DiMarzio Air Classic Bridge and Neck, DP190 and DP191

From the manufacturer:

We love the sound of late 1950s humbuckers, but we didn't want to simply imitate them by using Alnico 2 or “aged” Alnico 5 magnets. Airbucker™ technology was created to capture all of the best sonic qualities of vintage humbuckers while avoiding the technical problems. The Air Classic™ has the same sweet sound as a classic humbucker, but Airbucker™ technology permits us to use a more reliable full-strength Alnico 5 magnet and still reduce string-pull to increase sustain and sensitivity. The result is an almost vocal, three-dimensional sound that jumps off the string faster and stays true as it sustains. The sense of touch and control this provides will offer you an unequalled ability to create your own sound.

There's no doubt that a weak magnetic field allows a vibrating string to ring longer, but the standard Alnico II/weakened Alnico 5 method also muddies the tone the longer the string sustains. By contrast, the Airbucker™ magnetic field preserves high end sustain; it's easier to capture and hold harmonic feedback at varied frequencies, and chords maintain better clarity.

Ethan's picks for best videos/sound-clips:

This clip showcases a Gibson SG loaded with a DiMarzio Air Classic pickup in the neck position. The player goes through the sounds of the pickup on clean, medium gain, and heavy gain settings in both humbucker mode and with the coils tapped. The Air Classic can be heard on a clean setting at around 1:25, boasting a nice warm tone that is very clear, round, and articulate. With the coils tapped (2:02) you get a lower-output sound for a more reserved clean tone with less bottom end and more sparkle (closer to a strat). Switching to a medium gain setting, you can hear the Air Classic at 2:50 in humbucker mode. It has a nice creamy saturation that lends to a sweet vintage blues tone (like early Clapton). The coils are tapped at 3:33, and you can hear just how expressive the Air Classic gets with more gain and less output. Jumping back to humbucker mode, the player switches to more of a high-gain setting (listen at 4:17 to hear the Air Classic). It has a very smooth tone with a lot of sustain and warmth to it. With the coils tapped (4:55), the Air Classic really comes to life in a high-gain state, lending to a very musical lead tone that is expressive and transparent.

The player is Lucas Fowler and he is using a 1990 Gibson SG Standard through a Mesa Mark IV amp.

This video demos a DiMarzio Air Classic neck pickup on a clean setting. This pup has a very transparent clean tone with a warm, spongey low-end and rounded highs. You’ll notice how each note loves to bounce and snap with such a smooth pick attack and glassy timbre. You really can’t go wrong with an Air Classic in the neck!

The player is Alex Richie and he is using a Vigier guitar through a Hughes & Kettner TriAmp MK2 amp.

In this video, the DiMarzio Air Classic competes with a Seymour Duncan ’59 pickup for a spot in the neck position of an LAG guitar. The player demonstrates each pickup in a metal lead context over a heavy backing track. You can hear the Air Classic at 1:34 (in the mix) or 3:45 (solo). The Seymour Duncan ’59 can be heard at 1:53 (in the mix) and 4:04 (solo).  These two pups sound very similar and are both brilliant for this particular application. The Air Classic has a slightly sharper attack and has a bit of an edge to the sound, whereas the ’59 tends to sound a little sweeter and smoother. Either works for this context but it really depends on what kind of solo tone you prefer.

The player is Mendel bij de Leij and he is using a LAG guitar.