Replacement pickups for an Ibanez RG?

Grunfeld

I've got a very bright pink Ibanez RG and I'm just not playing it even though I love its looks.

The main issue is the Dimarzio pickups that are in it.  They're too hot and harsh.  I think they've got to go.

Suggestions for replacements? 

The guitar will be playing stuff like typical classic rock, and weddings/ function stuff too.  I.e.  very little, if any, metal -- the nearest it would get would be, I dunno, EVH or perhaps an Ozzy tune, but much more work in the Ramones/ AC/DC/ Beatles type areas.

Budget isn't too much of an issue.


Decisions, decisions.  

mike_l

My Rg has DiMarzio's in it, Double Whammy at the bridge, AlDiMeola in the neck and a NS-2 middle. Personally I like these pups.

I have one of @VanHayden s bulldog's (@Clarky spec - alnico 5) extremist's in the bridge of my Jackson, which has enough power without being overly powerful, and can take anything from clean to high gain and sounds good (to me)

 

randomhandclaps

My 550 which has been a proper workhorse for the last 20 years has had about 6 sets in it as every now and again I get bored and think I'll try something different.  I've not managed to find a low output set that I like which probably says more about the tone of the guitar itself. Anything that pushes the gain and it sings.

ThePrettyDamned

I will say @theguitarweasel - he'll fix you up.

If not, and you want a named brand (don't!), dimarzio super distortion. Not that high output, but a great voice.

jimmyd

I really liked the dimarzio tone zone and air norton I had in my rg but they are pretty high out put. What about dimarzio paf pros (that seem to just 'fit' with rgs from the demos I've seen on line) or a pair of seymour duncan alnico IIs which are lower output and warmer sounding. Or, as already suggested, something bespoke from Oil City Pickups....

meltedbuzzbox

I have a paf pro in the neck of my rg, its great, I think it will do what you want. I have a sd2 in the middle which is also great. Then I have a monster Jeff beck humbuckers in the bridge, its really angry but the rg feels like it needs that :-)

Grunfeld

jimmyd said:

I really liked the dimarzio tone zone and air norton I had in my rg but they are pretty high out put. What about dimarzio paf pros (that seem to just 'fit' with rgs from the demos I've seen on line) or a pair of seymour duncan alnico IIs which are lower output and warmer sounding. Or, as already suggested, something bespoke from Oil City Pickups....

Nice one -- you know how you just see something and think, "yep that's what I'm after!" 

I think I'll go for the SD alnico II or whatever the bareknuckle equivalent of those is.  I have Stormy Monday's on a couple of guitars which I really like, so I think this is the sort of thing I gravitate towards and work best with. 

jimmyd

Hey, well I hope they work out!! I've not played any guitars with BKP in but from what I've read you can't really go wrong with those....

Dave_Mc

What dimarzios are in your ibanez?

If you want to sort of keep the ibanez vibe (i.e. the ability to still rock/shred it up when necessary but with much lower power), a pair of paf pros might be worth considering.

If you genuinely want something more vintage-sounding, though, that's probably not the way to go.

Grunfeld

@Dave_Mc I'm not entirely sure what DiMarzio pickups, the RG is an RG XXV, iirc they say "DiMarzio Ibz" on them, and the sound these DMs give is just too harsh, very punchy, but not in a good way, just in a really aggravating and annoying way, like a drummer who spends all evening smashing the shit out of a crash ride cymbal all the way through every song.  They don't even properly clean up when you drop the volume.  Just nasty.  Nothing at all like the V7 and V8 I've had on other RGs.

I've taken the guitar into Jonathan at Feline and opted for Bare Knuckle VH IIs and a BK Mother's Milk for the single coil.  The VH IIs seem lively but smooth, something between vintage and in-yer-face.  Looking forward to getting it back :-)

citizen68

I have a strange combination of a WCR Darkburst bridge & Dimarzio PAF Pro in the neck of my old 550

Dave_Mc

Grunfeld said:

@Dave_Mc I'm not entirely sure what DiMarzio pickups, the RG is an RG XXV, iirc they say "DiMarzio Ibz" on them, and the sound these DMs give is just too harsh, very punchy, but not in a good way, just in a really aggravating and annoying way, like a drummer who spends all evening smashing the shit out of a crash ride cymbal all the way through every song.  They don't even properly clean up when you drop the volume.  Just nasty.  Nothing at all like the V7 and V8 I've had on other RGs.

I've taken the guitar into Jonathan at Feline and opted for Bare Knuckle VH IIs and a BK Mother's Milk for the single coil.  The VH IIs seem lively but smooth, something between vintage and in-yer-face.  Looking forward to getting it back :-)

Ah ok. Yeah that makes sense, here's what Dimarzio says about them.

http://www.dimarzio.com/faq#55/60/7581

I haven't tried those particular BKPs, but I'm guessing they'll be more in line with what you're after.