is to me at least. Cheers
Di Marzio super distortion for me.
Thanks Flavio!
my greco les paul has some 1977 dimarzio stamped PAFs but they arent SDs. cant find any info but they are the best pickups i have ever found. sadly it needs a refret though.
That’s a great pickup. I compare one of those to a a 59 PAF in this clip
ua-cam.com/video/jr3H4votdRs/v-deo.html
oh awesome! i must have missed that video. those are the ones, and as you say great pickups! plus i got the whole guitar for about the same price as a set of burstbuckers 😂.
Why hasn't Dimarzio ever released the Super Distortion with fillisters and studs? I'm sure that would effect the sound remarkably.
That's a pretty good match. So the vintage is a little hotter and a tad darker, that can be achieved elsewhere. The overall tone is there, with less noise and micrphonics. The new pickup is available.
I think the DM has a more detailed low mid as well
I did notice that a little bit. It's probably a bit sweeter in person as well.
Yes, I prefer the vintage SD. I would take a little more soul and more power over having a tad less noise. But it's probably hard to find a set and they would probably be pricey.
It would be great if you did a video of these pickups with a high gain amp.
I compared these two with a Superbass a couple of years ago. Not exactly high gain, but gainier than this. My playing in that video was dreadful though
ive had a vintage super distortion n my gibson for years. checked the wiring a few times thinking there was something wrong with it. I think I just dont like this pickup. I wish the 57 classics had more output, Id use one of those in the bridge like I have in my neck.
There is the 57 classic plus which is higher output for the bridge
Ooookeeeei leetsgoooou! BTW: The setting is scary as it is beautiful
BB is a great all rounder DM shines on lead, good on bar but very muddy on chords true super distortion then - would say it cleans up well !
Thanks Gerry, Yeah I only used one amp setting throughout the clip so cleans and dirty tones were only a question of pick attack. Cheers Johan
Have you tried later Super Distortions and how they compare to the older pups.
For me, the Dimarzio wins! Love that tone!
Thanks Bengan. Yeah I know you like darker sounding pickups. I preferred it too
The Burstbucker is way harsh and flat with no sustain. I like the soft attack, dynamics and compression of the Super Distortion
Nice comparison. The Les Paul I was telling you about was sold to me second hand with Dimarzio DP 100s. Those aren't the same as the Super Distortions are they? Plus I don't think they are vintage or original pickups the guitar came with. That pickup in the demo is remarkably close.
Congratulations! DP100 is the model name for Super Distortion
Johan Segeborn great! I'm just curious whether they are vintage or not. I'll compare with the link when I get home tonight.
Johan Segeborn I checked the pickups. They have triangle tabs. It's a shitty new one. They do not sound like the one on your video. I had an original in my Bradley Led Paul copy when I was 13 years old. I still remember.
Johan ,thank again for another great video.
My 2007 Lp standard has a bright bridge pick up. Any suggestions for a replacement if a set up fails ? I currently have a burstbucker but I think it lacks warmth and bass .
Thanks !
Thanks Stuart! When it come to new pickups, I have almost exclusively played Gibson pickups. I use a late 70s Dimarzio Super 2 K10 in my SG and it’s very warm and usually very reasonably priced. Out of the new Gibson pickups I think the classic 57 is the warmest. You can also use the trick in the clip below to warm up the tone, but put the plate under the pickup instead (like a Tele)
ua-cam.com/video/vDX1Ykb3Fhg/v-deo.html
DiMarzio are great. I have late 70s DiMarzio on P bass and i love it.
They are indeed, Cheers
Awesome idea thanks
Thanks Michael!
Love You Johan
Woo thought i was gonna be sad about my bb 1 & 2 . I must have got a good pair i think they are 2005,s and my sg just sounds better than all the rest ive played.
Good comparison. I think the difference in magnets is a major factor. I have a Les paul that I use a duncan super distortion wired in parallel in the neck position and it sounds fantastic!
Thanks! :-)
Super D's, I actually have an early 70s Super D.
more sustain on the Dimarzio providing you didn't alter the amp settings
Hello Johan! Hope you are doing well. I realy liked the super distortion and and i think i Will buy it with the PAF , but does this pickups Come with gold covers, but gold covers Just liked this gibson pickup which you compared. Thanks!!
Hi! Thanks, both the Super Distortion and the Dimarzio PAF can be had with good,covers. Cheers
Damn that looks cold.
Hahaha! Sweden in action :-)