They've also reduced magnet pull by 40% for improved sustain and clarity. DiMarzio has captured the classic bright and clean sound but totally eliminated the hum with their patented Area technology. Single-coils in 1967 were bright and very clean. When it was over, the world had heard and felt the sound of a Strat in the hands of a master. The Monterey Pop Festival of 1967 was a watershed event in American music. In the bridge position, the patented technology of the Area '67 produces a sound that's very bright but not brittle. This is a major advantage in the neck and middle positions, where sustain and intonation can both suffer if the strings are exposed to strong magnetic fields. There's much less magnet pull, but no loss of output. The patented magnetic field of the Area models is more efficient and focused than it is on “true” single-coils, which allows the use of Alnico 2 magnets instead. Strat pickups in the late 1960s used full-strength Alnico 5 magnets. And like the Area 58, its ability to cancel hum is superior to full-size humbuckers. Like the Area 58, the Area '61 really responds to different pick attacks: played hard, it sounds louder and tougher than you’d expect from a vintage pickup, but it cleans up immediately by picking softer or rolling down the volume control. We can’t change your strings or your hands, but the Area '61 captures the tonal bedrock this sound is based on.

This sound is centered on single-coils from the early 1960s, but it’s also based on heavy strings and strong hands.

It’s the perfect bridge pickup with a pair of Area 58 pickups if you want to go all the way from Nashville to Texas in one guitar.ĭiMarzio set out to mimic the Texas blues sound. They wanted to nail this sound, and to do it with no hum and less magnet-pull. They’ve played several pickups from the early 60s that had a unique tonality: they were steely, yet woody-sounding. Their goal has always been to capture the best qualities of pickups from the 1950s and early 60s. DiMarzio has been working on serious vintage single-coil design with no hum for twelve years.

Double stack single coil vs humbucker