I was looking back through some old Ibanez catalogs from 1999 and 2000 when I noticed something kinda odd. They distinctly list the stock pickups in the 7620s and 7621s as Dimarzio Blaze pickups.

Now, I know that the Dimarzio Custom 7/New 7 pickups are considerably different than the Blaze which is why it got my attention. Anyone else know anything about this? All the following catalogs list the Custom 7 as the stock pickups in the 1077XLs.

I have this weird habit of hanging on to old product catalogs and I wondered if this was a typo (at least two years in a row) or if the pickups in the 1999 & 2000 models really were Blazes. I do not have a catalog from 97 or 98 so I'm not sure what they are listed as there.

Any info would be helpful! Thanks!

Matt

There are no Blazes in RG762x's unless you put them there yourself. It's all New7's. And, there are no "Blaze II's", either. There are Blaze Customs, but that's another story. There's lots of posts on this topic here, try running a forum search.

Yeah, definitely New 7's right from the get-go - I used to have a '99 7620 that most definitely had New 7's.

There's a LOT of confusion on this, and it's further augmented by the fact that Ibanez and Dimarzio can't agree on the Blaze, either - Blaze on Dimarzio's site and Blaze II spec'd on the UV, i believe. Whatever the official model name is (and as it's a Dimarzio pickup, they get a slight nod ), blazes come stock in the UV, but never came in the 7620.

My guess is the catalogue typo stems from the fact that at some point, the 7620 was originally spec'd to have Blazes, and the spec sheet slipped through unedited into the catalogue when they eventually hit production with New 7's. This is PURE speculation on my part, but before 99 they were the only 7-string pickups in production from Dimarzio, I believe, and it'd certainly explain the initial confusion.

-D

Well that clears things up a bit. I have done a number of forum searches on this topic and they basically just confused me more! From some of the Ibanez literature that I have read they claim the RG7620 was basically just a cosmetically dressed down Universe (a claim that is certainly not supported on this forum i have noticed).

I really didn't mean to ask such a newbie type question, but Dear Lord. You would think that Ibanez and Dimarzio could ge their story straight on a guitar that has been out of production for about 5 years! And the whole Blaze/Blaze II/ - Custom 7/New 7 thing isn't helping!!

Thanks for the info guys.

It's definitely not a cosmetically dressed down UV (different neck, fretwire, pickups, wiring), but, at the end of the day, that's really not a bad way of thinking of it, as sorta a working-man's UV. More utilitarian in appearance and vibe, but still a hell of an instrument, and I know guys who actually prefer 'em to UV's. Put it this way - there are very few UV's that wouldn't look out of place at a jazz gig.

For the dollar it's also probably the best Ibanez out on the second hand market right now, too - you can often score a nice example in a UV1000 case for $400. Not bad, for a guitar that originally listed at $1300.

Oh, bu the way - shameless plug - www.sevenstring.org. Lotta overlap between here and there.

Yeah, I have never actually played a Universe, but I love the 7620. I used to own a 7621 also but sold it a few years back (kinda wish I would have held onto that one!)

Again, my main confusion came from reading the catalogs and posts on other forums where people claim that they contacted Dimarzio and found out they were indeed Blaze pickups. Just seemed like there was a lot of different information circulating around about it. Plus it seems like some people love the stock pickups while other can't stand them.

I just thought I would ask around here since everyone seems to know a lot about these guitars. I guess it helps that a lot of people here actually play them! You guys have cleared things up a lot for me. Thanks again.

There are only two UV's I'd take over the 7620, the MC and the PW. I would trade a 7620 for a PBK, but only to sell that UV and get 2 more 7620's ;-) 7620's are outstanding instruments.
I didn't like the stock pickups on my grey one, so I swapped them out (with Bartolinis). I planned to replace the stockers on tmy VK one with Blazes but I liked the sound of those. I'd guess the difference in sound is more likely a result of the wood, as the pickups are all made by machines and are pretty much exact dupes of each other. You get a nice piece of wood, especially for the neck, and man you are good to go.

word up Jim. I have a '97 RG7620BK came with new7s. (Just to add to the clarity)
I switched them out with a blaze (n) and a blaze custom (b) green and red naturally.

Wow, I guess that really sums it up. One of the reasons I wondered about the older models having different pickups is because there was so much varying opinion on the stock pups. I thought to myself "no one pickup could evoke this much love and hate at the same time". But it sounds like they sound decent in certain guitars (based on different cuts of wood, etc..) while they sound muddy and poor on others. I never realized that before. All the 7620s/7621s that I have played in the past have been pretty consistent sounding with the stock New 7s. My opinion so far is that they are not bad, but not really great. After tweaking my amp around a bit and cleaning up my technique a bit they sound pretty sweet. Definately usable. Although I may swap them out at some point just to hear what everyone else is raving about.

I hate the New7s. They're just as bad as the V7/V8s, but in another way.

SEE?? Exactly what I was getting at! Some people dig em, and some certainly do not!

My gut feeling is this statement is right, but all of our opinions on just how good that "consistant" sound is are VERY different. One man's mud is another's depth, after all...

-D

+1


I have a 91 UVBk that has been refinished and has all black blazes now, and I have a 98 7620. They both have the lo-pro, d'addario 56's, and similar setups...but the 7620 has more noticeable bite. It is more of my workhorse (since the UV is cosmetically spectacular and is a little older). The UV has a better solo feel. The 7620 has nice tight tension that just barks, while the UV has slightly less cruch. The 7620 will solo GREAT, don't get me wrong, but that UV just flies (it has been dressed and had a special neck treatment too).

The 7620 has the laminated back of the neck, and most people argue that they hate it, but I LOVE it. it just gives me more grip on the board and more focus with what I'm doing. The UV is SO SMOOTH on the back of the neck (special dressing) that allows for it to just play super fast. Can't say I like one over the other, because it depends on the application I'm going for. for metal chunk the 7620 is hands down...but for lead, the UV owns.

You know, my (finished) CST neck is FAR less prone to weather-related shifting than my (unfinished) UV7PWH's neck. I like the feel of bare wood, but I won't be stripping necks anytime soon again.

How does your CST neck in comparison to a UV or a 7620? Also, do you know how a 1527 neck feels? preferrebly the 2004 model with the 3 piece neck with the one big stripe. I've never played one, but it has been proclaimed a re-released 7620 so I'm not sure on how the necks differ in feel and speed.