Steve Vai Describes Developing Dark Matter 2 Pickups with DiMarzio

Steve Vai talks about developing the Dark Matter 2™ pickups and Steve Vai ClipLock™ guitar straps.
www.dimarzio.c...
www.dimarzio.c...

[@luthiervandros]

He’s such an articulate and real dude. One of the last mad chefs.

[@ska2dt]

I love how open and honest Steve is. Probably the only (rock/metal) guitartist I can listen to without a band back up

[@souloftheage]

Agreed!. I LOVE just listening to him talk; about life and love and living. Hes been married a LOOONG time to a female bassist he met at Berkley. I wish hed run for political office. But that would end his experimental time on the guitar.

[@souloftheage]

A genuine and open human being. I LOVE just listening to him talk....about anything.

[@luthiervandros]

Yeah. This video is literally metal QVC.

[@alanharper8000]

Just bought this guitar this weekend. What can I say. I too think its the nicest looking JEM of them all. Sounds fantastic through my Legacy 3. Quite a combo. No complaints at all.

[@dylankopff5062]

Love these pickups ,and anything Vai touches

[@haydenshaver6685]

That guitar is gorgeous...

[@BoiseG]

I bought the new Jem just before Christmas and I absolutely love it. It sounds amazing and is the most beautiful electric guitar I've ever seen. My playing has increased to multiple sessions per day because I feel compelled to go open the case just to have another look and end up taking it out and playing it for a bit. lol

[@i_live_pain8420]

wBryang You lucky fuck you! Awesome man, enjoy it and play some licks for me. 😉

[@roba1899]

That intro was absolutely phenomenal ..

[@Bikewithlove]

Whenever I hear Steve play it sounds like a worm that thinks, like this thing that's alive, like a part of his brain lives out of his hands. It's music but it goes past music into an involving and hypnotic experience that is completely liberating, and purely guitar. It's impressive. No wonder Frank hired him.

[@rambomhtri]

You're simply amazing, Steve!

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

I still prefer Vai's tone when he used the PAF pro's! best sound/tone he ever had was with those. That pickup is just pure magic in any guitar, does any style i throw at it.

[@mangmoommaya]

I love his GLASSES. Where did he get them? Ibanez made for him?

[@rokku87]

Absolutely beautiful doodle shredding there steve! I love the woody guitar so much I wish I could afford one lol. The straps are gorgeous and my favorite is the swirly one that looks like an acid trip.

[@johnbohlinger4868]

Love it. I want those covers on my DiMarzio PAF Masters.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

It's so rad you are willing to take us thru the developing fase of this amazing looking guitar.

[@einarabelc5]

Boy, if all business was like this wouldn't the world be a better place anyhow?

[@J-MLindeMusic]

Steve is such a damn wizard with that whammy bar...!

[@Jimboishere11]

I see you finally nailed that lick I taught you Steve 👌🏻😎

[@AlexeiBocharovAlmih]

Спасибо большое, Стив! Thank You very much Seve!

[@RolanTHUNDER]

Want it all, all the guitars and straps in this video!

[@ClownTrader1]

Love the look of this "Woodie" guitar. Vai finally came up with a more contemporary type look that won't seem dated in 10 years.

[@EasyHeat]

I'm after the "big block" Super 2's that came stock in the Ovation Ultra GP solid body electrics from the '80's.😬

[@bestboy897]

he looks so classy with glasses

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

The man is nutz. Awesome but nutz. I'd give my left arm to have a personal guitar lesson with Steve Vai, oh wait lol

[@jamminshaman5935]

omg that intro *love*

[@RodrigoPrestes]

Show de Bola!! DiMarzio Pickups :-))

[@jackmercer5590]

For years I didn't like Steve because I thought he was to dramatic, but now I all I want to do learn from him

[@aztecworrior79]

Master vai!.

[@ricccliff3882]

Max Headroom on the guitar. Sheer poetry.

[@AriVD]

i want that hieroglyphtic strap !

[@Barracuda007]

are these pickups in all the new Jem models being released now? Damn Steve Vai in my opinion is the guitar who utilises the Floyd the most in his playing

[@RetroFan1992]

Barracuda007 not all just the woody Jems have them.

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

While Jeff Beck uses a vintage style trem rather than Floyd most of the time, he is for sure the best example of mastery of the wammy bar... Steve is great too of course!

[@aaronhenning5184]

I wonder if these will replace the Evolution pickups or if these are just another set that he will have as a tonal option. I think that he has 4 signature pickups. He has the Evolutions, Breeds, Gravity's, and the Dark Matters. I'd love for him to do a tone comparison of the 4

[@izaah2364]

Aaron Henning That would be cool

[@TheDevice357]

Aaron Henning also originally the BLAZE puck ups were all his sound. No one whose on Dimarzio used them. so consider them as number 5 I guess.

[@jayz6008]

he has 5 sets lol . he has the original evolutions , evo 2 , gravity storm , breeds, and dark matter 2 . the first dark matter pickups don't count because they're just gravity storms in gold covers

[@roderickpatterson5218]

As always, as soon as I build a JEM with "Gravity Storms" he switches to these!!! ARRGGHH!!!!!!

[@roderickpatterson5218]

But they sound awesome and fit my style!

[@samlee2562]

it's okay, we don't sound like this when we play Steve's guitars anyway...!

[@prsplayer210]

Im gonna get these pickups and drop them in a PRS Custom 24

[@renos1010]

nice pickip with top end

[@daleweber2579]

Dimarzio, art work strap looks like the riffs to " k'm pee du wee "

[@mussolinishead9916]

Just me or would that guitar be "sic as tits", with a fretboard that matched the pick guard??

[@srikanthd9350]

maybe if only the inlays were the same material because the fret board is too much.

[@MrUltraworld]

It's a gravity storm with a cover that costs $60 more.

[@BoiseG]

The cover is cool AF.

[@roderickpatterson5218]

Fred Garvin Cool, then my JEM is still up to date, down to the treble bleed capacitors on the potinometers , I did use a Lo Pro.

[@jayz6008]

that isn't true . there's dark matter 1 pickups which are gravity storms with covers . and these are the dark matter 2 sets . they are completely different . they're eq are more balanced and even compared to the gravity storm . if you listen to the video you'd hear that he says he was testing prototypes for his new Woody Jem guitar

[@Dinozzo1995]

Rocking out the first

[@robjohnson5981]

um. it might take more than better pickups for me to sound like that.

[@flavionovaes363]

Surreal o Stivie vai

[@karl1949]

Yes, yes ...and ...yes

[@mafiashpagety]

One and only!

[@KBK286]

Magic pick up for a wizard...ure a magician Larry!

[@donynomad]

Alien

[@rejeancomeau77]

blow me off my chair again..... and make me feel like a 25 years playing beginner.... but i'm ok with it....i think....

[@nickv.7181]

+SteveVaiHimself I know you'll probably never read this, but here goes... I think the aesthetics of the Woody model are gorgeous (one of my fav JEMs) and I love the sound of those Dark Matter pickups. I would LOVE to buy one, if it were like the one you are playing in this video. But the production models don't have an Edge/Lo Pro trem, nor do they have the upper frets scalloped. If I'm spending money on a guitar, it's gotta have those or, well...no deal. Could we possibly influence Ibanez to come out with a professional grade version of that guitar?

[@vivekt6903]

Nick Venables actually, the more expensive production models do have these features, can't remember the exact name but it costs around 3000$

[@nickv.7181]

www.ibanez.com/products/u_eg_sig_series16.php?year=2016&cat_id=1&series_id=32

[@nickv.7181]

Only one I see is the "Premium" one. Please correct me if I'm wrong and point me towards an MIJ Woody JEM, 'cause I'll buy it right now!

[@vivekt6903]

Nick Venables Yeah your right about that, Ibanez doesn't make a woody with those features

[@TheDevice357]

Nick Venables he is playing the new bridge here. not sure the name but it's not his normal bridge it's the new screw in bar that comes with the new Universe. back its way too low on them and I hate a screw in bar. Ibanez has made some changes that didn't need to happen. originally a normal RG was a Jem Jr, in like 92,93,94 ect. any Ibanez cave with the best bridge ect. I agree and it's why I went get a Universe now and play an original which is the first makes odd the 7 string, green dot Universe. also, look at the Jem Jr's the bridges are like a floyd rose, terrible,horrible. Ibanez always used the EDGE or LOW EDGE in all guitars. and the only reason to get a Jem was fire the 21-24 frets. don't get it unless you can get what he plays

[@BillLarkinmusic]

That is a smart way of choosing pups. Love the new guitar a lot!! Sexy :)

[@axleblaze123]

finally a jem made of mahogany

[@BillLarkinmusic]

Two. ( Jem Jr. as well) ;)

[@axleblaze123]

ahh jem junior has bad trem, its a cheep guitar

[@acasadorocknroll7]

Ibanez JEM Show Guitar!!!

[@rrrrrr5806]

Right I brought the exact same spec and its not working! I can't get it to sound anything like this. Took it back after two days.

[@warmothgmc]

Much of the tone comes from the player’s fingers and technique. Via could pick up a Joe Satriani model and he wouldn’t sound like Joe.

[@jakepyrett1715]

Pickups sound pretty shrill. My wife complained about this clip. Said even the cat was upset. Ears were down. No shit. These must be rock pickups then

[@bcancun123]

Cryptic Hyroglypic secret language hahahahah

[@reisselpud]

DAMN

[@MrUltraworld]

I love when a player comes to me and says "I want more slime in it". I scratch my head and try to figure out what more slime means, and he tells me to get high and listen to Miles. I don't get high and what the fuck does miles have to do with it? He's dead. Hilarious.

[@blcouch]

👍👍

[@GerryBlue]

What pick does he use?

[@joelioes]

Michael_Keehl he's asking about the pick..not the pickup... I believe he uses Heavy picks...I fortunately got one from Steve himself years ago

[@GerryBlue]

Is it so hard to read the question? I said Pick, not pickup

[@ItalyNerf]

He usually uses ibanez 1mm hard picks with the vai logo, you can buy them. In this video he seems to be using some other pick tho...

[@yngwiellewiking7893]

I'd like to know as well.

[@hotrockin197]

nah, Eddie Van Halen for me👑

[@danielesussarello8340]

Ma riesci a fare qualcosa senza sparare 100.000 note al secondo che non fanno rizzare nemmeno più un pelo del braccio.....che palle....cambia