Pickup Reccomendations

[steelprostate]

Hi all...

My friend recently purchased an Ibanez RG series guitar and is looking to replace the pickups. The setup of the guitar is HSH. He's mainly into 80's hair metal/power metal-esque music. What pickups should he get?

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

I think the majority of 80s hair metal would be defined by the JB/Jazz with any given single coil in the middle that very few ever used.

...that is about all I can suggest, I like most Duncan models and many of them would work well for that application (Custom, C5, Distortion, etc.)

 

[steelprostate]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

I was thinking maybe a Custom in the bridge and a Pearly Gates in the neck? But I have no idea on the single coil.

 

[Uk Ant]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

Well I've just put a custom in the bridge of my SZ and SSL4 quarter pounder in the middle. the quarter pounder is quite a monster for a single coil. For just switching from the bridge to something with less fizz but still plenty of dirt, harmonics and low end it's great. Cleans up ok as well.

 

[timccart]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

I have a RG550 with Pearly Gates neck, SSL4 Quarter Pounder middle and SH-14 trem spaced for bridge. Can play almost anything with it.

 

[junkdk]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

Is the guitar body basswood? I assume it is so you will have to go with stronger pups.

If you want DiMarzio:

Bridge: Super 3 DP152
Middle: FS-1 DP181
Neck: Evolution DP 158

If you want Seymour Duncan:

Bridge: Duncan Distortion TB-6 (SH-6 for tremolo's)
Middle: SSL-5
Neck: '59 Neck SH-1

I have the DiMarzio's in my Ibanez S460 but the body is mahogany. I own all the above pickups and love them.

Good luck,


junkdk

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

Second on the Super 3, especially if the guitar has a Floyd Rose and needs a little fattening up. I used one for years on my Heartfield, which was pretty much a Fender-branded RG. Full sound with enough guts for metal and enough warmth to solo from the bridge.

An overlooked pickup, I think.

Another option in the neck might be the tried-and-true PAF Pro, if he wants to stick with A5.

 

[rayrgdx]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

Is the guitar body basswood? I assume it is so you will have to go with stronger pups.

If you want DiMarzio:

Bridge: Super 3 DP152
Middle: FS-1 DP181
Neck: Evolution DP 158

If you want Seymour Duncan:

Bridge: Duncan Distortion TB-6 (SH-6 for tremolo's)
Middle: SSL-5
Neck: '59 Neck SH-1

I have the DiMarzio's in my Ibanez S460 but the body is mahogany. I own all the above pickups and love them.

Good luck,


junkdk

+ 1 on the TB-6...You may want to try a sh-6n for the neck.

 

[The JEM Ghost]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

I would say a TB-5 Custom at the bridge, a SSL-6 Custom single in the middle, and a PG or Jazz (depending on his likes) at the neck spot.

 

[BigDaddy]

Re: Pickup Reccomendations

I think you should think about whether you want a true single coil sound for the middle or just something different.

I would be more inclined to use a JB jr. or Lil' 59 in the middle.

I would also use one of those Tele 4 way switches.

Pos1- neck
pos2- middle
pos3- neck & bridge
pos4- bridge

If you want a true strat sound than a stack plus or hot stack. It's a noise factor.

If he is using pedals and high gain the noise of a true single coil might make the pickup useless. If he does indeed want to be able to get one more true Strat like sounds the stack is the way to go.

I do have one H-S-H strat and I tired a lot of pups in the middle. Nothing sounded good when mixing the big humbuckers with the middle pickup. That's why I ended up using the 4way switch and 2 stacked pots. I have 3 separate volumes and a master tone.

I use a APH-1 in the neck and a Custom custom in the bridge. The middle is a SSL-7 1/4 pounder. It keeps up with the hums yet retains some strat sound, although more p-90ish. I did try the SSL-5/6 and it did sound more strat like it didn't mix as well with the hums as the 1/4 pounder. I did have to lower the hum pickups a bit because there was so much magnetic pull on the strings.

The best middle pickup so far I have used in the H-S-H configuration is a 1/4 pounder Tele neck pickup without the cover. I have that in a guitar that has a Firebird ANT II bridge in the neck, the tapped 1/4 pound tele neck w/o the cover in the middle and a Phat Cat bridge pup. I had to change the phase (wires) so that they are in phase with the Firebird pup. But this guitar really sounds great and I get so many tones from it. The guitar does not sound like any guitar you have ever heard, it sounds almost like this or that but really has it's own personality. Swamp ash body and mahogany conversion neck.