Although Eric Johnson is best known as a Strat® player, he has always played humbucker-equipped guitars as well. After getting a new Gibson® Les Paul® 1959 re-issue, Eric asked us if it could be made to sound like an old Gretsch® Country Gentleman guitar. We said, “No problem!” The pickups we designed are exact replacements for standard, full-size humbuckers. They’re bright and have great presence without sounding thin. When Eric tried them, he said they were almost as clear-sounding as Strat® pickups. He was surprised at how well they sounded with heavy distortion, because no matter how overdriven the sound, it did not become muddy. The EJ Custom™ is available with exposed coils in all standard DiMarzio® colors and plated or unplated nickel covers at additional cost.

          If you look at the DC Resistance specs for these pickups, you will see they're very similar to PAF®-style models. However, their performance is very different in two important areas. They have less power and much more treble response than “vintage” humbuckers. In fact, treble response is comparable to that of typical single-coils, but since bass response is still very solid, the EJ Custom™ isn't thin-sounding. It's outstanding for chords and finger-picking, and has exceptional definition for soloing, even with extreme amounts of distortion.