Ska-punk pickups?

[shorey]

Hey all - first time posting, hopefully you can all help me!
So I'm forming a ska punk band with my friends - looks like I'm going to end up being the guitarist - and my guitar's tones just aren't up to the job - I've messed around with the settings on all my gear and it's just not helping. What I'm using is a 2010 Ibanez RG470 - it's got an ash body, HSH pickups, rosewood fretboard, locking trem (blocked off EVH style), and currently has the stock Ibanez Infinity pickups in it - the bridge is too thin sounding for distorted parts and the neck just seems lifeless when playing on cleans - so what would you recommend for a thicker bridge tone when using a heavy overdrive or fuzz pedal, and a more lifelike tone for my bridge?

I'll list my rig if it'll help:
Ibanez RG > Boss TU3 > Boss SD1 > Bigfoot Engineering King Fuzz > Vox AC15.

Cheers fellas!

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Ska-punk pickups?

I can't speak to pickups for an Ibby RG, but I can say I think that Vox AC15 is going to take away a notable amount of beef from anything you might run through it. VOX' use EL84 tubes which in my experience are very mid-rangey, dark on the top and, not a lot of bottom compared to other amp configurations, and couple that with the press-board cabinet and the speakers they use, the result is a very mid-range, slightly flubby, no-chunk bottom end kind of amp. It's good for a great many styles of music, I just think it will be difficult to get real punk out of it.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Ska-punk pickups?

I'd go with the Jazz/Vintage Rails/Custom for your guitar. You will get big, bold tones out of the bridge position, clean and clear sounds out of the neck and even some cool vintage single coil-y(and dead quiet) sounds out of your middle pickup.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Ska-punk pickups?

I thought the typical ska tone was a bright bridge with a healthy dose of reverb? Add on a thick distortion pedal for the more heavier punk rhythm parts and you should be set.

 

[Securb]

Re: Ska-punk pickups?

It all depends on what style of ska you are playing. I think an over-wound PAF like the Whole Lotta Humbucker would do you well for the heavier distorted ska tones ala Bosstones. I would put a SSL-1 in the middle to get those reggae clean tones. If you are going with a classic Bob Marley, The Specials or The English Beat tone I might be inclined to suggest Phat Cats. I might even be inclined to go WLH/SSL-1/Phat Cat.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Ska-punk pickups?

It all depends on what style of ska you are playing. I think an over-wound PAF like the Whole Lotta Humbucker would do you well for the heavier distorted ska tones ala Bosstones. I would put a SSL-1 in the middle to get those reggae clean tones. If you are going with a classic Bob Marley, The Specials or The English Beat I might be inclined to suggest Phat Cats. I might even be inclined to go WLH/SSL-1/Phat Cat.

Thats pretty close to what I would say, but I'd probably go P-Rail in the neck w/ a push pull for humbucker as P90 tone, and either th WLH or 59/Custom hybrid in the bridge

 

[Securb]

Re: Ska-punk pickups?

Thats pretty close to what I would say, but I'd probably go P-Rail in the neck w/ a push pull for humbucker as P90 tone, and either th WLH or 59/Custom hybrid in the bridge

That would work too. I really think you want to get some kind of P90 in the mix if you are playing ska. The thing with ska is you are covering so many different tones in most cases in the same song. You really need a Swiss Army Knife setup.