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Hi everyone,

I have a ibanez SZ520 and i was thinking of upgrading the stock pickups and putting in some seymour duncans.
I mainly play metal but i like diverse pickups that can play clean well too but deliver a nice crunch when i put on distortion.

Guitar Layout.
Its a mahogany body and a fixed bridge with a 3 piece set in neck.thankyou for the help


Originally Posted by isida.dHi everyone,

I have a ibanez SZ520 and i was thinking of upgrading the stock pickups and putting in some seymour duncans.
I mainly play metal but i like diverse pickups that can play clean well too but deliver a nice crunch when i put on distortion.

Guitar Layout.
Its a mahogany body and a fixed bridge with a 3 piece set in neck.thankyou for the help

What type of quot;Metalquot; do you play? Do you need a heavy, tight low end? The Custom Custom cleans up really well but it may not have the low end you require.

I play stuff like exodus and megadeth to give an example of metal types.
But i also play stuff like dream theater so yeah... maybe thats pushing the flexability thresh hold a bit too much.
Since 2 of those bands use duncan pickups and DT uses Dimarzio


Originally Posted by isida.dI play stuff like exodus and megadeth to give an example of metal types.
But i also play stuff like dream theater so yeah... maybe thats pushing the flexability thresh hold a bit too much.
Since 2 of those bands use duncan pickups and DT uses Dimarzio

The C-5 may be an option as well, it can be bright in the wrong guitar but your mahogany set neck guitar should tame the highs a bit. I had one in my LP and the cleans were good as was the low end, you may have to bump your mids up a bit.

hey man......if you are just gunna change just the bridge pickup, go for the JB, if you are gunna change both neck and bridge pickups get the DISTORTION/JAZZ combo, i got that combo and it kicks ass,.. megadeaths dave mustaine uses the JB, but the distortion is alot hotter and heavier, perfect for metal, then to clean things up, switch to the jazz in the neck for crystal clean sound. .....hope i helped

I have to agree with gianniboy, except for I would substitute Invader / Jazz for Dist. / Jazz. Just my preferance there... the Invader / Jazz set-up is pretty versatile and can do some amazing metal tones!

Rock On ~ Kac


Originally Posted by gianniboyhey man......if you are just gunna change just the bridge pickup, go for the JB, if you are gunna change both neck and bridge pickups get the DISTORTION/JAZZ combo, i got that combo and it kicks ass,.. megadeaths dave mustaine uses the JB, but the distortion is alot hotter and heavier, perfect for metal, then to clean things up, switch to the jazz in the neck for crystal clean sound. .....hope i helped

Just so i'm getting things right.

THe jazz is the SH2 and the Distortion is the SH6?

Btw.. how do i know if i need to get the F spacing ones or th enormal? i dont know if Duncan do this but i know with dimarzio pickups they make both for every pickup they do except the X2n.

hey man.....for your ibanez you need the normal spaced pickup, f spacing is for guitars with floyd rose tremolo bridges, f spaced pickups are made for these types of bridges because the spaces bettween the strings is slightly wider, therefore the pole pieces on the pickup are alittle further apart...........anymore questions let me know


Originally Posted by isida.dJust so i'm getting things right.

THe jazz is the SH2 and the Distortion is the SH6?

Btw.. how do i know if i need to get the F spacing ones or th enormal? i dont know if Duncan do this but i know with dimarzio pickups they make both for every pickup they do except the X2n.

Bear in mind that the Duncan/Ibanez pickups in your guitar are like the Distortion with a bit extra and a '59. You'd be hard pressed to find a better passive pickup for metal than what is already there.

Also, for information's sake, the SZ is best with F spaced bridge pups.

If you really must change, the only way to go more metal is like the Invader or a Dimarzio X2N.

Also, that is an AMAZING colour for the SZ... I wonder when that became available?

Thier Limited Edition Colors you can get this Cherry type pinky color too.

btw my friend in england has the same guitar as me and he recorded some opeth type stuff with the Jazz Set of pickups he has in his guitar. And the quality of sound is better than my pickups. I never considered teh stock pickups to be full blown real deal quot;duncansquot; I may be wrong tho.

its all up to you,ive played your exact guitar in the store, the stock pickups are crap imo, the x2n is a little too hot for my taste, with feedback galore, i got the duncan distortion, it kicks ass

If Pinto is right about F spacing i'll go for SH6F for Bridge
SH2 Jazz For neck.

Assuming hes right about F spaced ones being best for SZ bridge. Oppinions?


Originally Posted by gianniboyhey man......if you are just gunna change just the bridge pickup, go for the JB, if you are gunna change both neck and bridge pickups get the DISTORTION/JAZZ combo, i got that combo and it kicks ass,.. megadeaths dave mustaine uses the JB, but the distortion is alot hotter and heavier, perfect for metal, then to clean things up, switch to the jazz in the neck for crystal clean sound. .....hope i helped

sorry to double post but, is the neck pickup, the jazz one good for soloing 80's Thrash Shred type? Or should the Bridge pickup do that instead. I unfortunatly dont know alot about what is more effective for different kinds of playing and soloing so i thought i' djust ask.


Originally Posted by isida.dIf Pinto is right about F spacing i'll go for SH6F for Bridge
SH2 Jazz For neck.

Assuming hes right about F spaced ones being best for SZ bridge. Oppinions?

It would be the TB6 (Distortion Trembucker) but that's what's in your guitar already (and a better version IMO, I've owned both)

That is unless yours is one of the first year or so of production, then it's stock SZ pups made by Ibanez...

Just trying to help!

Trevor


Originally Posted by pinto79It would be the TB6 (Distortion Trembucker) but that's what's in your guitar already (and a better version IMO, I've owned both)

That is unless yours is one of the first year or so of production, then it's stock SZ pups made by Ibanez...

Just trying to help!

Trevor

Thanks dude i know your trying to help and i appreciate it.

btw.. mine are the SZ pups made by ibanez. i think they are anyway because they dont say Duncan/ibanez on them like other SZ520 types.

By what your saying i gather you own a SZ520 too? Btw.. i wasnt saying what you said wasnt correct, i'm just paranoid with making sure i understand the information given me correctly because i dont like to make mistakes. Sometimes i can be really stupid with things tho and they dont click immediatly i'm still new to this pickup tech stuff. Often i have to post links to the gear i'm talking about to make sure i'm looking at the same stuff i'm being recommended since my knowledge so far is limited i like to be 100% sure hopefully people understand.

Bridge:
from : localhost/i'm wrong please post the right ones off that site here if its not a problem.

i'm not really sure if your guitar comes with an f spaced pickup, but find out, because if you get the wrong spaced pickup, it might sound thin and weak in the guitar, as for the jazz for soloing, under gain its not the greatist, but for clean fast jazz runs nothing beats it, its clear, clean and articulate.....like i said, dave mustaine from mega death uses the jazz in the neck of his guitars.

Ok i took my guitar to a store to get checked out. It uses f spaced for the bridge, the same can be used for neck but if you use a normal for the neck the poles line up exact.

Now to do with the pickups, i dont know how SD lable thie rpickups but i'm looking on music123 and i cant find any f spacing ones, is that becuase the f spaced pickups are the quot;trembuckersquot;?

The far easiest and simplest way to get a right-sized pickup is to take a meter in hand and measure your bridge yourself. Then compare that to Duncan's measurements.

If you want a tremspaced pup, it'll be named TB-6 instead of SH-6, in the case of the distortion pup. You'll need the tremspaced pup only for the bridge.

I believe that Exodus used Distortion/Jazz -combo on Tempo. That tone was great, and it's the combo I'd use if I were going for the same.

Thanks guys.

I'm going to go for the SH2neck/TB6bridge combination

Trembucker for the bridge, normal for the neck.

Sorry if it took me a while for it to sink in, i'm unfortunatly a very paranoid person almost on an obsessive level but i hope i have not caused any irritation.

Regards,

daniel


Originally Posted by isida.dThanks guys.

I'm going to go for the SH2neck/TB6bridge combination

Trembucker for the bridge, normal for the neck.

Sorry if it took me a while for it to sink in, i'm unfortunatly a very paranoid person almost on an obsessive level but i hope i have not caused any irritation.

Regards,

danielThe Distortion is a great pickup. It should work good in that guitar Daniel. If you don't like it, come back and tell us where you want to shift your sound to. Use that as a starting point.