Best BK pickups for Ibanez RGD2120z?

[Mr-Shredz]

So I'm about to buy this baritone 2120z:  http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/RGD2120Z


However I'm not sure about the stock pick ups that it comes with, although the dealer guarantees to me that this is my best option for my tuning which is Bb standard, over the BK Aftermaths which I told him I'd like to get installed before this guitar comes to me.

Reading from other forums and this one, apparently the Aftermaths would have a poor resonance with Basswood? Many have said that BK Miracle Man would be the best option. This is the style of music I play btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7VqNSWgTs8

What would be the best pick ups for this guitar do you reckon? As you can see from the music I play, I need a lot of gain, chunk on the mids but also great sustain on leads and clarity on the notes. Any advice would be appreciated 

[Kiichi]

Welcome mate!

Just going by the fact that this is a baritone guitar there are really two main options in my mind and the Miracle Man is not one of them. Thing with baritone is that the extended scale length adds high end and low end. The MM already has a lot of that, so you run the risk of overemphasising those parts while loosing mids. That is the reason why pickups with a good chunk of mids do brilliantly well in baritone guitars (the MM is a bit of the oposite here). That is why I would suggest you look at the Blackdog and the Aftermath you already mentioned. Both are center mid heavy and awesome.

The Aftermath will give you a very dry, surgical sound in the bridge. I have mine around waiting for a baritone, I feel it should be great there. The neck is warmer, more organic, and fluid. They complement each other well even though they donīt have a lot of DNA in common. Great modern metal and harcore set with the neck being very versatile and often overlooked.

The Blackdog will give you a more classic voice and loads of roaring character. In a baritone with a modern sounding amp it slays modern styles as well, so do not be fooled by the vintage hot tag. These will deliver a more roaring organic voice.

For your style the Aftermath should be the ticket. Tight as hell, dry, fast, agressive....and fitting a baritone!

[Yellowjacket]

What style (s) do you play?

[Telerocker]

A Holy Diver looks like a safe bet, although I don't know how tight it stays when downtuned heavily.

[Mr-Shredz]

Welcome mate!

Just going by the fact that this is a baritone guitar there are really two main options in my mind and the Miracle Man is not one of them. Thing with baritone is that the extended scale length adds high end and low end. The MM already has a lot of that, so you run the risk of overemphasising those parts while loosing mids. That is the reason why pickups with a good chunk of mids do brilliantly well in baritone guitars (the MM is a bit of the oposite here). That is why I would suggest you look at the Blackdog and the Aftermath you already mentioned. Both are center mid heavy and awesome.

The Aftermath will give you a very dry, surgical sound in the bridge. I have mine around waiting for a baritone, I feel it should be great there. The neck is warmer, more organic, and fluid. They complement each other well even though they donīt have a lot of DNA in common. Great modern metal and harcore set with the neck being very versatile and often overlooked.

The Blackdog will give you a more classic voice and loads of roaring character. In a baritone with a modern sounding amp it slays modern styles as well, so do not be fooled by the vintage hot tag. These will deliver a more roaring organic voice.

For your style the Aftermath should be the ticket. Tight as hell, dry, fast, agressive....and fitting a baritone!

Thanks for this! I completely disregarded the change of tone because of the scale, but will the aftermaths go well with basswood though? I would say I'm not looking for a complete surgical sound as my playing ain't based around that style 100% I still like to add filth and more dynamics.

[Dave Sloven]

Kiichi, might the Painkiller be a good alternative to the Aftermath in this instance?

[Kiichi]

Kiichi, might the Painkiller be a good alternative to the Aftermath in this instance?

I would guess that is possible, but I know too little to say with certainty. The PK should deliver more bass and treble, with a more classic metal agression on steroids.

[MerlinTKD]

Kiichi, might the Painkiller be a good alternative to the Aftermath in this instance?

I would guess that is possible, but I know too little to say with certainty. The PK should deliver more bass and treble, with a more classic metal agression on steroids.

I'm not sure about that... I have a PK set in basswood; the guitar is warm and middy, the bridge PK is edgy and middy! LOTS of high-mids, which definitely accentuates what the guitar has going on (as opposed to balancing). It works superbly for what I want to hear, but it's not the most versatile combination.

I'm using the Fender Mustang Metal 2000 model (basically the EVH 5150) but into a T75 cabinet model, and the bass and mids cranked to 9, Treble at 6 but Presence at 3... it gives me a great Periphery-type sound that isn't TOO hairy or dry, but I have a hard time finding a mid-gain model that I enjoy. That's just not a string suit for this setup. I suppose the tone could be considered Aftermath-esque, but not as dry, a little more organic, but I have to jump through a few hoops to get there.

Now, add in the extra lows and highs from the longer scale, it might be more balanced... but it might make the highs screechy, and the PK can get icepicky bright if you overdo it.

Based on others' recommendations and a lot of clip-listening, I'd say Aftermath, Juggernaut, or Black Hawk, with the Black Dog as a more organic, less output option.