Basswood body pickups?

[DaveDaDude]

I've got a 1986 Ibanez RG530 with passive pickups and Rosewood Fretboard. I differentiate because there is a RG600 that year (I had one at one time) with active pups and an Ebony FB)

I'd like to change the pups out. Now there's a big surprise, right?

The ones in there are... okay, but nothing spectacular... character, whatever you want to call it. I'm looking for a very smooth, musical tone that can be distorted fairly well. Actually, as I remember it (from ten years ago), I liked the sound of that RG600 with the actives a lot. And now... I thought I had everything figured out until I just saw some threads about Alnico II vs. Alnico V and about Basswood tending to be muddy in the mids and lows.

So... is my preconceived notion of an A2 in the neck and an A5 (for the "power" I thought) in the bridge, backwards?! Should I have the A5 in the neck to brighten up a muddy position and the A2 in the bridge to tame a bright position?

Also, should I lean towards a brighter pickup than I would normally (by listening to sound clips) since the Basswood will muddy it up some?

I had been thinking Pearly Gates (n) and JB (or maybe Custom 5) (b).

I'm still pretty new to all this. Just been lurking and playin' with numbers and sound clips for a while. Never actually swapped any out myself.

Thoughts?

[JB_From_Hell]

My tastes have changed in the last few years, so I haven't used many Duncan buckers since I've been going for a smoother tone, but I will say that the DiMarzio Air Zone and Air Classic are great for what you're asking. Also, in the neck an Air Classic or Fred is great.

That said, back in the day I loved the Custom, JB, Distortion, and Invader in my RG470.

[DaveDaDude]

I've heard a lot of good things about DiMarzio lately. My problem is I'm not all that familiar with them, and they seem to have very few sound clips... unless I'm thinking of EMG where I was looking at the actives.

and... the Air Zone and Air Classics are the ones I keep hearing about. I'll have to go and look... listen, that is.

And, btw, a few years back, I was dead set on getting an Invader for the Bridge and Distortion for the Neck.

[JB_From_Hell]

Can you be a bit more specific about the tone you're into? I realized that the Air Zone & Air Classic get what I think of as smooth but distort well, but we could be thinking of totally different things

Can you name any famous people with a similar tone? For instance, my idea of smooth musical distortion is maybe somebody like Al DiMeola or Carlos Santana.

[DaveDaDude]

Can you name any famous people with a similar tone? For instance, my idea of smooth musical distortion is maybe somebody like Al DiMeola or Carlos Santana.

Al DiMeola I don't know, well enough. But, Carlos Santana, yes! Also, Eric Clapton when he was with Cream... especially "Layla" (that was Derrick and the Dominoes though, right?).

But I'd like to be able to rawk out with some AC/DC kinda' stuff once and a while. I don't mind having to resort to a pedal (thinking of getting a Fuzz eventually anyway... maybe a George Dennis Mind Rock Distortion, I had one and loved it) or amp distortion to do that if I have to though. I'd rather have the clean. Then I feel like I can do any number of things to dirty it up, but can never clean up a dirty pup.

[chris.goth]

Back then I had an Ibanez RG570 with the same wood config as you. I was playing heavier styles, but I was also looking for good clean tones. I had a X2n bridge, which was set medium from the treble strings and far from the bass strings (otherwise it gets muddy) to keep the bass focused. Sounded balanced with agressive mids and singing highs or screaming highs depending on pick attack. Sounded great clean also.

For the neck I wanted a very warm humbucker that didn't have those annoying ice-pick highs the Paf Pro had. Clean was DEEP, 'cause bass is a predominant character of this pickup. Has vocal mids ang singing highs. Great for clean and distortion when I wanted a huge sounding SUPER BUTTERY neck p'u. Like a smoother and less hot EMG 85.

[DaveDaDude]

Back then I had an Ibanez RG570 with the same wood config as you. I was playing heavier styles, but I was also looking for good clean tones. I had a X2n bridge, which was set medium from the treble strings and far from the bass strings (otherwise it gets muddy) to keep the bass focused. Sounded balanced with agressive mids and singing highs or screaming highs depending on pick attack. Sounded great clean also.

For the neck I wanted a very warm humbucker that didn't have those annoying ice-pick highs the Paf Pro had. Clean was DEEP, 'cause bass is a predominant character of this pickup. Has vocal mids ang singing highs. Great for clean and distortion when I wanted a huge sounding SUPER BUTTERY neck p'u. Like a smoother and less hot EMG 85.

Please excuse my noobiness... I'm missing what you're saying about the neck pickup here. What neck pup?

And... I was looking at the EMG 81TW (splittable) and... 89? that is also splittable in the neck? Not sure those will do it for me though.

[DaveDaDude]

Oh! I forgot. The guitar as stock, is set up to split the two HB's. I'd like to keep that arrangement and use pups that split well... maybe even get a little of a "notch" Strat sound?

[JB_From_Hell]

Were you also using the X2N in the neck? I've seen Buckethead using a guitar loaded with two X2Ns, and it sounds great.

[chris.goth]

Sorry I forgot too say which neck pickup it was. It was the Breed Neck.

EMG's won't give smooth distortion. Even the 85 on the neck will have some sizzle, lack dynamics, and is so compressed it doesn't make sense. If you want Santana's smooth tone stay away from EMG since they're cold sounding for more Metal sounds. The 85 is a good neck pickup, but with time I realized that the "it's all in your fingers" is really removed with those pickups.

Nothing's better than good old class A tube amp on the verge or with slight clipping: soft picking is clean and using fingers can snap out screaming or singing notes. An exemple of these dynamics at it's best is of course Robben Ford. Worth checking out.
THAT is pure tone.

[DaveDaDude]

Thanks for the clarification.

I have kinda' dismissed the EMG's, but trying to make it sound like the one I had was kind of intriguing.

And I do agree about the Class A tube amp. The one I got isn't so great... but with the tube change, it's pretty decent for a practice amp... Class A, I believe, but 10 watts with the 6L6 tube.

Anyhow... bed time for me here on the East Coast. See all ya'all tomorrow.

[BFahz]

I have a basswood MIJ Fender strat Floyd Rose model... and I have a Dimarzio PAF Pro in the bridge... the sound is very well rounded and beefy, but not highly distorted. Click here to here this guitar/pup. It has a unique sound that fits in for VH type playing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjYMzm73txg
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRKbT...eature=related

[75lespaul]

I've got a chinese made fake Gibson SG that's basswood with a Brobucker in the bridge and it is one of my two best sounding humbucker guitars (the other being a real LP with a Brobucker). Super smooth when I want it and rocks like a mutha. IMO.

[DaveDaDude]

I have a basswood MIJ Fender strat Floyd Rose model... and I have a Dimarzio PAF Pro in the bridge... the sound is very well rounded and beefy, but not highly distorted. Click here to here this guitar/pup. It has a unique sound that fits in for VH type playing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjYMzm73txg
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRKbT...eature=related

Love the sound bytes... super chops! I'd heard both of them before looking for DiMarzio clips on YouTube.

I do like the EVH sound... but currently don't have any in my "repitoire". Maybe that needs to be corrected. "Runnin' With the Devil" is one of my faves, btw. And I've been leaning pretty much towards the "Vintage" to medium output models.

JB, Dr Lo... I've also been very seriously considering the entire Air series... both of those suggestions falling right in with what I'm thinking.

The other one I've been pretty hot on is the EJ Custom Neck, but there are no sound bytes at DiMarzio, or even any knowledge of the series at the EJ website! The EJ pups description mentions EJ asking for a Country Gentleman sound. I played a Gretsch 5122, or whatever the model was... double cut, thinner than the others (but a hollow-body, not semi-hollow)... and loved the sound... not the price.

Thanks for all the help guys!

[DaveDaDude]

Is that Brobucker a discontinued DiMarzio? I don't see it on the website.

Oh, also... for everyone, what about choosing a slightly brighter pup (by tone samples) than I might normally since the Basswood is muddier than what guitar the samples are being played in?

[DaveDaDude]

le buuump...

Anyone have any opinions on whether I should go brighter than "normal" for the Basswood Body?

Oh... and one more piece of information. Another example of the sound I'd like to get, Mark Knopfler in "Sultan's of Swing". Yeah... I know his is a Strat and mine's a (2) HB with Basswood Body... <shrug>

[JB_From_Hell]

Hmm.....

I sill think the Air Zone/Air Classic would be a cool combo, especially if you have the ability to tweak your guitar's volume and tone controls. You'd be surprised at how many people are unwilling to do that.

BTW, the Air Zone's split sound is like a crunchy Telecaster, so it would be good for getting some of those faux-single coil sounds. I'm also gonna recommend that you use the Air Classic bridge model. It's a little hotter, but sounds great in the neck.

[DaveDaDude]

Hmm.....

I sill think the Air Zone/Air Classic would be a cool combo, especially if you have the ability to tweak your guitar's volume and tone controls. You'd be surprised at how many people are unwilling to do that.

BTW, the Air Zone's split sound is like a crunchy Telecaster, so it would be good for getting some of those faux-single coil sounds. I'm also gonna recommend that you use the Air Classic bridge model. It's a little hotter, but sounds great in the neck.

Personally... I've got no problem turning the knobs. Got separate Vols for each pup position. I may add Mstr Vol when I'm changing all the pots out. BOSS GE-7 is a permanent fixture in my chain.

And... I was thinking of going Tele for a second guitar instead of changing the pups, so....

For a basswood guitar that has locking trem, I would go for a set of pickups similar to those found in the Eddie Van Halen MusicMan guitar (which is basswood and has a locking trem on it). DiMarzio suggests that very similar pickups would be the Tone Zone in the bridge and the Air Norton in the neck.

Good info. Nobody seems to like to "admit" that their guitar is Basswood. Go figure. From what I've read, it's a perfectly acceptable tone wood... just a little (physically) soft.

Got lotza' good info. Now... a choice. Hmmmmm...

[Dr. Lo]

For a basswood guitar that has locking trem, I would go for a set of pickups similar to those found in the Eddie Van Halen MusicMan guitar (which is basswood and has a locking trem on it). DiMarzio suggests that very similar pickups would be the Tone Zone in the bridge and the Air Norton in the neck.

[DaveDaDude]

75lespaul, I'm still trying to figure out what pickup the "Brobucker" is.