Pickup Advice Please?

[Eryalus]

Hey all!

I got my first 7 the other day, an Ibanez RG7321, on a big sale, and decided to use the extra cash for some new pickups for it.

I've done a lot of looking around for advice on various pickups, and believe I have narrowed my choices down to either a Duncan Distortion, or a Duncan Custom 5 SH-14 pup for the bridge, with a SH-2 in the neck.

My main concerns are output -- I primarily play metal, and run my guitars through a VOX Tonelab LE into a VOX Valvetronix VT...30? I don't remember precisely, I am not currently home~

Anyways, I've been able to get some great metal distortion out of it with my old guitar, which was equipped with EMGs, how much of the distortion was the active pups and how much came from the amp? I know it's a bit of a difficult question to answer, but any thoughts are appreciated.

I'm leaning toward the SH-14 but the issue of output with my amp kinda concerns me, would like some opinions before buying.

Hope all that rambling made enough sense, this is my first pup search please bear with me and thanks for any help!

 

[Eryalus]

Also -- Just saw the new line of SD's designed for 7 strings and such -- might take a look at them

 

[Symb0lic]

The new line of SDs look pretty nice. Some people find that Seymour Duncans aren't voiced well for basswood, although this is just personal preference.

If money's not an object, I would say Bare Knuckle Miracle Man, or Cold Sweat, which sound absolutely boss in basswood.

Dimarzio are also great choices for basswood.

I have little experience with VOX amps, but I understand they're more a vintage sounding amp.

I would suggest something high-output, like a Dimarzio X2N, or a Bare Knuckle Warpig.

 

[Eryalus]

I've looked at BKP, I just can't justify anything over $200 for a set I'll take a look at the DiMarzios, thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Given To Fly]

Your amp can get a good metal sound with or without EMG's so I wouldn't worry about that.
Unfortunately I know very little about Seymour Duncan pickups anymore. Whether its marketing or just a quirk, Ibanez = Dimarzio and Jackson = Seymour Duncan. Even in the pickup aftermarket, guitarists usually follow these associations. lol

What I can tell you is, unless things have changed, Dimarzio's are going to be slightly cheaper and about half of the 7 string models were designed to go in an Ibanez guitar. Anything with an output rating near or over 400 will be hot enough for metal and it looks like the majority of 7 string Dimarzio pickups are rated in that range anyways.

The X2N7 will overdrive any clean channel on any amp; thats how high output it is. If you want the option of a clean sound with the bridge pickup, work your way back on the output levels.

 

[Symb0lic]

^Nice job on the amp input, I know nothing about VOX.

Tons of metal guitarists swear by the JB, but if you want a little extra 'oomph', consider the Custom 5, which is basically a hot-rodded JB.

The Duncan Distortion is another good choice, but I've heard the Duncan Invader sound very muddy in basswood, so you might want to steer clear of that.

On the Dimarzio side, the Tone Zone + Air Norton combo is a classic, but the PAFs and D-Activators are versatile choices as well.

 

[Legion]

consider the Custom 5, which is basically a hot-rodded JB.

What?

Isn't the Custom 5 just a Custom with an A5 magnet?! And the Custom and the JB are VASTLY different.
A more metal version of the JB is the Distortion, isn't it?

OP, Custom(bridge)+'59(Neck) should do a good job. Distortion+'59 will be great too, they're actually rather standard combinations, tried and true.

 

[FireInside]

I recently put a Dimarzio Blaze in the bridge of my 7321. Sounds amazing. I have a Duncan Jazz in the neck that I really like too.

 

[K3V1N SHR3DZ]

Dimarzio fan here:

I have an Evolution in my 7321, and it slays. Shred tones are awesome, and rhythms are crushing yet articulate. As for a neck pickup, one of my 7620s has an Evo & Air Norton set, and it is a fabulous combo.

The other 7620 has a D-Activator & Liquifire set, which I find to be slightly better for downtuned stuff due to the DA's somewhat diminished bass compared to the Evo and the Liquifire's enhanced midrange compared to the AN. The DA is a little too dirty for me, but it's supposedly Dimarzio's answer to requests for an active pickup. As someone with EMG experience, you may find it to be more to your liking.

 

[Eryalus]

Wow great feedback, thanks guys!

I looked at some dimarzios, but its a bit tough to find good comparison videos in a basswood guitar lol.
I think I'm going to wait a bit and see how the new SDs sound, just because saying you have a nazgul pickup sounds awesome haha.

I'll do a bit more digging.