Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

[Clint666]

Greetings all!

This is my first post here and I'm not too clued up on pickups so please be gentle.

I picked up a '91 Ibanez RG570 (basswood body) at the beginning of the year which was in pretty bad shape, came with a V2 neck pup and unknown middle and bridge (weren't installed, the body was empty). It also had a no-name trem, basically a knock-off of the JT500's used on the old budget Jacksons. I undertook to fully restore the axe and also customize it, turning it into a dream guitar while I was at it.

Here's the "before" pic:

Long story short, it now has a flamed maple top, new paint job with faux binding and a proper Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge trem. Check it:

So now, the final thing I need is a new set of pickups. The ones currently in there don't sound bad but my big complaint is that they lack clarity for fast runs whenever I crank up the gain even a little, and of course, as with all floyd rose-equipped axes, the tone is a bit thin as well. I really like Gus G's (Ozzy Osbourne/Firewind) tone and have considered trying out his signature pups, but I don't know how much difference the basswood/maple combo (the maple is just over 3mm thick) will make.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Thanks guys!

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Looks awesome, great work. Custom in the bridge sounds phenomenal in basswood in these RGs, Quarter Pound in the middle aid fantastic too. I've tried a Pearly Gates neck and Screamin' Demon in the neck, and they are both very cool too. The Pearly Gates really sizzles, and the Demon has great growl.

The maple veneer won't really affect the tone too much. It's too thin to have a real impact.

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Thanks a lot man, I will definitely take those into consideration! I've read good things about the PATB-2 for the bridge position as well - what do you think of those? Now that I know that the maple top won't make much difference, I can at least narrow my search to recommendations for plain basswood

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Long story short, it now has a flamed maple top, new paint job with faux binding and a proper Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge trem. Check it:

:bling:

Dang, I want to hear the "long story" on this one. That came out beautiful... I assume that flamed top is a new veneer that you added? I have one or two old RGs that I'd like to restore, but I know they won't come out looking like that!

Please do a write-up on your restoration!

 

[jmh151]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Beautiful. If you want to thocken up the tone, go to floydupgrades and look at getting a Big Block for that Ibanez trem. Eliminates the thin tone associated with Floyds

 

[Despair]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

My ~'90 RG570 was really problematic for pickups, lots of lower mids but just about no bass, unusable undefined honking from the JB I tried. You may be a bit luckier with yours, but it wouldn't hurt to start with a pickup more likely to work.

I've generally heard the glue has more impact on tone than the veneer... And also that even that has little effect.

Gus G set should work great, the Distortion it was inspired by is a lot less picky, and actives in general are a bit less picky about woods. [Punchier, wider frequency range, less weird EQ interactions than some passives. Not repeating the old 'actives make everything sound the same' bit.]

I eventually wound up with a PATB-1b, which is perfect for my needs. Good cleans and terrific with any amount of gain. I was badly torn choosing between it and the PATB-2. If I had a second shredder, it'd have a PATB-2.

For neck, PATB-1n, Screamin' Demon or Full Shred neck are all great choices depending on the bridge pickup. Pearly Gates (bridge or neck) have their adherents as well, but tend to be a bit trickier on volume balance for the neck model.

Custom is a solid choice, too.

If you decide to stay passive, I'd highly recommend trying a Parallel Axis, they are killer pickups that are sadly overlooked. PATB-2 is terrific for gonzo metal, PATB-1b is great all-around.
[PATB-3 Blues Saraceno is great if you want a PA take on a hot PAF, but from what you've said of your interests, probably not your first choice.]

Replacement blocks are a nice mod, tend to improve sustain as well as tighten things up. Doesn't rule out a Parallel Axis pickup, though it makes it more likely to work with other options.

Sorry for the wall of text, bit under the weather and not having luck trimming it. Feel free to ask questions if any of it fails to make sense.

 

[Frogman]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

PATB-1b / PATB-STK / PATB-1n

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

:bling:

Dang, I want to hear the "long story" on this one. That came out beautiful... I assume that flamed top is a new veneer that you added? I have one or two old RGs that I'd like to restore, but I know they won't come out looking like that!

Please do a write-up on your restoration!

Thank you kindly! Yep, it was actually a 1/4 inch top which I had originally thought was going to be a paper-thin veneer when I ordered it (didn't read properly when I was doing my shopping, not too clever). I panicked when it arrived because I don't have much woodworking experience at all, nor do I have the necessary tools (routers and such) so everything was done the old-fashioned way - hand planers, hand saws, chisels, files, loads of sandpaper and even a Stanley knife to get the edges and cavities cut flush. This was the first time I've ever attempted this and I think I was incredibly lucky to have it come out so well - it's by no means a perfect "custom-shop" job - loads of learning curves, heaps of frustration (she almost became barbecue wood on a good few occasions, I won't lie!) and sleepless nights over how to overcome the next hurdle but all of that just makes me appreciate her that much more

I have a full thread over at another forum which I started when I began the project; not sure if I'm allowed to post links to threads from other fora here but I honestly don't think it would have turned out nearly as well as it did without the invaluable advice from some of the great folk there. If it's okay I will gladly post the link, otherwise i can make a new thread here.

Do it, man, restore those RG's...be patient, work slowly and carefully - if I can do it, you can! Trust me, it is an incredibly rewarding experience

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Beautiful. If you want to thocken up the tone, go to floydupgrades and look at getting a Big Block for that Ibanez trem. Eliminates the thin tone associated with Floyds

Thank you! I have been considering that as well, I've certainly heard only good things about the Big Block upgrades, should definitely be well worth a try!

My ~'90 RG570 was really problematic for pickups, lots of lower mids but just about no bass, unusable undefined honking from the JB I tried. You may be a bit luckier with yours, but it wouldn't hurt to start with a pickup more likely to work.

I've generally heard the glue has more impact on tone than the veneer... And also that even that has little effect.

Gus G set should work great, the Distortion it was inspired by is a lot less picky, and actives in general are a bit less picky about woods. [Punchier, wider frequency range, less weird EQ interactions than some passives. Not repeating the old 'actives make everything sound the same' bit.]

I eventually wound up with a PATB-1b, which is perfect for my needs. Good cleans and terrific with any amount of gain. I was badly torn choosing between it and the PATB-2. If I had a second shredder, it'd have a PATB-2.

For neck, PATB-1n, Screamin' Demon or Full Shred neck are all great choices depending on the bridge pickup. Pearly Gates (bridge or neck) have their adherents as well, but tend to be a bit trickier on volume balance for the neck model.

Custom is a solid choice, too.

If you decide to stay passive, I'd highly recommend trying a Parallel Axis, they are killer pickups that are sadly overlooked. PATB-2 is terrific for gonzo metal, PATB-1b is great all-around.
[PATB-3 Blues Saraceno is great if you want a PA take on a hot PAF, but from what you've said of your interests, probably not your first choice.]

Replacement blocks are a nice mod, tend to improve sustain as well as tighten things up. Doesn't rule out a Parallel Axis pickup, though it makes it more likely to work with other options.

Sorry for the wall of text, bit under the weather and not having luck trimming it. Feel free to ask questions if any of it fails to make sense.

Thanks for the suggestions The PATBs are looking like a good option at this point for sure. Perhaps it won't be a bad idea to go active though, I know I'll probably have a more versatile shred machine with passives but I have an Epi Les Paul (would like to throw in a JB with a '59 or Jazz in the neck at some stage) and would very much like to get my hands on a Strat sometime in the future so I guess that would cover pretty much all bases.

Hope you feel better, man!

PATB-1b / PATB-STK / PATB-1n

Gonna do some more research and check those out fer sure! Thanks!

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

How recently did you join this forum?

Could be a candidate for two Fuglybuckers and a Parallel Axis Stack.

 

[Despair]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

The one tricky bit on the PA-STK1n is it's bobbin is a bit differently shaped than common strat pickups, so you may have to modify the route a bit to get it to fit.

Oh, and a general thing about Parallel Axis pickups: the high & low end tends to go way up and the mids just drop out when they get too close to the strings. A lot of people prefer them dropped further away from the strings than a conventional pickup. Don't be put off if they sound weird at first, experiment with height! Pickup height affects tone unusually more than output, compared to conventional pickups.

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

How recently did you join this forum?

Could be a candidate for two Fuglybuckers and a Parallel Axis Stack.

I only joined yesterday, I was actually directed here by one of the guys from the local South African guitar forum which I've been part of for some time; the guy assured me that the members of the SD forum are a great bunch who really know their stuff when it comes to pickups and tone I've never heard of Fuglybuckers, I have seen some posts on here with the name in the title, time for me to do some reading!:eyecrazy:

The one tricky bit on the PA-STK1n is it's bobbin is a bit differently shaped than common strat pickups, so you may have to modify the route a bit to get it to fit.

Oh, and a general thing about Parallel Axis pickups: the high & low end tends to go way up and the mids just drop out when they get too close to the strings. A lot of people prefer them dropped further away from the strings than a conventional pickup. Don't be put off if they sound weird at first, experiment with height! Pickup height affects tone unusually more than output, compared to conventional pickups.

I shouldn't have problem modifying the pickup cavities if necessary, in fact I'm now glad that I kept the pickup rings; I was originally going to do away with them and direct mount my pups.

That's a great piece of advice regarding pickup height, I've found that even with the ones currently in there I've had to gradually lower them as closer to the strings and they get more and more muddy in the lows.

EDIT: I see that you actually mean the middle pup which doesn't have a mounting ring - apologies for not reading the post correctly

 

[tonello]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Well according to SD, Gus G was using 59n and DDb before his signature sets. I'd get those and a strat pickup (or you can just use the one you have as a dummy pup and not have it connected to the circuit Van Halen Style).

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Here's another vote for the '59/DD combo (don't forget to order Trembuckers for both.)

That thing is effing gorgeous. I can't believe you put it together from parts.

Though, 550s and 570s have always worked awesome with a DiMarzio Paf Pro/Super Distortion combo, so don't rule that out as an option. More chugga chugga.

IME, those middle single coils just get in the way. If it's going to turn into any kind of shred axe, I would lower that center pup as low as possible and disconnect it. It frees up your picking.

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Well according to SD, Gus G was using 59n and DDb before his signature sets. I'd get those and a strat pickup (or you can just use the one you have as a dummy pup and not have it connected to the circuit Van Halen Style).

Here's another vote for the '59/DD combo (don't forget to order Trembuckers for both.)

That thing is effing gorgeous. I can't believe you put it together from parts.

Though, 550s and 570s have always worked awesome with a DiMarzio Paf Pro/Super Distortion combo, so don't rule that out as an option. More chugga chugga.

IME, those middle single coils just get in the way. If it's going to turn into any kind of shred axe, I would lower that center pup as low as possible and disconnect it. It frees up your picking.

I have read that the DD can also sound rather muddy in a basswood guitar though, or is that not the case? If not then it would definitely be a solid option... Problem is that, as I've gathered from various posts throughout the forum, not all basswoods used in these axes were created equal so it's tough to match the right pickups to any given guitar. I don't really have a whole lot of cash to spend on trying various pups so I am kind of forced to go with the "safe" options (which sucks, I know).

I'd really like to keep the middle pup, it's a nice option to have plus it doesn't get in my way at all. I have abnormally large hands and my only comfortable position for speed picking puts the pick roughly over the neck pickup anyway

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Seriously, man, I'm still in awe at how that thing looks. It looks very much like something out of the Prestige series. Maybe even better...

:notworthy

You'll have me running my RG through a planer, for sure!

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

I have read that the DD can also sound rather muddy in a basswood guitar though, or is that not the case? If not then it would definitely be a solid option

I'd really like to keep the middle pup, it's a nice option to have plus it doesn't get in my way at all. I have abnormally large hands and my only comfortable position for speed picking puts the pick roughly over the neck pickup anyway

Haha. You won't get muddiness with a DD for sure. It may not be your type of sound, but I generally use that pickup when I need to brighten/tighten up my upper midrange. If you want to keep things transparent though, active designs i.e. Blackouts/D Activators may be the way to go. Basswood itself is pretty flatline. It's why it's such a good building block.

And yeah, everybody's hands are different. I tend to pick between the pickups and my last outing with an Ibanez S Prestige just didn't work out. Kept hitting the poles! But the RG is an amazing venue for coil splitting.

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Seriously, man, I'm still in awe at how that thing looks. It looks very much like something out of the Prestige series. Maybe even better...

:notworthy

You'll have me running my RG through a planer, for sure!

I used an old school hand planer for mine, didn't have access to a machine. It was probably one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life! And I won't even get started on how long it took me to actually get everything nice and level...My biggest (well, only) regret was not routing the maple to fit nice and snugly around the pickups so that I could direct-mount (as with the Prestige pictured above as well as the J-Customs). Instead I made everything flush with the factory routes on the rest of the body which I'm sure you know already are way huge. I'll PM you the link to my build thread on GuitarforumSA so you can check it out

Haha. You won't get muddiness with a DD for sure. It may not be your type of sound, but I generally use that pickup when I need to brighten/tighten up my upper midrange. If you want to keep things transparent though, active designs i.e. Blackouts/D Activators may be the way to go. Basswood itself is pretty flatline. It's why it's such a good building block.

And yeah, everybody's hands are different. I tend to pick between the pickups and my last outing with an Ibanez S Prestige just didn't work out. Kept hitting the poles! But the RG is an amazing venue for coil splitting.

Cool, thanks for clarifying that for me I was actually reading another thread (current one: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=248931 ) where the OP summed up pretty well the same thing I'm looking for tone-wise for this guitar: "I want bite, tight strong low end, but i dont want that high sizzle (like the dimebucker...i think it sounds crappy). For neck PU, i want something really nice for clean...smooth, lots of headroom."

I was watching Firewind's Live Premonition DVD the other day and what got me about Gus G' tone was that the leads were clear and strong and the rhythm sound was like a gut punch. If you listen to an E power chord ringing out it has none of that fizz typical in a lot of modern metal sounds. It's full and guttural but crystal clear at the same time almost reminds me of a massive buzzsaw as opposed to a glass of Pepsi.

Regarding picking, I always used to pick further back toward the bridge, but I was used to Tune O Matic-equipped guitars before I got hold of this one. Now with the floyd/Edge, I've been forced to bring my picking hand closer to the neck because otherwise I keep knocking the shaft of the whammy bar. It has been a very good change though because it's also forced me to learn not to anchor my picking hand on the bridge (both because of the bar and in order to not pull everything sharp by putting pressure on the floating bridge).
On a side note, another small mod I made when I restored the guitar, was moving the volume pot down about an inch. The original position interfered with my picking in a big way and I'm so happy with where it is now!

 

[Dr.J4ckal]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Beautiful guitar! Awesome restoration!
Duncan blackout is amazing for what you're looking for. They work really well in my rg1570, really tight and heavy. Not fizzy at all, in fact it sounds fat and smooth enough to play blues with volume pot rolled down.

 

[Clint666]

Re: Pups For My Restored/Modded Ibanez RG570

Beautiful guitar! Awesome restoration!
Duncan blackout is amazing for what you're looking for. They work really well in my rg1570, really tight and heavy. Not fizzy at all, in fact it sounds fat and smooth enough to play blues with volume pot rolled down.

Thanks very much! Are you using the sealed Blackouts? I like the idea of the Gus G set which are essentially passives with an external amp. I've always been scared of actives as being one-trick ponies (I'm going by their reputation here, I have never owned an axe equipped with actives myself). I do play mainly metal but I also love Shawn Lane, Stevie-Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and a host of others. But then again, I guess I should just bite the bullet, make the RG my full-on shred metal axe and get a strat for the rest.