Pickup suggestions for RGD7421

[Ron7strings]

I have recently bought an Ibby RGD7421 (basswood) and i have fallen is love with it apart from the stock pickups.. dnt know why Ibanez puts these garbage pickups in such a guitar which would otherwise have been awesome 7 string.

However i am planning to change these pickups and need some suggestion on this. I play deathcore in my band and the guitar is tuned in drop A. So i am looking for a heavy punchy tone for this which the stock pickups obviously fails to deliver.

I know BKPs would have been the best option but those are way too expensive for me to afford now... Also would it be a good option to go for active pickups like EMG 707 or 81-7 for this guitar? If not please suggest some good passive pickups that would help me achieve the sound i am looking for.

 

[Sepultorture]

Dimarzio D-Activators

trust me, they love basswood, and they sound phenomenal in ibanez guitars, give you a bit of an active sound, not sterile, just great with the low end chunk, not bottom heavy, pinch harmonics fly off with ease, tight, but not djenty tight (i hate that word but it describes easier), not thin and buzzy

 

[Ron7strings]

Dimarzio D-Activators

trust me, they love basswood, and they sound phenomenal in ibanez guitars, give you a bit of an active sound, not sterile, just great with the low end chunk, not bottom heavy, pinch harmonics fly off with ease, tight, but not djenty tight (i hate that word but it describes easier), not thing and buzzy

Thanks man... so a D activator 7 on the bridge.. and what about the neck pickup??

 

[Sepultorture]

the Dimarzio Liquifire is pretty sweet for leads, smooth, creamy, yet has a great presence for soloing, excellent note definition

i will say i have a little less experience with neck pickups, as i"m more of a rythym player but i do love that pickup for leads tones

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

Dimarzio D-Activators

trust me, they love basswood, and they sound phenomenal in ibanez guitars, give you a bit of an active sound, not sterile, just great with the low end chunk, not bottom heavy, pinch harmonics fly off with ease, tight, but not djenty tight (i hate that word but it describes easier), not thin and buzzy

Second this. Dactivators are the shit. They didn't blow me away at first, but over time i've found they are the most well rounded, articulate and punchy pickup. They allow you to use your amp to go for just about any tone. I'm to the point where i put them in all my guitars (all ibanez except a strat)

Thanks man... so a D activator 7 on the bridge.. and what about the neck pickup??

i shit you not, got this on ebay and its a BEAST for leads. I put it in my SZ520. I like the Dactivator better for neck cleans but on leads this thing is smooth, with plenty of pick attack, and just in your face!! I've never tried a liquifire, but i imagine it may be similar from folk's descriptions.
IVORY MEGA RAILS Hot Humbucker Guitar NECK Pickup R20N

I seriously doubt you'd want to go for one of these generic pups, but i was impressed

 

[MrSleepwalker]

You can try a set of Aftermaths or Liquifire/Crunch Lab

 

[7stringDemon]

I use a Liquifire in my neck position and I like it.

But they have a D-Activator 7 made for the neck position that is really awesome too and obviously works amazingly well with the D-A bridge pickup.

 

[SoItGoesRVA]

D activators, CL/LF combo, Duncan distortion. Idk enough about the nazgul/sentient/pegasus pickups from duncan and how they react in basswood, but they're worth looking into.

 

[rikomaru]

Seymour Duncan Jazz 7 in the neck?

 

[charlessalvacion]

Congrats on the RGD! I have the same guitar & love it. I have BK Aftermath / Air Norton 7 combo. Sounds great for what I play. Aftermath is tight, punchy & clear. Air Norton is sweet for leads. I even use it for rhythms as well.

In the Dimarzio camp, you can try also an X2N / D-Acts or maybe a CrunchLab / LF set.
For Duncans, I suggest go check out their Pegasus / Nazgul / Sentient pickups. Heard great things about them. Good luck!

 

[UV7BK4LIFE]

I really like the X2N7 for high output. It kicks like a mule and sounds tight as hell. And I've never seen a cheap Ibanez with correctly lined up bridge pickup polepieces, problem solved.

For medium-high output I'd recommend the Blaze Custom. They're not even close to the regular Blaze, which is good. Much less boomy and much more open sounding. And they go for half the price of a Crunchlab because there's no hype surtax included in the price.

 

[bob123]

I really like the X2N7 for high output. It kicks like a mule and sounds tight as hell. And I've never seen a cheap Ibanez with correctly lined up bridge pickup polepieces, problem solved.

For medium-high output I'd recommend the Blaze Custom. They're not even close to the regular Blaze, which is good. Much less boomy and much more open sounding. And they go for half the price of a Crunchlab because there's no hype surtax included in the price.

+1 for these recommendations. The x2n7 is pretty unbearable for me, but if you like drop tuned metal type sound... its pretty much made for that!