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Pickups & wiring Discussion about pickup types, replacements, recomendations, switching, wiring diagrams and sustainer systems for ANY guitar, JEMs included.

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  #1  
Old 07-05-2004, 05:45 PM
Pesso  is offline
 
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Steve's Special orientation: HELP! (read the last reply!)


I want to swap my V7 and V8 pickups on my RG2020X (mahogany body). I've already decided for an Air Norton in the neck position. For the bridge position I'm leaning toward a Steve's Special, because I've read many reviews that underline its capability of making every single note of distorted chords ring out clearly, and also because I've heard many good things of the coil-splitting with the Air Norton.
So, will a SS sound good on a mahogany body? Better than in a basswood body?
Thanks!
PS: do you guys think (or do you have experienced) that the upgrade to DiMarzios will be hugely noticeabily?
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  #2  
Old 07-05-2004, 06:54 PM
RSVampire  is offline
 
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upgrade to the Dimarzio's will make a gigantic difference. The Steve's Special and Air Norton go perfectly together, in mohogany body I think they are awsome. Not neccisarily better than in basswood (cause basswood has a different tone and tone is like ice cream some people like vanilla some people like chocolate) but it definetly won't sound bad in mohogany.
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  #3  
Old 07-06-2004, 02:14 AM
The Dark Wolf  is offline
 
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Agreed.

BTW, I answered this one for you on the petrucci forum.
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  #4  
Old 07-07-2004, 10:04 AM
Pesso  is offline
 
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Thanks guys!
Anyone else has tried the SS in mahogany?
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  #5  
Old 07-11-2004, 02:55 PM
tony777  is offline
 
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I have the SS/AN pickups in my 2020x, and it's the best ever. just love it, you can't go wrong with it.

The only annoying thing with Ibanez, is that the pickup cavity on the 2020 (and 2027s I have) isn't very deep, so you might have to dig out some wood, because the dimarzio's are deeper than the Ibanez pickups.

But the sound difference is two different worlds, so go ahead.
If you'll swap the pickups by yourself, be careful with the piezo wire on the bridge, (it can't take a nuclear war).
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  #6  
Old 07-12-2004, 05:56 AM
Pesso  is offline
 
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Thanks tony777! It's very helpful to hear your opinion, since you have the same guitar as mine!

No, I'm not going to do by myself, I'll give the guitar to a tech, I'm too much worried about screwing things up!!
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  #7  
Old 07-18-2004, 12:57 PM
Pesso  is offline
 
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I've just read on the DiMarzio site that the Steve's Special has "distinctly different sounds if you turn it around, and there is no ‘right’ installation direction.The Steve’s Special™ is brighter-sounding if the coil on the pickup’s cable exit side is toward the bridge."
So I was wondering: I will not install the pickup by myself, I will give the guitar to a tech. So I guess I must tell him in which direction I want it. So, what is the "standard" orientation of the SS? How is it installed on Ibanez JPM guitars?
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  #8  
Old 07-20-2004, 10:37 AM
Scott of Actual Time  is offline
 
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i don't know how it's installed in the JPM.

one thing to consider: on a guitar with two humbuckers and no middle single, like your 2020, when installing DiMarzios, one of the pickups must be installed with the wire coming out of the neck side coil. this gives the right magnet polarities to have the middle positions, which combine coils from each humbucker, hum canceling.

[you can also get the right magnet polarity by popping the magnet out and flipping it and putting it back in the pickup. people do this to get the right magnet polarity for H/H guitars on neck pickups with one coil of screw pole pieces and one coil of slugs. this lets you put the screw poles of the nkec pickup closest to the neck].

the Air Norton has one coil of screw poles and one coil of slugs. the SS has the same poles on both coils -- you can rotate it and it will look the same either way.

if you want the less bright orientation of the SS in your H/H guitar, with the wire coming out of the coil toward the neck, install the AN with the screw poles toward the neck. this will give you the right magnet polarities.

if you want the brighter orientation of the SS in your H/H guitar, with the wire coming out of the bridge coil, then you have two choices with the AN. you can install it with the screw poles away from the neck. it will work fine, but it will look 'backwards' to anyone familiar with gibson covered humbuckers. or you can pop out the magnet in the AN, flip it, and install the pickup with the screw poles toward the neck.

depending on which pickup you rotate, the wire colors will be different than the ibanez wiring diagram.

if your tech is good at wiring, they will know all this. if they aren't, they might screw it up. your tech should also be really careful if they do flip the magnet, since they could break the pickup.
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  #9  
Old 08-18-2004, 04:36 PM
tony777  is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott of Actual Time
i don't know how it's installed in the JPM.
It's installed with the wire output towards the bridge

Tony
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