This is an interesting innovation, Dialtone Pickups have created a product that puts a resonant frequency and Q control on the actual pickups themselves.

Now you might be thinking, what advantage does that have over a regular tone control? Well to be honest I’m not absolutely sure but obviously the controls are changing the way the pickups are working rather than affecting the signal after they have already captured the sound.



As you can hear it has a dramatic impact on the tone and although it wasn’t demonstrated it does also mean that the tone can be set up for pickups individually so you can have a smooth bridge pickup sound but then a clear neck pickup sound with more treble which could then be blended using the pickup selector.


I look forward to seeing some more demos from this interesting product.

Update 
Here is some more information from Dialtone Pickups:

“Pickups can generally be characterized by a resonant frequency and Q value. With typical pickups found in most guitars, these values are fixed by the passive electromagnetic design. Parameters such as the number of turns of wire, capacitance, magnet type, etc, all contribute to the sound produced. Dialtone Pickups use an active circuit that give independent control of the frequency and Q value. Control over these parameters coupled with an optional gain control give tremendous creative possibilities to the artist."