DiMarzio D Activator pickup
Photo: DiMarzio (opens in a new tab)
DiMarzio

DiMarzio D Activator

Very low output, tight and aggressive, with tight lows.

Hotter than 4% of the 230 neck humbuckers we have

  • Ceramic magnet: the strongest pull: tight lows and a sharp attack
  • Tighter lows than a typical DiMarzio

“That's cool, well it sounds like the D-Activator must be a pretty rippin pickup for tight/articulate gainy tones!.”

Like the DiMarzio D Activator, but…

The closest pickup in each direction that still fits the same slot. See every match

Specs

DC resistance
7.22k
Inductance
2.59 Hmeasured, 1 reading
Magnet
Ceramic
Coil
Hum-cancelling

vintage outputtight lowstight & aggressive

DiMarzio's tone chart, 0–10

From DiMarzio's published specs ↗ (opens in a new tab). Traits come from these specs by stated rules.

Fits the neck of a Les Paul, SG, PRS Custom 24 or Superstrat (HH).

Similar pickups

230 fit the same slot · ranked on measured specs · top 40 shown

Upgrading from the DiMarzio D Activator? Put it on the map and see what sits where you want your tone to go.

Each score is how close a pickup is on measured specs, out of 100. The meter shows how many of those specs we could compare; a grey score means few could be. Filters cover the top 40. How scoring works

  1. Closest match
    DiMarzio Dark Matter 2

    hotter output

    No inductance for one of them, so output leans on DC resistance; tone charts compared directly.

    high confidence
    Compare →
  2. DiMarzio Imperium
    DiMarzio Imperium
    neck humbucker

    hotter output

    No inductance for one of them, so output leans on DC resistance; tone charts compared directly.

    high confidence
    Compare →
  3. Railhammer Chisel
    Railhammer Chisel
    neck humbucker

    no spec differences found

    No inductance for one of them, so output leans on DC resistance; no tone chart to compare.

    low confidence
    Compare →
  4. Railhammer Cleancut
    Railhammer Cleancut
    neck humbucker

    no spec differences found

    No inductance for one of them, so output leans on DC resistance; no tone chart to compare.

    low confidence
    Compare →

What others say

Demos, reviews and forum posts, quoted word for word and linked to where they were published.

DiMarzio D Activator pickup demo song by High Z Productions
High Z Productions
DiMarzio D Activator vs Tone Zone/Air Norton Pickup Comparison
High Z Productions · comparison
Pickup Comparison: EMG 81-60 ⚡️ DiMarzio D Activator ⚡️ Fishman Fluence Open Core Classic
Gergo Hajer · comparison
DiMarzio D ACTIVATOR vs EMG 81 - Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo
Mike Stamper · comparison
“The low end delivers some thump, but doesn't flub out or get muddy.”
Darth Phineas · Nov 23, 2015Darth Phineas ↗ (opens in a new tab)
“The mids and highs are very nice for lead work in the neck position.”
Darth Phineas · Nov 23, 2015Darth Phineas ↗ (opens in a new tab)
“That's cool, well it sounds like the D-Activator must be a pretty rippin pickup for tight/articulate gainy tones!.”
MrDan666 · 2011-10-18Rig-Talk ↗ (opens in a new tab)
“But right now, I want an aggressive midrange emphasis, or else, I would keep the D Activator in there..”
Rex Rocker · 2024-01-10Rig-Talk ↗ (opens in a new tab)
“I like the D activator sound but want more low end and more sparkly highs so I thought I might experiment with combining the neck pickup with the bridge pickup to get a really full rhythm sound..”
enormicon · 2008-12-03Seymour Duncan forum ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Full reviews and measurements

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