Pickups (NEW)

[Newbie]

Hi im a newbie so help hehe thanks.

Im thinking of changing my rg550ex stock pickups, the V7 V8 to PAF pro and tonezone..

PAF on neck tonezone on bridge

Will there be a big difference? I mean, using ur ears.. =/

Thanks!

 

[dhalif]

yesss.. i changed the pickups on my rg to PAF pro neck and Tonezone bridge... STIM AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 but i sold it alreadyhahah

 

[subversion]

Tone Zone- acquired taste. i hear too much bass from it. have it in my lighter bodied Ibanez, RX-40 seen here...

 

[Newbie]

So there is actually quite a difference ah?

 

[subversion]

the light body IMO needs more bass, so the tone zone is a functional pickup there. this tone zone have been in many of my other guitars & it sounds too muffled everywhere else except for my RX-40...

 

[Newbie]

Are RG model guitars counted as light body? ?

 

[subversion]

the RGs of today are neither too massive nor too light- just nice. if you have a tone zone in it, chances are you'd like the tone. there isn't a sure formula for a pickup-guitar matching although the Dimarzio-Ibanez collaboration have given very successful results. ask Vai, Stach & Gilbert among others & he'll tell you just that.

however, it's not an exclusive pairing because players have installed non-Dimarzio pickups in their RGs with great results. this 2005, we see Ibanez collaborating with Seymour Duncan for selected models & we should take the cue from them- if it works, it works, regardless of the brand name...

 

[evenes]

how about a paf pro (neck) and paf pro (bridge) combination compared to the much talked about air norton and tone zone in an RG? what's the difference in tone?

 

[subversion]

air norton is one of those models which will definitely get you a nice neck tone regardless of the music genre you are inclined to. i am of the opinion that it's a little restrained especially if you like lots of drive in the neck position.

if you fancy Dimarzio, a personal fav of mine is the Super2 humbucker (sadly it's discontinued from regular production, available as custom order though...) which sounds like the Super Distortion unit but more sculptured for a neck tone. however, the best kept secret Dimarzio-wise is IMO the Breed neck humbucker.

when Vai had the JEM 7DBK made for him, he wanted a recreation of the PAF humbucker attuned to a bolt-on guitar's inherent tone. so Steve Blucher had the Breed conceived for this purpose & it sings. i'm a Duncan fan but there are some Dimarzio units that turn heads & the Breed is definitely one of them. forget the Vai tag to this pickup, it's a superb humbucker per se...

 

[evenes]

hmm... with my epi lp i play rhythm with bridge pickup and lead with neck pickup, all stock. (i love the tone especially at higher frets, got nice treble like a bridge pickup but then you can sort of tell it's the neck pickup. hard to explain, think of the tone when slash plays lead with the neck pickup), it sounds better to me that way... but with my rg stock pickups ( v7/v8 ), the bridge is ok for both rhythm and lead, but the neck sounds too weak and mellow for lead tones, and i can't seem to get the neck pickup tone of the lp on my rg so will the breed neck pickup add more boost in treble?

 

[subversion]

the Breed isn't too midrange inclined, it's very PAF-like. if you wish for more treble/ midrange in the neck, Duncan's Distortion model is very adept for that need.

if you prefer Dimarzio, the Evo should help.