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Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

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  • Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

    I have an amazing J.Custom that came with Fishman Fluences. For a while I thought they were pretty good, but A/Bing the guitar with my LP with a Custom/Pearly Gates or my AZ that has the Hyperions, I notice the fishmans are just not as alive, especially the neck. The neck's highs are really dull. I actually like the bridge (modern ceramic) for heavy tones but I have tried both the modern ceramic and classic neck and both just do not work well for melodic overdriven solos like Petrucci.

    The Custom on my LP is somewhere in the ballpark of output level of what I'm looking for with my J.Custom - I like it a lot, but I would prefer alnico in a more EQ-balanced pickup (The C5 was too scooped for me).

    I have a Kemper so the amp is not really an issue.

    The J. Custom is African Mahogany and macassar ebony.

    My favorite tones are early Dream Theater, which were Steves Special/Tone Zone and Air Nortons, mainly. While I appreciate their newer albums, I feel like ever since they went to Musicman and changed pickups, I haven't liked Petrucci's tone as much.

    I would just get the TZ/AN mix but I have read so many people getting them stock and replacing them. I also am not a huge fan of the TZ videos I've seen on Youtube. It seems a bit too mushy. So far the AN seems pretty good. I have read some complaints about it sounding compressed. I'm interested in seeing if there are better pickups for me than the "standard" set, especially since the standard set is around 25 years old and there have been a lot of new pickups released since then. I also am slightly concerned about resale value, as I will need to buy new to get nickel covers, but if I end up wanting to swap if they don't work out, I may one day need to sell them.

    I'm thinking of keeping it all alnico and avoiding ceramic, but I could be persuaded otherwise. The Gravity Storm neck is ceramic and I have read good things.

    I'm living in Japan so makers other than Dimarzio and Duncan are hard to order from.

    Thank you!

  • #2
    Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

    Check out this video comparing several of the JP pickups.

    Hint: Old school Ibanez JPM with Steve's Special/AN at the end.

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    • #3
      Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

      I think a Custom or Custom 5 is a great idea. A Jazz works really well in the neck.
      Administrator of the SDUGF

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      • #4
        Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

        Originally posted by Mincer View Post
        I think a Custom or Custom 5 is a great idea. A Jazz works really well in the neck.
        See I really like my Custom in my LP but the C5 was too scooped for it.

        It may be a safe choice but I'm not so big on using the same pickup in 2 guitars.

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        • #5
          Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

          I'm thinking Full Shred Set. The Full Shred bridge is the same output as a Custom, it's Alnico 5, and not scooped. And the Full shred neck is designed for clarity in the neck position.

          Either that or the JB\Jazz set. Juicy and clear

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          • #6
            Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

            Originally posted by masta' c View Post
            Check out this video comparing several of the JP pickups.

            Hint: Old school Ibanez JPM with Steve's Special/AN at the end.

            Thanks! I really liked the AN on that vid, but the steve's special had a strange overtone going on. All the majesties sounded so similar it was hard to choose, but maybe the 2nd with the sonic ecstacy was my favorite on the bridge.

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            • #7
              Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

              Hmm

              A Norton and Air Norton pair, perhaps

              But tbh, might not be very balanced. The Norton is one of the brighter pickups

              Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
              Originally posted by Myaccount876
              Attenuators are for pussies. Neighbors calling the cops isn't a problem - if the cops can actually still decipher the neighbor's complaint on the phone with the Marshall in the background, you're doing it wrong and it needs to be louder.

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              • #8
                Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                Originally posted by BeKindRewind View Post
                I'm thinking Full Shred Set. The Full Shred bridge is the same output as a Custom, it's Alnico 5, and not scooped. And the Full shred neck is designed for clarity in the neck position.

                Either that or the JB\Jazz set. Juicy and clear
                I've read that the FS neck is like a more articulate Jazz but that it lacks character and also is ice picky. What do you think?

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                • #9
                  Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                  The Full Shred neck is one notch brighter than the Jazz. If you have a darker sounding guitar, or you really need to cut through, it can work.
                  Administrator of the SDUGF

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                  • #10
                    Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                    Hmm I'm thinking the DiMarzio offering may suit me better in this guitar. For the bridge, wondering about AT-1 vs Gravity Storm. The AN neck sounds good to me but I keep hearing it's dark and this is a somewhat dark guitar.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                      I've used the AT-1 before. Very good, but quite middy, which is good if that's your thing.
                      Originally posted by Myaccount876
                      Attenuators are for pussies. Neighbors calling the cops isn't a problem - if the cops can actually still decipher the neighbor's complaint on the phone with the Marshall in the background, you're doing it wrong and it needs to be louder.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                        Originally posted by Archer250 View Post
                        I've used the AT-1 before. Very good, but quite middy, which is good if that's your thing.
                        To be honest I don't have much reference for middy pickups. I have tried scooped ones but witha mid spike? Maybe no direct experience. In theory though I think I'd prefer a more even EQ. Thanks - I think for now I'll scratch the AT-1 off the list.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                          You could try putting the Custom in the bridge temporarily & try out the various mag swaps in it. UOA5 might workout if A5 doesnt, A8 might be useful trying out too, thats if you have those mags lying around & it wouldnt cost you anything but is time consuming a bit.

                          Apart from that the 59/C hybrid gets good recs around often.

                          No idea for neck.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                            Originally posted by Hank- View Post
                            You could try putting the Custom in the bridge temporarily & try out the various mag swaps in it. UOA5 might workout if A5 doesnt, A8 might be useful trying out too, thats if you have those mags lying around & it wouldnt cost you anything but is time consuming a bit.

                            Apart from that the 59/C hybrid gets good recs around often.

                            No idea for neck.
                            Yea I know people here seem to like the Hybrid. How good is it for soloing? Also would it work well in a mahogany Ibanez? I could potentially go Hybrid/Jazz...

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                            • #15
                              Re: Pickups for Ibanez J.Custom - for instrumental rock

                              I've used the Hybrid in a mahogany Brian Moore before, with great results. It seems to do many gain ranges well, and is great for soloing, especially if you don't need/want the compression of higher output pickups.
                              Administrator of the SDUGF

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