Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

[Vhangor]

Hi friends! This is my first post here, I have no idea why didn't register years ago.

Ok so recently I got myself a beautiful Ibanez Prestige RG2560ZEX CW (ash body, rosewood fretboard), wich I love. It feels perfect to my hands and fingers. I play like crap, anyway :18:

It comes loaded with Dimarzio/IBZ pickups, in HSS configuration.

I want to upgrade de pups to Duncans, since I feel that the stock pickups are not that good as "real" dimarzios. I feel the guitar sound way to bright and some lack of mids.

My choice, after weeks of research, is the Pegasus at bridge positition. Do you think it's a good idea? My main reference was the video comparision made by Keith Merrow, using his signature guitar wich is also made of ash.

Also, wich pickups would you recommend to add at middle and neck position?

Thank you everyone!:wink:

 

[Vhangor]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

I haven't even consider the Custom Custom, I'll check it out. Thanks!

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

I haven't even consider the Custom Custom, I'll check it out. Thanks!

Ive got one lyin around i could probably sell you for like $60 plus ship. i was thinking about throwing it in my soloist tho...

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

I have the Pegasus. 3 weeks now, and every day I have a WOW moment. From funk to blues, metal!! The wow today was from a riff and the tight punchy slam I was getting. Cant say enough good about that PUP. In a cheapo Epiphone with a new harness. Frickin guitar is awesome. Maybe its the closed back cab? Man she was slammin, tight and punch ya in the chest. No floppy loose bass at all. Get it, NOW!!

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

Welcome to the forum, and you an excellent example of a great Ibanez.

I am all for swapping pickups if you want, but the Dimarzio/IBZ are very much real DiMarzios and quite popular.

From the DiMarzio website:

The DiMarzio®/IBZ pickups are specifically designed and manufactured by DiMarzio® for Ibanez, and they are not available separately. Like all DiMarzio® pickups, they are made in our New York factory. Both neck and bridge pickups are high-output models. The neck pickup is fairly bright-sounding, similar to a Super 2™ (DP104). The bridge pickup is a little louder and warmer-sounding, and resembles a cross between the Steve Morse Bridge Model™ (DP200) and the Super Distortion® (DP100). The R1 single-coil is warmer-sounding than a typical vintage single-coil, and was designed to work well with the neck and bridge humbuckers when they are in split mode. It has a sound similar to that of the HS-2™ in split-coil mode.

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

Welcome to the forum, and you an excellent example of a great Ibanez.

I am all for swapping pickups if you want, but the Dimarzio/IBZ are very much real DiMarzios and quite popular.

From the DiMarzio website:

The DiMarzio®/IBZ pickups are specifically designed and manufactured by DiMarzio® for Ibanez, and they are not available separately. Like all DiMarzio® pickups, they are made in our New York factory. Both neck and bridge pickups are high-output models. The neck pickup is fairly bright-sounding, similar to a Super 2™ (DP104). The bridge pickup is a little louder and warmer-sounding, and resembles a cross between the Steve Morse Bridge Model™ (DP200) and the Super Distortion® (DP100). The R1 single-coil is warmer-sounding than a typical vintage single-coil, and was designed to work well with the neck and bridge humbuckers when they are in split mode. It has a sound similar to that of the HS-2™ in split-coil mode.

This is true, lots of people dislike the stock dmz/ibz pups for all kinds of reasons

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

If you want a set of extremely misunderstood pickups, you could go Sentient neck, YJM Fury middle, and Black Winter bridge. The Sentient has slightly scooped mids, the official description puts it in between a Jazz and 59n. It's a phenemonal neck pickup. The Fury in the middle is clear and articulate, it handles gain really well, but rocks with cleans. Finally, the Black Winter bridge is hella versatile, it's got the mids you are looking for in spades.

This is truly an extremely versatile set that can do a whole lot more than what Seymour Duncan advertises them for. The Sentient could just have easily been marketed as a modern, refined PAF. The Black Winter and YJM Fury are in a similar boat, being over marketed to the metal guys, scaring away everyone else.

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

If you want a set of extremely misunderstood pickups, you could go Sentient neck, YJM Fury middle, and Black Winter bridge. The Sentient has slightly scooped mids, the official description puts it in between a Jazz and 59n. It's a phenemonal neck pickup. The Fury in the middle is clear and articulate, it handles gain really well, but rocks with cleans. Finally, the Black Winter bridge is hella versatile, it's got the mids you are looking for in spades.

This is truly an extremely versatile set that can do a whole lot more than what Seymour Duncan advertises them for. The Sentient could just have easily been marketed as a modern, refined PAF. The Black Winter and YJM Fury are in a similar boat, being over marketed to the metal guys, scaring away everyone else.

Respect dude, respect. u know ur ****

 

[6stringerguy]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

Pegasus is solid choice, nazgul if you want to chug and melt some faces

 

[Synapsys]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

If you want to warm up the guitar, try a PATB set. I have one in my RG870RWZ (basswood body) but unlike the stock DMZ/IBZ, they don't sound sterile and flat.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

As someone already stated, the Dimarzio/IBZ pickups are real Dimarzio's. They are made by Dimarzio along with all their other pickups, the only difference is that they're making a pickup based on the spec they were given (or came up with in working with Ibanez).

The Pegasus is a great pickup with a lot of potential for versatility--seems to be a nice blend of vintage and contemporary. The Pegasus is relatively even in terms of midrange, although you do get a slight 'scoop' only because it has a little more low end than it does mids. The Pegasus is medium output so it doesn't naturally give you much aggression, it's something you have to add with your amp/pedal settings, but its a great platform for shaping almost any tone you want. I have a 6 and 7 string Pegasus and really enjoy them.

What exactly are you looking for tonally? Does output matter to you? Magnet type? Does it need to be aggressive? etc.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

The Pegasus is good for a matched set with the Sentient, but if you want versatility, the Black Winter bridge is better if you want versatility. The Sentient is scooped with a smiley face eq and the Black Winter bridge has a bit of a push in the mids and a frowny eq. A bright scooped neck and a beefy bridge that can still cut is quite the combo for a Swiss Army knife guitar.

 

[Vhangor]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

Thanks everyone for the replies. Know now that the Dimarzio/Ibz are real Dimarzios, but my main problem is how bright the guitar sound and some lack of warm, or precense. Hard to explain in english since my native language is spanish.

Nobody said anything about the body wood (ash). I assume is not thsat important?

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

If the guitar is naturally bright, I would suggest starting with the JB. I get my best sounds out of a JB in Ash or Maple bodied guitars.

 

[gregory]

Re: Need help! Pickup upgrade for Ibanez Prestige

I'd opt for the Perpetual Burn, STK-S7 and the Cool Rails Neck.

Specifically chosen because the body is ash and they will work well together.