DiMarzio The Tone Zone S

Big Humbucker Energy in a Strat-Sized Package

Looking to inject steroid-level muscle into your Strat without breaking out the router? The DiMarzio Tone Zone S might just be your ticket to the gain train. Designed to cram the character of the original Tone Zone humbucker into a single-coil-sized slot, this little guy hits hard, growls deep, and doesn’t whine when you crank the gain.

Dual Resonance Tech

Dual Resonance is basically mis-matched coils. It’s common for several pickup companies to allow about a 5% variance. But Dual Resonance is an intentional mis-matching of the coils to produce a specific “tuning” of the pickup’s voice. According to the patent, it is pretty much about putting a similar number of turns on each coil. But with different wire gauges.

Installation

The Tone Zone S is a direct drop-in for any Strat-style guitar that takes a standard single-coil. No wood-chopping required, and that alone earns it points. Wiring is a breeze, especially with DiMarzio’s color-coded scheme. If you can solder a cable, you can install this pickup.

The Tone Zone S set is going on a 2023 MIM Fender Player Stratocaster Floyd Rose. Alder body, maple neck, pau ferro board, Floyd Rose tremolo.  The harness is the Mojotone Premium Historic Strat pre-wired harness. It has CTS vintage taper pots (customized w/ 500k V and 250k T), CRL 5-way switch, Switchcraft 1/4″ jack, Luxe Paper & Oil .1uF (1952-58) cap. Strings are 09-42 with standard E tuning.

It pairs well with a variety of neck and middle options, but works best with pickups that can keep up with its output. I’m going with an Air Norton S in the neck. I can easily see other options, including the Pro Track as well as the Fast Track 2 and the Fast Track 1. Going with a few Cruiser Bridge models in there can fill out an Andy Timmons sort of vibe in a SSS config.

Tone and Output

The Tone Zone S roars like a full-sized humbucker but fits into your Strat like it was born there. It’s high-output, sure, but not in a “blow out your amp” kind of way – more like a tight, controlled punch. Think hot-rodded tube amp feel, even when you’re running through a modeler.

Low end? Thick. But not flabby. You get girth without the mud. Mids? Forward, with that vocal quality that cuts through without honking. Highs? Present, but not ice-picky. This pickup is all about saturation and sustain, but still cleans up better than your cousin after Thanksgiving dinner.

Want dynamics? The dual-resonance design isn’t just marketing fluff. It reacts to your playing with surprising sensitivity for something this beefy. Palm mutes chug with authority, and lead lines scream without getting shrill. If you’re used to weak bridge singles, prepare for a revelation.

Versatility

The Tone Zone S isn’t a one-trick pony. Sure, it loves distortion like a cat loves knocking things off your desk, but it can behave when asked. Roll back the volume knob and you get surprising clarity. Coil-splitting or parallel wiring can sweeten things up further – great for glassy cleans or funky mids without swapping guitars.

It’s also responsive to pick attack and dynamics. Dig in, and it growls. Go light, and it sings. It’s like having an onboard attitude switch. While it’s voiced for the bridge, don’t sleep on it in the neck or middle. You’ll get a warmer take that still retains punch.

Whether you’re playing modern rock, metal, blues, or anything in between, it adapts. It won’t do vintage twang, but that’s not what you bought it for, right?

Specs

Demo

Take a listen to Richie Castellano‘s (Blue Oyster Cult) video of the Tone Zone S matched up some Area 61 pickups:

Conclusion

The DiMarzio Tone Zone S gives you humbucker brawn in a Strat-sized frame. It’s aggressive, articulate, and surprisingly versatile. If your Strat feels like it’s been hitting the gym but still can’t bench anything past classic rock, this is your upgrade path. Think of it like this: it’s the pickup equivalent of swapping your sedan’s engine for a V8 – without needing a new chassis. It’s loud, proud, and just might scare your other pickups into working harder.

The Tone Zone S is going to be good for blues rock, garage, grunge, punk, hardcore, hard rock, progressive metal, thrash, fusion, shred, 80s metal, tech metal, and more. It is available with a dozen cover color options and three pole piece color options. You can ask for it with the tradition flange or with the active style mount, as well as traditional lead wire hookup or the quick-connect system.

For reference, this DiMarzio Tone Zone S Rail Hum Canceling Strat pickup evaluation was conducted with the following: Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+ featuring Celestion Impluse Responses and Fractal MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller. ADA MP-1 Tube Pre-Amp loaded with Tube Amp Doctor ECC83 Premium Selected tubes, using the ADA MC-1 MIDI Controller. Fryette LX II Stereo Tube Power Amplifier. Physical cabs use are Marshall 1960B, Mojotone British, and Peavey 6505 cabs loaded with Celestion Classic Series Vintage 30s and Classic Series G12M Greenbacks.

DiMarzio Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

7 string 16Ω 59 Airbucker Alnico 2 Alnico 4 Alnico 5 Alnico 8 Bare Knuckle BKP Boot Camp Brown Sound Celestion Ceramic Custom Shop David Shepherd DiMarzio Dual Resonance EVH Fishman Floyd Rose Fluence Gibson Humbucker Ibanez JB Jimmy Page John Petrucci Les Paul MJ Mojotone P90 PAF Pariah Pickup Satch Schaller Seymour Duncan Singlecoil Single Width Speaker Steve Vai Tech Tip Tremolo Virtual Vintage