Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

[Ugg]

Just picked up an Ibanez Prestige RG7CT VV 7 string and I'm not diggin' the stock DiMarzio Blaze II pu's. They have too much bass, not enough mids. The guitar is mahogany body with flame maple top, bolt on maple neck with rosewood.

I've been looking at 7 string Duncan's and can't decide. Here are all the Ducnan 7 string models I've found:

SH1 '59 Model 7 string
SH2n Jazz Model Blk 7 string
SH4 JB model 7 string
SH5 Custom 7 String
SH6 Distortion 7 String
SH8 Invader 7 String

The only guitar I have w/ Duncan humbuckers is an Ibanez neck-thru 6 string (mahogany body, maple neck) w/ JB bridge and Jazz neck. IMO, the Jazz is a bit too weak (but nice cleans). I find JB is a too shrill in the high-mids, but I like it's overall sound despite this (maybe a 250k pot would help?).

The 7 string will mostly be used for rock and metal, but I would like to be able to do other styles with it.
I'm thinking JB in the bridge and either Jazz or '59 in the neck. Which has more output, '59 or Jazz? And should I go with something heavier in the bridge? Thanks!

 

[BluesGuyJ]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

I would put a Distortion in the bridge and a 59 in the neck.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

IMO the 7-string distortion sounds kinda harsh and barking. I'd go for a custom in the bridge and go for a jazz in the neck. That way you'll have great metal rhythm and also great cleans and articulate leads.

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Thanks for the suggestions. How does the 7 string custom sound compared to the JB? Higher output, more mids/highs? Also, which is hotter, the Jazz or 59?

I should probably mention I'm playing through a Marshall JCM-900 SL-X and I also have a Peavey Rockmaster pre that gets me the "brown" sound. I want pickups that will sound good with both distortion types and still have good cleans. Also, the pickups will be split in some of the 5-way switch positions.

 

[Donarskjold]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Because you are playing an amp with moderat to high output, you should would use pickups with low to moderate output. Don't go with anything that has more output than the SH-6, or it will sound muddy. Remember that the lower you go (59er, Jazz) the darker your sound will be.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

slightly edited to keep it in order:
1.Because you are playing an amp with moderat to high output, you should would use pickups with low to moderate output.
2.Don't go with anything that has more output than the SH-6, or it will sound muddy.
3.Remember that the lower you go (59er, Jazz) the darker your sound will be.

I can't agree with those conclusions.

1. You can put any kind of pickup in front of any kind of amp. It's just a question of what is used. A high output pickup like the custom, which is rather on the bright and tight side should go very well with your marshall and should give you some serious crunch and and attack without mudding out. it will also clean up very well when using the volume pot since it's basicly a beefed up PAF.

2. High output doesn't equal mud at all. There are dark and possibly muddy pups(Invader) and also super tight high outputs(Dimarzio Evolution for example). it's more a matter of Amp settings and playing technique than the pup for most parts. Just get something that matches the guitar tonewise(with mahog you don't want to go too dark). A Custom, JB or Distortion would all be good choices, it's just a matter of what you like soundwise. Also there are not many pickups that have more output than the distortion so the advice is kinda pointless.

3. Low output isn't to be equaled with darkness.If that would be true then strats would be the darkest sounding guitars ever. The Jazz is very clear and pretty bright, but that's what makes it great for articulate leads and cleans.
Once again verything depends on the pickup used

As for your new questions Ugg:

The JB is imo a little bit hotter than the Custom(not really much) but it's not as tight and doesn't have the attack of the Custom. The Custom is tighter and sounds more ballsy so to say. The custom has a bit more bass and some more high end making it pretty cool for powerfull rhythm.

Imo the Jazz and the 59 in the neck are about the same in output, but the Jazz is way clearer and less boomy in the low end.

And now for something i can't leave out if you're looking for pups for a seven string ibanez: Have a look at Dimarzio's offering. I bet the Evolution 7 or one of the New D-activators would slay in your axe. Both are brighter than the stock blazes.

 

[Imp]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

my thoughts..

1) stay away from alnico 5 in the bridge for 7 strings.. the low-B needs a ceramic magnet's sharper attack in my opinion - i tried the JB-7 in my 7621, with 2 or 3 different guages of string, and couldn't like it.

2) jazz would work much better than the '59 in the neck -it can be a struggle to get a clear low-end on a 6 string, let along a 7!

i ended up keeping the stock neck pickup and using a tonezone in the bridge, personally.. but i'd still like to try an invader!

tom

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Interesting points...

The guys on the sevenstring.org forums were also pushing the Evolution 7 (bridge) and Air Norton 7 (neck). My main gripe about DiMarzio is that I do NOT like the "Ibanez" sound of Vai, Satriani, etc. My reason for wanting Duncans is specifically to get away from that "Ibanez" sound. However, since my Ibanez is mahogany and not basswood, I'm wondering if the DiMarzio's might work. Anyone with an Evo 7 or AN 7 care to comment?

As for the Duncan's, it sounds like a Custom 7 in the bridge and a Jazz 7 in the neck are going to get the job done.

I'm going to take another listen to the clips on the DiMarzio site. (Too bad they don't have controlled comparison clips like SD.) If anyone can comment about the DiMarzio 7's I would appreciate it.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

The guys on the sevenstring.org forums were also pushing the Evolution 7 (bridge) and Air Norton 7 (neck). My main gripe about DiMarzio is that I do NOT like the "Ibanez" sound of Vai, Satriani, etc. My reason for wanting Duncans is specifically to get away from that "Ibanez" sound. However, since my Ibanez is mahogany and not basswood, I'm wondering if the DiMarzio's might work. Anyone with an Evo 7 or AN 7 care to comment?

Do you have the same username on senstring.org(i do and i don't remeber a post from Ugg)?

1. The sound of Vai and Satriani is mainly a product of their Amps and effect setups, not so much of the pickups they use. You can get very individual sounds from Dimarzios.

2. I have the Evo 7 / Air Norton 7 combo in my Jackson DR-7 and i love it(had to fiddle with the height of the Evo before i really like it but now i wouldn't give it away anymore)
The Evo 7 is is a very tight, rather bright,super focused, clear pup with insane harmonics. it can be harsh if you adjust it too close to the strings, but that can be solved). In mahog it should brighten up the overall tone and make your axe a metal monster. The rhythm sounds from this thing are insane once you get it under control(you need very clean technique), so are the leads(rather a screaming type of leads). Also works great for split when playing clean.
The Air Norton 7(along with it's six string counterpart) is my favorite neck pup ever. It's rather dark, pretty fat sounding and smooth. Even though it has these characteristics it remains articulate and clear(seems weird but it's a truth). I mainly use it for leads where it's very singing with lots of sustain and character, and for cleans where it's almost jazzy and very warm and beautyful.
Both should work well in mahog and if the AN sounds to dark at the beginning just bring it closer to the strings and it will solve the problem. Also your axe is still and RG so there's no huge, dark sounding slab of wood like on a LP or something.

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Loserchief, thanks for the info on the DiMarzio's.

Yeah, I'm Ugg everywhere... :laugh2: It's a nickname I somehow picked up in high school.

For reference: My post on sevenstring.org in the Pickups forum.

I STILL can't decide between the DiMarzio's (EVO7 + AN7) and the Duncan's (Custom 7, Jazz 7). The fact that people here on the Seymour Duncan forums recommend the DiMarzio's is definitely saying something. Also, since the DiMarzio's seem to be very popular I could probably sell them easier than the Duncan's if I don't like the sound.

Quick, someone talk me out of the DiMarzio's before I pull the trigger! :smack:

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Well Duncan VS. Dimarzio is just a matter of taste. Duncan usually have their focus on the Treble while Dimarzios fouce more on the mids imo. DMZs usually sound smoother than most duncans which are rather raunchy you could say. Dimarzios are in most cases very modern sounding pickups with a rather vocal quality to their sound while duncans are more like oldschool pups on steroids what makes them more with a rather woody(i don't know a better word for it) kind of sound.

I guess the only way to find out is actually trying it out. You definitely see more Dimarzios in 7s but i guess that's because 7s got big because of Vai playing them mainly and he was/is a DMZ user, and so people kinda got used to it(DMZ has been in the 7-string business for longer than duncan). Not to forget that a lot of 7-string players just prefer the more modern sound.
I myself favor Dimarzios or EMGs for my metal playing since they have a characteristic that suits my playing better(technical death and prog), but on the other hand i wouldn't want to miss a set of good duncans for a more vintage orientated sound, like in my tele.

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Thanks everyone for your input. I ordered the DiMarzio EVO7 and AN7 today. Will let you know how it sounds once they're in.

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Loserchief, would you mind measuring the height of your EVO7 and AN7 pickups (distance from top of pickup to string for low & high strings) and posting your results? This would save me a LOT of time when I install mine. Thanks

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Actually i thing that won't help you in any way. The height you adjust the pups to depends on the amps used, the guitar it's in, the strings, pick attack and personal preferance.
I have both pups around 4.5mm(don't have US measurements) away from the strings on the low B and about 5mm on the high e. I raised the low B polepiece on the Evo for some extra attack.

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Thanks. I realize it will be different on my guitar but at least it will be a good starting point.

 

[Ugg]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

Pickups are in! Had to take a Dremel to the ears to get them to fit. Also, the pickup cavities are too shallow so I'll have to get them routed at some point. The AN7 is OK but the EVO7 is too high on the high strings due to the thick wire underneath the pickup.

The EVO7 sounds fantastic! Thick, full distortion with great harmonics. The AN7 sounds great on the high strings but is a bit bassy on the low strings (especially the low B). I'm guessing lowering the AN7 will reduce the bass but unfortunately I can't go any lower w/o routing. Both pickups cleanup very nice and the split coils sound great dirty or clean.

The EVO7 and AN7 really woke up the guitar, a huge difference from the stock Blaze. I'm definitely pleased with the sound. Thanks to all for your recommendations!

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Pickups for Ibanez 7 string (mahogany body)

lowering pup height usully makes the sound warmer and darker, you'd achieve the opposite of what you want from the AN. Try setting it a little higher on the low strings side or raise the pole-pieces of the strings you find to dark a little.