Talk me out of the Dimarzio D-Activators before I open the box?

[diogoguitar]

Hey y'all!

So I have an unopened set of Dimarzio D-activators (regular, non-X)... I'm debating whether to open this set and install on my ibanez prestige or get something else.

In general, I like super high output pickups. I loved the EMGs 81/61 on my ESP, the fishman moderns on my ibz prestige... so I'd imagine the D-Activators should be a safe bet?
My current mood is to play 80's thrash (basically megadeth and metallica) and 80's hair metal (ratt, skid row)

I could sell this sealed set and get something else... or just tear the package open and try it out...

Other options I considered:
- Seymour Black Winters
- Dimarzio D-Activator X
- other passive "active-like" pickups

thoughts?
(I'm not too excited to try out bare knuckles because their price got out of hand ... at least to me)

I'll use standard tuning with 9's or 10's. Basswood body

 

[ItWillDo]

D-Activators are fine for what you're looking. You can get most high-output PU's to sound the same anyway depending on how far your crank open the compressor in the beginning of your chain.

 

[Baelzebeard]

Just roll with the D-Activators. They're great .

 

[ToneLab]

I agree - go with them. They are great in my basswood Ibanez RG.

 

[Drew]

I didn't like them, at all. They're very bright, kind of thin, and very compressed - basically, they sound like EMG 707s. They remain articulate under loads of gain, and do the sparkly clean thing well in an ultra-clean clean channel, but they sounded thin and too edgy for less-heavily-saturated gain sounds, which makes them tough for the 80s hair metal sounds you're also into.

But, if you want something that sounds and performs like a set of EMG 707s, they'll do the job. They're just not especially versatile.

 

[7stringDemon]

I love my D Activator 7s. The main thing ive enjoyed is that the note definition is really good. I can hear every note of a full 7 string chord under typical metal amounts of gain.

 

[Robslalaina]

I don't know the neck pickup much but the bridge I really like. As others have said note definition is killer even with ridiculous amounts of gain. If a scalpel were an instrument it would sound like the D Activator bridge, and I mean that in the best way possible. I didn't find it to sound thin or trebly or whatever--just balanced with crazy articulation.

I never quite got the comparison to EMGs since contrary to those the sound feels less like it's right in front of your face. Perhaps you'd define that as more headroom. Cleans up reasonably well when rolling off the volume as well.

Also John 5 used these for years to play just about anything his own weird ass style covers, so I think you'd be fine playing 80s/hair metal with this set. Your amp and cab choice will matter most anyway.

 

[jl-austin]

I have one in an RG genesis. Tuned to E, 9's.

It is thin sounding. It doesn't seem overly powerful (I know the numbers, but it doesn't seem that powerful). It seems like it has no character, kind of blah. Not bad, but not great either.

I was reading on their website, because I have another one that would go into a C-tuned guitar. According to their website it kind of depends on how hard you play. If you play lightly it won't hit the amp hard, and if you pick hard then it will hit the amp harder. I guess I don't play hard enough, LOL!!!

 

[T00DEEPBLUE]

They're great pickups for brootz with a huge amount of clarity. They're bright pickups but such a quality in a 7 string pickup is a way more of an asset than a hindrance. They also split remarkably well.

I honestly think its the best pickup Dimarzio makes. And certainly the best I've ever tried.

I also think they have a TON of output and the measurements back this up. I'm not sure where the complaints that they don't seem overly powerful are coming from. Not been my experience at all.

 

[BabUShka]

I love them! But I also have a struggle with dark sounding pickups, that might be the reason why I dig the D Activators. They are bright - angry and open sounding (IMO not that compressed...)

 

[Andromalia]

I had some in an Ibanez RG5xxx Prestige back when it was all the craze here because of Chris Broderick. Meh. Sold the guitar without regrets. Nothing bad per se, but just generic pickups for me.

 

[Mathemagician]

I’m not even reading the post open it and tune to drop C.

*This is not legal advice

 

[Drew]

I also think they have a TON of output and the measurements back this up. I'm not sure where the complaints that they don't seem overly powerful are coming from. Not been my experience at all.

I think the problem for a lot of people, myself included, is they're very hot, but all that power is in a very narrow range. Bright, very little low mids and lows. It means when you throw a ton of gain at them they sound clear, punchy, and defined, but when you're not running them into a fully saturated amp they sound kind of anemic.

Honestly, they sound a lot like a noise-cancelling singlecoil run through a compressor and a clean boost, to me, which to be perfectly fair is also basically whay a 707 sounds like.

 

[Darkscience]

D-Activators suck bad, only a newblet would use them. Get rid of them now! OMG I can't believe that is what you want to use!

 

[T00DEEPBLUE]

I think the problem for a lot of people, myself included, is they're very hot, but all that power is in a very narrow range. Bright, very little low mids and lows. It means when you throw a ton of gain at them they sound clear, punchy, and defined, but when you're not running them into a fully saturated amp they sound kind of anemic.

Honestly, they sound a lot like a noise-cancelling singlecoil run through a compressor and a clean boost, to me, which to be perfectly fair is also basically whay a 707 sounds like.

I guess one person's idea of 'bright' and 'thin' is another person's idea of 'clear' and 'defined'. At least they don't have the midrange HONK of something like a Super Distortion.

In the context of my post, I don't think they lack low end. I think they have enough low end without being muddy. And I think the split tones on the D-activators are great for cleans since they actually have a decent amount of output and punch for a humbucker.

As a 7 string set, they sound phenomenal and are versatile in the aspects that actually matter. "Not running them into a fully saturated amp makes them sound anaemic" is an irrelevant downside as far as I'm concerned. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Angus Young using a 7 string for Back in Black.

 

[diogoguitar]

I’m not even reading the post open it and tune to drop C.

*This is not legal advice

are you the guy who sold me this guitar? hahahah

this is the guitar I plan to install the activators. And it came setup with Drop C from the previous owner a couple of weeks ago

 

[Mathemagician]

are you the guy who sold me this guitar? hahahah

this is the guitar I plan to install the activators. And it came setup with Drop C from the previous owner a couple of weeks ago

View attachment 135046

U know wut to do.

 

[SamSam]

I quite like deactivators.

That said, go for the Black Winters.

I love the Black Winters.

 

[ZLE]

@diogoguitar you said you play Metallica and Megadeth. Well the 2 best albums of those bands: Master of Puppets and Rust in Peace are recorded with Duncan Invaders and Duncan JB respectively. Take the classics into concideration.

 

[littlebadboy]

I really like the Deactivator X set on my PRS S2. I opted for a parallel switch vs a split and it sounds great! It has a tone bypass switch and it roars!