DiMarzio Area T Tele neck 417C

From the manufacturer:

We believe the Area 58™ and Area 61™ are a major step forward in the performance of hum-canceling Strat® replacement pickups. The new technology that went into these models has allowed us to make a similar advance with Telecaster® replacement pickups. The Area T™ Neck has the combination of clarity and warmth that Telecaster® players have always sought, and the new technology allows us to include a vintage Tele® cover with no sacrifice in sound quality or power.

The contrast between a warm neck pickup tone and a biting bridge pickup sound is a Tele® hallmark, but it’s hard to achieve if the neck pickup is muddy. The Area T™ Neck Model has a very smooth tone, but its ability to remain clear even with heavy overdrive is an essential quality of Area design. The Area T™ was designed to work with 250K controls, but treble response and output can be increased by using 500K volume and tone controls or tweaked further with a 250K volume and the EP1202 1 Megohm tone control.

Best videos/sound clips:

 Here is great comparison between the Fender Noiseless and Dimarzio Area T neck pickups. The Fender Noiseless has a nice fat clean sound with a pretty tame high-end and pronounced low-end for a warm classic Tele tone. Skip to 0:10 to hear the Dimarzio Area T in comparison and you will mainly notice a shift in the frequency EQ of the pickup. The Area T definitely has a greater treble response, with mildly scooped mids and a warm low-end -- resulting in a tone that has a little more spank and sparkle than the Fender pickup. Jump to 0:44 to hear the Area T on a mild drive setting and you will really hear just how clear and present this pickup is. Both pickups do a phenomenal job canceling noise to yield a smooth and articulate tone without the dreaded hiss and hum sounds characteristic to many pickups. For a little more high-end sparkle, players may prefer the Dimarzio Area T.

The player is Dmitry Andrianov and he is playing a Fender American Deluxe Telecaster with an ash body and rosewood fingerboard through a standard clean and drive setting.

 This is a great clip showcasing the vibrant clean lead tones from the Dimarzio Area T neck pickup. With its treble-centric snap, it makes for an excellent lead jazz tone that will cut through any mix with a pristine presence. Even in this clip, you can hear just how nice it compliments a rhythm Strat sound without competing. The Dimarzio is extremely quiet and allows every note to punch with amazing attack and clarity, allowing for a full clean tone with a lot of depth and detail. Skip to 0:39 to hear how well this pickup can handle quick arpeggios with smooth precision. The Area T has no issue maintaining the integrity of a classic warm Tele tone, yet it also has a certain charm that is tasteful in itself.

The player is Aaron Flynt and he is using a Fender Telecaster with a Dimarzio Area T neck pickup for leads tones. For rhythm tones, he is playing a Fender Classic Series '60s Strat with Lollar Special pickups. For Bass, he is using a Squier P Bass with Duncan Quarter Pounder pickups. He is playing through a Sonorous Sublime amp head through an Eminence Delta Pro 12a loaded Forte 3d1x12 cab, mic'd with an SM57 and running through a Focusrite Scarlett Interface into GarageBand.

 This short clip is a great example of how quiet the Dimarzio Area T pickups are compared to the stock Fender American Tele pickups. Jump over to 0:58 to hear the original Fender neck pickup, which has a very high output and a lot of natural twang that is characteristic to the classic Tele sound. The tone is very balanced, and with slight overdrive you can get a hot Texas Blues tone. The Dimarzio Area T in comparison at 1:04 is extremely comparable in sound to the original Fender pickup. The only major difference seems to be the decreased noise floor in the signal. The Area T is naturally quieter and has a slightly more compressed sound than the Fender pickup, making it a perfect pickup for players who want classic Tele tone with a more controlled output.

The player is David Wallimann and he is using a Fender American Standard Tele through a Fractal Audio Axe FX II.