sloppyjoer
New member
Hey folks,
Thought I'd ask for some advice from all you knowledgeable guys and gals. I am looking to change pickups in one of my guitars and would like to be sure I make the right choice.
First off, I am pretty much down-graded to a hobbyist. I do jam with buds every now and then, but primarily and currently, I use the Line 6 X3 Bean Pod with my headphones into my laptop for practice/recording/whatever. When I go out to jam, I just drop it in my Atomic Reactor and off I go. Due to economical reasons, I have sold most of my gear, but retained my electrics, the X3 and Atomic. I am currently not in a band so gigging is ruled out for the time being, thus any 'real' amp purchases for live play.
Anyhow, last year, I picked up an Ibanez Cherry Burst RGR421EXFM, which can be seen from this link here. (I know this one is purple, but the specs are identical) http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eg_page09.php?area_id=2&data_id=745&color=CL01&year=2009&cat_id=1&series_id=223
The reason I bought was that I was looking for something with a bit fuller body, fixed bridge and playability. I have a pair of Ibanez S540LTD's that I bought back in '92 and still use today. They are set up perfectly for standard tuning and didn't wanna be bothered with too many adjustments when tuning down a half, full step, or alternate tunings. The RG is great for changing tunings without too many changes to be made and I can go off playing instead of fiddling. The reason I want to change the pickups is that I find the stock passive V7 and V8 (which are made by EMG) to be a bit muddy after a while. Usually after a hour or 2 of playing, my ear gets a bit fatigued. I just wanna toss something else in there and think I have found what I'd like to go with.
I have settled on using Seymour Duncans. but he bridge pickup is of my most concern. The decision lies between the JB or the Duncan Distortion. The concern is with the wonder if a hot pickup is too hot to run thru the X3 Pod. This is where you guys come in. Any advice, trials, or in-use currently that can help me make my decision? I like the idea of a hotter passive, but the thought of possibly having it sound like crap thru the X3 has me hesitating on a purchase. A second concern is can either of these, with a Jazz or '59 at the neck, be wired the same as in the provided link? Would I have to change to a 3-way instead of the existing 5-way switch?
The neck will either have a Jazz or a '59, but most of my playing is out of the bridge position. Most of what I play is hi-gain stuff. Anything from ACDC-ish being the lightest, thru to Whitesnake, Dokken and ending with thrash - Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax and Exodus stuff. Playing clean rarely happens unless there is a passage in a song that requires it so not concerned with that super, squeaky-clean sparkly tone. Leads to rhythm, I'd say 25:75 that I play. I'll play leads when jamming, or practicing at home, but mostly riffing along to tighten up tempos, riffs and passages.
I have tried/owned/used the ol' EMG 81/85 combo and do not want to use them here. They just don't seem to work for me. Again, for economical reasons, I'd like to keep the overall hardware change to a minimum and not have to buy much more than the 2 pickups that I plan on changing.
Sorry for the long read, but, I like being as informed as possible before buying toys nowadays. Thanks in advance for any advice any can toss my way.
Joe
Thought I'd ask for some advice from all you knowledgeable guys and gals. I am looking to change pickups in one of my guitars and would like to be sure I make the right choice.
First off, I am pretty much down-graded to a hobbyist. I do jam with buds every now and then, but primarily and currently, I use the Line 6 X3 Bean Pod with my headphones into my laptop for practice/recording/whatever. When I go out to jam, I just drop it in my Atomic Reactor and off I go. Due to economical reasons, I have sold most of my gear, but retained my electrics, the X3 and Atomic. I am currently not in a band so gigging is ruled out for the time being, thus any 'real' amp purchases for live play.
Anyhow, last year, I picked up an Ibanez Cherry Burst RGR421EXFM, which can be seen from this link here. (I know this one is purple, but the specs are identical) http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eg_page09.php?area_id=2&data_id=745&color=CL01&year=2009&cat_id=1&series_id=223
The reason I bought was that I was looking for something with a bit fuller body, fixed bridge and playability. I have a pair of Ibanez S540LTD's that I bought back in '92 and still use today. They are set up perfectly for standard tuning and didn't wanna be bothered with too many adjustments when tuning down a half, full step, or alternate tunings. The RG is great for changing tunings without too many changes to be made and I can go off playing instead of fiddling. The reason I want to change the pickups is that I find the stock passive V7 and V8 (which are made by EMG) to be a bit muddy after a while. Usually after a hour or 2 of playing, my ear gets a bit fatigued. I just wanna toss something else in there and think I have found what I'd like to go with.
I have settled on using Seymour Duncans. but he bridge pickup is of my most concern. The decision lies between the JB or the Duncan Distortion. The concern is with the wonder if a hot pickup is too hot to run thru the X3 Pod. This is where you guys come in. Any advice, trials, or in-use currently that can help me make my decision? I like the idea of a hotter passive, but the thought of possibly having it sound like crap thru the X3 has me hesitating on a purchase. A second concern is can either of these, with a Jazz or '59 at the neck, be wired the same as in the provided link? Would I have to change to a 3-way instead of the existing 5-way switch?
The neck will either have a Jazz or a '59, but most of my playing is out of the bridge position. Most of what I play is hi-gain stuff. Anything from ACDC-ish being the lightest, thru to Whitesnake, Dokken and ending with thrash - Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax and Exodus stuff. Playing clean rarely happens unless there is a passage in a song that requires it so not concerned with that super, squeaky-clean sparkly tone. Leads to rhythm, I'd say 25:75 that I play. I'll play leads when jamming, or practicing at home, but mostly riffing along to tighten up tempos, riffs and passages.
I have tried/owned/used the ol' EMG 81/85 combo and do not want to use them here. They just don't seem to work for me. Again, for economical reasons, I'd like to keep the overall hardware change to a minimum and not have to buy much more than the 2 pickups that I plan on changing.
Sorry for the long read, but, I like being as informed as possible before buying toys nowadays. Thanks in advance for any advice any can toss my way.
Joe
