It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this set is perhaps one of the most underrated pickups from DiMarzio. I remember when the first Ibanez guitars equipped with DiMarzio/IBZ pickups hit the market around 2003-2004. Initially, there wasn’t much reaction, but as more of these Ibanez guitars were sold, people started writing not-so-positive things about them on forums. Furthermore some people claimed they weren’t rea deal. Just take a look at what I found with a quick search in just 5-6 minutes:
“How does DiMarzio IBZ compare to the actual DiMarzio pickups? I just bought a Prestige 2550egk last night and the pickups are the best I have ever used, I never used real pickups, I allways played with stock pickups from non prestige Ibanez and EMGHZ. I love the DiMarzio IBZ, are real DiMarzio's better then this?”
“I also prefer the 'real' DiMarzios over the DiMarzio/ IBZ pickups.”
“I recently bought a second handed Ibanez rg2750 which came with Dimarzio/ibz pickups and to be honest I feel they sound like shit they are neither smooth enough for clean stuff nor heavy enough for heavy stuff and they are muddy as ****. Before my rg2750 I've had a crappy old Yahama Pacifica for like 6 years which came along with Seymour Duncan pickups and to be honest I think they sounded much much better, at least they were good for playing clean stuff.”
“Ibz are not that bad - but if you're going for a good guitar pick the DiMarzio - they are awesome”
“My ibanez had IBZ's in it and they were a decent set of pups but the Dimarzio's are superior.”
“Made for Ibanez by Dimarzio, those are okay, but I would still suggest looking around for top of the line pickups. DiMarzio/IBZ remind me of dogs. Theres pure breeds, DiMarzio, and ones that have been mated together, DiMarzio/IBZ. They sound good don't get me wrong but you'll love the sound if you pick out your own pickups imo.”
“They might be, but they are all the cheap materials that dimarzio wouldn't use if they do happen to manufacture them. So they might be the "Squire" of dimarzios, and they don't put their real name on it. (as an answer to "arent ibz pickups made by dimarzio?" question)”
With a quick search, you can find them too—back then, some very interesting comments were made about the DiMarzio/IBZ pickups. Actually, instead of "interesting," I could also use the terms "inconsistent" or "contradictory." In one comment, they were described as "bright&harsh," while another called them "muddy." Some said they were "too weak," and some even described their output as "excessive." At this point, in the absence of guiding advertisements or promotional descriptions, we can see just how contradictory subjective opinions can be. :) I find most of them are MISLEADING. Let’s see what i measured and what i think of them. First, the Bridge Version.
The Test Guitar
My test guitar for that set is my Charvel Model A guitar. The guitar features a mahogany body, quarter-sawn maple neck, ebony fretboard, 25.5" scale length, Floyd Rose tremolo with steel block (JT580LP), nickel silver frets, CTS&alpha 500K pots, D'adarrio Strings in E-std tuning, a 5-way Ibanez (2502N) switch. For two hb guitars that switch has totally useable inner positions that you don’t need anything else. Its primary (unplugged) tone is warm.
Evaluation
Let’s read the desciption first, as always;
“The DiMarzio/IBZ pickups are specifically designed and manufactured by DiMarzio for Ibanez, and they are not available separately. Like all DiMarzio pickups, they are made in our New York factory. Both neck and bridge pickups are high-output models. The neck pickup is fairly bright-sounding, similar to a Super 2 (DP104). The bridge pickup is a little louder and warmer-sounding, and resembles a cross between the Steve Morse Bridge Model (DP200) and the Super Distortion (DP100). The R1 single-coil is warmer-sounding than a typical vintage single-coil, and was designed to work well with the neck and bridge humbuckers when they are in split mode. It has a sound similar to that of the HS-2 in split-coil mode.”
My measurements are here;
Dimarzio/IBZ Bridge
Magnet – Big Ceramic
Measured DCR: 13.84 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 6.81 K Ohm (Screw/South Coil)
Measured DCR: 7.05 K Ohm (Slug/North Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 6.33 H (Series)
Inductance @100Hz: 2.81 H (Screw Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 2.80 H (Slug Coil)
Measured C: -19.6 nF (Series)/ -38.2nF (Screw Coil) / -36.3nF (Slug Coil)
Output:
EQ (B/M/T) –
Gauss: 500G screw, 500G slug (measured at top center of D&G pole pieces)
Patents: ?
Ambient Measurement Temperature: 22C
When you start examining the pickup visually, the first things that stand out are (I assume) a pair of symmetrically wound coils, large pole pieces similar to those on the Super Distortion, and a large ceramic bar magnet as the power source. I intentionally added "I assume" earlier because the South coil measures 6.81K, while the North coil comes in at 7.05K. In other words, the significant difference found in models like the Norton/Air Norton, the Al DiMeola Neck, the IGNO, or the EVO2 isn’t present here. However, I can’t be sure if this difference is merely a "manufacturing tolerance" issue. If I were to judge based solely on these values, I’d call it symmetric. On the other hand, when looking closely at the coils, the South coil appears slightly thicker, while the North coil seems a bit thinner. I can’t be completely certain because the winding pattern is also quite similar, not just the DC resistance values. So, are these coils truly "Dual Resonance?" In my opinion, the likelihood is very low—though not entirely zero—based on my measurements and visual inspection.
On the other hand, there is another rare version of Dimarzio/Ibz pickups which has traditional pole pieces. But i truely have no idea about that pickup.
Look above. That humbucker has a patent number of "Dual Resonance". But we can't be sure if same shit happens also for our regular Dimarzio/Ibz. Why am I so fixated on whether this pickup is "dual resonance" or not? Because a few years ago, I read a forum post where someone shared Bode plots of these pickups, and according to their measurements, the DiMarzio/IBZ was essentially an Evolution in disguise. The resonance frequencies and Bode plots matched… Honestly, I expected to see similar evidence in my own measurements, but that wasn’t the case. Based on my findings, the DiMarzio/IBZ actually resembles the Super Distortion more. If I compare it with the Evo2—assuming that the Evo2 has the same coils as the Evolution—I think the similarities and differences will become even clearer.
Pickup Model | Super Distortion | Dimarzio/IBZ Bridge | EVO 2 |
DC Resistance(Series) | 13,69 | 13,84 | 13,44 |
South Coil/Screw DCR | 6,93 | 6,81 | 7,91 |
North Coil Slug DCR | 6,71 | 7,05 | 5,53 |
Inductance (series) | 6,33 | 6,33 | 7,18 |
South CoilScrew DCR | 2,98 | 2,81 | 3,23 |
North Coil Slug DCR | 2,57 | 2,8 | 3,08 |
Capacitance series (nF) | -19,3 | -19,6 | -21,2 |
South Coil/Screw Capacitance | -37,5 | -38,2 | -32,5 |
North Coil /Slug Capacitance | -35,7 | -36,3 | -52,3 |
Gauss (Mean of D&G Pole Pieces) | 510 | 500 | 410 |
I have a d named Xu Khoo, and I think we might be the only ones who gives a shit about them in the world :) However, we do have a small difference of opinion—he believes that the D/IBZ pickups are a "Evo in disguise", or at least that their sonic character is closer to the Evolution than to the Super Distortion. I don’t quite agree with that. But since I take his opinions seriously, I wanted to give him a shoutout and share his perspective here. Xun-Hau, what’s up, man? You’re on TV! :)
Now, let’s talk about the EQ character of the DiMarzio/IBZ bridge model… To put it simply, I’d say it’s fairly flat. It’s not exactly a focused pickup. The lows are quite tight, powerful. The lower mids are flat and uncolored, while the high mids are rich, bright and clear. Hence i remember the Steve Morse Bridge model somehow. And in the official description it was told so there is nothing to be surprised, right? I am surprised because, after all those inspection and measurements, i must able to hear something closer to Super Distortion. There are undeniable aspects that makes you remember SD but resembles SM Bridge more than SD. Because of these reasons the official info from Dimarzio is truely right: Dimarzio/Ibz is the legitimate child of Steve Morse Bridge and Super Distortion. If we talk about the differences between the Super Distortion and the DiMarzio/IBZ, the first thing to note is that the D/IBZ isn’t as fat as the SD. The SD feels relatively thicker and ballsier, with more pronounced low mids. In terms of perception, the D/IBZ sounds brighter to my ears.
I haven’t tried the Evolution in this guitar, and I haven’t had one in any of my guitars in the last 7-8 years. So, I might not be able to make the most precise comparison, as my memory of it isn’t exactly fresh. But as far as I remember, in very general terms, the Evolutions have a more aggressive upper midrange compared to the D/IBZ, making them really great for Vai-ish stuff, and they are quite rich in harmonics. There is definitely some similarity, at least from what I recall. But to say how much, I’d need to test an Evolution in the same guitar.
An official data for the Dimarzio/Ibz output does not exist. But I assume very close to Super Distortion, 400-425mV roughly. Because they all have similar chunky ceramic magnet within and no other parts like steel spacers near the narrower magnet we see on the EVO2.
When evaluating the D/IBZ in terms of dynamic range, there is inevitable compression when volume pot is full up, but as you lower the volume knob down, you can get distinct cleans. For some pickups, you know, when you roll the volume down, your tone turns clean that is very well and usable. But some pickups doesn’t have that “good cleans” by volume pot drops. Unfortunately, D/IBZ is in that territory. Cleans get too crisp for my taste. For the phrasing sensitivity, well, it’s not your good ole dynamic medium powered humbucker, do not forget that.
The most defining characteristic of the D/IBZ bridge pickup is that it’s a powerful rock pickup. It has the ability to bring bridge positions in darker-sounding guitars to life with its own unique flavor. Additionally, its structural similarity to the Super Distortion gives the D/IBZ a significant advantage in achieving tones ranging from '70s hard rock riffs to '80s-style chugs.
Is it suitable for modern heavy metal? In my opinion, yes, it is. I believe it can handle lower tunings with ease.
Conclusion
Until a few years ago, these pickups could be found for incredibly low prices. People did everything they could to get rid of them from their Prestige Ibanez guitars to achieve “real” dimarzios. Considering their potential, I’d say that’s a shame. There’s no need to go on and on about it—this is a high-output rock machine that can breathe life into the bridge tones of guitars with a somewhat darker/warmer character.
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