Need advice for a LAG AP2000 guitar...

[Yzzzz]

Hello,
I am new here and require an advice for pickups as many other people…
Currently I own a Lag AP2000 guitar : mahogany solid body, mapple top, mapple neck, ebony fretboard , floyd rose. It is quite light weighted with a good sustain.

The HSH configuration is made of active pickups:
•   Bridge : EMG 81
•   Middle : EMG S
•   Neck : EMG 89
It includes a 5 ways selector and a push / pull to split the 89.

I play mainly through a 5:25 Express Mesa amplifier.

I would like to change the pickups to have fatter lows and mediums and globally more rich, warm, dynamic  and creamy sounds, but also clearly distinct.
This guitar would mainly be destinated to play shredding  with a singing lead tone somewhere between Carlos Santana, Joe Satriani , John Petrucci  and  Steve Vai , but should be versatile enough to play also Jazz with a good clean tone and anything from light blues to hard rock with vintage sounds.  A touch of metal  would be appreciated but is not the most important.

Could you please  recommend me a pickup combination, if exists ? If useful, I could add a push / pull for additional pickup combination or split.
Many thanks in advance.

[noodleplugerine]

Dear god.

I love that guitar - How does it play?

Your description sounds like a Mule I think, but I expect you want something hotter, so maybe try a Cold Sweat set.

[Yzzzz]

I love it too! I like the colour, the curves and the neck is like a motorway for the fingers...
Before to buy it, some monthes ago, shred wasn’t my cup of tea. Since I have it, each time I play, I feel  an irrestistible need to play as fast as I can (that’s one of the reasons why I will never buy a Ferrari!), then I have done some exercises and really improved my play.

To see how it plays:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=GruN2L8V97I
Some exercises done for a french guitar magazine by Stephan Forte, a progressive neo classic metal guitarist. The guitar is a custom seven strings with a 27 frets neck and the pickups are Di Marzio Custom SF (Tone zone 7 custom and Blaze for the neck) but it really plays close to the ap2000 (Currently  I don’t play as him, but closer to than I thought was possible!).

You are right, I use to play more classical music but also want to keep the « hot » personality of this guitar.
If I install a Cold Sweat set for example, would it be versatile enough ? And what would be the good middle pickup ?

[ilÿti]

I think the Cold Sweat set would be a very good choice for what you're describing. Can't comment on the middle single though, but I'm sure Tim can! (give him a call or an email)

[Yzzzz]

Thank you for help.
I send a mail to TIM and we'll have the master's advice!

[Yzzzz]

Here is the TIM's answer:

I would recommend  a Nailbomb humbucker set with an Irish Tour middle
coil to cover the range of tones you mention in your mail.You will be
able to attain great instrumental rock tones covering classic blues
through to rock and still have enough power for metal if needed-all with
a rich, harmonic and classic voice.

The corresponding clips sound great for me (thanks to all players, you do a great job!) and I think I will follow the advice (but I also like Cold Sweats...)