Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

[Open lane]

A couple years ago, i purchased a prestige ibanez s series and although i loved the guitar, i hated the stock ibz pickups, which i found mushy and not very bright at all. I recently purchased an ibanez gio with stock infinity pickups as a guitar to travel with, not expecting much of the pups. The infinity pickups are really not as bad as i expected after my experience owning the ibz. Anyone else have experience with these pickups? Is it just me who feels this way?

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

A lot of their private label pickups are made by DiMarzio. Not sure how long this has been the case. So I’m guessing the ones you like are those.


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[Demanic]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

I used to have an RG-120 with the infinity 3 and 4. They were ok. I eventually swapped them for a Distortion set.
I have since heard that swapping magnets between the two pickups makes them much better. The neck has a ceramic and the bridge an A5. Putting the ceramic in the bridge and the A5 in the neck brings much more pleasing results.

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[Open lane]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

A lot of their private label pickups are made by DiMarzio. Not sure how long this has been the case. So I’m guessing the ones you like are those.


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The ones in my prestige were affiliated with dimarzio. I really hated them. I’ not much of a ton snob but those suckers made the guitar sound dead

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

The ones in my prestige were affiliated with dimarzio. I really hated them. I’ not much of a ton snob but those suckers make the guitar sound dead

DiMarzio makes lots of their pickup, not just the ones with DiMarzio’s name on them. Same with Ernie Ball/MMGuitars. All OEM stuff.

So those are probably DiMarzios.


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[Calsip]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

The only experience I’ve had with them that wasn’t bad was a time I put an INF 3 and 4 in a standard squire. It wasn’t good, but it was better than any other time.

I found them still mushy and dark while still retaining that ceramic like sound in the bridge. Other than that I’ve played some Ibanez’s with them and well, I don’t own any Ibanez’s.


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[Demanic]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

.

The only experience I’ve had with them that wasn’t bad was a time I put an INF 3 and 4 in a standard squire. It wasn’t good, but it was better than any other time.

I found them still mushy and dark while still retaining that ceramic like sound in the bridge. Other than that I’ve played some Ibanez’s with them and well, I don’t own any Ibanez’s.

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But the bridge has an A5.
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[Calsip]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

But the bridge pickup has an A5.

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Well, I guess I’m just not good at spotting magnets. Either way it wasn’t something I liked.... *inserts awkward laugh to cover up embarrassment*


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[Demanic]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

Well, I guess I’m just not good at spotting magnets. Either way it wasn’t something I liked.... *inserts awkward laugh to cover up embarrassment*


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If you put the ceramic magnet from the neck into the bridge it's a different story.
Which was my point.

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[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

If you put the ceramic magnet from the neck into the bridge it's a different story.
Which was my point.

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Ibanez has some weird ideas when it comes to pickups. On their basses that used Bartolini pickups, they put the hotter/darker bridge pickup at the neck, and the brighter neck pickup at the bridge.

I’d also put the ceramic at the bridge.


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[Boogie Bill]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

My GR-520 Ghostriders have the Infinity pickups. I think its a 1 (A2) in the neck and 2 (A5) in the bridge. Can't remember for sure. No matter...they ain't comin' out! I like them!

Bill

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

IDK about infinities. The IBZs sucked on my prestige even though they were “essentially” the tone zone and I think air nortons. The Evos I swapped them to were much better

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

The only experience I’ve had with them that wasn’t bad was a time I put an INF 3 and 4 in a standard squire. It wasn’t good, but it was better than any other time.

I found them still mushy and dark while still retaining that ceramic like sound in the bridge. Other than that I’ve played some Ibanez’s with them and well, I don’t own any Ibanez’s.


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.
But the bridge has an A5.
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Well, I guess I’m just not good at spotting magnets. Either way it wasn’t something I liked.... *inserts awkward laugh to cover up embarrassment*


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The INF2/INF1 are A5(B) and ceramic(N), but the INF4/INF3 are both ceramic, according to the Ibanez Wiki.

http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_pickups

 

[dave74]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

Not really a fan of the 1/2. Always replaced them and never felt the desire to go back to them in any guitar.
Having said that, I do think they're better than many other entry-level models, like the ones BCR uses in their cheapos.
I might have liked them more if I'd known about swapping mags to get the ceramic at the bridge.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

DiMarzio makes lots of their pickup, not just the ones with DiMarzio’s name on them. Same with Ernie Ball/MMGuitars. All OEM stuff.

So those are probably DiMarzios.

DiMarzio only produced the IBZUSA series, the JEM pickups and the DiMarzio/IBZ stuff as far as Ibanez goes.

Lots of rumors over the years about the V-series, Quantum, Infinity and some of their other designs being made by DiMarzio, but that isn't so.

Some of the early V-series and the first-gen Quantum (QM1/QM2) pickups were produced by Gotoh in Japan.

Other than that, they've used various suppliers in Korea and China for a long time. This includes the Infinities

 

[Aceman]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

They are ok - again, I could;ld play whatever on them. But I don't know that I'd love them for anything. I removed mine and put a Tone Zone in the bridge. Much better to me.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

DiMarzio only produced the IBZUSA series, the JEM pickups and the DiMarzio/IBZ stuff as far as Ibanez goes.

Lots of rumors over the years about the V-series, Quantum, Infinity and some of their other designs being made by DiMarzio, but that isn't so.

Some of the early V-series and the first-gen Quantum (QM1/QM2) pickups were produced by Gotoh in Japan.

Other than that, they've used various suppliers in Korea and China for a long time. This includes the Infinities

I'm just going from what I saw when I worked at DiMarzio for a short time last year. I did over 100 pickups in one day for Ibanez, and that was a typical day. How many guitars does Ibanez sell? And they didn't have the DMZ logo on them, and even the wire colors were different. And they weren't the typical models. A few were kind of strangely made. At the time I had no idea they made so many OEM pickups for Ibanez. Same with EB/MM. Looks like they make pickups for every guitar model except those that use Duncans. I was surprised by that.

There are quite a few Korean pickup makers. D&G is one of the big ones, they make the EMG Select pickups.

 

[Open lane]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

IDK about infinities. The IBZs sucked on my prestige even though they were “essentially” the tone zone and I think air nortons. The Evos I swapped them to were much better

Yeah, man - i HATED the IBZs as well. I was ready the hate the infinities but imo theyre not terrible. I bought the ibanez grgr120ex for $120 to have a guitar i am not scared crapless to travel with. Because of its purpose, i didnt really see a big reason to switch the pups, unless they were completely gross (which i would marginally consider the ibzs as
such).

Theyre not mindblowing but reasonable imo. IM keeping em.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

The INF2/INF1 are A5(B) and ceramic(N), but the INF4/INF3 are both ceramic, according to the Ibanez Wiki.

http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/Infinity_pickups

Oops, my mistake.

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[dave74]

Re: Ibanez infinity pickups not so bad?

There are quite a few Korean pickup makers. D&G is one of the big ones, they make the EMG Select pickups.

Didn't know that.

Some of the youngers on here probably don't know/remember that Zakk's first set and promotion was actually the Selects.
I remember seeing him/them as a Guitar World ad, and I would just stare at them and want them sooo bad lol.
Fortunately by the time I had enough money to try aftermarket pups they had already went full-blown promo with the 81/85, so that's what I ended up getting for my Rhoads-pro,,,,,,,,glad I waited!!!