DiMarzio DP221 D Activator X Humbucker Neck Electric Guitar Pickup  

The DiMarzio DP221 D Activator X Humbucker Neck Pickup features the same striking look as their X2N pickup, but they've adjusted the output and tuned the coils to different frequencies to create a powerful sound. The DP221 humbucker is wide open and surprisingly clean when the volume control is rolled down, even with extreme metal and high-gain amps. The neck model D Activator X is designed to produce a highly focused attack centered on the upper midrange, with less magnet pull and output to balance perfectly with the bridge DP221 humbucker. The D Activator-X neck model features universal spacing for both standard and F-spaced applications.

Recommended For: Neck position.

Tech Talk: As you can see from the specs, the DiMarzio D Activator-X neck model pickup has a lot less output than the bridge model. What is often forgotten is that strings generate much more output voltage over the neck position because they vibrate more strongly there than over the bridge position, so the neck and bridge models actually balance very well. The neck model also has a weaker magnetic field, so it doesn't interfere with sustain or intonation. Both pickups were primarily designed for heavy music, but they're also very good for clean, bright sounds in split and parallel modes.