pick up again

Hi to all!
I have an Ibanez RG550 (pick up v7 on the neck and v8 on the bridge) and an ampli Laney TF300.
The sound i have now is pretty good(only guitar + Laney) expecially for heavy metal and thrash metal stuff,but i'm searching for something with the same bass tone,but with more high,more power and more definition.Sometimes i feel the notes smear together an my bendings arent very aggressive.My sound dont go out when i play with my group,i
feel in a second place,my guitar is not present a lot.
I have in mind to change pick ups but i dont know which.
I have tried DiMarzio Evolution,but i dislike them totally.No bass and no definition.
For the neck sound i would to have some with a lot of mids and highs and few bass.
I play early metallica,iron maiden,megadeth,testament,in one word :classic,power,speed and thrash metal.No new metal.
What kind of pick ups do i have to put in my guitar?
Please give me some advices and comments and remember that I have to use this guitar on a Laney Tf300!!!It have to sound good on THAT amp!!
Thanks to all
Antonio

Thanks for your advice.
I just look to DiMarzio catalogue and i think that it's a good pick up.But there are some things that maybe dont sound good:it has al lot of bass and mids but few high.I can lost some definition with it.And maybe it is in Alnico.
Dont you think that ceramic pick ups work better?
I gave a look to Seymour Duncan catalogue and i saw some good pick ups:in the neck a Duncan Distortion,in the bridge a Duncan Custom or an Invader.Do you know them?
How can they sound on my guitar and with my amplifier?
Anyone can give me an advice,please help me!
Thanks to all!
Antonio

The thing with pickups is, you never know what you'll get untill they are in your guitar.(wich sadly enough is the point where you can't take em back to the shop anymore to swap em for another one)
Another thing, you wont lose definition or clarity just cause a certain pickup has less highs.
Since you play metal, you might want to check into the EMG pickups(81,85), or the DiMarzio X2N, or the Bill Lawrence XL500.(for bridge position) All of these have similar sounds, wich consists of a high output, and a sound leaning towards alot of highs.

You might also want to check out the reader reviews of pickups on http://www.harmony-central.com


Greetz, TK

Thanks for your help,but in my opinion X2N have too much highs,and i dont like it.I like a bassy sound like Paul Gilbert in last album,Superheroes.I want a bassy but not muddy sound.I have to play high speed riffs and i dont want notes smear together,but i want a good palm-muted sound for chrushing-bone rithm.I hope you can understand what i'm trying to say.I like a lot the sound of Troy Stetina in his guitar instructional book,if you know them.Remember that my amplifier is a Laney Tf300,in my opinion bassy sounding,and i lot this,but i want more definition from it.
C'mon guys,i'm waiting for your opinion!
Thanks to all!
Antonio

Hi to all again.Another thing:
i dont want active pick ups because of the batteries and their "cold" sound.

Ok, here's a thought. Almost every pickup you'll buy will sounds 'clearer' then those stock Ibanez pickups. So, just choose a pickup, and get the sound you want from a EQ pedal, or even just the EQ on your amp.

If you want even more clarity and bass response, get a BBE sonic maximizer.


Greetz, TK

BBE Sonic Maximizer....mmm i think it costs too much!
And i dont like thinks between my guitar and my amp!
I just want to plug directly guitar in the amp!
By the way,in pick ups chart,when they says "mid",which range of frequencies are involved?I think bass are around 100-200 Hz,highs around 2500-3000 Hz.Isnt'it?
I have measured the frequency response of my amp with various settings,and i saw that i can move the resonant peak from about 200 Hz to 4500 Hz(with a very scooped sound!)So,again,what pick up in the bridge of my guitar?
I think in the neck I can choose a Duncan Distortion because is powerful and full of mids and high:i use the neck position for soloing and i think it is good.But for the bridge?
Thanks to all can give me support
A special thanks to trendkillah for this useful dialogue.
Antonio

Midrange is around about 3-4 khz.(but correct me if I'm wrong! I'm not 100% sure)

I saw you mentionned you liked Paul Gilberts tone. Well, I quickly checked my DiMarzio catalog, and here are the models he uses :

-PAF Pro
-Tone Zone
-Humbucker From Hell
-Super Distortion

This might give you more of a direction what to look for.

I know it's probably not a cool thing to buy a piece of gear cause a famous guitarplayer uses it, but that's how I select my pickups. I just look at what pickups my favorite guitarplayers use, and then make my choice by having a look at those pickups specifications.
I'd rather buy a pickup that I know someone has a good tone with, then buying a pickup I've never heard anyone use.



Greetz, TK

I tend to agree with Trendkillah. I don't play "heavy" music, but if you want to tailor your tone to optimize certain frequencies, ie. "highs" for clarity, etc. you might want to invest in a quality EQ. Then you can retain the characteristics you like in your current tone and bring out what you feel you're missing! Play on!!

Stratrat

Thanks again for your replies.
The EQ is a good choice but it can never add definition if i dont change my pick ups.
For Paul Gilbert tone,it's ok,i think he uses Super Distortion or Tone Zone to the bridge and Humbucker from hell and PAF pro on the neck.PAF pro are too thin for my uses and Humbucker from hell arent powerful.
Now I have found a site:
http://www.scottsadvancedpc.com/
where you can hear various Seymour Duncan Pick up sounds.
I will hear and then i'll say you my opinion about them.
Thanks again for your support.

Hey men i have heard all the test of Seymour Duncan Pickups!
I choose 2:Duncan Custom and Invader.
If i take an invader,with my basswood guitar and my pretty bass sounding amp,will my sound be muddy?
If i take a Duncan Custom i'll have clarity but will i have the same bone-crunching riffs on the bass e string?
Help me!!!
Thanks for all your patience!
Antonio

p.s.In the neck i'll put a Duncan Distortion for sure

Now that you've narrowed your selection down to a couple of choices, I suggest you look for a service shop that deals with the pickup manufacturer(s) you want.

It may be that they will be willing to allow you a limited time trial period, so you can assess the sound in your rig.

Even if you got replies from several people here who have the same model of guitar and amp as you do, their comments are all going to be subjective, personal opinions.

You seem to have a very definite concept of the sound you're looking for. You will need to hear for yourself. An experienced guitar tech may be able to guide you.

Thank you for your reply.
I hope i can try both pick ups on my guitar to choose the best sound!
When i'll get my change i'l write a final message to say what are the results!
Thank you to all of you!!!
Antonio