PAF7s' for 7620??

[jski7]

Just popped in to say 'hey' as I'm new here , and to get opinions on whether or not I should replace my 7620's pups with PAF7s . The problem is , I don't want to beat the piss out of my K7 , but I'm completely taken by the way it sounds !! My 7620 is the workhorse , but after the K7 , I'm finding the stock pups are a little too 'hot' for what I really want to hear . There's just no separation between notes , and everything sounds muddy . I'm running a pretty high gain setup (Randall 'WARHEAD' , Alesis 3630 , and BBE 482) so I know that contributes ALOT to the problem , but the K7 comes through loud and clear . DiMarzio says the PAFs will do well , even with the different body woods , to clear my 7620 up-so to speak . I know it won't sound the same , just looking for some clarity . What do you all think ? Thanks !

[darren wilson]

If you're finding the stock pickups to be too hot, PAF7s are probably a good choice. If you're running a lot of gain all the time, the tonal nuances of the different body woods (mahogany in the K7 vs. basswood in the 7620) might not make that much difference.

[jski7]

Thanks for the input ! It's been awhile , but I used to own a Hamer Chaparral
with a solid mahogany body and S.Duncan Trembuckers that had the same type of character sonically as my K7 (punchy , articulate , and overall just a very full sound) . That's why I assumed the mahogany had something to do with it . So , that's 2 for the PAFs (incl. me) so far . Anyone else ?

[Allen Garrow]

Do it! You will like it. The Paf's are warm. My next 7 is going to have Paf's in it for sure. I would do it even quicker if they offered them in colors,,, beside, black, black and cream and cream.

~A

[jim777]

I have a PAF7 in one of my 7's, and it sounds great but the guitar is mahogany like your K7 (it's an AX7521). I think the PAF7 would work nearly anywhere though, and I've been thinking about getting a second 7620 to put PAF7s in. In my current 7620 I have a pair of Bartolini 492's, and while they're a low to medium output pickup, the separation between notes in all situations is just outstanding. I also have a small onboard preamp in the system, so it's extremely versatile. They might be right for you in your already high gain setup, and they look cool

jim

[jski7]

Thanks guys !! Let me mention another idea - I was possibly considering just getting a replacement body (mahogany , of course) for the 7620 along with the PAFs , but the more I think about it , the less I want to stray from the original 'factory' condition . Plus , it's a Vampires Kiss , which I don't really see alot of . Cheers !

[Drew]

Well, the nice thing about doing a replacement body, is if you hold onto the original, it's like 20 minutes to swap it back to stock.

Personally, I think there are few things as gorgeous as tung-oiled mahogany...

(another 7620VK owner )

-D

[The Dark Wolf]

Originally Posted by Drew

Personally, I think there are few things as gorgeous as tung-oiled mahogany...

-D

NO DOUBT! I remember when I was first learning guitar and I saw the Reb Beach Ibanez. I was floored.

[jski7]

I feel the same way ! The Hamer I mentioned above had this multi-color , pearl , looked-like-it-was-applied-with-saran wrap , on black finish that was cool , but after about 5 years , I had grown tired of it . The other guitarist in my band stripped it down to the solid slab of mahogany and tung oiled it for me , and I flipped . That thing was beautiful !! It's a shame Hamer painted it in the first place (even though I told them to) . Weird thing is , the 7620 in question replaced that Hamer . Maybe it's coming full-circle ?! You guys may have just re-lit a fire !! Thanks !

[darren wilson]

Well, to be fair, the high end Reb Beach model had a Koa top. I always liked his Pensa-Suhr with the mahogany body, Koa top, rosewood neck and pau ferro fretboard.

But yeah, tung-oiled mahogany (or try black walnut if you want something a little brighter to the ears and silkier to the touch) are pretty sweet.

[The Dark Wolf]

Originally Posted by darren wilson

Well, to be fair, the high end Reb Beach model had a Koa top. I always liked his Pensa-Suhr with the mahogany body, Koa top, rosewood neck and pau ferro fretboard.

Really? Wow... it's been so long. It was around 92 or so when I saw that in my friend's Ibanez catalog. I didn't realize it was koa. No wonder it was so nice! No surprise then that soon after I discovered Carvin and lusted for YEARS after a koa DC 127 (this was back when Carvin was still making florescent lime green Explorer copy axes! )

[darren wilson]

http://ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1991/rb.jpg
http://ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1991/rb_2.jpg

[jski7]

Siiiiggghhh ..... I miss that whole 'era' of Ibanez ! Seemed like most of their line-up was awesome then . It's good now , don't get me wrong , but something was definately different then . Brings a tear to my eye when I think back to my 540SLTDJB ... sniff ... I loved that guitar .

[The Dark Wolf]

Originally Posted by darren wilson

http://ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1991/rb.jpg
http://ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1991/rb_2.jpg

Yep, that's the one Darren! I can't tell you how many times I sat poring over that catalog like some dirty guitar perv, in wanton lust. Ah, those were the days...