Pickups for an Ibanez S

[oneblackened]

Hey, so this is my first post on the forum, so hi!

I've got an Ibanez S970 that currently has some Evos in it.
I'm not a huge fan of the Evos - they're OK, but I'm looking for more clarity and a more contained low end, and perhaps a slightly less scratchy tone for the bridge. I'm also finding the neck pickup doesn't quite have enough attack for me - it's a bit mushy. I took the middle pickup out (it's an HSH guitar), but I still use the five way, so something that splits well would be a huge plus in my opinion.

The guitar is in Drop B and I play through a Peavey 5150 II, and I play, I guess I'd call it "technical thrash" - kind of like Revocation.

[Duck2587]

Evolutions are not designed for drop tuning that low. Try out the aftermath's. I think they're perfect for drop tunings and have the best clarity out of the contemporary line.

[oneblackened]

Evolutions are not designed for drop tuning that low. Try out the aftermath's. I think they're perfect for drop tunings and have the best clarity out of the contemporary line.

I was thinking Aftermaths were the right choice for that low, but maybe Blackhawks could do the job too? I enjoy the way the Hawks look and the set of C-Hawks I owned was awesome.

[Sarkasis]

The Blackhawk seems more polished, while the Aftermath has an angry character that would be hard to beat. Its palm mutes are very distinctive, very immediate and metallic. Maybe look at the C-Bomb if you're not looking for those qualities.

[Duck2587]

Evolutions are not designed for drop tuning that low. Try out the aftermath's. I think they're perfect for drop tunings and have the best clarity out of the contemporary line.

I was thinking Aftermaths were the right choice for that low, but maybe Blackhawks could do the job too? I enjoy the way the Hawks look and the set of C-Hawks I owned was awesome.

The black hawks will do that very well. Also perfect for drop tuning. Depends if you want the black hawk "purr" or the aftermath' mid heavy voicing.

[clintsal]

I've had Painkillers is several Ibanez Sabers with great success. They are beefier and angrier than Aftermaths, to me, with a bigger bottom end that is still outrageously tight. They also have mids that are fuller and drove my amp harder than the AM, sounding more raw than the AMs more clinical character. They would both work for your thrash tone, but IMO the PKs have more character, grit, rawness, cleans, and dynamics than AMs.

[Duck2587]

Painkillers sound big? I was always under the impression they were high mid monsters. "Crunch heaven"