Pickup for Ibanez RG721

RockWithMark

RockWithMark

New member
Hey guys,

I'm looking for a bridge pickup that works extremely well with low tunings and a basswood body/maple neck guitar.
I recently put a SD Distortion in it, but I'm not getting along with it at all. It sounds quite harsh in this guitar, very unpleasing overall.

So a bit of information on the guitar: It's the Ibanez RG721RW-CNF

- Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Hardtail bridge

This guitar is tuned to C standard/Drop Bb, with string gauge .13-.65 DR DDT strings

Tone I'm looking for:

- Fat, tight/defined bottom end
- Huge sounding and well-defined midrange with plenty of growl, cut and bite (without sounding abrasive or obnoxious)
- Smooth top end with plenty of scream/squeel(?) and sparkle (for harmonics/leads etc.)
- Clarity for downtuning

Overall I play a lot of big chords and lots of weird progressions, so I want everything to ring out perfectly. I also do a fair share of chugga chugga's.

I play mostly (Modern)Hard Rock, Alternative Metal, Modern Progressive Metal, Metalcore, Scandinavian Death/Black Metal, Technical Death Metal. A little bit of everything really.


A few bands I like tone-wise (if any help)

- The Black Dahlia Murder (''Especially Nocturnal'' album, very chunky, huge and clear tone)
- Sybreed (They have such a smooth tone, especially ''Antares'' album)
- Breaking Benjamin (They use a lot of big chords and progressions)
- Evergrey (They have such incredible rhythm tones!)
- Killswitch Engage (Especially ''End Of Heartache'' and ''Alive Or Just Breathing'' albums)
- Evanescence (Thick growling tone, typical Nu-Metal tone, but quite delicious)
- The Veer Union (Especially ''Divide The Blackened Sky'' album)
- Scar Symmetry (Especially ''Holographic Universe'' album, incredible tones for heavy riffing!)
- RED (Especially ''Until We Have Faces'' album)

I know I'm not gonna get all of this from a one guitar and one pickup setup, but it's a good indication of the tone I'm after.

Kind regards,

Mark
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

For Duncans, I'd look into the Full Shred, Custom, Black Winter or maybe even the Invader if the Guitar itself seems Bright or Thin.


The Dimarzio D-Activator might do nicely as well.
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Scott Marceau said:
I'd go with a Distortion bridge and Jazz neck.
Click to expand...
I already have a Distortion in it, I even said that in my first message. I said: I'm looking for a bridge pickup that works extremely well with low tunings and a basswood body/maple neck guitar.
I recently put a SD Distortion in it, but I'm not getting along with it at all. It sounds quite harsh in this guitar, very unpleasing overall.

I guess you overlooked that part? But it's okay! :P

What would you recommend beside the Distortion?
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Custom /59 would be my go to for that axe, possibly a Dimebucker if the Custom seems too "vintage", or an Invader if the guitar is naturally thin and anemic tonally.

However, you`re also looking for an "egg laying, wool shedding, milk giving pig" to a certain extent as far as the tonality of the pickup goes, simply because the guitar itself also plays a significant role in the amplified tone... I`m afraid that you will have to make a sacrifice somewhere. But I still feel the Duncan Custom will get you about as close as you can get withoug out going boutique or Custom shop ;)
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Really I think you might like the PATB version of the Distortion. But for what you want I think you might want to try a Dimarzio Crunch Lab. The Custom or Full shred are good candidates as well.
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Wow, thanks for all the responses guys!

The pickups that keep popping up are indeed the Custom and Full Shred ones, so they are particularly interesting. I hear a lot of good stuff about the PATB series of pups as well, also worth checking out.
And as far as DiMarzio's go, I keep hearing about the Evo's, Breeds and D-Activators, they seem great for basswood as well. I tried a Crunch Lab one day though, and it really wasn't my cup of tea...

So my next assignment is: Creating a top three, and pick one of them :)

Oh man I feel like a kid in a candystore, so many delicious things, yet you can only pick one, haha!
Keep the suggestions coming though ;)

Cheers!
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Zerberus said:
Custom /59 would be my go to for that axe, possibly a Dimebucker if the Custom seems too "vintage", or an Invader if the guitar is naturally thin and anemic tonally.

However, you`re also looking for an "egg laying, wool shedding, milk giving pig" to a certain extent as far as the tonality of the pickup goes, simply because the guitar itself also plays a significant role in the amplified tone... I`m afraid that you will have to make a sacrifice somewhere. But I still feel the Duncan Custom will get you about as close as you can get withoug out going boutique or Custom shop ;)
Click to expand...
How does the Custom compare to the Full Shred? I've heard good things about both of them. Full Shred being the most favorable, due to their superb clarity and tightness, except they seem to have a very light low-end. Which is definitely not favorable for heavy rhythm playing/chugging. Does the basswood make up for it?

I also have a few Alnico 8 mags here, so I can swap magnets if needed. I heard about the Custom8 mod with allen screws (under the wound strings), which seems quite popular as well. Don't know how that would do with downtuning though. :)
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

RockWithMark said:
How does the Custom compare to the Full Shred? I've heard good things about both of them. Full Shred being the most favorable, due to their superb clarity and tightness, except they seem to have a very light low-end. Which is definitely not favorable for heavy rhythm playing/chugging. Does the basswood make up for it?
Click to expand...
Never used a fullshred, so I can`t comment on the difference.

But your opinion on the low end strikes me as quite unconventional for rock and metal guitarists, most of us (that aren`t playing doom or stoner metal) are usually looking for the tightest bottom end we can get... If you`re really looking for a loose low end, the custom with it`s ceramic magnet is not necesarily the first choice... the Custom 5 is much better in that respect.
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

I have a full shred set in my rg921. I replaced the stock dimarzio/ibz pickups with them.
The ibzs are based on the super2 (neck) and super distortion (bridge). To be honest, I really liked them and had I realized just how different my amp sounded/felt in triode mode compared to Pentode, I would have left them in. (I thought they were a bit bassy/not bright enough.) With my amp set right for them, they sounded great! Maybe just a little too much output.

now........

The full shred shred set eliminated everything that I didn't like about the ibz. They are EXTREMELY clear and articulate. I don't down tune much except maybe for when I get on a black sabbath kick. No issues with tightness. They aren't really high output either. More like mid output.

The bridge pickups eq is pretty even across the spectrum, but with the lowest of lows (which gives you that muddy sound) and the highest of highs (the dreaded ice pick sound) chopped off or reduced in volume. I find that I can turn up the bass on my amp and have all the bass I need. But it still stays tight. I found the Duncan eq rating very misleading.
It sounds OK clean, it gets stratty when split, and combines nicely with the neck in split mode.

The full shred neck is very full sounding but perhaps a bit..... sterile? It is bright and clear with a significant amount of bass. I haven't able to get a really bluesy sound from it yet. It'll do the flutey neck solo thing all day. With its hands tied behind its back too. I can compare it (sort of) to an air Norton if I turn my tone knob down.
So, a brighter air Norton perhaps? Sounds like a less thick version of itself when set in parallel mode. Very single coil like.

I have heard that they are the "best" duncans for basswood shred sticks alot. I can't shred for s**t though.
I play all sorts of rock and metal with my rg.

The middle position sounds really nice clean too.
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Zerberus said:
Never used a fullshred, so I can`t comment on the difference.

But your opinion on the low end strikes me as quite unconventional for rock and metal guitarists, most of us (that aren`t playing doom or stoner metal) are usually looking for the tightest bottom end we can get... If you`re really looking for a loose low end, the custom with it`s ceramic magnet is not necesarily the first choice... the Custom 5 is much better in that respect.
Click to expand...

Well, I hate loose bottom end a lot, I think you might misinterpreted/misread what I said haha! (I said light low-end, meaning that the FS lacks bass). I AM searching for a pickup that is tight and precise, but also one that feels ''alive'' instead of ''sterile''.
Yet again, as we all know, it is quite hard to describe sounds :P

See, I'm having this love/hate relationship with my Distortion I currently have in there.
At times I really love the monstrous, thumping, thick and cutting tone, but most of the time I hate it, because it sounds a bit fizzy (but mostly harsh) on the top end, and I feel like it's not tight enough on the low-end. (Fast technical riffs/licks kind of smear together, for the lack of better words). Again this is all in context with my guitar, someone else might really love the Distortion. And yes, I also tried different amps and settings.

So I'm kind of looking for an improved Distortion, one that has all the great qualities of the Distortion, with improved bass response/tightness but none of the harshness/top-end fizz. If that makes any sense.
Again my apologies if I described certain things weirdly :P
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Juanhanglo said:
I have a full shred set in my rg921. I replaced the stock dimarzio/ibz pickups with them.
The ibzs are based on the super2 (neck) and super distortion (bridge). To be honest, I really liked them and had I realized just how different my amp sounded/felt in triode mode compared to Pentode, I would have left them in. (I thought they were a bit bassy/not bright enough.) With my amp set right for them, they sounded great! Maybe just a little too much output.

now........

The full shred shred set eliminated everything that I didn't like about the ibz. They are EXTREMELY clear and articulate. I don't down tune much except maybe for when I get on a black sabbath kick. No issues with tightness. They aren't really high output either. More like mid output.

The bridge pickups eq is pretty even across the spectrum, but with the lowest of lows (which gives you that muddy sound) and the highest of highs (the dreaded ice pick sound) chopped off or reduced in volume. I find that I can turn up the bass on my amp and have all the bass I need. But it still stays tight. I found the Duncan eq rating very misleading.
It sounds OK clean, it gets stratty when split, and combines nicely with the neck in split mode.

The full shred neck is very full sounding but perhaps a bit..... sterile? It is bright and clear with a significant amount of bass. I haven't able to get a really bluesy sound from it yet. It'll do the flutey neck solo thing all day. With its hands tied behind its back too. I can compare it (sort of) to an air Norton if I turn my tone knob down.
So, a brighter air Norton perhaps? Sounds like a less thick version of itself when set in parallel mode. Very single coil like.

I have heard that they are the "best" duncans for basswood shred sticks alot. I can't shred for s**t though.
I play all sorts of rock and metal with my rg.

The middle position sounds really nice clean too.
Click to expand...
Wow, thank you for that description :) Full Shreds are definitely in my top list now. I've been looking at the BKP C-Pigs as well, and although they're pricey, they would do what I want from a pup I guess... Hmm choices choices...
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

RockWithMark said:
Well, I hate loose bottom end a lot, I think you might misinterpreted/misread what I said haha! (I said light low-end, meaning that the FS lacks bass). I AM searching for a pickup that is tight and precise, but also one that feels ''alive'' instead of ''sterile''.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes, you did, it appears I`m getting old.... My bad.

Yet again, as we all know, it is quite hard to describe sounds :P

See, I'm having this love/hate relationship with my Distortion I currently have in there.
At times I really love the monstrous, thumping, thick and cutting tone, but most of the time I hate it, because it sounds a bit fizzy (but mostly harsh) on the top end, and I feel like it's not tight enough on the low-end. (Fast technical riffs/licks kind of smear together, for the lack of better words). Again this is all in context with my guitar, someone else might really love the Distortion. And yes, I also tried different amps and settings.

So I'm kind of looking for an improved Distortion, one that has all the great qualities of the Distortion, with improved bass response/tightness but none of the harshness/top-end fizz. If that makes any sense.
Again my apologies if I described certain things weirdly :P
Click to expand...

I think the Duncan Custom should be right up your alley. Retains most of the aggression and clarity of the distortion, but loses some of the high mids presence and snarl for a good kick in the gut ;)
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

RockWithMark said:
So I'm kind of looking for an improved Distortion, one that has all the great qualities of the Distortion, with improved bass response/tightness but none of the harshness/top-end fizz. If that makes any sense.
Again my apologies if I described certain things weirdly :P
Click to expand...

This is why i suggested the alt 8. but i have extensive experience with the custom either stock or with mag swaps and hybrids. I dont jump right off sometimes and suggest my favorite pickup in these kinds of threads for threat of sounding like a fanboy or just some ****** that recomends the same pickups over and over again and sounds like he doesnt know what he is talking about. I would still suggest the Alt 8 but it seems, after reading your posts that you are indeed heading the direction of the custom, which I would be more than happy to chime in then...

The stock custom is going to sound bigger and fatter but not lose much definition or clarity. Its not as cutting or biting as the distortion but its got huge punch and power and is much better for chugs. You can feel the power with the custom when doing barre chords or chugging riffs. Its warmer and more "vintage" sounding that the distortion, which would fall in the "modern" sound category. But the custom is not a vintage pickup per se. Just more so than the distortion. Its a great pickup to start with then go from there.
If you dont quite like the stock custom, try the custom 8, which you also mentioned. It is my personal favorite of the customs. It has a very tight bottom end. Not as big or powerful as the stock custom but still tight enough. Stock custom has more punch. C8 is way warmer and much more, dare i say again, "organic" sounding. Its not as cold or sterile as a ceramic mag. (when you play them both you will hear what I am describing) The lead tone is sick and the mids are forward and creamy. High end is rolled off a tad but still very clear and present. Good string separation. This pickup excels under heavy gain from a monster amp. C8 has, what can be described as "note bloom". You can pound a power chord and it just starts to open up and sound big and sweet at the same time. This pickup also cleans up very well. You can play blues to metal with this pickup.

My second favorite is the custom with the big ceramic magnet from the distortion. This pickup is everything that the stock custom(small ceramic mag) is but warmer and fatter . Its not boomy but has huge punch and power. Much warmer that the stock custom. Note separation and clarity is not an issue with this pickup. If the custom 8 doesnt work, this would be my next choice. You already have the distortion, just take the mag out of that and pop it in the custom and voila!

You already have the distortion, try the custom and try these upgrades and see if any of these work for you. I would be surprised if you dont find what you are looking for with the options I mentioned. If those dont work then you need to go a completely different direction. Hope this helps. Cheers!
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

dvanburen said:
This is why i suggested the alt 8. but i have extensive experience with the custom either stock or with mag swaps and hybrids. I dont jump right off sometimes and suggest my favorite pickup in these kinds of threads for threat of sounding like a fanboy or just some ****** that recomends the same pickups over and over again and sounds like he doesnt know what he is talking about. I would still suggest the Alt 8 but it seems, after reading your posts that you are indeed heading the direction of the custom, which I would be more than happy to chime in then...

The stock custom is going to sound bigger and fatter but not lose much definition or clarity. Its not as cutting or biting as the distortion but its got huge punch and power and is much better for chugs. You can feel the power with the custom when doing barre chords or chugging riffs. Its warmer and more "vintage" sounding that the distortion, which would fall in the "modern" sound category. But the custom is not a vintage pickup per se. Just more so than the distortion. Its a great pickup to start with then go from there.
If you dont quite like the stock custom, try the custom 8, which you also mentioned. It is my personal favorite of the customs. It has a very tight bottom end. Not as big or powerful as the stock custom but still tight enough. Stock custom has more punch. C8 is way warmer and much more, dare i say again, "organic" sounding. Its not as cold or sterile as a ceramic mag. (when you play them both you will hear what I am describing) The lead tone is sick and the mids are forward and creamy. High end is rolled off a tad but still very clear and present. Good string separation. This pickup excels under heavy gain from a monster amp. C8 has, what can be described as "note bloom". You can pound a power chord and it just starts to open up and sound big and sweet at the same time. This pickup also cleans up very well. You can play blues to metal with this pickup.

My second favorite is the custom with the big ceramic magnet from the distortion. This pickup is everything that the stock custom(small ceramic mag) is but warmer and fatter . Its not boomy but has huge punch and power. Much warmer that the stock custom. Note separation and clarity is not an issue with this pickup. If the custom 8 doesnt work, this would be my next choice. You already have the distortion, just take the mag out of that and pop it in the custom and voila!

You already have the distortion, try the custom and try these upgrades and see if any of these work for you. I would be surprised if you dont find what you are looking for with the options I mentioned. If those dont work then you need to go a completely different direction. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Thank you for your excellent explanation/opinion! I've heard the Alternative 8 in one of Ola's (Englund) vids and found it to be quite annoying :P at least in his video. It had this weird clanky(?) pick noise going on...
Though, I shouldn't just ditch that pickup based on one video either!

Thanks again for the tips, gotta love the Seymour Duncan forums ;)

Btw, I have a JB8 in my Mayones as well, that thing is insane!!! Leads on that guitar sound so fluid, and rhythm parts sound really tight, cleans are rather nice too, but they still have a bit of sizzle. Definitely an improvement over the stock JB though. If you have the time you should try it in one of your axes also! (If you haven't already tried it :P)
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

RockWithMark said:
Thank you for your excellent explanation/opinion! I've heard the Alternative 8 in one of Ola's (Englund) vids and found it to be quite annoying :P at least in his video. It had this weird clanky(?) pick noise going on...
Though, I shouldn't just ditch that pickup based on one video either!

Thanks again for the tips, gotta love the Seymour Duncan forums ;)

Btw, I have a JB8 in my Mayones as well, that thing is insane!!! Leads on that guitar sound so fluid, and rhythm parts sound really tight, cleans are rather nice too, but they still have a bit of sizzle. Definitely an improvement over the stock JB though. If you have the time you should try it in one of your axes also! (If you haven't already tried it :P)
Click to expand...

Ive tried the jb8 and the custom/jb8 hybrid. the a8 in the jb is too much for me. And I play aggressive music. It is a one trick pony. Some guys really love it, and some it gets fatiguing after a while like it does for me. It is a monster tho.

As far as the alt 8 is concerned. I havent tried one yet because of all the videos ive seen it doesnt sound good to me either, but most everyone on here that has tried one, has said that pickup is full, meaty with good low end and good rhythm and lead tone. basically a fatter meatier distortion with less sizzle. Different EQ curve of course, but thats why i suggest that. from the comparisons to that and the custom8 online that i have read on here, its a tighter fatter, more modern sounding compared to custom 8. I still think you have a better chance of finding what you want if you get the custom and a couple of mags. You can get a great tone out of those coils. You may want something completely different and thats fine. Take advantage of duncans exchange policy or just buy a couple of used pickups and try them out for your self.
 
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

RockWithMark said:
Hey guys,

I'm looking for a bridge pickup that works extremely well with low tunings and a basswood body/maple neck guitar.
I recently put a SD Distortion in it, but I'm not getting along with it at all. It sounds quite harsh in this guitar, very unpleasing overall.Mark
Click to expand...

I would suggest the distortion based on your wants, but since you dont like it because its harsh, Im surprised you like the JB8...


RockWithMark said:
Tone I'm looking for:

- Fat, tight/defined bottom end
- Huge sounding and well-defined midrange with plenty of growl, cut and bite (without sounding abrasive or obnoxious)
- Smooth top end with plenty of scream/squeel(?) and sparkle (for harmonics/leads etc.)
- Clarity for downtuning
Mark
Click to expand...

This totally describes the custom or maybe even the alt 8

RockWithMark said:
Overall I play a lot of big chords and lots of weird progressions, so I want everything to ring out perfectly. I also do a fair share of chugga chugga's.Mark
Click to expand...

Custom, custom 8, or custom with big ceramic. And i know i havent played alt 8, but from what ive heard this may work for you here...

RockWithMark said:
I play mostly (Modern)Hard Rock, Alternative Metal, Modern Progressive Metal, Metalcore, Scandinavian Death/Black Metal, Technical Death Metal. A little bit of everything really.Mark
Click to expand...

custom can be a good middle ground for all of those styles. So is distortion, but you have already ruled that out. You may even want to consider the black winter set, or even active blackout set....
 
Last edited:
Re: Pickup for Ibanez RG721

Depends on your full rig, good candidates are: Full Shred set, Alt8 - Screamin' Demon and maybe Screamin' Demon - Jazz.
Custom would give too much low end for a tuning lower than (drop) C, but that's just me.
 
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