Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

[Distortion_101]

Hey guys

i made a thread asking for assistance in wiring my Ibanez SZ320, but last night a thought came to me to change my pickups again.

a few months ago, i bought a Dimarzio Air Zone and Air Norton to fit to my guitar. At the time, it seemed to be what i wanted, med high power bridge, medium power neck, both have great split tones according to users, air tech helps with sustain and i thought the extra bass is something i wanted. Plus i wanted nickel covers and adding them to my stock humbuckers just made them sound weak.

Turns out the bass is not how i pictured in my head, and the split sounds are truly not that great. My Duncan designed HB101 and HB103 were better in every way except for sustain. Split my neck used to really sound like a strat (in fact i sold my strat because of that, now it just sounds thin and weak). Wiring was done correctly.

The main reason why i dont like the pickups though is the mushy, smooth overdrive/distortion that they both achieve. Its made my amp sound solid state in a way. My HB101/HB103 used to have some grit and grind, some jaggedness to the distortion, and now it just sounds like those edges have been completely smoothed out. Im also looking for more dynamics.

Now i'm looking for a new set of pickups. Preferably Duncan or Dimarzio as these are the only easily accessible ones in South Africa. My Guitar is made of mahogany with a maple cap.

I think I want a medium output bridge, and a vintage neck to have a hot blues/classic rock rig, can handle hard rock and i do venture into the metal side of things but that isn't my priority. Diming the gain with some EQ adjustments usually is enough for my metal needs. I'm mainly looking for something with the overdrive sound i'm looking for, something with some edge and grit. Alnico 5 would be my first choice but not necessary and 4C wiring is necessary. Below are the sets im thinking of

Dimarzio
PAF 36th Anniversary set

Seymour Duncan
Pearly Gates Set
Custom 5 with Whole Lotta Humbucker/Saturday Night Special/Alnico 2 Pro/Pearly Gates
59/Custom Whole Lotta Humbucker/Saturday Night Special/Alnico 2 Pro/Pearly Gates

I would have gotten the 59 neck as thats what my HB101 was modelled after, but it has 1C wiring.

I appreciate your assistance in helping me get the tone thats in my head.
D_101

 

[BeKindRewind]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

I know you didn't list them, but I'm almost thinking a good old JB / Jazz set is gonna get you where you want. It would seem to alleviate the problems you don't like about the dimarzio set you bought. They are both clear with less overpowering bass and good dynamics, and they sound great under a huge variety of amp settings. Definitely that edge and grit you're looking for.

Either that or maybe pegasus/sentient

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[Distortion_101]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

I know you didn't list them, but I'm almost thinking a good old JB / Jazz set is gonna get you where you want. It would seem to alleviate the problems you don't like about the dimarzio set you bought. They are both clear with less overpowering bass and good dynamics, and they sound great under a huge variety of amp settings. Definitely that edge and grit you're looking for.

Either that or maybe pegasus/sentient

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The JB is a little too hot, and i do find the upper mids a bit strong. If i had a les paul, id use it, but the 25.1" scale length give the guitar a bit more bite than les pauls.

pegasus and sentient is high powered, definitely not what im looking for.

To be honest, i dont mind the EQ profile of the Air Zone, its just that the gain ends up being too smooth, and instead of gritty. More like a Santana tone than an AC/DC one

The air norton is too bassy and smooth, all round not my style.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

Definitely 59/Custom Hybrid for the bridge. For the neck, I’d probably go with the WLH or Pearly Gates.


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[BeKindRewind]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

The JB is a little too hot, and i do find the upper mids a bit strong. If i had a les paul, id use it, but the 25.1" scale length give the guitar a bit more bite than les pauls.

pegasus and sentient is high powered, definitely not what im looking for.

To be honest, i dont mind the EQ profile of the Air Zone, its just that the gain ends up being too smooth, and instead of gritty. More like a Santana tone than an AC/DC one

The air norton is too bassy and smooth, all round not my style.

That's cool, I still think pegasus and sentient might sound good for you though , they aren't high powered as far as I know, some other guys with more experience can tell you more but they're kind of described the pegasus being a slightly higher powered 59' and the sentient a 59' with the same output but slightly less scooped mids. To be honest I haven't played them but people have recommended them to me many times.

If what you're going for is true vintage output though, which is sounds like you are, I can highly recommend a straight up set of 59's, both neck and bridge. 59 bridge has some grit and nastiness and a cool top end, but cleans up handsomely.

If the 59 Neck is too muddy for you, then a jazz neck is just a little more glassy, but still sounds very sweet and vintage to my ears. So maybe a 59/Jazz set would be cool.

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[Bowtomecha]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

The hb101 and hb103 are based in the Duncan 59 and distortion respectively. So yeah it would make sense that the air norton and air zone are mushier sounding. I think that’s something that the air mods do, make the pickups seem wooly and looser. You probably like the split coils on the Duncans better because of their outputs and high end. A 59 and distortion or jazz and JB would be good. Sentient in the neck is one of my favorite all around pickups. Splits well, does the vintage tubey sounds and modern lead sounds and has a healthy output.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

That's cool, I still think pegasus and sentient might sound good for you though , they aren't high powered as far as I know, some other guys with more experience can tell you more but they're kind of described the pegasus being a slightly higher powered 59' and the sentient a 59' with the same output but slightly less scooped mids. To be honest I haven't played them but people have recommended them to me many times.

If what you're going for is true vintage output though, which is sounds like you are, I can highly recommend a straight up set of 59's, both neck and bridge. 59 bridge has some grit and nastiness and a cool top end, but cleans up handsomely.

If the 59 Neck is too muddy for you, then a jazz neck is just a little more glassy, but still sounds very sweet and vintage to my ears. So maybe a 59/Jazz set would be cool.

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I don’t think the Pegasus sounds much like a 59. I think of it as an under wound JB. A higher powered 59 sounds like the custom 5 to my ears. It retains a jangle like the 59.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

The sentient and definitely the Pegasus aren’t high powered. The Pegasus is barely mid powered. It’s a good pickup if you know what you’re getting out of it. It’s complex because it has a modern voicing but like low powered pickups it begs for more gain on the preamp or booster. I’m still working with it. I dunno, it makes me think that I have daddy issues with my guitar playing at times lol. Not an effortless pickup by far.

 

[Distortion_101]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

I only said its high powered as that is what the SD website claims it is... strange.

I have looked into it a little and it may be a good option.

Ive been thinking about going the Distortion/59 route, but the 59 is 1C wiring, and cannot be split...
I did find the HB103 (Distortion "clone") a little too hot and compressed as well which is why i was looking for something a bit milder, hence the Custom 5 or 59/Custom. Still has some power, but not on the high gain side of things.

The HB101 (59 "clone") sounded great and split well. Cleans were fantastic, but the overdrive was a bit bassy. Maybe the jazz is the right neck humbucker, just scared the cleans will be too glassy compared to the 59.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

I would ignore the marketing hype and go with the Sentient/Pegasus.

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[Bowtomecha]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

The sentient and Pegasus sound amazing in the ltd H1001 series. The construction is pretty similar to the sz and would sound great in that. This set prefers mahogany for whatever reason.

 

[Diego]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

As a longtime SZ owner I can attest that "scooped" pickups absolutely suck on these guitars.
The SZ has a very prominent attack so you want a chunky middy pickup.

You liked the HB103 but you don't wanna use a JB? Try a Dimarzio Super Distortion then. It's got tons of grit and the bass is strong but tight. Great pickup for this guitar.
No idea about the neck. I have a A2 Pro in mine and it sounds very much like my Les Paul does, with a hint more output and stronger attack.

 

[6stringerguy]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

I put Dimarzio Dominions into my SZ320 recently and they’re absolutely killer, in Drop D by the way.


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[Distortion_101]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

I think I’m going to have to give the sentient/Pegasus set a really good look but I will still lean to more “established” pups. Open to being proven wrong though should my research show me that they are what I want.

As for the super distortion, is it not overly hot/compressed? I still want a dynamic bridge pickup as my main sound I’m looking for is a hot blues/classic rock? I think I do agree with extra mids in this guitar, I like the cutting tone/string clarity it provides and just forward attitude. Which is why I was thinking the 36th set may just be what I’m looking for. Slightly hotter than traditional PAF’s for dynamics, healthy mids, more vintage style which means more gritty OD tone than smooth/liquid modern tones (that are more suited to metal)

Is my line of thinking wrong?

 

[Diego]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

Nope, you're right actually. I have no experience with it, but you might want a Perpetual Burn on paper.

Or also you could use a Alnico 2 Pro set and get extra gain and filth from an OD pedal!
The A2 Pro neck sounds amazing on this guitar.

 

[RevDoom73]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

The Custom 5 with the Alnico II Pro is a really solid set, I've got than in an LTD Horizon and it's worked great for playing a mix of classic rock & metal stuff. That being said, I agree with folks recommending the Sentient/Pegasus set, it's solid and more versatile than the advertising hype may imply.

 

[Distortion_101]

Re: Looking for new pickups for my Ibanez SZ320

So just a bit of an update.

I tried a bit of an experiment with my Air Norton and Air Zone, and an EQ pedal (MXR 6 band,100,200,400,800,1.6k,3.2k)

I played around with the EQ on my amp trying chords, licks, different styles but I also set my pedal to a smooth and shallow mid scoop (i tried scooping 400 and 800Hz as well as 800 and 1.6kHz), with the upper mids (1.6k) and treble (3.2k) raised a touch just a little to get to unity level. I then turned the pedal on and off during my playing using the different EQ settings on the amp

What i have found is that i actually prefer a slight scoop to the sound of the Air Norton and Air Zone at all times. So for my ear, the treble can be boosted a bit and the mids dropped to get me that little bit of clarity. As much as i like the in your face/cutting aspect of lots of mids on an overdriven tone, i feel i lose a bit of the string separation under gain, and bit of clarity while clean. The grit i want is back as well instead of being a bit mushy. Even trying it with a more extreme scooped EQ pedal setting, i find i prefer the tone.

I even find my split coils sound more like a strat, although much weaker than my HB101 split sounds.

Using the Dimarzio specs of Air Zone and Air Norton, i think i would look for a pickup that looks more like this:
Air Zone B: 8.5 M: 8.5 T: 5.0 and Air Norton B: 6.5 M: 7.0 T: 5.0
Bridge B: 6.0 - 7.0 M: 5.5 T: 6.0 and Neck B: 5.5 - 6.0 M: 5.0 T: 6.0

From the Dimarzio range, it looks like the only option is the air classic which i always considered but thought split might be too weak. Now though ive read up a bit and want to try the resistor to ground/PRS DGT wiring to get a better split tone.

I think from the Duncan range (as nearly everything seems scooped), ill may try a Jazz or WLH in the neck as that seems to be similar to the SH1 but with more treble bite. I think the Custom 5 TB-14 will suit this guitar for medium output

sorry for the long winded post, and i have to back track some of my earlier statements. Kind of hard when i only have one guitar to fool around with and getting myself to realise the tone difference at the input level not the amp level