skinslapper
New member
Hey everyone, I've recently upgraded my axe from an epi lp studio to a 1981, ibanez ar50. She's beautiful, plays great, and has loads of sustain. It's a mahogany body, carved maple top, birch neck with a rosewood fingerboard.
I've moved all my fav toys into her; jb bridge with coil tapping, stetsbar II tremolo and a kilpot (all 500k pots). I've a couple of tone issues I'd like to rectify hopefully with some new pickups. I play blues, classic rock, alt hard rock and metal. I'd say Adam Jones of TOOL would be my dream tone.
So firstly I'm looking to replace the neck pickup. The super 70 that's still in there sounds great by itself, full and bright for a neck pickup, but I'm so used to cheap, epi units that I want something fatter and rounder just to blend in with the bridge to give a classic, ballsy, tone. I was originally thinking the jazz, but had read some really good arguments for the pearly gates and am now leaning towards that.
Secondly the jb sounds a lot creamier in this guitar. There's not as much bite/ edginess to the sound and there was a bit of twang in the epi that I'm now missing at low gain when split. I've tried raising the jb towards the ice-pick-to-the-head territory, but it doesn't help that much and lessens the sustain. I'd like to still have the versatility of the jb but maybe a bit more high-mid/high focus and low-mid scoop. I'm leaning towards the Custom 5.
Also I'm not sure what the stetsbars saddles are made of, but perhaps I oughta change them for stainless.
So to summarise, lp style guitar with pgn in the neck and sh14 in the bridge with optional coil tap and change the saddles to stainless. Should this give me the high and low end kick that I crave?
Thanks in advance.
I've moved all my fav toys into her; jb bridge with coil tapping, stetsbar II tremolo and a kilpot (all 500k pots). I've a couple of tone issues I'd like to rectify hopefully with some new pickups. I play blues, classic rock, alt hard rock and metal. I'd say Adam Jones of TOOL would be my dream tone.
So firstly I'm looking to replace the neck pickup. The super 70 that's still in there sounds great by itself, full and bright for a neck pickup, but I'm so used to cheap, epi units that I want something fatter and rounder just to blend in with the bridge to give a classic, ballsy, tone. I was originally thinking the jazz, but had read some really good arguments for the pearly gates and am now leaning towards that.
Secondly the jb sounds a lot creamier in this guitar. There's not as much bite/ edginess to the sound and there was a bit of twang in the epi that I'm now missing at low gain when split. I've tried raising the jb towards the ice-pick-to-the-head territory, but it doesn't help that much and lessens the sustain. I'd like to still have the versatility of the jb but maybe a bit more high-mid/high focus and low-mid scoop. I'm leaning towards the Custom 5.
Also I'm not sure what the stetsbars saddles are made of, but perhaps I oughta change them for stainless.
So to summarise, lp style guitar with pgn in the neck and sh14 in the bridge with optional coil tap and change the saddles to stainless. Should this give me the high and low end kick that I crave?
Thanks in advance.
