Traded off one of my Jacksons for this rg321e.its mint, condition wise.the hz's gotta go but otherwise great playing guitar

grats on the trade

That's a nice one. Were those EMG HZs stock in that instrument? I thought all of those were IBZ pickups.

I have HZs in a more low key, classic rock instrument but I could see how something much more powerful would fit the RG. The HZ's, or at least the 1s and 2s like I have are basically about the same as a standard PAF and not that hot. The HZ 3 and 4 are hotter and would be more in line with the IBZs. I saw an RGD with something along the lines of a DiMarzio Drop Sonic and it really was able to tear up the modern metal and could handle drop tuning and not get muddy.

Thanks.yes the emg hz's are stock.

This thing gave me GAS for a long time:

http://www.ibanez.com/ElectricGuitars/Series-RGD

Yeah I wanted the rgd421 a bit back.only prob is I prefer mahogany bodied guitars.but its still sexy imo

Congrats man! What are you planning on swapping the pickups out with?

Well my main axe is a 321mh and I have a SS/AN combo in it.I love that setup but I want to try something a little different.my band I'm in now play music rooted in black Sabbath/pantera/Down influences so I'm trying to think of something that'd fit but I'm not an emg guy.I'd kinda like to try some bkp's but as of right now I'm undecided .

Ever think about trying out the Dimebuckers? Since you're going for Pantera they might work out good for you...

The real thing (early Pantera sound) is here:

http://wildepickups.com/

(Bill Lawrence's newer pickup company)

Of course, for a lot of things post-Van Halen hard rock the regular PAFs don't have the output nor the midrange presence but the EMG 81 may go too far for some players. The Wilde pups are pretty good at making up for that middle ground area that most players can find a match with and they are affordable. I like the standard PAF sound for hard rock but that's me and I am in the minority.

You may also want to try DiMarzio Evolutions as they can pick up the sound somewhat without going all EMG 81 and overly aggressive.

A good quality, passive, ceramic magnet pickup like that should cover all the bases. Ibanez does often resort to ceramic magnet in neck for tight note clarity and slightly looser-sounding alnico pickup for bridge position for a less harsh sounding clean. You could tap it in bridge position and play the Ventures or country chicken picking but then get a fat, yet clear and powerful lead in neck with distortion and everything in between.

With the Evo's you can get Dime's crazy harmonics very easily. I know many might typecast them into Steve Vai wannabe pickups, but they will scream and sound great for metal...

nice trade man - congrats!!!

Yea I've tried both the dimebucker and evos.I have my original dimebucker I bought just a couple days before he was killed ( )its been sitting in a guitar for years...I think ill put some life back into it.and ill figure out a neck pickup later.good suggestion

Congrats.

Have you tried out an Evo neck? It's my favorite neck pup for RG's