Steve Vai and DiMarzio join forces for new-look Blue Powder signature UtoPIA humbuckers

Earlier this year, Steve Vai partnered with Ibanez to release the latest iteration of his PIA3761C signature guitar, which arrived with a neat new Blue Powder colorway.

Now, to ensure the new-look axe has matching pickups, Vai has teamed up with DiMarzio for a set of Blue Powder UtoPIA electric guitar pickups.

Wound specifically for Vai’s PIA signature electric guitar, both the UtoPIA neck and bridge humbuckers flash custom laser-cut baroque style covers, which feature an similarly floral aesthetic to the guitar’s fretboard inlay.

As for specifics, each pickup takes inspiration from the Evolution Neck and Evolution Bridge humbucker, respectively, though focus more on the low-end response of the guitar in an effort to deliver added thickness and body to the top end.

For both, the upper-midrange frequencies were also tamed to provide a less aggressive attack, while also providing a greater level of dynamic control.

In operation, both promise “big, bold lows” and a “thick top end”, and are said to be ideal candidates for coil-spitting. According to DiMarzio, they are also suitable companions for the UtoPIA single-coil middle pickup.

Having said that, the single-coil version isn’t currently available in Blue Powder – it can only be purchased in Satin Gold and Satin Nickel, as well as a handful of non-lasered standard colors such as Black, White and Cream.

As for the humbuckers, Blue Powder represents the latest in a long line of available custom laser-cut cover colors which also include Black, White and Pink finishes. 

They also join a comprehensive catalog of Steve Vai signature DiMarzio pickups, which includes the Gravity Storm, Evo 2 and Dark Matter 2 sets.

The Blue Powder UtoPIA bridge and neck pickups are available now for $159.

For more information, head over to DiMarzio.

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