Looking for some advice

[DIYAK]

So a year or so ago I put a ceramic war pig (bridge) and MM (Neck) into my Ibanez RG1527, and while I absolutely love the sound for riffing and most things (I play progressive death metal), it seems like higher up on the neck the pickups just loose all their power, and I have to hold and hit notes very hard. I'm comming from EMG's on a 6 string Ibanez, and while I hate all the dynamics you loose with them, they are buttery smooth and have lots of power for soloing. I'm not sure if I'm doing a good job of explaining this, but I was just wondering if all the smart folks here had any advice. Should I try some different BKPs? I love these pickups, they just seem very disappointing in the soloing category.

[BigB]

Never played neither of these pickups (MM / WP) so I can't comment. Just a couple things that crossed my mind:

First, BKPs are all very defined and dynamic (yes, even the darker / most compressed ones), and in some way it doesn't "help" for soloing - kind of requires more work from the guitar player. The JB on my SG was nothing like the ABomb, but missing a note in run or not given the proper intention was no big deal since it sort of "evened" it out.

Second point: guitar setup and pups height adjustement make a great difference with BKPs. Really. Strings choice too while we're at it.

Now I'll leave it to some of our local hi-gain addicts to really answer your question :mrgreen:

[DIYAK]

Thanks for the reply, I've tried adjusting the pup height, and my guitar is fully set up, perhaps I just need some string recommendations. Hmmm. Really do appreciate the reply though.

[BigB]

Thanks for the reply, I've tried adjusting the pup height, and my guitar is fully set up, perhaps I just need some string recommendations. Hmmm. Really do appreciate the reply though.

Not sure this really deserved any thanks :oops:.

wrt/ pup heights, I've fiddled with for quite a few weeks on my SG (ok, had to match a ABomb and a Mule) and it's still not perfect IMHO (FWIW I may end up swapping the Mule for something else, however I love it). And I'm afraid I can't help wrt/ strings - it ll really depend on way too many factors. "perfect tone" is a moving target, just like "perfect" setup/balance when sailing - you aim for it but never really get it and always have something to adjust. Sometimes you get close to it but it never last long... (sorry, not a native english speaker, hope this all makes sense).

But anyway... where are the big hi-gain guys ? They should come with more helpful answers...

Oh and yes: with 'buckers, height adjustment is not restricted to the pup's mounting screws - you have per-string adjustement too. If your high and low E-strings give you less troubles than the (say) B or G string, think about it. You can even reverse your pups (have the "screw" poles the other way round) to fine-tune the EQ (ie: if you want a bit more fatness from the bridge pup, put the screw poles toward the neck and raise them a bit). We're obviously in the "fine" (and even "subtle") tuning here but sometimes it's what makes the difference, for the player at least (be assured that no one in the audience will notice any difference :lol:)

Ok, now I shut the f... up and let anyone who knows about your pups and playing style chimes in...

[Slartibartfarst42]

Not sure I can help much either I'm afraid. I do know the problem you're referring to and it can't be down to power as you're using a pair of very hot pickups there. Although the sustain can be a bit disappointing, when I want a note to hold I tend to tap on some compression and use a little vibrato and if that's not enough I simply change the delivery of the note so I can strike it multiple times. I find you can get away with most things if you repeat it a few times and give a suitable grimace  8)

[Telerocker]

Maybe the WP doesn't cut enough in the upperregister and the tone gets a bit choked. Depends on the amp and settings too. Do you use a lot of pedals in front? A linebooster might help in that case to regain lost input/frequencies.

[DIYAK]

I run the RG1527 into a Boss GT8 (Use it just for effects), with the 4 cable method into a ENGL powerball head sitting atop a oversized Mesa 4x12.  I can make it a bit better with some reverb and effects, I was just puzzled coming from EMGs were all I needed was my pure guitar and amp tone. The sustain and actual power of the notes higher up is just really kind of disappointing from such high out put and expensive pickups. It has forced me to become a much more clean player and my fingers stronger, which is good, I'm just missing that buttery-ness during my sweeps and really fast runs. I'll keep trying different things though, thanks for all the input guys.

[Telerocker]

Cheers man, that's what the forum is for. Hmm, Engls are not muffled at all, so can't be the amp. I would just mail BKP to explain the situation. Maybe they can do something for you, perhaps even a pickup swap. Worth trying, I think. I think you miss some upperregister agressiveness and push. Maybe the Painkiller or Miracle Man are better in this guitar.

[Gibson 1964]

Perhaps try lowering your pickups, neck especially, and increase your gain a touch to compensate. When I installed warpigs in my Takamine, (Yes, they made solidbody electrics in 1984) I ended up initially getting some mag drag which really choked my notes higher up on the neck. My pickups were very high as I usually start high and lower to adjust out of habit. Honestly, the magnetic drag on the warpigs seemed higher than most other pickups I have dealt with.

SO before looking for a new part, I'd try lowering them a bit more than you think seems reasonable, and then monkeying with it from there.

[ericsabbath]

I can totally see how a powerball paired with an oversized mesa cab with v30's can sound muffled/choked
specially using a 7-string with warpigs (well the neck MM sounds quite close to the wp neck)

[darkbluemurder]

From your description it cannot be the guitar, since you liked the sustain in the higher registers with the EMGs.

I doubt it's the amp as Engls have balls to the walls gain on tap.

So I would agree to the magnet pull issue described by Gibson1964. The EMGs are known for low magnetic pull and can therefore be adjusted very close to the strings - which would be the wrong way to go with pickups that have strong magnets. Have them too close to the strings, it may still work OK in the lower registers but once you get up the neck the angle between the bridge and where the string is fretted increases, bringing the string closer to the pickup. This is especially noticeable on the neck pickup.

Of course I also agree to Gibson1964's proposed solution. Give it a try - you have nothing to lose.

Good luck
Stephan