Ibanez RGA121 Ceramic Pickup Help...

[sebby123]

So i just emailed tim this but its always nice to get opinion of the forum:

I just recievied a Ibanez RGA121 Mahogany Body/Maple Top, with a Maple/Rosewood Neck.
I bought it used and it came with EMG 81's which i hate with a passion Regardless, The guitar is very big soundings and has a very soft attack which is something i want to imporve also its not very tight and needs a little boost in clarity.
So that leads me to a pickup with a ceramic magnet and rather high output.
Im thinking either ColdSweats, Painkillers or Aftermaths.
I've owned ColdSweats in a les paul and love what it did for that guitar but maybe a little more grind would be nice so that leads me to PK's or AM's the high-mid in the Painkillers worrys me a bit as this will be a strict recording guitar
and to much hi-mid in a pickup can be hard to dial out if it doesnt sound great in a particular mix.
Anyways i hope this was enough information in short Tight,Hot,Ceramic with lots of Chord Clarity and a Sharp attack is what im looking for.

Thanks!

[Roobubba]

I voted Aftermath. I would also consider the Miracle Man (although this is less open) and the C-pig (ditto). The Aftermath is as tight as it gets though...

[Transcend]

I was also going to suggest the MM i have one in my RGA and it meets your exact requirements.

The cold sweat didnt work so well in my RGA but thats probably because i tried it after the MM it just didnt have the mid snarl i was looking for and felt weak overall in comparison.

[sebby123]

Thanks for the reply's ive never liked the sonic quality the Miracle Man added i hear them in every clip, Tim recommended the Aftermath so looks like ill be joining that crew.
Kind of excited! I wonder how much more saturated it is in comparison to a CS the output is only 1 D.C. in difference hmm...

[Transcend]

well ive just changed my cold sweat to an aftermath

and i must say the output difference does seem a fair bit higher.

However i think this is because of the mid growl and tightness difference between the pickups.

I doubt you'll be unhappy with the AM

[MDV]

Aftermath

[sebby123]

well ive just changed my cold sweat to an aftermath

and i must say the output difference does seem a fair bit higher.

However i think this is because of the mid growl and tightness difference between the pickups.

I doubt you'll be unhappy with the AM

I was playing a very saturated amp at the time (Mesa Mark IV) when i owned the Coldsweats in my Les Paul so that could add to my thoughts on the pickup, I know ill love them and anything over these EMG's is an improvement in my book i hate Actives... The Coldsweats has a vey balanced midrange which sounded great for the music i was playing at the time but as of my new musical taste more midrange and grind is needed.
Now just to choose a cover color.. Maybe Aged Nickel covers or Camo...

[Transcend]

if you want more midrange grind then the aftermath is definitely the pickup for you with your experiences with the CS

The only thing i didnt like about the CS was that the midrange was very 'polite sounding' i like a good bit of a snarl to my mid range

[Nolly]

The Aftermath could definitely work, though the ceramic Nailbomb would also be worth looking into - it's essentially an overwound Cold Sweat, giving it more grind and power but with a familiar voicing if you're used to the CS.

The AM may only clock in 1kΩ higher than the CS, but those three big ceramic magnets really drive the output much harder.

[Grim]

So i just emailed tim this but its always nice to get opinion of the forum:

I just recievied a Ibanez RGA121 Mahogany Body/Maple Top, with a Maple/Rosewood Neck.
I bought it used and it came with EMG 81's which i hate with a passion Regardless, The guitar is very big soundings and has a very soft attack which is something i want to imporve also its not very tight and needs a little boost in clarity.
So that leads me to a pickup with a ceramic magnet and rather high output.
Im thinking either ColdSweats, Painkillers or Aftermaths.
I've owned ColdSweats in a les paul and love what it did for that guitar but maybe a little more grind would be nice so that leads me to PK's or AM's the high-mid in the Painkillers worrys me a bit as this will be a strict recording guitar
and to much hi-mid in a pickup can be hard to dial out if it doesnt sound great in a particular mix.
Anyways i hope this was enough information in short Tight,Hot,Ceramic with lots of Chord Clarity and a Sharp attack is what im looking for.

Thanks!

Ceramic Nailbomb for Mahogany; it's an overwound Cold Sweat.