Larry DiMarzio invented the replacement pickup concept in 1971 with the introduction of the Super Distortion and Dual Sound pickups. Forty five plus years later, his company produces almost 200 pickup models, all from a humble factory on the industrial north shore of Staten Island in New York.
DiMarzio first created the now famous Super Distortion while seeking a better sound from his own guitar, but recognizing the limited availability of after-market hardware, DiMarzio sought to make custom parts more readily available for those who wanted to push their guitars to the sonic limits. As Larry says, “…this pickup started a sound revolution. Replacement pickups simply didn’t exist before the invention of the Super Distortion in the early Seventies.”
DiMarzio pickups are world famous – powering the sounds of famous virtuosos: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and bands like Boston, Motorhead, Megadeth, Dream Theater, Def Leppard and more. The company boasts a who’s who list of endorsers that includes the world’s most notable guitarists and outright guitar gods.
Today, the DiMarzio factory employs around 50 employees. As an industry leader, DiMarzio has been churning out pickups for decades, moving into industry leading accessories like the ClipLock® straps and high quality instrument cables. DiMarzio’s pickup offering ranges from humbuckers, single-coil, unique offerings for Strat® and Telecaster®, soapbars™, bass, acoustic, 7 and 8-string electric.
