You need to modify the pickups a little to make them fit as the Ibanez is routed for DiMarzios in mind. By experience, I would expect the need to file the mounting tabs to a triangular shape and filing down the adjustable screws (sticking out the back of the pickup). Even then you might need to place a thin shim in the neck pocket to increase the neck-body angle (often a good idea regardless). It's not a difficult task and I do that every time with a new Ibanez, as 1) pickups are cheaper to modify than the guitar, and 2) the tone is worth it
The tone zone for me gets muddy when I play big chords and has a lack of presence to me honestly. And the Air Norton honestly does not bother me it has a nice lead tone. I can honestly live without changing the neck pickup.
I would use hex for both coils at that point, you just have to use filler on the slug bobbin, but it goes a much longer way than just hexing the screw coil. You can also use a German silver base plate to reduce the downward shift in resonance frequency which will help with the boomyness some people hear with that pickup. If your really ambitious you can turn it into an active tonezone. I personally love it the way it is.Have you tried lowering the pickup and increasing the pole piece height on the wound string side? This a good way of lowering the muddiness, and increasing the "cut" of the pickup. Another option on top of this is switching the filister screw pole-pieces out with hex-head types. I've done all of this with a Tone Zone, and it definitely doesn't have too much mud, and has a greater presence and crunch. If you've got any spare old cheap humbuckers with the hex head screws you can swap them out with hand tools, or just buy some from a specialty fastener. From memory you're looking for socket head cap screws, 5-40 with 1/2" length. If you can only find longer just cut them to size.
These are simple mods that cost nothing, to next to nothing, and may yield the results your'e looking for. You can also half-air the Tone Zone too, which will held decrease the mud and lower the output a bit. Also, adding a capacitor between the pickup's red "hot" wire, and the pickup selector will filter out mud. I've done extensive modifications with the Tone Zone, and other pickups, to achieve changes with little to no cost.
Just fine. No possible problems that a tone control couldn't solve.
