It might look like a Strat® guitar pickup, but the SDS-1™ adds punch, gain, and warmth reminiscent of the best old soapbar pickups. The adjustable pole pieces don't pull as hard as regular rod magnets, so you can get the pickup closer to the strings for stronger output. The highs are less exaggerated and the bottom is deeper than most singles for a rounder, darker tone. If your guitar's bridge position sound is too edgy, without the push needed to drive your amp, remedy the situation with an SDS-1™. Add a pair of True Velvet™ pickups for sparkle, or a True Velvet™ in the neck and an FS-1™ in the middle for balanced tone choices.

The Imperium™ Bridge Model was developed for Revocation front man Dave Davidson. Dave’s exceptional guitar playing is difficult to categorize. It has been suggested that he be described simply as a “metal” player without any additional modifiers because he spans the gamut. He’s a true original, and we’re very pleased to be working with him.

It was very important to Dave to have pickups that not only sound good as a lead sound, but also sound great clean because he doesn’t always play with distortion. The low end is full-bodied and the high end comes through crystal clear. He also asked that the Imperium™ Neck and Bridge Models to be voiced as close as possible to the seven string versions, so there’s no tonal difference when he’s playing live, switching back and forth between his six- and seven-string guitars.

Dave wanted a lot of dynamics and clarity in the Imperium™ Bridge Model. He tends to play a lot of complex chord voicings with Revocation, and wanted to be certain that all the notes ring through even with a lot of gain.

The Imperium™ Bridge is available in F-spacing only.

What do you need in order to play blues with a Strat®? The Virtual Vintage® Blues has more power and warmth than a typical single-coil. You can really hear these qualities when you’re playing the Virtual Vintage® Blues. It withstands hard picking and opens up when you’re playing with an overdriven amp. Instead of shrinking away, the sound jumps out of the speakers. These qualities are really useful for getting a fat neck position sound, but they’re outstanding for the bridge position — particularly if you have a thin-sounding guitar or use light gauge strings. It’s a tough sounding bridge pickup with warmer guitars, and makes a good neck and middle choice to match with a full-size bridge humbucker. As the rest of the Virtual Vintage® family, it’s dead quiet; there’s practically no hum at all.

One thing has stayed consistent throughout John Petrucci’s long and successful career: the DiMarzio® pickups in his guitars. John has been pushing the envelope of progressive metal since the late eighties, and the DiMarzio® LiquiFire 7™ Neck Model resulted from our most recent collaboration with John. He used it throughout Dream Theater’s tenth studio album, “Black Clouds & Silver Linings”. John swears this is the best live and studio sound he has ever had. He wanted a neck pickup with a flowing, singing solo tone when used with a heavily overdriven amp and a clear chord sound with a clean amp setting.