New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

mudwhistle

New member
What pickups would you recommend for and Ibanez Artcore AXD71 semi-hollow? I'm seriously considering a 59 for the neck and a JB or Custom for the bridge. I really don't know much about what pickups sound good with what types of wood/bridges/etc, etc.... Any advice is appreciated!
By the way, i mostly play hard rock, some metallica, blues, and i might play some church songs at my church on sunday which is mostly just strumming clean chords.
Here are some pics and the specs of the ax:

set neck
mahogany neck
rosewood fingerboard
22 large frets
maple body
pearl inlays

IbanezAXD71004.jpg


IbanezAXD71003.jpg


IbanezAXD71002.jpg
 
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Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

Seth Lover, 59 Bridge, Pearly Gates(maybe, I don't have any experience with this one yet.)

IMO You don't want anything too hot in a hollow body. Feed back issuses.
 
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Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

NathanCahill said:
Seth Lover, 59 Bridge, Pearly Gates(maybe, I don't have any experience with this one yet.)

IMO You don't want anything too hot in a hollow body. Feed back issuses.

What seymour duncans would be considered too hot? thanks for the reply.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

I too would stick with PAF style pickups in a semi. My favorites are the Pearly Gates set and the Seth Lover set. As far as what's too hot, I draw the line at the Custom series, on pretty much any style of guitar.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

Benjy_26 said:
I too would stick with PAF style pickups in a semi. My favorites are the Pearly Gates set and the Seth Lover set. As far as what's too hot, I draw the line at the Custom series, on pretty much any style of guitar.

Excuse my ignorance, but whats "PAF style", i can assume that the Pearly Gates and the Seth Lover are PAF, but what exactly is PAF?
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

PAF = patent applied for

the '59s are also paf style pickups
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

mudwhistle said:
Excuse my ignorance, but whats "PAF style", i can assume that the Pearly Gates and the Seth Lover are PAF, but what exactly is PAF?


gibson's first humbuckers had a "Patent Applied For" sticker on the baseplates in the late 50's and early 60's.

the 59's are technically closer to Gibson's Patent # pickups from the early to mid 60's. :burnout:
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

A JB bridge and '59 would absolutely rip in that guitar.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

I have heard a few reccomend a JB bridge and Jazz neck or 59 neck for a versatile semi that can get dirty! I have an Epi Dot project I need to get started on and I am doing the CC bridge and APH-II neck which should sound good as well.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

if that was my guitar id toss a set of pearly gates in there, but your choice of a 59/jb would be fine. since its a small body semi hollow i think youll be ok with a medium hot pup like the jb and that combo is pretty common and gets great tones.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

A 59 and JB is usually a great place to start. If you don’t like them they are at least a basis to compare others to.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

I might put a Jazz in the neck rather than the 59, but that is just personal taste. I found the Jazz to be more crisp, clear, tight, and glassy than the 59. Not a bad pickup by any means, just not my cup o' tea for the neck spot.
 
Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

Most certainly a Seth on the bridge.

I have an AS73, just put a Seth bridge and an Antiquity neck. Love the Seth, unsure of the Ant. It may grow on me.
 
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Re: New pickups for an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow?

The proverbial SD Jazz/JB of course! I wanted to get a P-90 tone so I tried the SD Phat Cat, it didn't sound as well as I expected it to be - too glassy. I dunno, it's probably because of the maple body. The Jazz gave a vintage tone.

However, you'd better look at the Kent Armstrong humbucker-sized P-90's. My friend has an Ibanez AF75 with Kent Armstrong's and it has been giving me a lot of gas. Very good for Chuck Berry type riffs and licks and clean tone jazz standards.
 
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