Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

[Razwithz]

Hi, I recently got an Ibanez RG350DXZ. Nice simple guitar, feels good, works good. The problem is that the stock pickups seem to be missing something, they sound kinda weak and are not delivering what I need. I will use this guitar to play black metal and death metal mostly, but I will be doing a lot of melodic solo work too, so I really want to get that nice singing melodic tone.

So, in simple terms I need the pups to be/have:

- very powerful/high output.
- very versatile but from a strictly metal point of view (from brutal black metal to super sweet harmonized melodic metal solo leads).
- articulate and expressive.
- good for cleans and/or clean up nicely when vol knob is rolled down.
- clear, I want my riffs to be understood.

I will be probably ordering these overseas so I'm interested mostly in more affordable and popular brands like Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan, things I can find on eBay, etc. As for EMG, I've heard too many bad things about them, I know, I know, I shouldn't judge before I play them, but not only the complaints are frequent, it's what people complain about what puts me off. And my guitar doesn't have a battery slot anyway, so, no EMGs.

For the bridge pickup I'm thinking either Dimarzio's D-Activator or SD's Black Winter (the BW seems to be perfect for what I need and I watched a demo video of Rick Graham testing them and really liked his tone so I'm almost sure I'll go Seymour here)

For the neck I was thinking Dimarzio's Liquifire, PAF Pro or D-Activator as well. Or Duncan's BW and get the calibrated set (I've heard wonders of the BW on neck position so, another point for SD)

I'm almost sure I'll get the Black Winters, but I want your opinions, am I on the right track?, something else that will work better for what I want?

That's for the neck and bridge pickups, but my guitar is HSH so I was thinking about replacing the middle pickup too. The thing is that I don't really use it, but then again, is because it's very weak (the weakest, actually) so I also want your opinion on that.
Should I replace the middle pickup too? Do you think I could find some use for it for the kind of music I will be playing?
All I can think of is either a high output true single coil to split with the neck and bridge pups and get a nice sparkly bright tone for clean passages or a strat sized humbucker to use on it's own just to have a different solo voice. SD's Hot Stack (Steve Booke's demo sounds very nice) or Hot Rails perhaps?

By the way my guitar specs are:
- 25.5"
- 24 frets
- Mahogany body
- Bolt on Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard
- 6 strings
- tremolo bridge

Thanks in advance for your help guys

 

[Gibson 1964]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Hi, I recently got an Ibanez RG350DXZ. Nice simple guitar, feels good, works good. The problem is that the stock pickups seem to be missing something, they sound kinda weak and are not delivering what I need. I will use this guitar to play black metal and death metal mostly, but I will be doing a lot of melodic solo work too, so I really want to get that nice singing melodic tone.

So, in simple terms I need the pups to be/have:

- very powerful/high output.
- very versatile but from a strictly metal point of view (from brutal black metal to super sweet harmonized melodic metal solo leads).
- articulate and expressive.
- good for cleans and/or clean up nicely when vol knob is rolled down.
- clear, I want my riffs to be understood.

I will be probably ordering these overseas so I'm interested mostly in more affordable and popular brands like Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan, things I can find on eBay, etc. As for EMG, I've heard too many bad things about them, I know, I know, I shouldn't judge before I play them, but not only the complaints are frequent, it's what people complain about what puts me off. And my guitar doesn't have a battery slot anyway, so, no EMGs.

For the bridge pickup I'm thinking either Dimarzio's D-Activator or SD's Black Winter (the BW seems to be perfect for what I need and I watched a demo video of Rick Graham testing them and really liked his tone so I'm almost sure I'll go Seymour here)

For the neck I was thinking Dimarzio's Liquifire, PAF Pro or D-Activator as well. Or Duncan's BW and get the calibrated set (I've heard wonders of the BW on neck position so, another point for SD)

I'm almost sure I'll get the Black Winters, but I want your opinions, am I on the right track?, something else that will work better for what I want?

That's for the neck and bridge pickups, but my guitar is HSH so I was thinking about replacing the middle pickup too. The thing is that I don't really use it, but then again, is because it's very weak (the weakest, actually) so I also want your opinion on that.
Should I replace the middle pickup too? Do you think I could find some use for it for the kind of music I will be playing?
All I can think of is either a high output true single coil to split with the neck and bridge pups and get a nice sparkly bright tone for clean passages or a strat sized humbucker to use on it's own just to have a different solo voice. SD's Hot Stack (Steve Booke's demo sounds very nice) or Hot Rails perhaps?

By the way my guitar specs are:
- 25.5"
- 24 frets
- Mahogany body
- Bolt on Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard
- 6 strings
- tremolo bridge

Thanks in advance for your help guys

I would have suggested a BW set.

 

[dominus]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Evolution set.

 

[Juanhanglo]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

As I read your description of what you want, I immediately thought of the DActivator bridge. It is all you want, though I wouldn't call the cleans great. They are not bad, but not great. Sorta dry, I guess.

For the neck, you have both warm and bright pickups listed. Which way do you want to go?

I run a DActivator/air Norton s in one rg, a Norton/air Norton in another, and a full shred set in a third.

 

[Archer250]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Alternative 8 bridge? I heard it sounds nice in Ibanez guitars.

 

[Kac]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

I put an X2N in the bridge spot of my last RG and was incredibly happy with it. You've got some great options so I'm sure you'll be happy too.

 

[lucaspaço]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

I just got a few weeks ago a Nazgul trem 6. This pickup is a beast!!! The note separation is just awesome and it really drives your amp to the limit!!!

Abou EMGs it's true that lots of people say bad things about them. But anyone that appreciate Metal have to respect them. At least half of all Metal bands use the 81/85, 81/60 or even 81/81 sets... so, they can't be that bad. I have an 81/85 set in my Jackson Soloist and I'm keeping them for life. All my other guitars I have SDs!!!

Good luck man

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

I have an RG570 which has the same wood combo as yours. Mine is naturally smooth and middy-sounding. Slightly dark, and lower-mid emphatic. It's been a really tough guitar to find the right pickup. None of them sounded bad, but I guess I've just been spoiled to how spanky and snappy my other Ibanez sounds.

For the bridge position, my favorite so far with it has the the Duncan Distortion in the bridge.

The JB which it has now is alright, but the guitar just kinda lent itself more to the vicious attack and extended highs of the Distortion.

The EMG 81 was cool too because it tightened it up. Actives in general don't really seem to have the grinding high-end that I like from the Distortion and JB, though. If you don't mind a slightly more refined, modern, and compressed character with the tightest lows you can get, then the might be a good bet.

The EMG 85 was passable, but it may be too smooth and stuffy low-middy for an already smooth and low-middy guitar, IMO.

Did not like the Duncan Blackout Bridge at all. Too over the top for me. Too much output, kinda fizzy treble, and bloated low and low mid content compared to an 81. Honestly, the EQ wouldn't have been that bad for my taste if the low-end was tightened up a bit and the output hadn't been as over-the-top.

Waiting on a DiMarzio Dominion for it to see how it does next.

As far as neck pickups go, with actives, the 81 was by far my favorite. Very fluid without being overly attacky nor too bloated and muddy from the neck position's natural tone. Mostly for leads playing. Cleans from that pickup are nothing to write home about, but leads... ahhh!

AS far as passives go, PAF Pro. Les power, more snap and less tightness than the 81, but still very full of character with the wah-wah kinda Dimarzio mids.

 

[Razwithz]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!!

I listened some videos with the Alternative 8 and didn't like it's EQ.

I liked the Distortion in the bridge but I still have to listen it's cleans.

The Nazgul seems a good choice, I'll check it out!

What about the middle pickup guys?

That's for the neck and bridge pickups, but my guitar is HSH so I was thinking about replacing the middle pickup too. The thing is that I don't really use it, but then again, is because it's very weak (the weakest, actually) so I also want your opinion on that.
Should I replace the middle pickup too? Do you think I could find some use for it for the kind of music I will be playing?
All I can think of is either a high output true single coil to split with the neck and bridge pups and get a nice sparkly bright tone for clean passages or a strat sized humbucker to use on it's own just to have a different solo voice. SD's Hot Stack (Steve Booke's demo sounds very nice) or Hot Rails perhaps?

I want to decide if I'm gonna replace it or not so I might as well save up for all 3 pickups and save on the shipping fees

 

[jtougas]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

The nice thing about the Evolutions is that you can purchase them in full HSH sets... which I have. I'll be putting them into either an RG or an S520QS.

Haven't done it yet, and probably won't for a month or two... house shopping and moving is taking up a looooooot of my time right now.

 

[p4vl]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

I realize that BKP's are not for everyone's budget but I would like to add that after a long search, I'm fairly sure I've got that whole searching-for-the-right-pickup thing taken care of now that I have a Ceramic Black Hawk in the bridge (BG Pups Dark Bucker Neck).

BTW: The BKP replaces my old Duncan Distortion, which I do not advise putting in an RG (same for the Black Vinter). They sound too thin in basswood.

For the middle pickup I advise a new pickguard dual humbucker slots

 

[Razwithz]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Thanks a lot for your suggestions!:bigthumb:

The nice thing about the Evolutions is that you can purchase them in full HSH sets... which I have.

The Evolutions seem to have a good aggressive sound, but reading reviews some people point out they are not really good for straight-forward extreme metal, which is mostly what I'm going to be playing. They seem to be a bit of a risky choice and since I don't exactly have money just lying around to buy 2 or 3 sets of pickups, I think I'll stick to safer choices. I did like the idea of getting it in the middle position though...

I realize that BKP's are not for everyone's budget but I would like to add that after a long search, I'm fairly sure I've got that whole searching-for-the-right-pickup thing taken care of now that I have a Ceramic Black Hawk in the bridge (BG Pups Dark Bucker Neck).

Black Hawks are sooooo tempting, but yeah, they are pricey. I'd get them if I was already making money with my music, but since I'm still in the process of learning how to do that, I think I'll choose something more accessible.

BTW: The BKP replaces my old Duncan Distortion, which I do not advise putting in an RG (same for the Black Vinter). They sound too thin in basswood.

My guitar is mahogany/maple :14:

For the middle pickup I advise a new pickguard dual humbucker slots

I thought about that too, just install the bridge and neck pups, remove the middle and install a 3 way switch, but that seems to be more hassle than just sticking to use both trembuckers. And I do want to explore the applications of the middle pickup, the problem is that I can't because my stock pickup sounds horrible, that's why I wanted to change it as well, I'm between SD's Hot Stack, Hot Rails or Quarter Pound...

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

What kind of wiring do you want your guitar to have? If you'll be using one of them super switches to get split coil combos from some of the positions, I'd recommend a single coil that's not overly high-output so that you can get some cool classic strat-y tones from combining the middle single coil with the humbuckers' split coils. If you'll be using a standard 5-way, I'd recommend a hot single coil or single-coil-sized humbucker like the Hot Stack, Hot Rails, or Quarter Pound that you mention so that it can keep up with your full-on humbuckers. I'd honestly recommend the first option as I don't find middle-position humbuckers to be particularly interesting and strat-like position-4 type tones to be more useful, personally.

Did you check this blog entry out, BTW? http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/best-pickups-for-ibanez-guitars/ I found it extremely helpful when I decided to swap my EMG's out for passives.

 

[dominus]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

The Evolutions will do death metal easily.

 

[Razwithz]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Did you check this blog entry out, BTW? http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/best-pickups-for-ibanez-guitars/ I found it extremely helpful when I decided to swap my EMG's out for passives.

I have now, thanks for that, I read the mahogany part and found the BW suggested there as well. I guess I'll go with those.

What kind of wiring do you want your guitar to have? If you'll be using one of them super switches to get split coil combos from some of the positions, I'd recommend a single coil that's not overly high-output so that you can get some cool classic strat-y tones from combining the middle single coil with the humbuckers' split coils. If you'll be using a standard 5-way, I'd recommend a hot single coil or single-coil-sized humbucker like the Hot Stack, Hot Rails, or Quarter Pound that you mention so that it can keep up with your full-on humbuckers. I'd honestly recommend the first option as I don't find middle-position humbuckers to be particularly interesting and strat-like position-4 type tones to be more useful, personally.

I probably should've done this from the beginning, but here are a couple tracks with many parts of songs that represent the musical spectrum that I will be playing. Note that I don't necessarily want to emulate or get close to their tone, rather have a guitar that will be able to play those genres with clarity, expressiveness and aggression.

This first track has the most rhythmic/brutal styles.

http://yourlisten.com/Razwithz/samplesrythm

This one features the kind of solo stuff I will be playing as well as examples of cleans and some ambient stuff that I will be doing also.

http://yourlisten.com/Razwithz/samplesolocleans

I tried to make them as short as possible after I realized I was packing quite a number of songs in them, still the clips are a bit lengthy, but I think it's much more direct for you to listen to them than to try to imagine what I'm talking about

So, after hearing those songs, or some of them, what would you recommend? to get a single coil sized humbucker to have a different voice to use in solos or in clean passages, or a true single coil? Personally I think I'd go for a single coil sized humbucker.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I'll be using the guitar with heavy processing, most likely a POD HD.

 

[dominus]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

http://yourlisten.com/Razwithz/samplesrythm

Sounds about like my Winamp playlist. Some of the songs sound familiar enough, but couldn't name all the bands from the snippets

...., Dissection, Immortal, ...., Akercocke, ...., ..., Behemoth, ...., Belphegor, ....., ....., ....., ....., ......, ....., Satyricon?, ....., ......, ......

I still say Evolution set. It'll cut through nicely.

and you should try to get this rhythm tone:



:firedevil

 

[Razwithz]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Sounds about like my Winamp playlist. Some of the songs sound familiar enough, but couldn't name all the bands from the snippets

...., Dissection, Immortal, ...., Akercocke, ...., ..., Behemoth, ...., Belphegor, ....., ....., ....., ....., ......, ....., Satyricon?, ....., ......, ......

Watain, Dissection, Immortal, Behexen, Akercocke, Azarath, Temple Of Baal X2, Behemoth, Vader ( ...? ), Belphegor, Insorcist, Dying Fetus, Exhumed, Neuraxis, Deathspell-Omega, Gorgoroth, Moonblood, Vargsang, Naer Mataron X2, Setherial X2, Anaal Nathrakh :14:

I still say Evolution set. It'll cut through nicely.

Are Vader using them in that video? :eek5:

 

[dominus]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Watain, Dissection, Immortal, Behexen, Akercocke, Azarath, Temple Of Baal X2, Behemoth, Vader ( ...? ), Belphegor, Insorcist, Dying Fetus, Exhumed, Neuraxis, Deathspell-Omega, Gorgoroth, Moonblood, Vargsang, Naer Mataron X2, Setherial X2, Anaal Nathrakh :14:



Are Vader using them in that video? :eek5:

Looks like they're using active pickups there, probably EMGs. If you wanted to go that route, 60 in the neck, 81 in the bridge, and SA in the middle or just eliminate the middle pickup, as the 60 should do cleans well enough.

 

[lucaspaço]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

What about the middle pickup guys?

Hot Rails SHR-1!!

 

[lucaspaço]

Re: Help choosing versatile (metal) high output pickups for Ibanez RG

Thanks a lot for your suggestions!:bigthumb:

The Evolutions seem to have a good aggressive sound, but reading reviews some people point out they are not really good for straight-forward extreme metal, which is mostly what I'm going to be playing. They seem to be a bit of a risky choice and since I don't exactly have money just lying around to buy 2 or 3 sets of pickups, I think I'll stick to safer choices. I did like the idea of getting it in the middle position though...

I had an Evolution bridge and I agree they aren't great for extreme metal. I replaced it for a Custom and really liked it!! Now I have the Nazgul for this guitar!!!