S270 pickup change

[nott^^]

Hey there. I've got an Ibz S270 (mahogany body, rosewood fretboard) with the incredible sounding BOOM type PSND pickups which I intend to replace. I'm searching for a very clean sounding pickup for the neck, something that can take distortion and still sound well. I'd rather have Dimarzios, and my two current choices are either an Air Norton or a Humbucker from Hell, but I'm open for suggestions. Could anyone help? I'd really appreciate. Also if someone could recommend a suitable bridge pickup, that would be great.

Thanks a lot!

[AirGuitarHero]

Hi there nott^^

I haven't tried either HFH or AN, but as far as I know, they're entirely different animals. The HFH will sound pretty much like a single coil, and the AN is smooth and buttery. Someone pls correct me on that.

I find chosing pups for the S series quite difficult, because the thin body reacts strangely to pups-- it's not your regular mahogany tone. Thinner and more middy, at least to my ears. I have an S270 as well and I tried an old IBZ/USA F2 and a Fred in both positions. The F2 was better, but I wasn't too happy with either. They both sounded too thin and middy.

Have you thought of PAF pros? I think they're the pu to go with if you don't know what to get. They're so versatile an open-sounding that you can't go too wrong. I find they give you the exact tone of the wood, which is good, because if you don't like it, at least you have an idea of what the wood sounds like and can choose pups accordingly.

For the bridge, I'd try something something hot and tight-- maybe Evo?

Thank goodness for Dimarzio's return policy, huh?

Hope that helps

[lyconxero]

You're pretty close in describing those pickups. The Humbucker From Hell will sound "kind of like" a single coil in that you'll get the most amazing clean tones out of it which will translate into really crisp and clear distorted tones. But if you're looking for more of that "smooth and buttery" sound then definitely go with something more like an Air Norton.

PAF Pro's are good pickups all around so if you don't know what you want but you know you want Dimarzios then you could always get one or two of those. Great pickup used by many many guitarists. People always talk about Evo's for the bridge (but this is Jemsite after all). My favorite bridge pickup at the moment is the Tone Zone. It's similar to the PAF Pro except that it's more extreme. It's also not as fuzzy as the PAF Pro (in the bridge position) in my opinion.

But since I don't own an S, I don't really know how these pickups will sound in it. They sound awesome in RG's, but the body styles are a little different. But in general, a good combination of pickups would be HFH/Tone Zone, AN/Tone Zone, PAF Pro/Tone Zone; but in the end it's all about personal preference. Hope that helps some.