DiMarzio Steve Vai Signature Model Dark Matter 2 Bridge Humbucker Pickup – Black

DiMarzio Steve Vai Signature Model Dark Matter 2 Bridge Humbucker Pickup – Black

Experience powerful, expressive guitar tone with the DiMarzio DP268F Dark Matter 2 Bridge Steve Vai Signature Humbucker Pickup. Developed in collaboration with legendary guitarist Steve Vai, the Dark Matter 2 Bridge delivers a distinctive combination of modern clarity, rich warmth and responsive dynamics for guitarists seeking powerful yet musical performance.

Introduced in 2016, the Dark Matter 2 series was originally designed for Steve Vai’s Ibanez JEM Woody signature guitar. The pickups were specially voiced to complement the instrument’s earthy, organic character, offering a different tonal direction from Vai’s earlier signature pickup designs.

One of the Dark Matter 2 Bridge’s defining characteristics is its smooth, controlled treble response. While many powerful humbuckers emphasise aggressive high frequencies, the Dark Matter 2 was engineered to soften harsh upper-frequency peaks without sacrificing articulation or presence.

Equipped with a ceramic magnet, the pickup delivers precise attack, controlled low frequencies and excellent note definition. Its manufacturer-rated 330mV output provides substantial power for rock and instrumental guitar performances while maintaining a balanced, expressive response.

The pickup’s tonal voicing combines clear bass, present midrange and smooth high frequencies. This balance allows it to produce powerful rhythm sounds without excessive muddiness, while lead passages remain articulate and musical rather than overly sharp or piercing.

With clean amplification, the Dark Matter 2 Bridge offers detailed chords and a warm, open sound. Under heavy overdrive or distortion, it produces rich harmonics, sustained lead tones and the clarity required for technically demanding playing.

Its responsive design also makes it suitable for a variety of musical techniques, including fast alternate picking, fluid legato passages, intricate chord voicings and expressive melodic solos.

Designed specifically for the bridge position of compatible six-string electric guitars, the Dark Matter 2 Bridge features F-spaced pole-piece alignment. This makes it suitable for instruments with compatible wider bridge string spacing, particularly many tremolo-equipped electric guitars.

The pickup features four-conductor wiring, allowing additional switching arrangements such as coil splitting and parallel humbucking when used with compatible guitar electronics. Its fully passive construction requires no battery.

Another distinctive feature of the Dark Matter 2 Bridge is its custom laser-cut pickup cover, featuring interlocking gear patterns inspired by mechanical designs. This premium aesthetic complements the Ibanez JEM Woody’s distinctive appearance while giving the pickup a recognisable signature style.

For a complementary pickup configuration, pair the Dark Matter 2 Bridge with the DiMarzio Dark Matter 2 Neck (DP266F) and Dark Matter 2 Middle (DP267F).

Whether you’re performing progressive rock, instrumental fusion, hard rock or modern metal, the DiMarzio Dark Matter 2 Bridge delivers a refined combination of warmth, clarity, dynamic responsiveness and distinctive Steve Vai signature character.

Specifications