Air Norton and Tone Zone combo?

[inendlessmotion]

Hey everybody,
I've got an Ibanez RG5EX1 that currently still has the stock INF 3/4 pickups in and was looking to upgrade as a Christmas present. I'm a huge fan of the Contortionist, BtBAM, Periphery, Misery Signals, and stuff like that and was wondering if I Tone Zone and Air Norton combo would work for that kind of stuff? I know it's the setup that the guys from The Contortionist use and Misha has them in some of his guitars, but I just wanted some feedback before I dropped that much cash. Thanks!

 

[Schecterwolf]

Had that set in a 3550mz I had awhile back. They performed well and were capable of spanning a lot of genres.
However, for the bands you listed, a lot of people are very partial to the crunch lab/liquifier combo. I don't have much experience with those outside of playing a JP7 equipped with them for a few minutes, but they are definitely another option to consider.

 

[Experimorph]

I had the Tone Zone/Air Norton combo in an RG1527, and they were a beautiful pair. That said, they weren't particularly aggressive, you might want something that bites and growls more. I'm not sure what to recommend, so I'll leave that to others.

 

[tedtan]

The TZ/AN combo is a great set of pickups. The Liquifire/Crunch Lab have been more trendy lately, but I usually prefer the TN/AN.

 

[yellowv]

TZ/AN is a classic combo and one of my favorites, but for modern "djenty" type stuff wouldn't be at the top of my list. The TZ can get rather muddy with lower tunings.

 

[inendlessmotion]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Any suggestions for pickups more suited to that type of music within the same price range?

 

[groverj3]

I have that combo in my frankenstrat. I would say the TZ AN combo is best for standard and maybe Eb tuning. Much lower and I would want something tighter sounding. The TZ is a great pickup, but it's kind loose on the low end. Much like a Duncan JB in its low end response (although the EQ is different).

Maybe you could buy one and swap in a ceramic magnet? That would tighten it up.

 

[groverj3]

My recommendation for a bridge pup would be either a Duncan Custom, or Distortion. The Dimarzio D-activator would be a good choice too. Those are all pickups which are very "raw" sounding and have good note definition. Which is probably what you want, as opposed to a more "processed" sound (like a Crunch lab, or duncan Full Shred). That's just my 2 cents anyway.

 

[anne]

TZ's from the 80s, man. It's old school. Black metal pickup imo.

 

[Nitsuj]

The Tone Zone was introduced in 1991.

 

[inendlessmotion]

I know BtBAM uses the D-Activators, I'm just not sure. I'm terrible with making decisions, especially when they involve me spending money. Would a Crunch Lab/Liquifire combo be suited to this kind of thing at all? Groverj3, I'm not really sure if I'm entirely opposed to the processed sound. I just want something that's heavy and distorted without getting too muddy. I'm pretty new to this whole technical aspect of guitar stuff so I'm sorry if I sound clueless

 

[toiletstand]

the good thing about dimarzio is that if you are unsatisfied with the pickups youve bought from them. You can send them back within a certain time limit and try a different set.


crunch lab liquifire set sounds great in a 6 string btw!

 

[groverj3]

I know BtBAM uses the D-Activators, I'm just not sure. I'm terrible with making decisions, especially when they involve me spending money. Would a Crunch Lab/Liquifire combo be suited to this kind of thing at all? Groverj3, I'm not really sure if I'm entirely opposed to the processed sound. I just want something that's heavy and distorted without getting too muddy. I'm pretty new to this whole technical aspect of guitar stuff so I'm sorry if I sound clueless

The CL/LF combo is a great set of pickups. I used them for a while, but I don't tune any further down than D standard normally (I know, I'm lame ). They have great note definition and don't get too muddy when playing big chords. The way they respond to your pick attack is kind of... spongy, I would say. Which is great for soloing.

I mainly choose pickups for a particular application based on their note definition, harmonics, and how they respond to pick attack. Since it's not too hard to EQ things how you want regardless of pickup. Those things, however, you can't change.

The only reason I didn't suggest the CL is because of the pick attack and their "processed" qualities. This was based on the description of what you're going for. However, they are great pups and they handle downtuning well (JP has them in all his guitars regardless of tuning!). You might like them, they would work fine for that application depending on the sound you're trying to get. Just like everything, it's all subjective. Might as well give them a try if you're leaning that way!

the good thing about dimarzio is that if you are unsatisfied with the pickups youve bought from them. You can send them back within a certain time limit and try a different set.

Duncan does this as well. Either way, you can try some out and send them back if they aren't to your liking. You will lose the shipping cost though (I think).

 

[inendlessmotion]

It looks like I'll probably be going with the Crunch Lab and Liquifire combo. Like you guys said, I'll try them out and see how it goes. Thanks a ton for the suggestions!