Ibanez AH Pickup Question

[MiahDrao]

So my Ibanez S7420 has the stock AH pickups. I know most people have a strong dislike for Ibanez stock pickups, but I honestly like the EQ spike in lo mids I get out of them, especially in the bridge pickup (the AH2). I think it has an Alnico 5 magnet, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, my question is this: What production pickup would I get a similar EQ curve from? I think I saw someone say these are most similar to Dimarzio PAFs. Also, would the AH2 be considered a low output pickup?

The reason I ask is that I think these pickups are the reason my Ibanez packs more punch in the lower notes than my Agile 8, and I'd like these two guitars to sound as alike as possible, with some amount of EQ boost in the low mids. They're both mahogany-bodied guitars, and the only real differences between them are scale length and neck construction (Ibanez is bolt-on; Agile is neck-thru).

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

The 7-string version of the AH2 bridge uses a ceramic magnet instead of the alnico 5 magnet used in the 6-string version. It appears that the AH2-7string bridge has roughly a 17-18K Ohm value. I'd say these pickups are probably classified as medium-high output pickups.

Based on the specs and the sound you seem to be getting from the bridge pickup it sounds like these are going to be very similar to the Ibanez V7 (neck)- V8 (bridge) pickups. These pickups similarly have a full bass and midrange with an an emphasis on lower mids, but also feature a decent amount of high-end detail. In my experience the V8 bridge had a lot of similarities to the Dimarzio Tone Zone (both have a lot of bass and mids). The 7-string Dimarzio Tone Zone also features a ceramic magnet with 17-18K ohm value. So you might have luck with the Dimarzio 7-string Tone Zone (bridge) and Air Norton (neck) pickups.

Alternatively, you could also hop on ebay and pay next to nothing ($10-15 USD) for an Ibanez AH2-7 String bridge pickup. They seem to have a lot on there at the moment.

 

[Petar Bogdanov]

For the bridge pickup, a Super Distortion 7 is similar, with a little more grind and clarity. The neck pickup is a PAF-ish, but it has a ceramic magnet, so it's pretty close to a PAF 7.

A Super Distortion 8 / PAF 8 set should get you in the ballpark.

 

[MiahDrao]

Any non-DiMarzio brand pickups that have a similar EQ curve? Just out of curiosity.

 

[Petar Bogdanov]

Any non-DiMarzio brand pickups that have a similar EQ curve? Just out of curiosity.

Maybe an Invader set? I dunno.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

A Duncan Invader has similar EQ curve but the sound you would get is going to be much different in my opinion (a lot more output).
The closest pickups that I can think of from Duncan would be maybe the Duncan Custom. You might also find some similarities to a JB or Distortion (in certain respects).
I don't have any experience with any other pickup companies outside of Duncan and Dimarzio so can't help you past these two brands.

 

[MiahDrao]

How would it compare to Seymour Duncan's Pegasus? Or even BKP's stuff like the Warpig and Juggernaut (both of which have some lo-mid emphasis if I understand correctly)?

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

How would it compare to Seymour Duncan's Pegasus? Or even BKP's stuff like the Warpig and Juggernaut (both of which have some lo-mid emphasis if I understand correctly)?

You could check out ZombieThirteen's youtube page and send him a message, (he is also a member on this forum). He had an Ibanez with a V8-7 string bridge pickup (which I believe is probably similar to the AH pickups) in the bridge and swapped it for a Pegasus. I think I remember him saying it has similar characteristics but is more tight/focused sounding. My guess is that the Pegasus is going to have more upper mid push rather than the lower-mid push that you'd get from the AH or V8.
-I'm actually planning to swap out the V7 and V8 pickups with a Pegasus/Sentient set in my Ibanez RGA121H, but not for another month or so. If you haven't chosen a pickup in that time you'll probably see a review from me on the swap sometime early September, if I can find the time.

I haven't played BKP's so I couldn't really say. I've heard the Warpig is big, dark, with a lot of output. I think you'll find some similar low-mid characteristics that you're looking for, but you're going to be getting a lot more output. The Juggernaut (I've heard), is a pretty unique sounding pickup. I've heard that it does have a fairly prominent low-end and mid-range power (but still having a lot of tightness you'd expect from a contemporary prog/metal pickup). You might like this pickup, but supposedly the Jugger can have some upper mid quack to it (for some).
-Ultimately I wouldn't take my opinions on BKP too seriously since I haven't played them. Just thought I'd offer some of what I've heard.

 

[MiahDrao]

Right on! Well, this is extremely useful info for me. The Seymour Duncan Invader looks rather promising, but I'm still gonna do more homework on this. I'm just trying to see what to change out the Cepheus pups with on my Agile to make it sound more bassy and have the lo mid bite I'm looking for. I'm not trying to replace the Ibanez pups quite yet. Maybe someday when I suddenly become enlightened on how to mix everything perfectly.