DiMarzio DP180 Air Norton S

The Air Norton S™ is the Strat® replacement version of the full-size Air Norton™. It’s warm sounding, very well balanced, and has the same unique tonal characteristics as the original. The original Air Norton™ wasn’t designed for a specific position or type of guitar, but it has become most popular in the neck position of trem-equipped guitars for progressive music. (Thanks, John!) The S version is also a very good bridge pickup for all types of rock. Its combination of medium output and harmonic bite are very effective for single-note soloing as well as chords.

Recommended For: All positions

Tech Talk: The original Airbuckers™ have an air gap between the magnet and the polepieces. The Air Norton S™ doesn’t have this feature, but the sound, output and feel are so similar to the original that we couldn’t call it anything else. It’s very good in the neck position with a Tone Zone S™ or Super Distortion S™ in the bridge, or in the bridge position with a Pro Track™ or Chopper™ in the neck. We like the Cruiser® or Fast Track 1™ in the middle with either setup for brighter sounds in the 2, 3 and 4 positions.