One guitar, constant high end issue

[gclef]

I know this is going to be a very hard question to answer with the crappy info I can supply, but some of you guys are literal experts at EVERYTHING gear related and might give me a clue.

Guitar: Ibanez RG prestige. It is basically your standard J-custom spec. Mahogany body, maple capped (thin), maple neck, rosewood fretboard. I replaced the tone zone in the bridge for an air-classic.

Issue: I love the guitar and have owned for longer than any other. Feels good. The mahogany is what I love. I get (somewhat) Gibson type tones and play it a lot in that way. Crunchy mid gain amp settings. Chords sound amazing. All things sound amazing. High E string will punish me often! Like just brutal ice pick a lot of the time. I’ve tried pickup height.

Is it because these guitars just really need to be played in the Steve Vai tonnes of gain and saturation tone with treble rolled off? Is there anything in the Ibanez wiring or anything that could be causing this? I thought it was me hitting e too hard and went up to 10s. No help. It’s the guitar not amp, as I have same issue on all 3 of my amps.

Its a maple neck/mahogany body thing.

The maple neck causes this certain brightness that stands out like it's separate from the rest of the tone.

My mahogany bodied warmoth vip went from a maple neck to mahogany/ebony. It had this high end that I couldnt dial out. Its now balanced but way warmer

I also have an rg520qs, which is the poor man's rg3120 or jcustom. It too has the same issue. Here, I have a pair of full shreds with all fillister poles. Again, the fatter low end compliments the pickups.
The pole swap tames the high end bit, to make an incredibly balanced tone. Imagine a brighter and tighter custom custom.

You need to choose your pickups to work with, not against that.
The tone zone is bassy and thick, but warm and clear too. The highs balance, but the low end is muddy. The norton solves that problem. I like the mo'joe in mahogany too.

An air classic has a thinner, brighter high end that is making things worse. I bet the lows and mids sound great, right?

Id look into the norton, mojoe, paf 36th, transition neck in bridge, or breed neck in bridge. AT1 too maybe. Something with nice mid to high mids.
Itll make that sucker snarl!

Save the air classic for the neck.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

Its a maple neck/mahogany body thing.

The maple neck causes this certain brightness that stands out like it's separate from the rest of the tone.

My mahogany bodied warmoth vip went from a maple neck to mahogany/ebony. It had this high end that I couldnt dial out. Its now balanced but way warmer

I also have an rg520qs, which is the poor man's rg3120 or jcustom. It too has the same issue. Here, I have a pair of full shreds with all fillister poles. Again, the fatter low end compliments the pickups.
The pole swap tames the high end bit, to make an incredibly balanced tone. Imagine a brighter and tighter custom custom.

You need to choose your pickups to work with, not against that.
The tone zone is bassy and thick, but warm and clear too. The highs balance, but the low end is muddy. The norton solves that problem. I like the mo'joe in mahogany too.

An air classic has a thinner, brighter high end that is making things worse. I bet the lows and mids sound great, right?

Id look into the norton, mojoe, paf 36th, transition neck in bridge, or breed neck in bridge. AT1 too maybe. Something with nice mid to high mids.
Itll make that sucker snarl!

Save the air classic for the neck.

Exactly! I LOVE my current lows and mids. Am scared of losing that with other pickups, but this top end must go. I will look into those pickup suggestions thanks mate.

Funnily enough I was watching some other guitar demos with similar specs and was hearing some of the “hardness” so that would align with your maple neck theory.

 

[Music&Chaos]

My problem is I love how Paul Gilbert got tone a lot of the time, Silence followed by a defeating roar for example. But he didn’t use these shitty trems for example. I always loved how the guitar felt and bought it 15 years ago. Tested it unplugged stupidly, it was when plugging into amps that I’ve had a long love/hate relationship.

That's my fav PG album. Still remember the day I picked it up.

 

[Music&Chaos]

Does that only add treble when you start rolling the guitar volume down or does it also add treble when it’s full up?

It is always in the circuit somewhat - affecting the core sound.

 

[Music&Chaos]

@Eazy-ESP if you have an iron, swap it to 50s wiring as well - it accents the midrange instead of scooping it like modern does - which also adds that brittle top and added bass. The 50s wiring is juicier/bouncier, and more full sounding IME.

 

[Kelly]

Does that only add treble when you start rolling the guitar volume down or does it also add treble when it’s full up?

Theoretically it's out of the circuit when full up, but I A/Bed like crazy and felt otherwise. You can clip one leg and reconnect on the fly.

 

[Kelly]

@Eazy-ESP if you have an iron, swap it to 50s wiring as well - it accents the midrange instead of scooping it like modern does - which also adds that brittle top and added bass. The 50s wiring is juicier/bouncier, and more full sounding IME.

He could also add a resistor and change the tone pot value from 500 to 250 or 300.

 

[tjnx]

Cheap option would be to experiment with coated strings and try a variety of picks

 

[Nigel]

@Eazy-ESP if you have an iron, swap it to 50s wiring as well - it accents the midrange instead of scooping it like modern does - which also adds that brittle top and added bass. The 50s wiring is juicier/bouncier, and more full sounding IME.

Only way to get stonertoanz with a .015 or .022 cap too. Gives Clapton woman tone as well.

 

[Nigel]

He could also add a resistor and change the tone pot value from 500 to 250 or 300.

Or add a 300k from the bridge’s hot output to ground.

 

[Nigel]

It is always in the circuit somewhat - affecting the core sound.

I scratch off some contact at 10 on my tone so it’s no load.

 

[Music&Chaos]

He could also add a resistor and change the tone pot value from 500 to 250 or 300.

I feel that axctuallys makes the top end have a thinner snap I dislike with HBs but can also work like with Gibby 300k pots you know? I also like my LP with higher rated pots so it's just whatever works sometiems. With a resistor I know it is technically darker but I find the notes fuller in Humbuckers with 500k pots without anything impeding them. I then try to shape the high end with caps and wiring and height but I agree generally.

 

[Music&Chaos]

I scratch off some contact at 10 on my tone so it’s no load.

Nice! That really gives everything a super punchy, in your face sound. I don't OP would do better with one, but I use them on certain guitars 100%.

 

[Music&Chaos]

@Eazy-ESP Here is the 50's wiring diagram:

Even if you already have modern, just jumping the wired coming from the tone pot from the far lug to the center lug makes the change you are seeking.

Here is an article explaining why it is so awesome:

https://www.premierguitar.com/diy/mod-garage/tone-pot-wiring

 

[Music&Chaos]

Only way to get stonertoanz with a .015 or .022 cap too. Gives Clapton woman tone as well.

I run most of my stuff with .022 and .015s lol I happen to have the last supply of some Mojotone PIO caps in .015 and then some in .0047 for Eldred mods.

 

[Music&Chaos]

If you swap pickups - I highly recommend setting up a call with Planet Tone to see if they have a set that may work for you. Love my DG A3 set I got from them years ago. They absolutely sound fat and scream and still have that stratty sound to em.

 

[Greazygeo]

All you need to do is remove the treble bleed cap…dumbest things ever put in a guitar. That will fix your problem.

 

[Greazygeo]

Yeah. I have not been through heaps of pickups, but SDs to me sounded so much more natural. I think a new pickup is the next step.

Man, whenever I HEAR a Les Paul, I think that is literally the tone I want. Just haven’t had luck in finding one for me. Plus I always feel like I need ergonomics, but I think I need to realise glory is not necessarily easy or comfortable. Kind of like high heels, and with the 80s live around here, they may also be next on my list to try.

Anderson Cobra kicked my 14# 76 LP Custom to the curb about three decades ago…that was my main guitar for quite awhile too. Do not miss it at all. Half the weight and all the tone.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

Cheap option would be to experiment with coated strings and try a variety of picks

Tried so many picks. I will say I do play aggressively though.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

All you need to do is remove the treble bleed cap…dumbest things ever put in a guitar. That will fix your problem.

Only reason I always kept it so far is I am a volume roll off type of guy and thought it might get too dark when rolling back?