Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

[markmann]

I have a new Artist AR300 with MIK Suprer 58's that I would like to replace. To me these pup's sound a bit dull and lifeless and lack top end. For anyone not familiar with the AR300 it's basically a double cut Les Paul but with 2 tone and 2 vol controls. It has a mahogany body with maple set neck and rosewood fretboard.
I'm looking to get a great LP tone from this guitar. That said I currently have a LP with 490's that I will use for tone comparison. The LP has good tone that I really like but if possible would like a couple improvements for the Artist. The LP sounds good when using the neck pup although it tends to get muddy at times. I would be happy if I could get the same tonal character but with a bit more clarity with a neck pup for the Artist.

The LP's bridge has good basic tone but to me lacks string to string clarity and is and could use a bit more crunch when distorted. I also wish it had a tighter distorted tone.

My musical style is rock, classic rock, blues and jazz. I play clean a lot and like my clean tone to be very clear and articulate so it's important that both pup's clean up well. My distorted tones range from early breakup with bite to moderate classic rock crunch. High gain is minimal.

I will be splitting the coils and running parallel so I need 4 wire. I'm thinking I might need potted pup's since I do play some high gain?

I think that's about it... I hope I didn't go into too much detail but I thought I give as much info as I could so as to not waist anyone's time. I'd appreciate any input you have with any tonal descriptions if possible.

Thanks, Mark

 

[tone4days]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

hi mark

nice axe ... they've always been a fav of mine ... good buddy of mine who taught me to play had one that was killer ...

for the style of music you want to play balanced with the tonal description you give i think you'll be well satisfaid with any from a handful of choices ... for a bit more clarity over what your LP gives you, i think an AIIP or a Jazz would sound great in the neck ... i think a 59 (4-wire) would also, but you'd have to be mindful of dial in the height to avoid any muddiness ... in the Bridge, a JB would certainly pair with the Jazz nicely (and the AIIP, too) ... A C5 would pair well with a 59 ... and the Duncan Distortion gets rave reviews indeed in the bridge, although i don't ahve first hand experience .. a PG would pair well the the AIIP, as would a CC

good luck
t4d

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

A pair of Pearly Gates is what you need. The bridge pickup doesn't have a tone of output, but it has a lot of attitued. The neck pickup is big, fat, and surprisingly, has a lot of clarity and chime as well. It's my favority pickup set for Les Pauls and Les Paul style guitars.

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

hi mark

nice axe ... they've always been a fav of mine ... good buddy of mine who taught me to play had one that was killer ...

for the style of music you want to play balanced with the tonal description you give i think you'll be well satisfaid with any from a handful of choices ... for a bit more clarity over what your LP gives you, i think an AIIP or a Jazz would sound great in the neck ... i think a 59 (4-wire) would also, but you'd have to be mindful of dial in the height to avoid any muddiness ... in the Bridge, a JB would certainly pair with the Jazz nicely (and the AIIP, too) ... A C5 would pair well with a 59 ... and the Duncan Distortion gets rave reviews indeed in the bridge, although i don't ahve first hand experience .. a PG would pair well the the AIIP, as would a CC

good luck
t4d

Thanks for the recommendations, t4d, very good info. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the JB and DD were known for higher gain/distortion tones? Do you think they would clean up enough to give those crystaline low gain tones I require? I will be using distortion but I'm placing a high importance on clean tone so I'm thinking those might not be in the running. So then the remaining pairings that you recommended are:
AIIP/PG or CC
59/C5

I've heard really good things about the Jazz and I know of one person who swears by Jazz/CC pairing but I haven't heard it first hand. It seems you're right on with the 59/c5 because that seems to be the most common pairing from the Tone Wizard with my guitar type.

Mark

 

[martinsixstringcustoms]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

A pair of Pearly Gates is what you need. The bridge pickup doesn't have a tone of output, but it has a lot of attitued. The neck pickup is big, fat, and surprisingly, has a lot of clarity and chime as well. It's my favority pickup set for Les Pauls and Les Paul style guitars.

All the recommendations are on point. I like the Pearly Gates set too. I have them in my LP Standard and they sound great. I'm only selling them on the trading post to try something else out, but yes, your right on the money Benjy.

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

I read somewhere that the PG's have a "Texas" type tone? If so I don't know how that translates in HB terms. I don't doubt that they sound great... just trying to get an idea of what they might sound like.

FYI, I've learned that the new Hamer USA Studio come with a pair of 59's. The reason I mention this is because I believe the composition of the Hamer is the same as my Artist. So how does the Hamer sound? I hear a lot of talk about using the 59 in the neck position but not bridge, but Hamer must think it's a good sound. What do you guys know about using a 59 as a bridge pup?

 

[tone4days]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

Thanks for the recommendations, t4d, very good info. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the JB and DD were known for higher gain/distortion tones? Do you think they would clean up enough to give those crystaline low gain tones I require? I will be using distortion but I'm placing a high importance on clean tone so I'm thinking those might not be in the running. ...

well, i have an AIIP / JB in one of my guitars ... i think the JB cleans up nicely when rolling off the volume a touch (and using a clean amp setting) .. it also splits VERY nicely (i split mine and combine it in parallel with the split AIIP -both 'inner' and 'outer' combinations, a la PRS .. these splits sound WONDERFUL for clean applications)

like i mentioned, i have no first hand experience with the DD, but it comes on good advice that it should not be misjudged by its name .. not only does it roar, it also cleans up nicely ... there was a clip posted by a forum bro a few months or so back where a clean DD almost sounded like an acoustic guitar, no lie!

i bet a jazz / C5 set would be excellent too if the 59 would be not clear/articulate enough for you .... heck, some guys swear by a jazz / jazz (b) set too!!

good luck
t4d

ps - a 'texas' HB tone would be inspired by early z z top (pre MTV era)

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

Listen to "Cheap Sunglasses" by ZZ Top to get an idea of what a pair of Pearly's can do in a Paul.

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

I should have made the Texas tone/ZZ Top connection... I don't know what I was thinking... I really do play guitar, in fact I was learning to play when Tre Hombre came out.

Anyway, I have a feeling that I'd be happy with any of the combo's you guys have recommended. Without actually hearing them live I think I'll just have to buy a set and try 'em out. The online clips don't help me, I really need to be playing the guitar through my amp (Mesa Boogie F50). I can return them for a different set, right? Where is a good place to order from?

Also, I'd still like to hear from someone that's heard a Hamer with a set of 59's.

Thanks, Mark

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

24 frets no? If so I'd stay away from the 59n. I think the best deal for the money then is a a2p, especially for the neck of a 24 fret guitar.

B

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

24 frets no? If so I'd stay away from the 59n. I think the best deal for the money then is a a2p, especially for the neck of a 24 fret guitar.

B

The Artist has a 22 fret neck, but I am interested in why the a2p is better than a 59n for a 24?

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

Since my fisrt post I've been doing lots of reading and I'm seriously considering AIIP and PG(b). I believe these are both alnico II's right? There's a lot of talk on the HC forum on both the AIIP and PG's and people seem to really like both. My thinking is sweet articulate tone for the neck and something a bit more agressive sounding for the bridge... does this make sense? Are they a good match as far as power when switching between the two? I think they both split well, right?

 

[tone4days]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

yes, they are both alnico 2

i think you'll be happy with that set

and remember, if for some reason, one or both isnt quite what you hoped for, you have the 21 day return policy to fix thigns right

good luck and let us know how it goes

t4d

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

yes, they are both alnico 2

i think you'll be happy with that set

and remember, if for some reason, one or both isnt quite what you hoped for, you have the 21 day return policy to fix thigns right

good luck and let us know how it goes

t4d

I sure will and thanks for the help.

Any suggestions for where to purchase? I know there are at least a couple dealers on this forum and I'll more than likely order from one of them unless someone gives me a reason not to.

Mark

 

[tone4days]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

blackrose customs usually has everything you'd want in stock and ships very quickly at very excellent prices

http://www.blackrosecustom.emerchantpro.com/

lews guitars and martinsixstring are also stand up guys on this forum who are well trusted for their business ethic and sharing of knowledge

good luck
t4d

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

Thank you very much.

 

[SOLO GUITAR STEWIE]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

I Would Say Either

Jb Bridge And Jazz Neck

Or

Custom Custom Bridge And A2p Neck

Chris

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

I Would Say Either

Jb Bridge And Jazz Neck

Or

Custom Custom Bridge And A2p Neck

Chris

Thanks, Stewie, which pair do you have? I'm pretty set on getting the PG/A2P because I'm thinking that I want a lower gain pup for the bridge to allow my amp to generate the high gain tone.

 

[NotTheGuy]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

I have an Artist AR-250 - just put in a Alnico II neck and Custom-custom bridge and they are incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[markmann]

Re: Pup Upgrade for Ibanez Artist ???

I have an Artist AR-250 - just put in a Alnico II neck and Custom-custom bridge and they are incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome. For what style music?