DiMarzio DP156BC Humbucker from Hell Guitar Pickup, Black/Cream

Because a conventional humbucker senses the string at two different places, it cancels some frequencies along with the hum. What if there was a humbucker that cancelled fewer frequencies? It would be brighter and cleaner: almost glassy-sounding. In other words, it would sound a lot like a Strat® pickup, but with about the same power as a PAF®. We created The Humbucker From Hell® primarily as a neck pickup. You won’t believe how much it will open up the sound in the neck position of a Gibson® Les Paul®, and it has an almost acoustic quality in the neck spot of a bolt-on guitar. Why is it called The Humbucker From Hell®? Try it in the bridge position with a bright amp — but put in your earplugs first, and don’t say you weren’t warned.

Okay, we admit it — it's a strange name for a pickup that's not a mega-voltage monster, but try it in the bridge position with a really bright amp and you'll get it. What we really wanted was a super-clean neck pickup, because we've heard years of complaints about muddy-sounding humbuckers. This pickup is the cure. With some guitar/amp combinations, it can sound almost acoustic. With others, it's real Strat®-like. Aside from canceling 60-cycle hum, it bears very little resemblance to a standard humbucking sound.