Ibanez Artcore tweaks

[floatingpickup]

I have an 85. Spectacular guitar that is constructed and plays far above is price point (the kind of guitars I like!)

Those pickups, however, have to go. I changed them as well as the electronics and nut. It helps if you have a good luthier to do the work and setup.

After I did the above, the guitar easily competes with any dual pickup laminate archtop out there.

What guage chromes are you using? That helps, too. With a good setup, "heavy" strings like 13s will play well and sound good. (Except the low E string, which sounds like a turd. I don't use chromes for that reason




I think that guitar has the much better super 58s in it. At least it's supposed to. Did you buy used or new?

I always felt the Super 58s were so good that an upgrade to an even better pickup was just not worth it!

So either you just don't like them or maybe they were switched out before you bought it?

Mine has D’Addario Chrome 11’s on it right now but I have have used both 12’s and 11’s on it at different times. I do use heavier strings on most of my other guitars but the 11’s feel good to me on this one. I also have a wooden saddle on it at the moment, which I like better than the TOM that came on the guitar. I have read on a couple of different sites that the model that I have (2007 AF95 VLS) had ACH pickups from 2007-2012 and after that they switched to the better Super 58’s. I included a link below that provides the specs of different years. I am pretty sure I would have been happy with Super 58’s, but the ACH pickups sound a little thin to me. Other than that, it is a really nicely made guitar that plays beautifully and rivals guitars that sell for much, much more. I attached a picture of mine.
AF95 (2007–2014) | Ibanez Wiki | Fandom
Keith

[furtom]

I am pretty sure I would have been happy with Super 58’s, but the ACH pickups sound a little thin to me. Other than that, it is a really nicely made guitar that plays beautifully and rivals guitars that sell for much, much more.

Yeah, I think so. I have an AM93 with the 58s, and they really sound quite good.

Interesting, I didn't realize the pickups changed on that model.

When I got the 75, used, it was a steal of a deal, but I bought it knowing it was a fixer upper.

As I said, I replaced the pickups. I didn't think the electronics were particularly bad, but since we were having the guitar on the bench, I thought it was a good time to change all of it, including the output Jack.

That and the bone nut brought this guitar alive! It is all maple, I believe and has just a black pick guard with trapeze tailpiece. It's a much simpler look than the 95, which has it's bling. ?

The opportunity to get that guitar just fell into my lap and it turned out to be one of the best things I ever did, gear-wise.

I had enough deals that went the other way. It was about time one went on my favor!

[guavajelly]

I had an AG75 that I gave to my best friend when I got my GB10. Over the years I made this modifications:
Strings: Roundwound, Halfround, Flatwound – IMHO this had the biggest impact on the tone
Pick: Also big impact on the tone. I like Dunlop Jazztones for the warm tone but settled on Jazz I for the best compromise of tone and handling for myself. YMMV.
Bridge: Changed from the TOM to a wooden bridge and never looked back. The tone became a bit more woody, brighter and airy in lack of better words.
Pickup: Eventually I wanted to know if changing the neck pickup would bring the guitar on par with the GB so I put in a Seymour Duncan Jazz I won on ebay. That had the least impact on the tone. I resume that the stock pickups were already fine. Honestly I liked it even a bit better ...
I'm glad that I have my GB but if I wouldn't have it, I still would enjoy the AG75 (the poor man's GB – except the body size very similar to as AF) – it's a nice guitar, plays well, good tone – lots of value for the money.
If you want to change your tone I would start experimenting with strings and picks first. Playing technique will also make a bit difference. And the setup of the guitar – buzzing strings don't support a clean tone very well so you may prefer a slightly higher action. After that I would try another bridge – for a more acoustic tone a wood bridge may be the ticket. I would try different pickups last.

[ASonic]

I had an AG75 that I gave to my best friend when I got my GB10. Over the years I made this modifications:
Strings: Roundwound, Halfround, Flatwound – IMHO this had the biggest impact on the tone
Pick: Also big impact on the tone. I like Dunlop Jazztones for the warm tone but settled on Jazz I for the best compromise of tone and handling for myself. YMMV.
Bridge: Changed from the TOM to a wooden bridge and never looked back. The tone became a bit more woody, brighter and airy in lack of better words.
Pickup: Eventually I wanted to know if changing the neck pickup would bring the guitar on par with the GB so I put in a Seymour Duncan Jazz I won on ebay. That had the least impact on the tone. I resume that the stock pickups were already fine. Honestly I liked it even a bit better ...
I'm glad that I have my GB but if I wouldn't have it, I still would enjoy the AG75 (the poor man's GB – except the body size very similar to as AF) – it's a nice guitar, plays well, good tone – lots of value for the money.
If you want to change your tone I would start experimenting with strings and picks first. Playing technique will also make a bit difference. And the setup of the guitar – buzzing strings don't support a clean tone very well so you may prefer a slightly higher action. After that I would try another bridge – for a more acoustic tone a wood bridge may be the ticket. I would try different pickups last.

Hmm now this is interesting. Are you saying the tone barely got better after changing the pickups? Maybe I have them too high? I'll be lowering them today, will report here. I got flats for the sound precisely, and the pick I use is quite dark sounding I believe and it's thick, I'll try jazztones, they seem to be 2mm + , mine are thinner. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I'm still positive it's the pickups, because unplugged the guitar sounds really warm and nice, it's a bit of a turn off that when I plug it in all the magic is gone. Could be the pups are too hot and need to be lowered.. If that doesn't work, I'll just try new pickups I guess...

[ASonic]

Update: still havent touched the pups, but had a dunlop flow 2.5mm pick laying around. It's nott very jazzy, but what a difference already. Helped smoothen things up for sure and gave the tone a character. Maybe if I'll try all the tricks, I will finally get an acceptable sound

[sgosnell]

Adjusting pickup height is a 2 minute task, and easily reversible. I would not consider changing pickups unless I had tried changing the pickup height from as high as possible to as low as possible, and every position in between. And the same with the tone and volume controls, and the amp controls. It makes a definite difference in tone when you change the guitar volume from full on to very low, and adjusting the amp volume to keep the overall output the same. And also for the tone controls on both the amp and the guitar. It can take time to investigate all the possible settings, but it's only time, not money, and you can get in plenty of practice while doing the investigations.

[ASonic]

Update 2: lowered the neck pickup, now low e is about 4mm, high e is 3,5-3,6. Incredible. It sings finally. Working on the bridge now.
There's still some boomy issue on certain frets and strings. Like 11th and 13th fret on A are a bit too loud, as if they're resonating and feedbacking. It's got better now that I tweaked the height, but still a bit louder than the rest. Also the B string as a whole is a tad louder than the rest.

[sgosnell]

The b is always louder, because of the string diameter. I always lower the b polepiece as low as it will go, then adjust everything else based on that. The wound G usually needs to be the highest polepiece, because of the small core diameter.

[teeps]

I got this guitar for cleans only, i do have dirt pedals but I'm not going to use them here. So about the pickups, do I simply lower them or do I raise the individual screws afterwards as well? How much should the ideal distance be from the screw top?

A TS clone will at low gain affect the sonic character giving the tone a bit more edge and atrack but still ring out fairly clean. Nobody will hear this setting as overdriven but will/might be impressed that your clean tone really "cuts through" in a mix. If you are a no-pedal guy by principle then using the "Lead" channel on your amp may do the trick as well.

+1 vote for a wooden bridge.

[ASonic]

A TS clone will at low gain affect the sonic character giving the tone a bit more edge and atrack but still ring out fairly clean. Nobody will hear this setting as overdriven but will/might be impressed that your clean tone really "cuts through" in a mix. If you are a no-pedal guy by principle then using the "Lead" channel on your amp may do the trick as well.

+1 vote for a wooden bridge.

No, I'm not that guy, I use pedals with my solid bodies. I will try my OD soon, and there's tiny amount of gain on the amp as well atm. To be honest after all these changes it's night and day. Now I'll try to get a rounder jazzier pick, but switching to 2.5 alone changed the tone by 35%-40%, the other 60-65% of the change is on lowering the pickups. So much for the "jazz sound is in the fingers" claim. Of course it is - if you've never played a certain genre, it won't sound right, but the sound quality is a completely different issue on its own.
Anyway, next step is the pick and 11s or 12s. I think I'll skip getting a new pickup for now, cause it sounds pretty close to what I'm looking for. If I see it's not enough in a month or two, then I'll go for it.
Thank you everyone! This was insanely helpful. I'll be around with more questions and I'm reading the discussions and learning new things.

[ASonic]

Adjusting pickup height is a 2 minute task, and easily reversible. I would not consider changing pickups unless I had tried changing the pickup height from as high as possible to as low as possible, and every position in between. And the same with the tone and volume controls, and the amp controls. It makes a definite difference in tone when you change the guitar volume from full on to very low, and adjusting the amp volume to keep the overall output the same. And also for the tone controls on both the amp and the guitar. It can take time to investigate all the possible settings, but it's only time, not money, and you can get in plenty of practice while doing the investigations.

missed this post for some reason. Apart from adjusting the pickup height I had done everything, I dial down the tone most of the time, slightly above 0 is my sweet spot. and I played with amp EQ etc. The pickup height was definitely the main culprit, pick - the second.

[citizenk74]

I got this guitar for cleans only, i do have dirt pedals but I'm not going to use them here. So about the pickups, do I simply lower them or do I raise the individual screws afterwards as well? How much should the ideal distance be from the screw top?

I see you have this largely sorted out. To clarify, the aside about knobs going "in both directions" was a reference to very low settings for gain and/or tone. Merely engaging the circuits sometimes has a good effect.

[ASonic]

I see you have this largely sorted out. To clarify, the aside about knobs going "in both directions" was a reference to very low settings for gain and/or tone. Merely engaging the circuits sometimes has a good effect.

Gotcha

[Swede]

I worked at Ibanez. I know their guitars really well. I bought a bunch of them while I was there and on ALL of them, I changed the pickups from the start.
A lot of people like the stock PU's but it's a personal preference, I do not.
The construction, feel, balance, necks, most of the hardware are good and on the artcores, the body construction was excellent. Replacement of the stock pickups and input jack were a given; that's where they cut the corners and after doing that, I had what I considered a serious professional grade workhorse guitar with great feel.
If I were outfitting it for a pro player, I would also put top grade tuning machines and set it up with more critical clearance at the nut and a fret level and end trim in the peak of winter. In this way, those Ibanez guitars give any competition a serious run for the money.
My favourite Pickups happen to be Duncan 59 or Seth Lover for an inherently brighter topped instrument (these PU's can round out and warm up a guitar with 'edge' and make the clarity work for you.) Antiquities if you have the scratch.
If the guitar has a more even or understated warmth to it, I personally like the ability of the Jazz to bring out the articulate attack and mid range acoustical quality of a top, but I play fingerstyle so that's part of my own aesthetic. Many players hear this pickup as being too high end clear, or described as brittle.

As you may have guessed, pickups are VERY personal and a match is something you need to find by trial and error and by knowing yourself as a player. Get something good (don't play the cheap option at this stage) and grow into it. It's the only way you'll learn to hear the qualities that will ultimately shape your choices in the future.
My two cents anyway.

I have an artcore AK95 and are not totally satisfied with the tone of the ACH2(H) as neck PU. It´s very heavy on bass. Its not "boomy" but there to much bass and not enough of midrange and clarity. The treble strings sounds just right though.

I was wondering for a while if its the guitar body that creates the muffled sound so i did an experiment. My second jazz guitar is an 1961 acoustic Levin 330 archtop that I used when playing in an amateur jazz big band for a while, it was before i got the ibanez AK. We had a great band leader that happend to have a vintage Schaller PU laying around that i bought and managed fitting temporarily to the neck of the Levin as a floater. With roundwounds it sounded as an amplified flattop. Much later I tried fitting the schaller (with adhesive tape) to my Ibanes AK but it gave almost the same acoustic sound as on the Levin, but a tiny bit more thunky sound, probably because of the flatwounds on the ibanez.

My first guitar, that I bought locally ca 1980, was an old 335 lawsuit ibanez probably a 1972 model, that had capacitator "variator" switch with (if I remember correctly) at least 3 steps. Similar to what gibson had What is "Varitone"? I mostly played it with the variator on brightest setting, but for solo playing a lower uF gave sweeter tone i guess, but also much more muffled. It was an interesting detail but I really didnt find it useble at the time playing pop/rock/some blues. The guitar had a very nice build quality and sound but I sold it (stupid decision!) 8 years later and bought a second hand stratocaster reissue 59 that i still have.


Ive tried to lower the PU and it lifts the mids but at the same time i find the sound overall to be weaker and "plonkier", not the full jazz sound Im after. Im wondering if a capacitator replacement could be a remedy. The AK95 has so much bass that a filtering of bass tones maybe would give better clarity without blowing the trebles. Maybe it will affect the tone control in some other way, i dont know. A replecement costs hardly anything to try, even though it takes some time to reach the hardware.

Here is test of diffrent caps

Some info about caps Tone Control Capacitor – Choosing the Right Value for Your Guitar – Humbucker Soup

If there is an 0,22 uF cap in it then maybe a 0,47 uF would create a clearer sound. Have anyone tried to replace the capcitator with one of higher uF value? Are there trade off/downsides?

[Jimmy blue note]

Also , since you're familiar with the guitars, what pickup height would you suggest to combat the mud?

So many variables and factours in this question and I'll tell you exactly what I'd do were you to come into my shop. I'd sit you in a chair, get your amp out, get my favourite amp out ( :-) a Fender Princeton II) and my small screwdriver.
"Play me something." I'd say. 'let you play for 30 seconds til you've got the sound.
"Now let me take it down four full turns". You play a piece you like, something you know, for 30 seconds to a minute. "Describe the difference".

That way we find the usable range and the gains and trade-offs with each step. In the end, if it takes more than 15 minutes, put it down, and we play a tune. Clear your head and have fun. Then we start, maybe with the other amp. In the end, it's down to maybe a quarter or half turn and a general zone of what you can live with.

Take it home and in 3 weeks you call me and tell me if you want to do this again.
That's how I find pickup height.

Of course at Ibanez, I had specs to work to. That is a gross ballpark figure. I have no idea who that owner is or how or even if they play. Anytime you get a guitar, it's only the start of making it yours.
It's very satisfying to finally feel it is your guitar. I change my preferences quite regularly. The screw driver is my best friend.

[Jimmy blue note]

If there is an 0,22 uF cap in it then maybe a 0,47 uF would create a clearer sound. Have anyone tried to replace the capcitator with one of higher uF value? Are there trade off/downsides?

While a cap changes the feel of the sound shift as you find your sound, understand that the different values change the sweep, but the actual sound of the pickup at both ends of the tone, 0 and 10 are the same. Different caps will effect how fast the high or low end bleeds off, how much of the high or low end is allowed to pass to the amp, that's what it does: It effects the slope of the frequency roll off and how fast it feels when you "sweep".
This understood, with one value, the 6 setting might sound where the 5 setting is on another value. etc.
I know it's a cop out answer but in the end, that's your taste. The more you twittle with your tone, the more you'll feel what's right for you.
For my useless advice anyway...

[citizenk74]

I have an artcore AK95 and are not totally satisfied with the tone of the ACH2(H) as neck PU. It´s very heavy on bass. Its not "boomy" but there to much bass and not enough of midrange and clarity. The treble strings sounds just right though.

I was wondering for a while if its the guitar body that creates the muffled sound so i did an experiment. My second jazz guitar is an 1961 acoustic Levin 330 archtop that I used when playing in an amateur jazz big band for a while, it was before i got the ibanez AK. We had a great band leader that happend to have a vintage Schaller PU laying around that i bought and managed fitting temporarily to the neck of the Levin as a floater. With roundwounds it sounded as an amplified flattop. Much later I tried fitting the schaller (with adhesive tape) to my Ibanes AK but it gave almost the same acoustic sound as on the Levin, but a tiny bit more thunky sound, probably because of the flatwounds on the ibanez.

My first guitar, that I bought locally ca 1980, was an old 335 lawsuit ibanez probably a 1972 model, that had capacitator "variator" switch with (if I remember correctly) at least 3 steps. Similar to what gibson had What is "Varitone"? I mostly played it with the variator on brightest setting, but for solo playing a lower uF gave sweeter tone i guess, but also much more muffled. It was an interesting detail but I really didnt find it useble at the time playing pop/rock/some blues. The guitar had a very nice build quality and sound but I sold it (stupid decision!) 8 years later and bought a second hand stratocaster reissue 59 that i still have.


Ive tried to lower the PU and it lifts the mids but at the same time i find the sound overall to be weaker and "plonkier", not the full jazz sound Im after. Im wondering if a capacitator replacement could be a remedy. The AK95 has so much bass that a filtering of bass tones maybe would give better clarity without blowing the trebles. Maybe it will affect the tone control in some other way, i dont know. A replecement costs hardly anything to try, even though it takes some time to reach the hardware.

Here is test of diffrent caps

Some info about caps Tone Control Capacitor – Choosing the Right Value for Your Guitar – Humbucker Soup

If there is an 0,22 uF cap in it then maybe a 0,47 uF would create a clearer sound. Have anyone tried to replace the capcitator with one of higher uF value? Are there trade off/downsides?

[ASonic]

So many variables and factours in this question and I'll tell you exactly what I'd do were you to come into my shop. I'd sit you in a chair, get your amp out, get my favourite amp out ( :-) a Fender Princeton II) and my small screwdriver.
"Play me something." I'd say. 'let you play for 30 seconds til you've got the sound.
"Now let me take it down four full turns". You play a piece you like, something you know, for 30 seconds to a minute. "Describe the difference".

That way we find the usable range and the gains and trade-offs with each step. In the end, if it takes more than 15 minutes, put it down, and we play a tune. Clear your head and have fun. Then we start, maybe with the other amp. In the end, it's down to maybe a quarter or half turn and a general zone of what you can live with.

Take it home and in 3 weeks you call me and tell me if you want to do this again.
That's how I find pickup height.

Of course at Ibanez, I had specs to work to. That is a gross ballpark figure. I have no idea who that owner is or how or even if they play. Anytime you get a guitar, it's only the start of making it yours.
It's very satisfying to finally feel it is your guitar. I change my preferences quite regularly. The screw driver is my best friend.

Great post, thank you almost convinced me to move to the States !

[ASonic]

I have an artcore AK95 and are not totally satisfied with the tone of the ACH2(H) as neck PU. It´s very heavy on bass. Its not "boomy" but there to much bass and not enough of midrange and clarity. The treble strings sounds just right though.

I was wondering for a while if its the guitar body that creates the muffled sound so i did an experiment. My second jazz guitar is an 1961 acoustic Levin 330 archtop that I used when playing in an amateur jazz big band for a while, it was before i got the ibanez AK. We had a great band leader that happend to have a vintage Schaller PU laying around that i bought and managed fitting temporarily to the neck of the Levin as a floater. With roundwounds it sounded as an amplified flattop. Much later I tried fitting the schaller (with adhesive tape) to my Ibanes AK but it gave almost the same acoustic sound as on the Levin, but a tiny bit more thunky sound, probably because of the flatwounds on the ibanez.

My first guitar, that I bought locally ca 1980, was an old 335 lawsuit ibanez probably a 1972 model, that had capacitator "variator" switch with (if I remember correctly) at least 3 steps. Similar to what gibson had What is "Varitone"? I mostly played it with the variator on brightest setting, but for solo playing a lower uF gave sweeter tone i guess, but also much more muffled. It was an interesting detail but I really didnt find it useble at the time playing pop/rock/some blues. The guitar had a very nice build quality and sound but I sold it (stupid decision!) 8 years later and bought a second hand stratocaster reissue 59 that i still have.


Ive tried to lower the PU and it lifts the mids but at the same time i find the sound overall to be weaker and "plonkier", not the full jazz sound Im after. Im wondering if a capacitator replacement could be a remedy. The AK95 has so much bass that a filtering of bass tones maybe would give better clarity without blowing the trebles. Maybe it will affect the tone control in some other way, i dont know. A replecement costs hardly anything to try, even though it takes some time to reach the hardware.

Here is test of diffrent caps

Some info about caps Tone Control Capacitor – Choosing the Right Value for Your Guitar – Humbucker Soup

If there is an 0,22 uF cap in it then maybe a 0,47 uF would create a clearer sound. Have anyone tried to replace the capcitator with one of higher uF value? Are there trade off/downsides?

Reading this makes me feel lucky that I opted for Artcores atfer all, since the bass on my vox amp is the weakest spot, having a bigger low end is a godsend.

[jazzkritter]

I have no opinions whatsoever on the subject of Ibanez guitars. But I lie!
1) Ibanez Artcores can be a great sounding and playing instrument with a few changes. While the are off loving Eastmans, they are missing the best $/performance guitars out there. I have three MIJ Ibanez, and two Chinese, one Indonesian Artcore. The China builds are OK. The Indo AF95FM is incredibly Great, seriously compares with the MIJ AF200.

2) Change the pickups, it’s one place where they save costs. Me? The current Super 58s (Made in Japan) are excellent sound and feel. But I prefer Lindy Fralin’s Modern PAF, a warm, natural and very interactive feeling pup. I’ve tried the Benedetto, 36th, Antiquity, Lollar Imperial, others but Lindy knows what he is doing, I love the sound.

2) 11s? No! Get thee to 12s, to my ear 11s are tinny and sparse, especially D’Addario (to me they go on thin and tinny, and stay, then drop to duds. TIs do go on sounding bright, but play them in and they are a great mellow string that stays alive. They’re #1 in the polls here for good reason. There’s a fence you cross 11 to 12, another 13. to 14. Tal Farlow swapped up to 15/20 for E/B, as did Kessel, others. thicker strings, thicker sound. Blues and rock guys play 8-9-10s for a screaming reason))). Treat yourself to the German Optima Gold E and B. You will thank me for it.

3) The warm thunk does not happen just from a pick. Tal used a regular ol Fender Heavy, no boutique stuff. The king of thunk.

4) OMG ditch the VOX. Great amp for John Lennon and George Harrison, but even they jumped ship to Fender. The DV Mark jazz amps are well thought of here, and inexpensive too.

5) I assume you have swapped the metal TOM bridge for a wooden bridge? Major improvement in jazz tonality.

6) As JBN says, ditch the tuners. Another cost saver, get a decent set of low end Gotah. Or get a great set, they don’t cost that much.

7) As JBN says, new electronics, especially the freakin output jacks. Honestly even the output Jack on my LGB300 had to be replaced, it was too loose. WTF Ibanez? I have my own opinions on the volume/tone controls. There are two ways to make them ‘feel’ of quality: good construction, or, conducive grease. I’ve never opened one so I reserve my opinion.

8) I do listen to anything JBN says, so… Back to pickups. It really is personal choice, however there is broadly two ends to the jazz tone spectrum. JBM is over there with the fingerpicking folks and yes they want (and need) a brighter punchy sound. JK here, is on the other side trying for a clean, warm, mellow sound using a pick. So as they say in the UK: ‘Horses for courses’!

As I said, I have no opinions whatsoever.

jk

[ASonic]

So I've been trying various picks from my pick bag tonight, and thought it could be helpful for the folks who are after the tone that I'm after.

Turned out I had the infamous jazz III reds, they were the second worst picks for my sound, the only pick that was worse was MAX-GRIP(R) NYLON STANDARD PICK 1.0MM - Dunlop this one. (seems like Nylons are a no go for me)

The pick I tried initially before changing to the Dunlop flow as I mentioned in the post was - https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-fxdz...692541.jpg?c=2 this one. Pretty flat sounding and boring. Still better than the prev 2.

Then I had my go to rock pick - Ultex James Hetfield black pick - better than the purple one, less clicky, more precise, but still not great, I could get away using it but it's quite meh overall for the job.

Then comes the 2.5 dunlop flow jumbo. It's a bit of a beast of it's own, it does sound very jazzy but very matte and round, I love that sound but even for me it was a bit too much. Still would certainly use it if I had nothing else.

2 winners were the most surprising as I never thought they'd be good enough. The runner up was this dunlop gator https://media.sweetwater.com/images/...d02ac82ceb9622 . That's the only thickness that I had, I'm eager to try thicker gators since they can turn out to be even better. It's a tad bit brighter than my winner, but I'm after the PM sound, if I was to play something brighter, I'd surely use this one.

and the first place goes to a pick I never thought I'd use in my life.

ESP Very Rare "Perforated" Pick PD-H10 Teardrop 1.0mm. I'm simply blown away. The sound is super tight and warm, but not clicky at all, it feels like shooting harmonics into the air, very focused but not outlined by treble. Fantastic pick. I'm going to see if there are other sizes for this one, I already see a larger triangular ones, but I'm not sure I want a big one like that. (just checked, it's only these 2 PD and PT, both 1mm)

I have some other picks here, but i'll test them later as I think they're a bit too thin and won't do me good. Plus I don't wanna bore you too much.

so
7. max grip
6. Jazz III reds
5. tortex 1.14
4. ultex hetfield black
3. Flow 2.5 jumbo
2. Gator 0.98
1. ESP PT-H10 Yellow

It's funny I always liked the way this ESP pick looked but never found use for it.

[ASonic]

The Jazz II on the other hand are quite decent, if you like the size of those


But actually just came here to say .. Take that Gator or the tortex or ... try playing with the shoulder of it instead of the pointy bit

Just went and tried the Gator with the shoulder- very nice indeed. Could be a good universal pick for switching during play. The ESP point plays the same as Gator's shoulder though, and ESP-s shoulder is even smoother. I might as well order a pack of those, they're too good on my ears. The size is close to the Jazz-es, just a bit wider top, they're not like those larger teardrops. Basically same size as the Gators.

[burchyk]

For what it's worth - I believe Pat is playing some paper thin Fender picks.

Would be interesting if you could record a video with the settings and some sounds. Have a hunch that it can be done with the gear you've got unless your amp is one of those Vox 4W deals.

[ASonic]

I have no opinions whatsoever on the subject of Ibanez guitars. But I lie!
1) Ibanez Artcores can be a great sounding and playing instrument with a few changes. While the are off loving Eastmans, they are missing the best $/performance guitars out there. I have three MIJ Ibanez, and two Chinese, one Indonesian Artcore. The China builds are OK. The Indo AF95FM is incredibly Great, seriously compares with the MIJ AF200.

2) Change the pickups, it’s one place where they save costs. Me? The current Super 58s (Made in Japan) are excellent sound and feel. But I prefer Lindy Fralin’s Modern PAF, a warm, natural and very interactive feeling pup. I’ve tried the Benedetto, 36th, Antiquity, Lollar Imperial, others but Lindy knows what he is doing, I love the sound.

2) 11s? No! Get thee to 12s, to my ear 11s are tinny and sparse, especially D’Addario (to me they go on thin and tinny, and stay, then drop to duds. TIs do go on sounding bright, but play them in and they are a great mellow string that stays alive. They’re #1 in the polls here for good reason. There’s a fence you cross 11 to 12, another 13. to 14. Tal Farlow swapped up to 15/20 for E/B, as did Kessel, others. thicker strings, thicker sound. Blues and rock guys play 8-9-10s for a screaming reason))). Treat yourself to the German Optima Gold E and B. You will thank me for it.

3) The warm thunk does not happen just from a pick. Tal used a regular ol Fender Heavy, no boutique stuff. The king of thunk.

4) OMG ditch the VOX. Great amp for John Lennon and George Harrison, but even they jumped ship to Fender. The DV Mark jazz amps are well thought of here, and inexpensive too.

5) I assume you have swapped the metal TOM bridge for a wooden bridge? Major improvement in jazz tonality.

6) As JBN says, ditch the tuners. Another cost saver, get a decent set of low end Gotah. Or get a great set, they don’t cost that much.

7) As JBN says, new electronics, especially the freakin output jacks. Honestly even the output Jack on my LGB300 had to be replaced, it was too loose. WTF Ibanez? I have my own opinions on the volume/tone controls. There are two ways to make them ‘feel’ of quality: good construction, or, conducive grease. I’ve never opened one so I reserve my opinion.

8) I do listen to anything JBN says, so… Back to pickups. It really is personal choice, however there is broadly two ends to the jazz tone spectrum. JBM is over there with the fingerpicking folks and yes they want (and need) a brighter punchy sound. JK here, is on the other side trying for a clean, warm, mellow sound using a pick. So as they say in the UK: ‘Horses for courses’!

As I said, I have no opinions whatsoever.

jk

Thanks! Pickups I can always change, but at the moment I'm pretty much pleased with what I got, night and day difference from when I started this thread. My ear is definitely not as sophisticated as you guys, but I enjoy what's enjoyable I'm sure it can still get better but no rush for now.

In my case the sound improved dramatically with the change of pick, so I wouldn't say it doesn't. Of course lowering the pickups was what brought it back to life, but pick was insanely important, thanks to the poster who pointed that out.

I'm not going to change the TOM yet, I'm not really an acoustic guy, I enjoy listening to others play woody guitar, but I prefer to keep some electric sound to it, plus I'm far from being an intonation guru, so the bridge stays for now.

I'll think about 12's.. If it's TI's then that'll work for sure, with D'Addario I'm kind of hesitant, since they have more tension and 11's would be a safer pick for now.

The amp I won't ditch I play other genres as well, just getting more and more into jazz and fusion. I know it's not a jazz amp, but so far I can't spend more on gear, the budget is tight, so not right now. I'll put the DV on the list, thanks! Heard some good things about it, but wasn't sure, was more into getting a Cube or something similar.

I'm more on the JK side as well then, not a great fingerpicker.

electronics etc, i'll change them when they start misbehaving, for now it's alright, I do see the potential for the input jack to get loose though

[ASonic]

He is .. they where all the store in his little town had available when he was starting out and now he is just used to then as by his interviews

. But notice how his right hand adjusts. He holds the pick tight and kinda folds it .. and hits the strings with the side of the pick and not the front like most do

and he uses three fingers. Just like I do Bad habits.. same as with the upstrokes.