Help me choose pickups for my second RG550 Genesis in D standard

[Stiman]

So I recently acquired another RG550 and I want to put new pickups in the bridge and neck (keeping the S1 in the middle).

I have the Gravity Storm neck and bridge in my first RG550 and absolutely love them. I don't think I want to use the same pickups in this one, but there's an argument to be make about sticking to what I know I like etc...

I also have the Evo7 and Liquifire7 in my RG752 (basswood body) and I really like that combo, and I've also have had the Evo in another guitar that I really enjoyed the tone of.

I'm not looking to play super heavy stuff, I mostly play prog rock and metal. Looking for a bit darker of a tone in general.

Lastly, I typically only ever consider DiMarzio pickups, but I'm thinking that maybe this would be a good opportunity to try out some SD pickups that, from what I can tell are geared towards progressive music.

 

[Peter Krasov]

If I were you, looking for overall darker tone, playing in D Standard on Ibanez RG550, and not going into super heavy stuff, I'd go for good old Super Distortion in the bridge, and anything from your list in the neck. Probably, i'd prefer Air Norton though. Super Distortion is quite versatile pickup, which is equally at home in almost any guitar and many modern genres.

Also, I would consider Tone Zone, X2N (old version only).

 

[Asdrael]

Given your description, why not a Tone Zone (darkish but I really like it in basswood) but with a PafPro instead of an Air Norton? They pair well and the PafPro split is awesome too.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Are you able to give examples of similar "darker" progressive rock / metal tones that you like?

Gravity Storm would seem a far more optimal choice than Evos, as Evos are brighter.
Air Norton or Liquifire also seem like good options for you in the neck.

Of the John Petrucci signature sets, Crunch Lab + Liquifire is supposed to be the darkest set and Illuminators the brightest. Dreamcatcher + Rainmaker is supposedly somewhere between those two sets. I have no experience with any of them though.

Luca Turilli of Rhapsody (of Fire) uses Tone Zone + Air Norton. That's E standard, yet the lead guitar is already fairly dark. I'm unsure how well his tone would cut through the mix in D standard.

Michael Romeo of Symphony X uses X2N (bridge) + Tone Zone (neck). I believe a fair bit of their material to be D standard.

 

[Stiman]

Are you able to give examples of similar "darker" progressive rock / metal tones that you like?

I'd say mostly the Petrucci tone in general. I'm not looking to match it, just aiming in that general direction. Basically, this is a naturally bright guitar, so darker sounding pickups can balance it out, like the Gravity Storm pickups did.

Of the John Petrucci signature sets, Crunch Lab + Liquifire is supposed to be the darkest set and Illuminators the brightest. Dreamcatcher + Rainmaker is supposedly somewhere between those two sets. I have no experience with any of them though.

I don't know for sure, I was going off the EQ charts on DiMarzio's website, and the Dreamcatcher looks to be the bassier of the 4.

The more I think of it, I'm leaning towards TZ + AN since it appears to be the classic combo that Ibanez installs on a lot of RGs and Ss. I've also never tried these pickups, but the specs, descriptions and tone samples I've heard on YouTube seem to place these in the tone that I'm looking for. It's probably the safest bet.

 

[Choop]

The only concern I'd have about the Tone Zone is that it may sound too smooth overall -- a Super Distortion would probably do well in your guitar for that tuning.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Given your description, why not a Tone Zone (darkish but I really like it in basswood) but with a PafPro instead of an Air Norton? They pair well and the PafPro split is awesome too.

PAF Pro is very much tried and tested as a good pairing with the Tone Zone, but I presume it's brighter than OP is after. Air Norton seems the more obvious choice (even though I personally much prefer the PAF Pro).

 

[Stiman]

The only concern I'd have about the Tone Zone is that it may sound too smooth overall -- a Super Distortion would probably do well in your guitar for that tuning.

Interesting that it is very similar to the Evo in terms of specs: both ceramic, both just under 14 kohms of resistance, both have a similar EQ curve, both have similar output spec.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

The only concern I'd have about the Tone Zone is that it may sound too smooth overall -- a Super Distortion would probably do well in your guitar for that tuning.

That's the problem I have with Tone Zone + Air Norton for my tastes, but lots of people seem to like that about them. I'd personally choose Super Distortion + PAF Pro over Tone Zone + Air Norton, but I like my pickups to be bright with plenty of bite.

 

[Stiman]

PAF Pro is very much tried and tested as a good pairing with the Tone Zone, but I presume it's brighter than OP is after. Air Norton seems the more obvious choice (even though I personally much prefer the PAF Pro).

My preference for dark tone is more for the bridge position. I've never really loved or hated any DiMarzio neck pickup I've tried. I've only played the Liquifire and Gravity Storm and both were fine. Not blown away or disappointed.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Interesting that it is very similar to the Evo in terms of specs: both ceramic, both just under 14 kohms of resistance, both have a similar EQ curve, both have similar output spec.

The 6-string (standard) Tone Zone is Alnico V. Only the 7-string version is ceramic.

 

[Stiman]

The 6-string (standard) Tone Zone is Alnico V. Only the 7-string version is ceramic.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was comparing the Evo and Super Distortion.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

My preference for dark tone is more for the bridge position. I've never really loved or hated any DiMarzio neck pickup I've tried. I've only played the Liquifire and Gravity Storm and both were fine. Not blown away or disappointed.

In that case, perhaps you should give the PAF Pro a try. Air Norton is only subtly different to the Liquifire (which is a tweaked Air Norton), so is unlikely to blow you away. PAF Pro is one of the most popular DiMarzio neck pickups for a reason.

 

[Stiman]

Seems I will simply need more guitars to try out all these pickups...

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was comparing the Evo and Super Distortion.

The Evo bridge has tighter & leaner low-end than the Super Distortion, plus more presence in the high end. This is shown in DiMarzio's EQ charts.

You would definitely find Evos brighter than Gravity Storms.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I voted Tone Zone/Air Norton out of those options you already know the Gravity Storm is a safe bet, so I'd keep that as a backup option if you're buying these brand new and have the opportunity to use a return/exchange program

I used to have an RG3120, which came stock with a TZ/Paf Pro combo. It's a great pairing and handles Drop C just fine, but the Air Norton would probably be more up your alley since the Pro is brighter than both the Air Norton and Gravity Storm. That guitar was also relatively bright acoustically, which helped the TZ hold up with the lower tuning.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

@Stiman You might find this comparison video of three popular / common sets for RGs helpful. The DiMarzio/IBZ set is similar voicings to Super Distortion (bridge) + Super 2 (neck).



EDIT: Also worth checking out these comparisons: https://www.youtube.com/@mikestamper/videos

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I used to have an RG3120

Blasphemy!

 

[Neon_Knight_]

@Stiman Have you looked into the Super 3 at all? Essentially a darker, tighter and more compressed Super Distortion. A lot of people would say the bass and low-mid ratings should be swapped over on DiMarzio's EQ graph.

 

[Stiman]

@Stiman You might find this comparison video of three popular / common sets for RGs helpful. The DiMarzio/IBZ set is similar voicings to Super Distortion (bridge) + Super 2 (neck).



EDIT: Also worth checking out these comparisons: https://www.youtube.com/@mikestamper/videos

I've watched this one, and many of those comparison videos. As great as they are, it's still tough to really suss out the differences.