Pickup gurus chime in, Ibanez content

[Mokaccino]

I've got this RG421 that I snagged for real cheap about a year ago, I think I paid less than 200$ for it. There was an EMG 85 in it (bridge) and no pickup on the neck position. Recently, I removed the 85 to put in another guitar of mine (ESP) and I thought about getting cheapo pups and try to sell it with a bit of a profit... But even if I'm not an Ibanez fan/player, I think that guitar plays like butter and there is something about it that I like a lot... So I'd like it to be a nasty axe as I will be using it with my heavy rock/metal band...

What do you folks recommend, what kind of pups would make this sweet little axe roar like a fucking monster? I'm playing a Mark IV. I read plenty about pups, I know most Ibanez have Dimarzios, I was tempted to drop some Duncan Blackouts in there, I'd like to have your opinions please.

I wanna keep it 2 humbuckers, 1 vol, 1 tone, 3 way switch, just like it was originally, but with much better pups.

Thx!

 

[sinfish]

blackouts

 

[thenine]

BKP and choose your flavor. Miracle Mans, Painkillers, Aftermaths are out now,...

 

[glpg80]

duncan JB in the bridge.

 

[Mokaccino]

BKP and choose your flavor. Miracle Mans, Painkillers, Aftermaths are out now,...

If I go BKB, it'll have to be on the used market, it's too expensive new.

 

[sinfish]

Boutique pickups in a budget guitar sounds like a waste of money. If you are thinking about putting Blackouts in it anyway what about the Modular preamp with used pickups off ebay.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/blackouts/

 

[gtrwun]

Tonezone....done

 

[AusTexCap]

J Customs come with real DiMarzios and they sound good in them. US and Prestige models come with complete garbage for pickups. So I'd just go with DiMarzio, unless you want active pickups and then you should get Blackouts.

 

[9ball]

i have a set of dimarzio satriani's in my ibanez and they have a pretty good even sound/output. A mo'joe bridge and PAF joe neck.
i also have blckouts in another guitar and like them too.
though to be honest - with a high gain amp either set will do heavy rock just fine.

 

[thenine]

Boutique pickups in a budget guitar sounds like a waste of money.
quote]

never looked at it this way myself. Some guitars are awesome no matter what they cost. For example, I have Miracle Mans in my Ibby 7620 ($500 guitar) and that thing sounds as good as any of my guitars. YMMV.

 

[glpg80]

Boutique pickups in a budget guitar sounds like a waste of money.
quote]

never looked at it this way myself. Some guitars are awesome no matter what they cost. For example, I have Miracle Mans in my Ibby 7620 ($500 guitar) and that thing sounds as good as any of my guitars. YMMV.

+1

all about what works with the mojo of that particular guitar. understandably some guitars are just guitar shaped chunks of wood, and other pieces are fine tuned instruments that play amazing. all depends on that particular instrument - each person purchases their guitars for a specific quality they like whether it be sound, tone, playability, etc - not once has price ever been the deciding factor BEFORE even hearing/playing/etc.

.....unless you go for the best of the best and consider an Anderson or Suhr - then price is always a bitch

 

[glpg80]

J Customs come with real DiMarzios and they sound good in them. US and Prestige models come with complete garbage for pickups. So I'd just go with DiMarzio, unless you want active pickups and then you should get Blackouts.

nice avatar, and you have a hell of an awsome guitar collection sir. any rig pics of those beauties from one ibanez fan to the other?

 

[AusTexCap]

J Customs come with real DiMarzios and they sound good in them. US and Prestige models come with complete garbage for pickups. So I'd just go with DiMarzio, unless you want active pickups and then you should get Blackouts.

nice avatar, and you have a hell of an awsome guitar collection sir. any rig pics of those beauties from one ibanez fan to the other?

Thanks man I've got a new guitar coming and will do a full rig shot when that arrives. Until then, here is the most recent shot I have although it's not totally up to date.

 

[Mokaccino]

Thx for your inputs, I'll hit eBay and have a look at the various options... I'm not buying new - hell I've been buying used for a long time... Locally there is nothing really, or the sellers hope to sell a used item for the price of a new...

 

[sinfish]

Boutique pickups in a budget guitar sounds like a waste of money.
quote]

never looked at it this way myself. Some guitars are awesome no matter what they cost. For example, I have Miracle Mans in my Ibby 7620 ($500 guitar) and that thing sounds as good as any of my guitars. YMMV.

+1

all about what works with the mojo of that particular guitar. understandably some guitars are just guitar shaped chunks of wood, and other pieces are fine tuned instruments that play amazing. all depends on that particular instrument - each person purchases their guitars for a specific quality they like whether it be sound, tone, playability, etc - not once has price ever been the deciding factor BEFORE even hearing/playing/etc.

.....unless you go for the best of the best and consider an Anderson or Suhr - then price is always a bitch

I know where your coming from. I am all for putting the Ferrari engine in a pinto. But at the end of the day all you have is a fast pinto. There are certainly no rules to abide by. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone to try. But I read it like he wants the bang for the buck on a $200 guitar. $600 in pickups would not get you that.

I would prefer to invest my money into quality wood, properly fitting neck joints, good fret work, and machined and not die cast hardware. Doing so you may find you don't really need $600 pickups as your not trying compensate for less than adequate materials. I'm not saying to turn down a cheap guitar at all. I own plenty myself an if I came across this guitar I would have snagged it up in a heartbeat. But it's lipstick on a pig to me.

 

[Erock]

Thx for your inputs, I'll hit eBay and have a look at the various options... I'm not buying new - hell I've been buying used for a long time... Locally there is nothing really, or the sellers hope to sell a used item for the price of a new...

if you can find a used miracle man pup for your bridge, definitely give it a try. I really like how they sound in the basswood RG bodies. I have a set in an old RG570, and it keeps right up in sound quality with far more expensive guitars I own/owned.

 

[roodboy]

Ibanez gutars love a tone zone bridge air norton neck

 

[Mokaccino]

Thx for your inputs, I'll hit eBay and have a look at the various options... I'm not buying new - hell I've been buying used for a long time... Locally there is nothing really, or the sellers hope to sell a used item for the price of a new...

if you can find a used miracle man pup for your bridge, definitely give it a try. I really like how they sound in the basswood RG bodies. I have a set in an old RG570, and it keeps right up in sound quality with far more expensive guitars I own/owned.

I'd like that but BKP are hard to find used, they probably are so good that no one is selling them!

And my RG421 is mahogany, btw. Maybe that's why I like it so much, I love mahogany guitars.

Thx for the input man, I will be checking those out!

 

[Mokaccino]

Ibanez gutars love a tone zone bridge air norton neck

Yeah well all I see with Ibanez are Dimarzio pups, so I guess they go along pretty well. The other guitarist in my band raves about the tone zone... In a basswood body. I'll have to make some serious tests, try 3 or 4 different pups, in live situations and go from there.

 

[Erock]

Thx for your inputs, I'll hit eBay and have a look at the various options... I'm not buying new - hell I've been buying used for a long time... Locally there is nothing really, or the sellers hope to sell a used item for the price of a new...

if you can find a used miracle man pup for your bridge, definitely give it a try. I really like how they sound in the basswood RG bodies. I have a set in an old RG570, and it keeps right up in sound quality with far more expensive guitars I own/owned.

I'd like that but BKP are hard to find used, they probably are so good that no one is selling them!

And my RG421 is mahogany, btw. Maybe that's why I like it so much, I love mahogany guitars.

Thx for the input man, I will be checking those out!

ahh, didn't know they were mahogany, those things were a steal eh?
Mahogany RG bodies love the painkiller. I have a set in my JCustom.