Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $100
Standard/Professional
$99
$200+
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Price History
Based on price data from 3 merchants for "DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.
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Description
Unleash the potential of your guitar with the DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge, a powerhouse pickup designed to bridge the gap between the raw energy of active pickups and the nuanced tone of passive systems. This passive humbucker is engineered to deliver an active-like output, providing you with the punch and clarity that drive your riffs to the next level, without the sterility often associated with active designs.
The D-Activator Bridge pickup is all about versatility and dynamic responsiveness. Its unique coil design is tuned to emphasize the harmonics that make your guitar sing, ensuring that each note resonates with enriched quality. Whether you're shredding with a heavy attack or dialing back for a cleaner sound, this pickup adapts, offering unparalleled headroom and tonal clarity. Seamlessly paired with the D-Activator Neck pickup, it maintains balanced volume levels for smooth transitions, letting you focus on your performance without worrying about sudden drops in sound.
With its ceramic magnet and 4-conductor wiring, the D-Activator Bridge is not only about high output but also precision and control. It excels in delivering a strong and focused attack that hits your amp hard, making it feel more powerful and lively. Whether in the studio or on stage, this pickup ensures that your guitar's voice is always heard, loud and clear.
Key Features:
- Passive pickup with active-like output
- Enhanced harmonics for enriched tonal quality
- Cleans up naturally with lighter playing
- High output designed to match popular active pickups
- Wiring: 4 conductor
- Magnet: Ceramic
- Output mV: 470
- DC resistance: 11.41 Kohm
Product specs
| Type | Humbucker |
| Position | Bridge |
| Active/Passive | Passive |
| Magnet Material | Ceramic |
| Number of Conductors | 4 wire plus ground |
| DC Resistance | 11.41K |
| Connectivity | Soldered |
| Number of Strings | 6 |
| Spacing | F-Spaced |
| Covering | Uncovered |
FAQs
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What type of music is the DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge pickup best suited for?
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The DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge pickup is well-suited for genres like classic rock and metal due to its high output and fast response, providing clarity and definition even under heavy distortion.
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Is the DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge an active or passive pickup?
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The DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge is a passive pickup, meaning it does not require a battery and offers a natural, dynamic response to playing.
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What kind of magnet does the DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge use?
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The DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge uses ceramic magnets, which contribute to its powerful output and bright, articulate tone.
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Does the DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge pickup require any special installation considerations?
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The DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge is F-spaced and designed for bridge positions on guitars with wider string spacing, typically found on guitars with Floyd Rose or similar tremolo systems.
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How does the DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge handle pick attack?
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The DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge responds quickly to pick attack, maintaining clarity and avoiding signal flattening even with a hard pick attack, while also cleaning up naturally with softer playing or volume adjustments.
Videos
Robert Jackson
DiMarzio DP219/DP220 D-Activator Pickups | Ibanez XPT700 Xiphos Guitar
Reviews
PROS
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Provides active pickup sound without needing a battery
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Harmonic warmth surpasses many active pickups
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Excels in high-gain and low tuning scenarios
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Retains clarity and punch even at high distortion levels
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Versatile, handles genres from metal to blues
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Great sustain and high output for metal tones
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Clear cleans with a full spectrum of sounds
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Easy coil-splitting with 4-conductor wiring
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Responsive to pick attack, with dynamic range
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Affordable, high-value alternative to boutique pickups
CONS
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Can sound too bright in already bright-sounding guitars
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Requires knowledge for installation due to 5 connectors
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Midrange can be difficult to EQ out for some users
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Some users find it lacks the "mojo" or inspiration
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge.
Features and functionality
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The D-Activator can achieve gritty distortion and clear, deep clean tones, offering versatility for multiple genres, including jazz and metalcore.
Source
Setup and maintenance
Use cases and applications
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The D-Activator is praised for handling bands like Coheed and Cambria, Breaking Benjamin, and Rise Against, making it suitable for diverse musical styles.
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Tonerider's Octane humbucker with alnico 8 is designed for modern metal, while their Generator model uses alnico 5 for classic metal tones.
Source
Mods and upgrades
Comparisons
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Iron Gear's Metal Machine pickups are noted for rivaling expensive EMGs in performance, offering a cost-effective alternative for metal tones.
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Critic Reviews
4.0 out of 5
Based on 2 Reviews and 9 Ratings
381
Serviceable, but not for me
This is the stock bridge pickup from my Ibanez Xiphos, and while it's plenty good enough to get through a gig, I've never found a Dimarzio pickup that had the "mojo" (at least not for me). They're definitely pro-quality, but to me, they always sound... Sterile. Bland. Polite. I'm not sure how to put it without making the countless Dimarzio fans out there angry, but they just don't sound inspiring to me.
The D-Activator is Dimarzio's take on the classic EMG 81, but I feel like it got all the wrong things right, and all the right things wrong. What I like about the 81 is the massive output and sustain, crazy harmonics, and that "molten metal" feel and tone. By contrast, the D-Activator seems like it's much lower in output than many passive humbuckers, and it just doesn't sustain like a lot of other pickups do. Harmonics are there, but not really prevalent. What is there is a BIG midrange that's hard to EQ out, with a "controlled" (read: lackluster) bass response. I think Dimarzio was going for a "dynamic, uncompressed feel with a tight low end", but the way it came out just isn't for me.
Again, it's NOT a low-quality pickup - plenty of professional guitarists use this, and it's the stock pickup in most of the metal-focused guitars that Ibanez has put out for the last 13 years or so. It's just not what I want out of a bridge pickup. I replaced it with a Seymour Duncan Black Winter, and I will never look back. In a word, the D-Activator is "serviceable".
Artist usage
Add artist
John 5 uses Dimarzio D Activator Bridge pickups in his main guitars, as said at 0:22 in this video: "It's been great. I love the pickups...I have the pickups in my main guitars, so anything you hear me playing is with these pickups."
I like the tightness of the active pickups, but need a lot of personality. I tried a few different pickups and decided to go with the DiMarzio D Activator pickups. They have the tightness of active pickups, but the personality of passive pickups.
Richard, in an interview in 2008, says he began to use DiMarzio D-Activator pickups. Although it was possibly a brief stint, as he's still seen using EMG pickups both live and in the studio.
At 25:29 Nita says that in the bridge of her RG320Z is a Dimarzio D Activator Bridge Pickup.
In his modded strat, neil put in a dimarzio d-activator. He modded the strat to have a single humbucker, as well as a custom green paint job. The guitar was eventually given away to one of his twitch subs.
I use Jackson WR1 Warriors with Dimarzio pick ups (D Activators in the bridge and a Super 2 in the neck position on my white one, and a Liquifire in the neck position on my red one).
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Similar
Add recommendation1 alternative for DiMarzio DP220 D-Activator Bridge, curated by the Equipboard community.
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The EMG 81 is the pickup which the D-Activator was based on. Dimarzio created the D-Activator as an alternative to the 81 which would, in their words, "eliminate the sterile edginess commonly associated with active pickups".
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