Pickup for Ibanez RG3120

[Azrael]

Hey everyone,

I'm shopping for a new pickup and I came across this brand and was wondering if you guys could help me.

I own a RG3120 Ibanez guitar. That a high-end Ibanez with a lo-pro edge and a mahogany body. Currently it has a PAF Pro in the neck and a ToneZone in the bridge. First pickup I want to get rid of...is the tonezone. It's waaaay too muddy in my RG and has a very irritating sound to it that I cannot really place. It's not mid , it's not high , it's not in the lows it's something that is quite constant and irritating.
The PAF Pro will be taken care of in a later stage I think. But the ToneZone is my priority now.

I'd like a pickup in the bridge that is tight........super super tight! Think Steve Vai evolution ryhtm parts tight with a snap to it like he has. Except I don't want the Evolution sound because it's soooo dimarzio vai. And I know plenty of Vai clones. I want something more special!
It should have nice SHARP harmonics  , plenty of attack and it should be powerfull but not extreemly bass heavy.

Any tips?

 8)

[JamesHealey]

the Miracle Man bridge pickup gets very close to the Evolution sound and feel, extremely tight, modern and agressive.

with a great ceramic style midrange that defines that kinda tone.

[JamesHealey]

If you listen to the Evolution pickup before Vai went mad and created that god aweful Carvin Legacy..

eg, from the song "Fire Garden Suite: Bull Whip, Pusa Poad, Angel Food, Taurus Bulba" at about 5:32 it goes into a guitar solo after the accoustic rhythm section.. that is pretty damn close to the miracle man tone.. (I think is a bogner ecstacy on this track)

[Azrael]

If you listen to the Evolution pickup before Vai went mad and created that god aweful Carvin Legacy..

eg, from the song "Fire Garden Suite: Bull Whip, Pusa Poad, Angel Food, Taurus Bulba" at about 5:32 it goes into a guitar solo after the accoustic rhythm section.. that is pretty damn close to the miracle man tone.. (I think is a bogner ecstacy on this track)

Alright. I'll check it out.
:)

By the way......as far as the lead sound goes , I really love the Rebel Yell pickup. Might be a cool option for the neck. But I only have one question. I have a 5 way switch now that also does coil tapping and parallel routing. Would that give me nice clean sounds? I have no idea how to wire that but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Just don't want to lose the nice clean sound I have on my PAF Pro in parallel mode now.

[Azrael]

Any more opinions?

[dave_mc]

I know the cold sweat is recommended a lot for a shreddy neck tone, with decent cleans as well, and supposedly balances nicely with the miracle man. It was recommended to me by tim, anyway.

I haven't tried it yet as my guitar won't be ready for a few months, so I'd wait to see what some of the other regulars say about it, don't take my word for it!

EDIT: woops- far as I'm aware, the rebel yell and cold sweat neck pickups are exactly the same. check with tim just to make sure, though.

[Peter Antal]

EDIT: woops- far as I'm aware, the rebel yell and cold sweat neck pickups are exactly the same. check with tim just to make sure, though.

That's what I thought as well, but today I talked to the local BKP dealer and they said the Rebel Yell neck sound was very vintage. :? ???

[genocidal tendencies]

Tim told me a while ago that they're not the same, just very similar. What the difference is I can't remember.

[dave_mc]

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5102&highlight=rebel+yell+neck+pickup

guess I was wrong... woops! (scroll down, it's like post 5 or 6, by tim)

[genocidal tendencies]

That's the one.

(I ordered the pickups btw, now just need some tuning pegs and electronics...)

[Azrael]

This is going a bit off-topic but oh well.
Think I'm going for the Miracle Man , they seem to be the most versatile pickup for high-gain sounds. The neck pickup has still to be decided but I'm first going to put the Miracle Man in my guitar and see what difference it makes  8)

[octavio_amzer]

This is going a bit off-topic but oh well.
Think I'm going for the Miracle Man , they seem to be the most versatile pickup for high-gain sounds. The neck pickup has still to be decided but I'm first going to put the Miracle Man in my guitar and see what difference it makes  8)

mmm... sorry to burst your bubble but Miracle Man is NOT the most versatil pickup for high gain sounds.

I IMO actually find it the LEAST versatil of the High Gain Pickups.

it sounds cruching, full of power, tight, kick ass, etc but not versatil...

if versatil is something you are looking for try a Nailbomb, Painkiller, Warpig.

[Azrael]

This is going a bit off-topic but oh well.
Think I'm going for the Miracle Man , they seem to be the most versatile pickup for high-gain sounds. The neck pickup has still to be decided but I'm first going to put the Miracle Man in my guitar and see what difference it makes  8)

mmm... sorry to burst your bubble but Miracle Man is NOT the most versatil pickup for high gain sounds.

I IMO actually find it the LEAST versatil of the High Gain Pickups.

it sounds cruching, full of power, tight, kick ass, etc but not versatil...

if versatil is something you are looking for try a Nailbomb, Painkiller, Warpig.

I should have said that in a different way. I ment that I heard lots of different sound samples from it that all sounded pretty nice but a bit different every time. Versatil was not the right word sorry...

Basicly the most important things for me are.
1. Tight! As tight as possible!
2. Not too much mids/bass (my guitar already has plenty of that) but I like treble
3. It should bite!
As far as the bridge goes.......I decided to buy the Miracle Man. I'll order it this christmas when my paycheck arrives :)

Now the neck....
I was thinking about the Rebel Yell for a nice lead tone (think shredstyle).
I'm looking for a nice round low distortion but lots of sustain leadtone that , when in parallel mode , sounds nice clean as well , to replace my PAF Pro. Think of a Shawn Lane like tone. Very little distortion , very dynamic and almost jazzy sounding with some edge to it.

[octavio_amzer]

This is going a bit off-topic but oh well.
Think I'm going for the Miracle Man , they seem to be the most versatile pickup for high-gain sounds. The neck pickup has still to be decided but I'm first going to put the Miracle Man in my guitar and see what difference it makes  8)

mmm... sorry to burst your bubble but Miracle Man is NOT the most versatil pickup for high gain sounds.

I IMO actually find it the LEAST versatil of the High Gain Pickups.

it sounds cruching, full of power, tight, kick ass, etc but not versatil...

if versatil is something you are looking for try a Nailbomb, Painkiller, Warpig.

I should have said that in a different way. I ment that I heard lots of different sound samples from it that all sounded pretty nice but a bit different every time. Versatil was not the right word sorry...

Basicly the most important things for me are.
1. Tight! As tight as possible!
2. Not too much mids/bass (my guitar already has plenty of that) but I like treble
3. It should bite!
As far as the bridge goes.......I decided to buy the Miracle Man. I'll order it this christmas when my paycheck arrives :)

Now the neck....
I was thinking about the Rebel Yell for a nice lead tone (think shredstyle).
I'm looking for a nice round low distortion but lots of sustain leadtone that , when in parallel mode , sounds nice clean as well , to replace my PAF Pro. Think of a Shawn Lane like tone. Very little distortion , very dynamic and almost jazzy sounding with some edge to it.

the cold sweat neck and miracle man bridge combo won't dissapoint you.

you described both sounds.

I have this combo and it KICKS ASS.

[gingataff]

The Miracle Man has lots of bass though, not as much as a Warpig but more than most of the others so if bass is something that you DON'T want then a MM may not be right for you.