Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

hanumanlangur

hanumanlangur

New member
I have an Ibanez RG321MH (mahogany RG), that I've been swapping pickups in ever since I got it. These are the different pickup combinations I've tried in it:

Jazz-n / JB
Jazz-n / Jazz-b (with A2 and A4)
Jazz-n / Full Shred-b
Jazz-n / JB (250k pots, tried with A8, with hex screws, etc.)
Jazz-n / Custom 5
A2 Jazz-n / Custom Custom

I wasn't completely happy with any of these combinations, although the Jazz-n/JB8 were pretty good. So taking a cue from Zerberus, I went with the JB in the neck, but instead of a ceramic Custom in the bridge (like he uses), I used a Custom 8. And to pre-empt any bass issues with the JB in the neck, I put in Artie's de-mud mod for it.

The results are, IMO, amazing. And they make the other pickup combinations that I had in this guitar sound like sh*t. The lead tones that come out of this guitar from both pickups are just sick. The soloing tone of the JB sounds even better in the neck, and the C8 is equally good for that in the bridge position. The C8 is great for rhythm, but the JB in the neck is good for it too, and is capable of some pretty mean palm muting.

Oh, and before I forget, the tones of the pickups complement each other very nicely. They are both very smooth, clear, and alnico-y, that have plenty of aggressive rhythm tone on tap, and great lead voices.

As far as I'm concerned, this guitar sounds perfect now. So the moral of the story, is that Zerberus is the man, and he figured this stuff out long before I ever could, although I prefer the C8 to the ceramic Custom quite a bit.

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
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Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

I have a JB8 in a guitar and I think it sounds great! What difference are you noticing between the JB8 and the C8?

-Austin
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

austin said:
I have a JB8 in a guitar and I think it sounds great! What difference are you noticing between the JB8 and the C8?

-Austin
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To my ears, the C8 has a fuller and more aggressive sound. It also has some of the mids or upper mids that give the A5 JB its singing tone. The JB8 has a very clear, cool tone, and it's a nice middle ground between the JB and Distortion. But it doesn't have the strong singing tone and aggression of the C8, IMO.
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

Its great when a project finally comes together. ;)

Btw: How do you like the RG overall? The RG321MH is one of my favorite Ibby's. How does the mahogany look up close? I have a little GAS for that axe.
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

ArtieToo said:
Its great when a project finally comes together. ;)

Btw: How do you like the RG overall? The RG321MH is one of my favorite Ibby's. How does the mahogany look up close? I have a little GAS for that axe.
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The guitar is built very well, and I haven't had any problems with that side of it at all. But it has a pretty dense bottom end that wasn't agreeing with my lower output pickups. It wasn't dead or anything -- just not as clear as I'd like. I think I was really looking for the sort of clarity and even response that a Fender naturally has. So I decided to go with higher output pickups that tend to mask most of the wood's natural tone. It worked really well, and now it has some great tone. So I think that for a guitar that is going to have hot pickups in it, it's a good deal.

I have the aged black finish, which I think looks pretty cool. I was contemplating getting the oiled mahogany finish, but I heard that it scratches easily. And to be honest with you, I think the oiled mahogany finish looks better in the Ibanez photos than it does in person. But the other finishes definitely look good. As for playability, it's pretty nice. Everything about it is lean, so it doesn't get in your way at all, and the fixed bridge is pretty strong and never causes any problems. The neck is very thin, so for some people, that takes some getting used to.

Anyways, here's a poor quality picture of it, minus a high E string...

rg321at9.png
 
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Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

Cool. Thanks for the mini-review. I imagine it has a similar neck to my Jetking, so that wouldn't be a problem. I love the mahogany one, and since I don't play "out", the scratching shouldn't be a big deal either. Maybe one of these will go on my "to-do" list.
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

hanumanlangur said:
To my ears, the C8 has a fuller and more aggressive sound. It also has some of the mids or upper mids that give the A5 JB its singing tone. The JB8 has a very clear, cool tone, and it's a nice middle ground between the JB and Distortion. But it doesn't have the strong singing tone and aggression of the C8, IMO.
Click to expand...

Cool! I'm intending to try one out in place of my JB8, but it'll probably be a while before I find a custom series pickup that's tremspaced and double-cream like my JB, so I'll have to be patient. :doh:

-Austin
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

Man I love the way a JB sounds in the neck of a guitar. Soul and power all at once. And A8 magnets rock as well. Glad you finally found your ideal pickups its a great feeling isn't it?
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

The RG321/421 are some of the best deals on ebay. I have manged to snag both for under $150 each. Drop in some new pups and you have a very nice guitar for under $300.

I sold off my 321 but my MIJ 421 is a keeper.
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

First of all, Ill add that a custom 8 is awesome! I love the one I have in my Kramer...

Ya'll have me very curious about a JB8..How does it differ from the JB??
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

JB in the neck. I might try that one on my RG321.

The oiled mahogany one does scratch easily, and it gets discolored due to fingerprints.
Kind of looks 'well broken in' after only a year of playing.
 
Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

Rowan said:
Man I love the way a JB sounds in the neck of a guitar. Soul and power all at once. And A8 magnets rock as well. Glad you finally found your ideal pickups its a great feeling isn't it?
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Yeah, it's very round, clear, and compressed, but it has plenty of treble, and that great upper-mids singing voice.

Ayrton said:
The RG321/421 are some of the best deals on ebay. I have manged to snag both for under $150 each. Drop in some new pups and you have a very nice guitar for under $300.
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Geez, $150? That's what an Affinity Squier costs, and I paid almost twice that for mine. If you guys can find them for that price, I'd recommend going for it. They're tough guitars, look pretty cool, and they're made well.

BloodRose said:
First of all, Ill add that a custom 8 is awesome! I love the one I have in my Kramer...

Ya'll have me very curious about a JB8..How does it differ from the JB??
Click to expand...

Compared to the stock A5 JB, the JB8 has stronger output, with a more balanced EQ, and smoother treble. The upper mid spike is gone, so some of the JB "singing" that goes along with it doesn't really happen much. It's a very clear pickup, but to me seemed to have a little pocket in the mids, that kept it from feeling full and meaty. It's a nice clean-ish high output pickup, but after playing the C8, I really prefer how the Custom wind sounds with the A8.
 
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Re: Wow... Pickups Found. (JB/C8 Content)

hanumanlangur said:
Compared to the stock A5 JB, the JB8 has stronger output, with a more balanced EQ, and smoother treble. The upper mid spike is gone, so some of the JB "singing" that goes along with it doesn't really happen much. It's a very clear pickup, but to me seemed to have a little pocket in the mids, that kept it from feeling full and meaty. It's a nice clean-ish high output pickup, but after playing the C8, I really prefer how the Custom wind sounds with the A8.
Click to expand...

ok thanks!! Yeah, I want singing leads, so Ill stick to loving the C8!
 
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