[alex1fly]

Hey all, first post here. I haven't used many Dimarzio pickups, but the ones I have used have been my favorite aftermarket pickups. The VPAF, Virtual P90, and Air Zone have all rocked my world at various times and I've held on to them since around 2006.

The Virtual P90 just went into the neck position of a Santana SE (22 fret, mahogany body/neck, maple top, rw board, pretty balanced sound overall). Had to dremel off the corners of the baseplate so it would fit in the HB route, but that's fine because I'll take this pickup to my grave! Sounds like I remember - sweet, throaty, responsive. So I'm looking to match it with a bridge P90.

My gut says to start with another Virtual P90 to make it a set, but I thought I'd ask on here to see if there are better suggestions. Also because there are some new Dimarzio P90 offerings since I last delved into this world.

Has the Virtual P90 changed at all over the years - as in, are the new ones the same as the old ones?

Thanks, Alex

[darkbluemurder]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

If you want a balanced set I would recommend something stronger than the Virtual P90 for the bridge but guitars have been factory loaded with equal pickups for both positions for decades and were fine to many folks.

The DLX Plus would be a fine choice. I have both the bridge and the neck versions but I only ever used the bridge version in the bridge, but I am sure the neck version would work equally well and should be closer in output and tone to the Virtual P90. Even though the specified output ratings are high, it does not come across that hot since it has a somewhat flatter midrange response.

If you look on the used market, sometimes the DLX-90 pops up. That would be a fine pickup to get for the bridge position - very PAF like in tone and response.

If you want hot, then there are the Super Distortion and the Tone Zone in P90 form factor.

I honestly have no idea whether DiMarzio changed the specs in the Virtual P90.

Cheers Stephan

[alex1fly]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

If you want a balanced set I would recommend something stronger than the Virtual P90 for the bridge but guitars have been factory loaded with equal pickups for both positions for decades and were fine to many folks.

The DLX Plus would be a fine choice. I have both the bridge and the neck versions but I only ever used the bridge version in the bridge, but I am sure the neck version would work equally well and should be closer in output and tone to the Virtual P90. Even though the specified output ratings are high, it does not come across that hot since it has a somewhat flatter midrange response.

If you look on the used market, sometimes the DLX-90 pops up. That would be a fine pickup to get for the bridge position - very PAF like in tone and response.

If you want hot, then there are the Super Distortion and the Tone Zone in P90 form factor.

I honestly have no idea whether DiMarzio changed the specs in the Virtual P90.

Cheers Stephan

Thanks! Definitely looking for balance moreso than a hot bridge. I guess what I'm unclear on is how much hotter a bridge pickup should be to retain the feeling of balance in tonality between the two pickups. There must be reasons why many builders don't use the same pickup in both positions and simply raise the bridge pickup closer to the strings.

[alex1fly]

Looks like my options within the Dimarzio line are
Another Virtual P90
Fantom P90
DLX Plus Neck
DLX Plus Bridge

The Bluesbucker looks neat (as my guitar is actually routed for HBs), but I'm seeing an output reading that's lower than the Virtual P90. Would it be a mistake to put a Bluesbucker in the bridge here?

The Super Distortion has been on my wish list for quite a while as well.

[darkbluemurder]

Bluesbucker does not sound like a P90, more like a lower output PAF.

I have an older catalog where they quoted 260mV for the Bluesbucker - I think now it is only 224mV. Not sure if the actual specs changed but my example is certainly much closer to 224mV. I have it in the neck spot of a bright guitar where it keeps up very well with a Super Distortion in the bridge.

Very little information on the Fantom 90 out there. I am not even sure if they are yet available in Europe - never have seen one.