# Emg designed or ibanez v7 v8 pickup??



## mutt (May 15, 2012)

hhi guys...im planning to change pickup on my ibanez grg220dex..which u guys think is better?? emg designed or ibanez v7 v8 pickup?? they're both within my budget..plsss help...tq


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 15, 2012)

They both suck man...save for DiMarzio


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> They both suck man...save for DiMarzio



my wallet not ready for dmarzio yet  in ur opinion which one is better between those two?


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 15, 2012)

Neither man, I gave away my last v7/v8 set..


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## setsuna7 (May 15, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> They both suck man...save for DiMarzio


+1 Save your money for Dimarzios


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Neither man, I gave away my last v7/v8 set..



 so do u think i better stick to my grg220dex stock pickup?? is it my stock pickup is more or less the same with those two? im noob..plss help


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## OrsusMetal (May 15, 2012)

I'd pick the V7/V8 combo if I HAD to go with one of those sets. But, like the others have said, save up a little more and grab something better. Assuming that you are buying these pickups and not receiving them for free.

Another suggestion would be to just replace the bridge pickup. That would be cheaper and you can always replace the neck pickup later.


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

OrsusMetal said:


> I'd pick the V7/V8 combo if I HAD to go with one of those sets. But, like the others have said, save up a little more and grab something better. Assuming that you are buying these pickups and not receiving them for free.
> 
> Another suggestion would be to just replace the bridge pickup. That would be cheaper and you can always replace the neck pickup later.



but i just planning to put it in my grg220..is it worth to put expensive pickups on cheap guitar?


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## setsuna7 (May 15, 2012)

Call this guy and ask him for help...Dead Eye Guitars
Great dude to deal with,and cheaper than retail shop..


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

setsuna7 said:


> Call this guy and ask him for help...Dead Eye Guitars
> Great dude to deal with,and cheaper than retail shop..



do they sell pickups? i got this offer, emg designed RM150, v7 v8 RM200...both bridge n neck


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## OrsusMetal (May 15, 2012)

mutt said:


> but i just planning to put it in my grg220..is it worth to put expensive pickups on cheap guitar?



Why not? If this is a guitar you will be playing for awhile, why not try to make it sound better? If you eventually upgrade to a better guitar, the pickups can be taken out of the GRG220 and into whatever. People upgrade cheaper guitars all the time. I do it. In the end, it is up to you. Just don't get the EMG designed ones.


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## setsuna7 (May 15, 2012)

Like we all said,be patient,save then call that dude. I bought 2 guitars from him,and yes he sell pickups too.


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

OrsusMetal said:


> Why not? If this is a guitar you will be playing for awhile, why not try to make it sound better? If you eventually upgrade to a better guitar, the pickups can be taken out of the GRG220 and into whatever. People upgrade cheaper guitars all the time. I do it. In the end, it is up to you. Just don't get the EMG designed ones.



yeah totally agree..are u saying v7 v8 is better? come on man,i just need a little push


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

setsuna7 said:


> Like we all said,be patient,save then call that dude. I bought 2 guitars from him,and yes he sell pickups too.



i bought my schecter demon 7 from him too btw  ok i'll call him later, jus want to know what the world have to say 1st


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## GSingleton (May 15, 2012)

save...up....anyway?


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## Oxidation_Shed (May 15, 2012)

It's not worth putting either in. The increase in sound won't be worth the money you put in, and resale value for when you can afford some decent pups will be much lower.
If you buy these now, it will just mean even longer time before you can afford to get a set of pups that actually sound half decent.


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## jymellis (May 15, 2012)

i have a cheapy rg270 i needed "other than stock" pups in. i got a "quad rail prodigy" brand pick up from ebay for 26 dollars. not a dimarzio, but way better than stock.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/QUAD-RAIL-B...217?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item5893354271


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## Metamurphic (May 15, 2012)

Just thought i'd chime in with something other than loose the crap stock pickups and DiMarzio's rule. This is in the begginer section after all.

There's a few factors other than pickups that contribute to tone. A good tone's foundation comes from the player and going from stock pickups you have now to Ibby V8's, emg designed or even DiMarzio is not necessarily going to make you sound better. If you have your heart set on upgrading, then go for it. Lots of guitarist do it at some point. An upgrade is great if you're happy with every other aspect of the instrument. It's worthwhile if you think it's worthwhile. I find the V8 and V7 to be better than EMG designed *BUT I WOULD NOT PAY MONEY FOR EITHER OF THESE.*

What's the main reason for wanting an upgrade? What setup do you play through, are you gigging or recording?

I've left stock INF pickups in my lattest ibanez because i find them quite adequate! They're certainly not as good as DiMarzio or Duncan's but i enjoy playing this guitar as much as i enjoy playing my upgraded ones.


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

Metamurphic said:


> Just thought i'd chime in with something other than loose the crap stock pickups and DiMarzio's rule. This is in the begginer section after all.
> 
> There's a few factors other than pickups that contribute to tone. A good tone's foundation comes from the player and going from stock pickups you have now to Ibby V8's, emg designed or even DiMarzio is not necessarily going to make you sound better. If you have your heart set on upgrading, then go for it. Lots of guitarist do it at some point. An upgrade is great if you're happy with every other aspect of the instrument. It's worthwhile if you think it's worthwhile. I find the V8 and V7 to be better than EMG designed *BUT I WOULD NOT PAY MONEY FOR EITHER OF THESE.*
> 
> ...



thnks bro..nice opinion..actually im quite into v7 v8 coz mick thompson ibanez mtm2 use this pups..so i thought it must be better than my grg220 stock pups..im not looking for emg,dmarzio or duncan crap..i know they're good..just want to know are these (v7 v8 and emg designed) better than my grg220 stock pups? is it worth, at least a bit of sound difference would be good enough..


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

jymellis said:


> i have a cheapy rg270 i needed "other than stock" pups in. i got a "quad rail prodigy" brand pick up from ebay for 26 dollars. not a dimarzio, but way better than stock.
> 
> 
> QUAD RAIL BL - HB BLACK - QUALITY-13.50K- " Prodigy" BRAND NEW!! TOP QUALITY | eBay



is it good?


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

Oxidation_Shed said:


> It's not worth putting either in. The increase in sound won't be worth the money you put in, and resale value for when you can afford some decent pups will be much lower.
> If you buy these now, it will just mean even longer time before you can afford to get a set of pups that actually sound half decent.



yeah..its good to think that way..but im just playing for myself, i am far away from pro...i dont think i'll buy expensive pups until i can shred like jeff loomis  so i think its not gonna happen


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 15, 2012)

I'd skip the EMG Designed just because I think EMG _*CANNOT*_ design or make good passive pickups. 

Hated the EMG HZ4 bridge I had in my Schecter. And something tells me the Ibby's EMG Designed ones would be even worse. 

And if you're on a budget, check out Guitarheads or Guitarfetish. They make some awesome pickups for the cash. I really like the Guitarheads Megametal in the bridge of my Schecter. Sounded a lot better then my EMG HZ.


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## VBCheeseGrater (May 15, 2012)

If you have to pick between those 2, go for the V7/V8. They don't sound bad to me, you can get a nice heavy tone with 'em. On the other hand, anything i've ever played that said "Designed by EMG" sounded pretty bad. My first pickup change ever was for a "Select - designed by EMG" I would have been better off with stock squire single coil.


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I'd skip the EMG Designed just because I think EMG _*CANNOT*_ design or make good passive pickups.
> 
> Hated the EMG HZ4 bridge I had in my Schecter. And something tells me the Ibby's EMG Designed ones would be even worse.
> 
> And if you're on a budget, check out Guitarheads or Guitarfetish. They make some awesome pickups for the cash. I really like the Guitarheads Megametal in the bridge of my Schecter. Sounded a lot better then my EMG HZ.



the problem is im not on a budget..i can afford the v7 v8 or emg designed..so which one?


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

vbshredder said:


> If you have to pick between those 2, go for the V7/V8. They don't sound bad to me, you can get a nice heavy tone with 'em. On the other hand, anything i've ever played that said "Designed by EMG" sounded pretty bad. My first pickup change ever was for a "Select - designed by EMG" I would have been better off with stock squire single coil.



i dont know much about v7 v8..have u try em?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 15, 2012)

Oh wait, forgot about Guitarheads or Guitarfetish. They're not available in Malaysia, I think.


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Oh wait, forgot about Guitarheads or Guitarfetish. They're not available in Malaysia, I think.



yeah..They're not..


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 15, 2012)

Is there any way you can get a hold of Artec pickups?


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## L1ght (May 15, 2012)

I don't really know your playing style, but on my cheap RG321MH I have the stock INF Ibanez pickups, and I tell you, they sound pretty fucking wicked and balanced going through my 6505. I will upgrade them eventually, but for now I think they sound perfect. So since they are the stock Ibanez pickups, I imagine they are pretty cheap lol.


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## mutt (May 15, 2012)

L1ghtChaos said:


> I don't really know your playing style, but on my cheap RG321MH I have the stock INF Ibanez pickups, and I tell you, they sound pretty fucking wicked and balanced going through my 6505. I will upgrade them eventually, but for now I think they sound perfect. So since they are the stock Ibanez pickups, I imagine they are pretty cheap lol.



i dont know what makes me feel like changing pickup..its part of being human i guess, human never satisfy of what they have  my grg220 pickups are ok to me, since i mostly play hard rock and metal,not use clean channel so often..but i feel like the grg220 stock pickups are not good enough,its obvious bcause the guitar itself is cheap..so thats the reason..


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## VBCheeseGrater (May 15, 2012)

mutt said:


> i dont know much about v7 v8..have u try em?



Yeah, they are decent pickups for playing heavy music on a budget. Never owned an ibanez with them but played plenty and was never offended. I did put the V7 in the bridge position of a pacifica i had (its designed for the neck), it was an improvement over stock for sure. But more so, the "designed by EMGs" always seem lousy to me, avoid.


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## IndoRGforme (May 16, 2012)

Mutt For what you want I think coz of your style, I dont like either, but the v7v8 will be more rock and the emg will be more metal! I've used both and still have v7 v8 in one and I play Van Halen on it. Both choices are probably better than your stock which are probably powersounds. Good luck on picking, and I hope I was able to help! 
Keep it METAL \m/


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## Oxidation_Shed (May 16, 2012)

It sounds like you're not really listening to the advice people are giving you, you're just looking for someone to back up the decisions you've already made.
Will they sound better: yes
Will they sound good enough to justify spending money on them: no

If you actually want a decent set of pups for the sake of your tone, wait and save.
If you just want to throw your money away buying pups for the sake of buying pups, go for the V7/8


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## K3V1N SHR3DZ (May 17, 2012)

save your money. 
buy an Evolution and an Air Norton.

IT IZ WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


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## mutt (May 17, 2012)

Oxidation_Shed said:


> It sounds like you're not really listening to the advice people are giving you, you're just looking for someone to back up the decisions you've already made.
> Will they sound better: yes
> Will they sound good enough to justify spending money on them: no
> 
> ...



yeah..i think i'll wait...and bleed to get those expensive pups 

i just listened to bare knuckle aftermath pups sound..its damn great!!..that kind of tone i was looking for..alright people, i'll save my money..thanks


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## Konfyouzd (May 17, 2012)

I see no reason to buy pickups now that you definitely plan to change out later. Might as well just save for what you really want.


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## no_dice (May 17, 2012)

mutt said:


> yeah..i think i'll wait...and bleed to get those expensive pups
> 
> i just listened to bare knuckle aftermath pups sound..its damn great!!..that kind of tone i was looking for..alright people, i'll save my money..thanks



Try not to get too excited over the BKP sound clips. I've used them, as well as other BKPs, and the Aftermath did not blow me away. I'm certainly not saying they are bad pickups, but they are obviously not for everyone, as evidenced by the amount of AMs you see for sale in the marketplace.

It would be a real shame for you to save all that money only to be disappointed that your guitar isn't suddenly a bad ass shredding machine, so just really consider your options before making your choice, is all I'm saying.


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## mutt (May 17, 2012)

no_dice said:


> Try not to get too excited over the BKP sound clips. I've used them, as well as other BKPs, and the Aftermath did not blow me away. I'm certainly not saying they are bad pickups, but they are obviously not for everyone, as evidenced by the amount of AMs you see for sale in the marketplace.
> 
> It would be a real shame for you to save all that money only to be disappointed that your guitar isn't suddenly a bad ass shredding machine, so just really consider your options before making your choice, is all I'm saying.



are u serious?? but most of the BKP clips i watched sounds good to me..so what are u proposing?


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## no_dice (May 17, 2012)

mutt said:


> are u serious?? but most of the BKP clips i watched sounds good to me..so what are u proposing?



I'm just saying the demo clips are well-produced, and don't necessarily reflect what the pickups are going to sound like in your guitar. You could try them and love them, for all I know, but from the sound of it, it would be an expensive gamble. 

A lot of people are recommending Dimarzios, but there are a lot of options out there. The more research you do, the more likely you are to make a good choice.


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## mutt (May 17, 2012)

no_dice said:


> I'm just saying the demo clips are well-produced, and don't necessarily reflect what the pickups are going to sound like in your guitar. You could try them and love them, for all I know, but from the sound of it, it would be an expensive gamble.
> 
> A lot of people are recommending Dimarzios, but there are a lot of options out there. The more research you do, the more likely you are to make a good choice.



omg!!! i wasnt realize that my cheap jackson guitar (js20dinky) that i bought 2nd hand few weeks ago got seymour duncan SH-6b in the bridge!! i thought it must be a cheap seymour duncan coz i bought the guitar only for $100, i rarely play that guitar..and curiosity ask me to check..i just opened the pickup 5 minutes ago to see what model it is..ok its seymour&#65279; duncan SH-6b, and i have no idea about this SH-6b..and i straight away search in youtube..and u know what, check this out  
the comments are very2 positive about this duncan SH-6b..it seems like my problems is solved now  screw dmarzio,bareknuckle aftermath,emg!! i got seymour duncan distortion SH-6b for $100 with jackson guitar.. lol..its like hitting the jackpot!!


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## BIG ND SWEATY (May 18, 2012)

mutt said:


> thnks bro..nice opinion..actually im quite into v7 v8 coz mick thompson ibanez mtm2 use this pups..so i thought it must be better than my grg220 stock pups..im not looking for emg,dmarzio or duncan crap..i know they're good..just want to know are these (v7 v8 and emg designed) better than my grg220 stock pups? is it worth, at least a bit of sound difference would be good enough..


he doesnt actually use those pickups thats just what ibanez put in to his retail model guitars.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 18, 2012)

BIG ND SWEATY said:


> he doesnt actually use those pickups thats just what ibanez put in to his retail model guitars.



+1. He uses the Duncan EMTY pickups in ALL of his guitars. Just save up and go Duncan or DiMarzio dude.


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## mutt (May 18, 2012)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> +1. He uses the Duncan EMTY pickups in ALL of his guitars. Just save up and go Duncan or DiMarzio dude.



yeah im not saying he uses that pickup..i said that particular MTM model uses that pickup..of course he gets the special one..but at least, as the MTM got his name on the model,the expectation is quite high..thats why i said it must be better than other models stock pickup..thanks bro, already got one  seymour duncan sh-6b...read previous comments and check out the video i posted..


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## pattonfreak1 (May 19, 2012)

jymellis said:


> i have a cheapy rg270 i needed "other than stock" pups in. i got a "quad rail prodigy" brand pick up from ebay for 26 dollars. not a dimarzio, but way better than stock.
> 
> 
> QUAD RAIL BL - HB BLACK - QUALITY-13.50K- " Prodigy" BRAND NEW!! TOP QUALITY | eBay



Are these the same ones that used to come in the old "musicyo" kramer guitars?
If they are then sweeeeeet. I have a musicyo leaner (lucked out and got a really well built one) and I love the quadrail pickups in it. They're sweaty obese mofo's that are dead quiet.


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## fateofthorns666 (May 19, 2012)

If I had to choose v7 and v8 just cuz I think anything even resembling emgs sucks. But save for dimarzios and call it a day


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## malufet (May 19, 2012)

I forgot the sound of V7 and V8 but the V7 on the neck sounded ok on my RG570 before i replaced them.


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## jymellis (Jun 5, 2012)

what did ya pick? did ya try out the quad rails?


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## Zado (Jun 5, 2012)

keep the ones you already have


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## wakjob (Jun 5, 2012)

v7 and v8 are Ola approved.

I really like the v8 in the bridge. Better is subjective. A lot of stock PU's are just fine when matched up with a well built guitar and a good chunk of wood. Replacing PU's can be good or bad, you just roll the dice and don't let psychoacoustics get the best of ya!

+1 on the INF 3 & 4...sound great. And I prefer some 'Duncan Designed' PU's over real Duncan's for that matter.


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