Username: Password:

Author Topic: pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II  (Read 4388 times)

dlangi

  • Strawweight
  • *
  • Posts: 2
pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II
« on: January 24, 2011, 10:19:20 PM »
Hi,
I have an Ibanez Roadstar II SL 1010. Features: basswood body, maple top, maple neck with ebony fingerboard, vintage tremolo. I'm planning to replace the old Super58 pups. I'm looking for an all round solution (nice clean, raw crunch and fat lead for solo), which sounds good with coil split as well. I prefer the sound of Alnico magnets.
Cheers
Dave.

Telerocker

  • Middleweight
  • *****
  • Posts: 7433
Re: pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2011, 01:08:11 AM »
Hi welcome here. There are various BKP-options for what you describe. Mules are very versatile, great cleans, crunchy and fat leads. Riff Raffs take it a step further. Raw, and brighter then Mules. Abbraxxas is a kind of hotrodded Mule and the Crawler is fat, creamy and balanced with a bit more output and a rounded topend. Latter one could be a tad too warm for your guitar. Just listen some clips on the BKP-website, and you can also ask the BKP-team for advice. They will answer any question.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

WhiteRam

  • Bantamweight
  • **
  • Posts: 155
Re: pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2011, 07:11:29 AM »
Hi welcome here. There are various BKP-options for what you describe. Mules are very versatile, great cleans, crunchy and fat leads. Riff Raffs take it a step further. Raw, and brighter then Mules. Abbraxxas is a kind of hotrodded Mule and the Crawler is fat, creamy and balanced with a bit more output and a rounded topend. Latter one could be a tad too warm for your guitar. Just listen some clips on the BKP-website, and you can also ask the BKP-team for advice. They will answer any question.

+1, Tele has you covered here with good advice too, take some time with the clips.  I'm adding the Holy Diver to the list, for OP's reasons of "fat lead for solo and sounds good with coil split."

WR
We reject as false...their definition of what our ideals, preferences and standards should be.

clivey

  • Junior Flyweight
  • *
  • Posts: 19
Re: pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2011, 11:34:54 AM »
I've got two different Roadstar II models that I've siwtched to Bare Knuckles - one has a single Holydiver in the bridge, the other has a Black Dog bridge and Mississipi Queen neck. Both can get the sounds that you're looking for: the Black Dog is rawer, growlier; the Holydiver is smoother, fatter and higher output. Both sound great clean and get good split coil sounds too.

The Black Dog/Mississipi Queen combination works really well - good match in output and tone if you like a smooth, fat neck sound with a rawer, more agressive bridge sound. Never tried the Black Dog neck, so can't comment on that.

I've got a Hoydiver set in another guitar of mine - that's a really versatile combination cause both the pickups split really well, but the humbuckers are definitely fatter/more compressed than raw and crunchy. The bridge Hoydiver does sound fantastic in the Roadstar though!

The other set I'd think about are the Crawlers - they're sort of half way between the Black Dog and Holydiver in terms of output and tone: fatter and a bit more oomph than the Black Dog, less compressed and more raw/agressive than the Holydiver. Split great too! Don't have them in a Roadstar, so I don't know how they would sound in a basswood body.

Telerocker

  • Middleweight
  • *****
  • Posts: 7433
Re: pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2011, 02:17:54 PM »
The Crawler is a great allrounder. I have this pu in my swampash-strat and it's perfect for this timber, but have no experience with this pu in a basswood-body, so cannot comment on that. Just think it could be a little too warm for the basswood.
Mules, VHII, Crawler, MM's, IT's, BG50's.

dlangi

  • Strawweight
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: pickup suggestion for Ibanez Roadstar II
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2011, 04:45:20 PM »
Thanks for the helpful replies, I gonna try the Mississipi Queen neck with a versatile humbucker in the bridge, maybe the black dog, or either of the prevously mentioned.