Thumbs up to Dimarzio's customer service

[TJD]

++++++++1..
Just put together my 1st build and wasn't happy with my Dimarzio Airzone...just didn't match what I wanted in sound. Wanted more power so I called Dimarzio. Not only were they willing no questions asked to take the pick-up back in trade for whatever I wanted.....add the fact that I was already over the thirty days....the guy I spoke with spent 25 min on the phone with me listening to me stumble through my explanation of what I wanted in a pickup and helped me out a ton. A+ service they earned my respect. D Activator is on it's way home to papa!

 

[ironeddie]

++++++++1..
Just put together my 1st build and wasn't happy with my Dimarzio Airzone...just didn't match what I wanted in sound. Wanted more power so I called Dimarzio. Not only were they willing no questions asked to take the pick-up back in trade for whatever I wanted.....add the fact that I was already over the thirty days....the guy I spoke with spent 25 min on the phone with me listening to me stumble through my explanation of what I wanted in a pickup and helped me out a ton. A+ service they earned my respect. D Activator is on it's way home to papa!

I have a d Activator.  It is one of the best sounding pickups that I have ever heard in my life.  I have mine in the neck position and I was blown away.  Enjoy!!

 

[kdownes]

I have Virtual Vintage single coils in my strat, and the middle PU was demagnetized at the tech's shop (needless to say I don't go there anymore).  I called DiMarzio to ask about what to do, and I think I ended up talking with their head tech, Steve Blucher.  He told me to send it in and he remagnitized it, for free, and sent it back right away -- I think it was only out of my guitar for three days.  AND their PU's sound awesome -- I have an Air Norton and PAF Pro in my modded Dean, which sound excellent, and am about to put Area J's in my jazz bass I'm hoping to complete this weekend.  An all around great company.

 

[ironeddie]

Although I have Duncans in some of my guitars, I think they're relying on old technology, their name & bad poor practices.

I've heard good things about the new P-Rails and Blackouts.  :icon_scratch:

Yeah Seymour Duncan makes great pickups imo, however I can't say about their customer service since I never really had to deal with them.

I have some blackouts... They are a great active pickup (my personal favourite set)

 

[Cagey]

I love hearing stories about good customer service - they're so rare these days. I'm also glad to hear that DiMarzio cares about their customers, having just bought a brace of their pickups.

Not to change the subject, but for those of you who use computers, Logitech is that way, too. I just today got a new mouse after using one for two years. The debounce on the left click stopped being effective, so I thought I'd see if they'd honor their 5 year warranty. They did, with no kicking. Couple emails back and forth to nail things down, and they not only replaced the mouse with a new one, but paid shipping in both directions.

As it worked out, I liked the mouse well enough that I bought another of the same model (MX-620) when the first one started getting hinky, thinking that would be the only way I'd be happy. Now I've got a spare! <grin>

My roommate had a similar experience with them concerning a keyboard a couple years ago, which is what encouraged me to pursue this, so it seems this is standard behavior for them.

Truth be told, I think 5 years is a pretty ambitious warranty for something like a mouse. They take a helluva lotta abuse. I'd be surprised to see one last that long. But, if that's the confidence level they have, I'm not going to argue.

 

[dNA]

Without going into too much detail - I must say that DiMarzio is among the best customer service i've come across in my life. Certainly the best of any large scale manufacturer.
I bug them to DEATH with questions every time i buy a set of pickups. I've taken advantage of their 30 day exchange policy numerous times.
The last time i exchanged pickups, I gave them the wrong return address (long story). When they got it back, they were happy to ship it a second time to me at no extra charge. I thought that was awesome.

all in all, I will be a DiMarzio devotee for life, so long as their service doesn't decline. Maybe one day when i have more money to try some of the boutique level stuff, my opinion will change, but i ahve been very happy with their products and have never even felt the need to try other brands yet.

 

[fdesalvo]

Does an overhead cam v8 motor utilize newer techology than a pushrod v8?  I'm not a huge fan of DiMarzio's products, but they are the ones pushing the technology envelope with respect to innovative pickup design.

What would you call it then?

Clever marketing.

 

[Dan025]

ummm no! it doesn't. overhead cams are every bit as old as pushrods and much easier to design but slightly more costly to produce. i sick of this argument with peoples clear lack of understanding of design, technology and efficiency. not to mention that this is a guitar forum! but if you'd like to continue this argument you can PM me.

the only thing dimarzio does is try new combos. the technology is the same, no more or less advanced they just experiment and tune to some subjective analysis that really means nothing as everyones gear is different and the circuit characteristics not to mention the sonic characteristics of the instrument are all different. they fluff up there marketing just like any botiuqe manufacturer and any other large manufacturer (cough seymour duncan cough cough)  fact is though they all live in the past, the glory days of the broadcaster, esquire stratocaster and les paul

i'm not saying there is no innovation out there but i don't see it in dimarzios products, still i have no dislike of them just stating my opinions here. actually i think seymour duncan has tried more original things but no one seems to buy those model, people are just afraid of innovation and living in the past.

 

[fdesalvo]

^^ Sheesh, not specific enough?  I neglected to include "32v quad overhead cam (with intelligent variable valve timing) v8 with and aftermarket EMS running modded fuel maps and ignition timing." This isn't a car forum, so pardon my generic bloveating.

 

[Dan025]

^^ Sheesh, not specific enough?  I neglected to include "32v quad overhead cam (with intelligent variable valve timing) v8 with and aftermarket EMS running modded fuel maps and ignition timing." This isn't a car forum, so pardon my generic bloveating.

got ya  :laughing7:

i don't see however how computerized active systems compare to "hey i think i'll mix this coil with that one and, strap'em together in a package and see if i like how it sounds,"

i mean where is the innovation, airbuckers and blade pole pieces are just stolen from bill lawrence. you never here dimarzio talking about core permeability and how that changes inductance. they use the same old plain jane materials. never here them talking about magnetic circuit shape and how to best get more detail from a coil, or coil shape, or the Q factor.

you can get get innovation with the same old list of parts, not saying you can't but i don't see that dimarzio has really done that any more than any other. look at lace with the old sensors and whatever they did to make them quieter, and the new alumitones. i don't know if i like either one of those but there was innovation.

back on topic; dimarzio's are no worse than there major competitors and if the service is great i support them as a company.

 

[Cagey]

you never here dimarzio talking about core permeability and how that changes inductance. they use the same old plain jane materials. never here them talking about magnetic circuit shape and how to best get more detail from a coil, or coil shape, or the Q factor.

It may just be that DiMarzio doesn't hire the same kind of marketing weenies that some other companies do, or have anybody in-house who's capable of writing a lot of gushing hyperbole that really doesn't say anything, but sounds impressive and delicious. I'm sure you've seen them before - a company's ad will go on for 5 or 6 paragraphs with nonsense like "The supernatural power of the Ultra-Mega Platinum Special Edition Wank-O-Master Pro Pickup is built to satisfy even the most discerning tone chaser. Its unbelievable array of tonal options will take you on a tonal tour of the greatest singing string personalities to ever emerge from your caressing fingers..." What? Somebody else will bury you in techno-babble, using all sorts of 50 cent words and terms you've never heard of that they cribbed directly from an engineering treatment on inductive sensors. Finally, you'll have one who simply says "Pick a color", and leave it up to you to figure out what's going on.

In the end, it doesn't really matter because there's little any of them can say that will give you any idea what the thing is ultimately going to sound like. Even if they could describe it accurately enough that you could imagine the sound in your head, it still wouldn't matter because it's going to react differently on your guitar and to your playing style than anybody elses.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I have the Area 67 in the neck position of my Strat, and it sounds awesome, and is quieter than my full-size humbuckers. It is the last pickup I will ever need for that guitar.

Stacked humbuckers are nothing new, BUT Dimarzio has used patented new technology in making the Area series pickups. They use an AlNiCo 2 magnet (instead of AlNiCo 5), for less string pull and sweeter sound, yet are wound in such a way that there is no loss of power or high-end.  Considering how low-cost these pickups are, I am truly impressed.

 

[JaySwear]

cagey is right. most companies will use more words describing color than they will words describing tone when trying to write up a review for their own pickups. thats why i love dimarzio; if you don't want to read the description they made up then you can check out their treble/mids/bass chart, or even listen to sound clips for a few of the pickups.

anyway, only had good experiences with dimarzio myself. called them once or twice. really helpful, although maybe a little abrupt :icon_biggrin: i guess their phone lines get busy.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Does an overhead cam v8 motor utilize newer techology than a pushrod v8?  I'm not a huge fan of DiMarzio's products, but they are the ones pushing the technology envelope with respect to innovative pickup design.

What would you call it then?

Clever marketing.

I don't know about V8s, but the DiMarzio Area series with a hum cancelling coil isn't new technology.  In this respect, they are not pushing the envelope of new technology with the Area series, just utilizing old technology with good results.  I just want to clarify too that I didn't knock DiMarzio's pickup's sound, quality, or customer service.  Rather I would judge each pickup on it's own merit rather than how it's marketed, or what the people selling them say about them.  From everything I've seen from unsolicited testimonials, the Area series (and DiMarzio in general) is the real deal.  Great.

 

[OzziePete]

I have to give a big thumbs up to Dimarzio too about their customer service.  :icon_thumright:

I had an enquiry about an old Dimarzio pickup and I took a couple of close up photos and emailed them, and they replied via email within a day. Good work..

Seems I have an old DP104 Super 2 pickup, looks different to newer models and possibly the first series of them. I was expecting quite a few days before I got a response but yeah, within a day they responded and had an identification.  :hello2: