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A while ago I decided to do a full electronics upgrade on my brother's Ibanez JEM but I didn't want to spend too much money on it. I was looking at most importantly replacing the INF pickups, which I didn't like at all. Since I didn't want to spend too much money on it I went looking for 'cheap' upgrade pickups like GFS and Guitarheads. I stumbled on Irongear and decided to go with 3 of their pickups and a wiring kit from axetec. They're most likely made in Korea. I basically gutted the guitar electronically and replaced practically everything under the pickguard.
I went with the Blues Engine, which is a PAF-type pickup which, interestingly, uses and Alnico 4 magnet, and a Dirty Torque which is their 'rock' pickup, they're both from their classics series, which are more expensive but are made with better materials and better tolerances, or so they say. I also went with a overwound Pig Iron singlecoil. I'll post a review of the other two if anyone is interested.
On to the Dirty Torque. Its an A5 pickup, wound to 16.4k with 44awg wire....... wait a second, that description sounds very familiar, almost like another classic rock pickup from another brand? Yes it is actually.
I didn't realize until I put it in the Ibanez that it sounded very similar to the JB in my Charvel. The whole time it was in my parts drawer and even when I ordered it I didn't bother comparing them.
So this pickup is alot like the JB, not an exact clone but its pretty close, its got the same kind of singing quality and the same upper-mid spike and percussive lows. I'd describe it as having roughly the same EQ curve as the JB maybe a bit more in the bass to my ears. Though it could just be the different guitars, the Ibanez is more mellow while the Charvel is brighter. Clean its nice and clear and when played dirty it really rocks, alot like the JB actually, nice percussive lows, bright but not too harsh, and its got really great definition. It splits very well with the middle singlecoil and you get a really nice in-between sound.
One note though, it seems that its a bit harder to get pinch harmonics with this one, but I'm not sure whether its a non-issue or not. The guitar is strung .09-.40 for now, so I'm not really sure if its the strings or the pickups.
I'd love to provide clips but I have no way of recording right now. I had pics but my phone got stolen and I lost them, I'll try to put some up if anyone is interested.
So is it any good?
Yes, I've really been enjoying the pickup, along with the other two I got for the upgrade, the whole guitar just sounds better and I'm really happy with the increase in clarity that these pickups provided, especially after comparing them to the stock pickups. I was looking for an upgrade and it sure did deliver, its a great pickup. Its not too expensive, and it provided a significant upgrade over the stock pickup, so I can't complain. I won't put it next to my JB yet but its pretty darn close. Anyone who's looking to get a pickup with a similar vibe to the JB on a budget should really consider this one.
I went with the Blues Engine, which is a PAF-type pickup which, interestingly, uses and Alnico 4 magnet, and a Dirty Torque which is their 'rock' pickup, they're both from their classics series, which are more expensive but are made with better materials and better tolerances, or so they say. I also went with a overwound Pig Iron singlecoil. I'll post a review of the other two if anyone is interested.
On to the Dirty Torque. Its an A5 pickup, wound to 16.4k with 44awg wire....... wait a second, that description sounds very familiar, almost like another classic rock pickup from another brand? Yes it is actually.
I didn't realize until I put it in the Ibanez that it sounded very similar to the JB in my Charvel. The whole time it was in my parts drawer and even when I ordered it I didn't bother comparing them.
So this pickup is alot like the JB, not an exact clone but its pretty close, its got the same kind of singing quality and the same upper-mid spike and percussive lows. I'd describe it as having roughly the same EQ curve as the JB maybe a bit more in the bass to my ears. Though it could just be the different guitars, the Ibanez is more mellow while the Charvel is brighter. Clean its nice and clear and when played dirty it really rocks, alot like the JB actually, nice percussive lows, bright but not too harsh, and its got really great definition. It splits very well with the middle singlecoil and you get a really nice in-between sound.
One note though, it seems that its a bit harder to get pinch harmonics with this one, but I'm not sure whether its a non-issue or not. The guitar is strung .09-.40 for now, so I'm not really sure if its the strings or the pickups.
I'd love to provide clips but I have no way of recording right now. I had pics but my phone got stolen and I lost them, I'll try to put some up if anyone is interested.
So is it any good?
Yes, I've really been enjoying the pickup, along with the other two I got for the upgrade, the whole guitar just sounds better and I'm really happy with the increase in clarity that these pickups provided, especially after comparing them to the stock pickups. I was looking for an upgrade and it sure did deliver, its a great pickup. Its not too expensive, and it provided a significant upgrade over the stock pickup, so I can't complain. I won't put it next to my JB yet but its pretty darn close. Anyone who's looking to get a pickup with a similar vibe to the JB on a budget should really consider this one.
