Members MilleniumMan Posted June 18, 2013 Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 Hello. I recently bought an Ibanez RG471 and am contemplating replacing some or all of the pickups. I have read some very poor reviews on the Infinity pickups that it came with which say they are average and should be replaced. Seems you can get a decent Humbucker online for around $60-90 so I think it's a no-brainer to swap em out, though I lack the knowledge to pick good ones to replace them with. I love the guitar, the action, size, look and feel so I know I will be keeping it. I am somewhat of a new player, and haven't got much expirience with pickups. I play mostly metal or rock, and play nearly exlusively on the bridge pickup but do like versatillity. I will sometimes just start playing Pink Floyd, Chili Peppers, Skynyrd or The Killers, so I don't want a guitar that's only good for metal. I realise that it may not be possible to get all these tones out of a single guitar but I'd like to be able to come close if possible. My old one was given to me, had active Seymour Duncans and really was just too hot to do anything but metal(would distort even a clean channel unless bridge PUP was totally turned off). I am not certain yet if I want to bother replacing all 3 since I rarely use the Neck and center one. What are the drawbacks of only replacing the bridge humbucker(if any). What about both Humbuckers but not the single coil? What do you guys think about active vs. passive? I'd be playing through a Peavey Vypyr Tube 60w and I think i recall reading that Active PUPs are bad with modelling amps, but I am not sure. Anyway if this is the wrong forum please move or delete, I saw no other forums that seems better suited. Thanks for your time guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted June 18, 2013 Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but it sounds like it's from Ultimate Guitar. There are no drawbacks to changing your bridge pickup. However, you just started out, so I wouldn't worry about actually changing things up yet. Worry about playing first. If you really want to do this, consult a tech in person. If you get a bridge humbucker, and you're not sure about the impedance of the single coil and neck, then a tech can help you find one that won't sound out-of-phase with the other pickups. If you're changing one, I'll suggest changing them all. There are H-S-H sets, and if you stick to one brand, like Seymour Duncan, then you should be alright. That's just my opinion based on my experiences, though. You'll find as you get better, and more interested in tone, that you'll want a guitar that comes with good hardware and pickups off the peg. Not all players, even advanced ones, agree with that sentiment, but I know that when I buy a guitar, I want it to be perfect as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MilleniumMan Posted June 18, 2013 Author Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 I do go to Ultimate Guitar as well as this site, is that so bad? But I haven't posted about this there or anything. The reviews that were critical of the Infinity PUPS were just googled, I'm not even sure where they were all from. But I figured since I plan on keeping the guitar it may as well sound as good as it can while I'm learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted June 18, 2013 Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 First question - are you basing this decision on reviews you read or from listening to your guitar and being dissatisfied? I ask because I have an RG4EX1 with I'm pretty sure the same pickups, and my first thought about the guitar was, "wow, is this versatile! And damn if those pickups don't sound great clean or dirty!" Really, I was/am impressed with the infinity pickups on that guitar - easily cops some LP and Strat tones. That said, you might like Duncans. The JB is a popular bridge pickup, and it's good for rock and other distorted playing. It's fine clean, if a little harsh in the mids. A Gibson 500T is a better choice, I think (not sure about spacing, though) since it's ceramic like the other pickups and has similar high output. If you only replace the bridge, you just need to choose a pickup that has similar output, which in your case is high output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted June 18, 2013 Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 Oh, and as you're just beginning (and it's great advice to eschew upgrades until your ears are more seasoned), remember to not take too much stock in reviews. Yes, they help, but ultimately, it's your ears that need to make the decision. What sounds amazing to one guy is sludgy **** to the next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted June 18, 2013 Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 I was really happy with the pickups in my old Ibanez Hollowbody. They were warm, but weren't muddy at all. Check out all of the big names, including Dimarzio. However, I strongly urge you to hold off. Learn to play better, learn more about tone and gear on your own with your own research. You obviously can't trust just anyone on the internet, including this forum. I had been playing for half a year before I got an electric, and I had no idea what a pickup was. I didn't for another couple of months, most likely. I spent my time learning songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MilleniumMan Posted June 18, 2013 Author Members Share Posted June 18, 2013 Thanks for the replies guys. As to the question, I was happy with the sound of the guitar when I got it, just reading that the pickups aren't good makes me wonder if it could sound much better for not much money. But no, I do not hate the tone or anything. Sounds better than my old guitar with the active SDs(granted they and it are like 16 years old so maybe they aren't what they once were). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Estrago Posted June 22, 2013 Members Share Posted June 22, 2013 Like it was said earlier, replacing pickups because of some reviews you've read is a bad idea. Like anything in music, these are just opinions, and shouldn't be taken as fact. These pickups may be average to someone else, but they might be just right for you. I think you should play the hell out of the pups you have now, and maybe further on down the line, when you've learned some more songs and are starting to develop your own sound, then you can start asking yourself if there are any pickups out there that can sound more like you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted June 22, 2013 Members Share Posted June 22, 2013 Its allmost knee jerk reaction for a lot of people to say repalce stock pups. Ive found some stock pups I actually like better then most dimarzios and seymours. So thing is make up your own mind about your pups. You may like the stock ones better then some popular dimarzios or seymours. If you lke the sound of your guitar with distortion or overdrive, and the voice works fine with others your playing with in the mix. Leave as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meeloshxyz Posted June 23, 2013 Members Share Posted June 23, 2013 Consider upgrading the volume and tone potentiometers so you can find more tones by using the knobs. Do this especially if you're gonna change pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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