Help! need advices about guitar :)

[Toto]

hi!

well, here is my situation. i'm going to buy new guitar wich will become my main axe. so i want it to be very versatile.
my choice is RG350 (RG2550 is too expansive to me )

in band i play some metallica, rage against the machine and so on (hi gain stuff ) but at home i prefer to play vai, hendrix, satriani, led zeppelin, SRV. (band tone is not very important for me)
so i can't decide what to do with pickups:
1. Dimarzio:
B. Evo2
M. Virtual Vintige 2.1
N. Paf Joe
or
2. Seymour Duncan:
B: JB
M. Classic Stack
N. '59
or even
3. EMG
B. 81
M. SA
N. 89

so? what do u think?

ps. i was told that emgs are too "sterile" for vai/zeppelin

[ibanez.shredder]

Hey man
Personally if i needed a shread/vai style id definatly go for the Dimarzios, although you might want to be careful putting in an PAF Joe and Virtual vintage because these have considerably less power than the EVO or EVO2. Id recomend a BREED neck model in the neck for great bassy creamy overdrive and a fast track 1 in the middle. This an extremely versitile setup allowing you to use the bridge for anything to super fast shread to metal, the single has plenty of power, and the neck has great smooth overdrive. that said im sure a paf joe and virtual vintage could work great. dont believe all that **** people dump on EMGs. I have an 81 in the bridge and an 85 in the neck in an Ibanez RG520 with a mahagony body. these reports are usually from people who either have NEVER used EMGs but have heard rumors, or they have expected a sound which the EMG was not designed or advitised to produce.they are CONSIDERABLY more quiet than dimarzios and are technogicaly more advanced and have just insane amounts of power and sustain. did you know that an EMG 81 has 3 times the power of an Evolution?

[Toto]

thanks

i know that emgs are very powerful but are they really good for blues or not hi-gain rock?

[guitarshredder7]

id get emgs since you said you play hi gain stuff (like me) i believe emgs are versitile enough to play vai songs, which i do. there very good and i love them there my fav pu and i put them in everything. well thats my opinion bye

[lyconxero]

I love the EMGs that I put in my RG370 to death. I've said it over and over again, but EMGs can be very versatile if you know how to ride the volume knob. The style of music I fall back playing most of the time is blues and EMGs do that quite well (especially if you have an EMG 85 in the neck). The thing to make sure of after you get them installed is that your bridge is properly adjusted (for your action to be good, it should be kind of sunken into the guitar) and that you adjust the single coil closer to the strings than the humbuckers to allow for a more even sound when switching positions.

[ibanez.shredder]

Originally Posted by lyconxero

I love the EMGs that I put in my RG370 to death. I've said it over and over again, but EMGs can be very versatile if you know how to ride the volume knob. The style of music I fall back playing most of the time is blues and EMGs do that quite well (especially if you have an EMG 85 in the neck). The thing to make sure of after you get them installed is that your bridge is properly adjusted (for your action to be good, it should be kind of sunken into the guitar) and that you adjust the single coil closer to the strings than the humbuckers to allow for a more even sound when switching positions.

Yeah if you have good skills with a volume control it can be incredidbly versatile. i use the 85 in the neck for blues. its has awesome sustain and when you turn the volume on the guitar down the distoriton dies away and you get a great SRV style tone. nice and crunchy. the 81 in the bridge handles high gain better than ANY dimarzio i have seen so far simply because it is active. it is awesome for metal and hi-gain. you might have abit of trouble with vai stuff cause on my RG520 the notes run together a bit. but it might be because its got a mahogany body. but yeah keep in mind that dimarzios are also very high quality pickups. i plan to put some in my new custom RG1570 (steves special in the bridge, air norton in the neck)

[Jemmm]

If new a RG2550 is too expensive for ya......and are considering pup mods to begin with.....I would advice you to search E bay for nice secondhand RG550 or RG570.

You will get better trem compaired to the RG350.

Just my $0.02

[fettouhi]

Originally Posted by Jemmm

If new a RG2550 is too expensive for ya......and are considering pup mods to begin with.....I would advice you to search E bay for nice secondhand RG550 or RG570.

You will get better trem compaired to the RG350.

Just my $0.02

Yup get a used RG550 and drop in some EMG's and then.... .

Regards

André

[Toto]

do RG550 have AANJ ?

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by Toto

do RG550 have AANJ ?

Yes, i would suggest an older used , 520/550/570, since they have the good trems and better quality than the korean models

[lyconxero]

Originally Posted by Toto

do RG550 have AANJ ?

Whether or not an RG has the AANJ is dependent upon what year it was made in, I believe. I'm not 100% sure, but I think they started with the AANJ around 94-95, so any guitar after that should have it. But if you get a guitar off 'evilbay' then it should hopefully have pictures for you to check. You might even luck out and find a used RG550 or 570 that's already been loaded with EMGs or Dimarzios.

[ibanez.shredder]

I have an 1998 Ibanez RG520QS that i am trying to sell at the moment. It has an AANJ, made in Japan (much higher quality than korean models), Ibanez Edge trem (one of the best ibanez make), 3 piece super wizard neck, quilted sapele top, trans blue paint, and the awesome EMG 81 in the bridge and the 85 in the neck. They are super quiet and have loads of gain. It has 2 chips in the paint on the front and one on the side and some minor scratchs. Abosoluty no damage or rust at all. No neck pocket or nut cracks either which are commom on ibanez's. If you are interested please PM or email me back and i will answer any questions and send you some high-res pics. Could you also tell me what sort of price you are looking for so i can see if it is possible.