# Why do people dislike Ibanez IBZ/Dimarzio's?



## pushpull7 (Apr 4, 2012)

This new guitar is my 3rd with these pups and I like them. I guess short of yanking the pups and putting something else in I don't have a way to "grade" them but was wondering what exactly someone doesn't like about them.

Pickups, they are a difficult concept for me


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## Thrashmanzac (Apr 4, 2012)

people just have different tastes dude. im sure some people love the ibz/dimarzios, but it just come down to personal preferance


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## pushpull7 (Apr 4, 2012)

For certain, but I'm kinda trying trying to gauge what exactly people don't like about them in an attempt to understand more. Probably a lame thread, but I love these topic and even though I'm older than dirt, I still want to learn.


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## TRENCHLORD (Apr 4, 2012)

I've actually not heard much hate on these, only the infinitys and lower $ models.

They are an alnico5 magnet IIRC, so alot of guys will likely prefer a slicier sounding ceramic for metal.

All preference and sum total of rig tone really of coarse.


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## pushpull7 (Apr 4, 2012)

Ah, alnico vs ceramic. Me no understand! So, you are saying the IBZ's are alnico? Seems that for some, they think to prefer that. I'm not "metal" as a player.....(love it, just kinda suck at it). I want chunk, yes, but I like the lighter side too. 

I guess I'm kinda a blues/hard rock guy with a desire to be more fusion (though I'm total shit at really out playing) maybe that is why I like them. There seems to be a certain "clarity" to them though.


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## TRENCHLORD (Apr 4, 2012)

http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/DiMarzio_IBZ_pickups
Here's descriptions for the various types.
It seems like there's a mixture of ceramic and alnicos, so i guess you'd have to match the model numbers up to know for sure. (should be on bottom of pickup of coarse)


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## MrPepperoniNipples (Apr 4, 2012)

most people i hear complain about a muddy sound to them, and want a tighter bass, especially on extended range guitars

and they're all metal players, too


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## pushpull7 (Apr 4, 2012)

TRENCHLORD said:


> DiMarzio IBZ pickups - Ibanez Wiki
> Here's descriptions for the various types.
> It seems like there's a mixture of ceramic and alnicos, so i guess you'd have to match the model numbers up to know for sure. (should be on bottom of pickup of coarse)



I knew I'd seen that before so thank you. Ok, that makes a little more sense (mine are all RG's)


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## TRENCHLORD (Apr 4, 2012)

Reads like a nice choice for a versitile middle of the rock road magnet, no wonder you like it.


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## xvultures (Apr 4, 2012)

I've always thought they sounded bland and weak compared to what you can get out of a good set of upgraded pickups. I don't think I've settled for stock pickups in any Ibanez I've owned (more than 10 now).


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## VBCheeseGrater (Apr 4, 2012)

Count me in as someone who's likes the IBZ. The LBZ's (active) I was really impressed with, I had those in an ART model - they sounded great.

I've always found ibanez does a pretty good job of putting usable pickups in their lower end guitars. At the very least, you can get a halfway-decent metal tone with most and i've never had major feedback or noise issues.


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## USMarine75 (Apr 4, 2012)

I've really liked the stock Dimarzios in a lot of the higher end Ibbys --> Evo, Tone Zone/Air Norton, CL/LF, Fred/Mo Joe, Breeds, Air Norton/Steve's Special... 

I defintely see why people change them out to fit specific tastes (e.g. djent), but for overall stock pickups to please the masses I think they're great. The Tone Zone/Air Norton combo is one of the most versatile I've ever heard.

I'd love it if stock Ibanez came with titanium big block floyds, SS frets, and BKP Holy Divers... but the price for stock guitars is already up there... 

I don't like the lower end stock pickups, but I think those guitars are all about hitting a price point...


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## bob123 (Apr 4, 2012)

I have NO idea. Ibanez F and C series pups sound just amazing to me.


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## pushpull7 (Apr 4, 2012)

TRENCHLORD said:


> Reads like a nice choice for a versitile middle of the rock road magnet, no wonder you like it.



haha!


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## Jahanasaurus (Apr 4, 2012)

I find their Stock 7 string pickups are really sucky with no definition for the low B string. That said the ones that were in my 7620 were alright, still a lack of definition but let themselves well to the a Vai-esque approach to 7 string playing. 

Can't imagine anyone liking the LBZ actives the ones in my RGA7 were total horseshit!

But i loved the pickups in my old RG320FM, INF3 and INF4 i think?


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 4, 2012)

Most of what you read on this site may be coming from the perspective of a metal playerwith different tonal needs. I have to remind myself of that often.


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## Fiction (Apr 4, 2012)

And they're trying to cater for their flubby booooowww low E strings on there 27" RGA8 with a .65 string 



I don't find them too bad for standard tuning, but they're subject to some fizz in metal tones and they lose some articulation when you're tuning down to B/F#


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## pushpull7 (Apr 4, 2012)

Lot's o good stuff. Yeah, I like standard tuning, it's just how I'm wired. 

Then again, that's why I start/participate in these threads, I'm trying to get a grip on this.


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## snowblind56 (Apr 4, 2012)

I think the Dimarzio/IBZ pickups are passable. Better than Duncan Designed range but not as good as Duncans or Dimarzio. They seemed kind of muddy in my RG2550, but they were fine until I could afford a different set.

I think most people(and I agree) tend to think that for the price of the guitar that they come in, there should be an aftermarket pickup installed. If you can get Duncan's or EMG's in a $400 ESP/LTD or a Jackson, Ibanez should be putting actual Dimarzio's in an $800+ guitar.

That being said, it seems a good portion of people don't keep stock pickups in an Ibanez, regardless of what pickup is in it. So why should they put decent pickups in when people are just going to swap them anyways.


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## mr_rainmaker (Apr 4, 2012)

I love stock Ibby pickups,ya just gotta fiddle with them a little. I picked up a pair of prestige 1527m humbuckers off a close member here and tossed them in my RG7321,but I did swap the magnets in them and that totally changed the pickups,it got rid of all the muddyness and really opened them up,everyone I have come across loves them now


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## Ironbird (Apr 4, 2012)

As a non-Ibanez fan, I have to say that sometimes the hate isn't specifically directed at DiMarzios, but the idea of 'stock pickups'. Only an aftermarket pickup would sound good to these folk, regardless of the quality of the stock pickups in question.


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## Bigfan (Apr 4, 2012)

My Dimarzio/Ibz pups do fine with low G#1. I don't really see a problem with them, and I actually prefer them to most pickups I've used for such low tunings, like the Lundgren M7 and Emg 81's.

Most Ibanez-branded (guitar) pickups are utter shit though, so I see why many might be apprehensive towards the Dimarzio/Ibz stuff.


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## GSingleton (Apr 4, 2012)

Kinda off subject, but the ibby bars in the RGD320Z are awesome. They are def top notch. I wont even sell them even though I am getting some dx bars. Will def drop them in another guitar. I would suggest checking them out.


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## C2Aye (Apr 5, 2012)

The stock pickups in my RG1527 sound fine to me and I get really good tones out of it on my recordings, even at lower tunings on the 7th string. I've heard a lot of complaints about those particular pickups though but I can't really relate to them.


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## sevenstringj (Apr 5, 2012)

Because you can't spell BKP with IBZ.


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## pushpull7 (Apr 5, 2012)

sevenstringj said:


> Because you can't spell BKP with IBZ.



haha! I was wondering when 

I'll probably get some of those someday (kinda hard to get what you want in the states)


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 5, 2012)

I just don't think that the models they chose to modify were the best. Not a lot of folks are big fans of the Super 2 to begin with. 

Perhaps if they chose more common pickups as jumping off points you'd have more people who like them stock. 

That being said, the stock pickups are fine for most styles of music, it's when you get into drop tuning and metal that they start falling flat......just like the specific DiMarzios that they're based on.


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## pushpull7 (Apr 5, 2012)

That's interesting to me. I just didn't know that.


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## pushpull7 (Apr 5, 2012)

to further complicate the situation, one reason I bring this up is this new axe (which is all basswood) with the IBZ's just sounds FAB, whereas my 1420 and 1421 (which have the maple tops and what some call a "low end" pup) I've never really been even close to happy with. The guitar themselves are really killer (play great, nice necks, etc) but the pups are poop to me  yeah, I'm gonna replace them (I've been ordering parts in anticipation) but it's just a bit strange to me that there is such a huge difference in sound.

Again, trying to gauge things here.....


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## Andromalia (Apr 5, 2012)

Ironbird said:


> As a non-Ibanez fan, I have to say that sometimes the hate isn't specifically directed at DiMarzios, but the idea of 'stock pickups'. Only an aftermarket pickup would sound good to these folk, regardless of the quality of the stock pickups in question.



I disagree, gibson pickups are an integral part of the "Gibson sound", for exemple, and I liek them a lot, while not being fan of INFs and that kind of tstuff.


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## WhiteWalls (Apr 5, 2012)

It also depends which ibanez pickups we're talking about... I had stock pickups in my 7321 for 6-7 years and they were absolutely fine, in fact I only replaced them because I wanted to try something different, while the RGA ibz active pickups needed to be replaced immediately because they sounded like a flushing toilet

Also most of the people here play metal where pickup clarity and attack is so important, but if you are into other genres you will probably notice much less of a difference


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 5, 2012)

I feel like almost all stock pickups lack presence and high end bite.


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## Dan_Vacant (Apr 5, 2012)

I only have on ibanez it still has stock pickups they are okay, it is because if i use the neck with any gain over 5 any chord will be super muddy so I just use it for solos.


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## bob123 (Apr 5, 2012)

Ok guys, lets not confuse ibanez's shitty lower pickups with the IBZ/dimarzio's from the past....


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## ecorona21 (Jan 15, 2013)

Hi guys, sorry for jumping in. 
I recently have a weird need to replace the stock pickups from my new RG927QM, they are DiMarzio IBZ. I have a set of Seymour Duncan distortion on an old RG7420 which I may take out. I like the different sound that DiMarzio IBZ at the bridge position but the neck position is useless, really, it sucks big time.

I mostly play metal, so right now I´m unsure if just leave it as it is due to clear crunchy tone or replace them whit the SD distortion. Its a pain in the butt to switch them because I have to remove the switch, the 5 way that comes whit the Ibanez wont do. what do you guys think?


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## pushpull7 (Jan 16, 2013)

Sorry I can't be of much help but had to laugh that I was the one who started this thread 

I still have the IBZ's in both guitars stock. I'm not changing out my "swimming pool blue" 1520. That thing sounds SICK. That'll stay stock 

Might change the 920 (If I keep it, Maybe I'll sell it.........who knows) Hopefully someone will chime in with some help, I think "welcome" is in order


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## fortisursus (Jan 17, 2013)

They aren't inherently bad, just don't quite have the same clarity as bkp, dimarzio, SD...ect. I did though like a pair of IBZ USA pups in an old Ibanez S540 i tried.


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## edsped (Jan 17, 2013)

I don't really like the ones in my RG Premium. Seem muddy, especially the low E. I was expecting better to be honest, but I guess it could also be the guitar.


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## Whammy (Jan 17, 2013)

They're not bad at all. I did a comparison clip comparing one to DiMarzio, Lundgren, BKP.
'Tis in my signature.



fortisursus said:


> They aren't inherently bad, just don't quite have the same clarity as bkp, dimarzio, SD...ect.



To say they don't have the same clarity compared to DiMarzio is incorrect, seeing as how DiMarzio make them.
The bridge pickup resembles a cross between the Steve Morse Bridge Model and the Super Distortion.


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## craigny (Jan 19, 2013)

I've had both the DiMarzio ibz and the Duncan ibz on Ibanezs. Like others have said. Ok middle of the road. Not bad by any means but not knock yer socks off. I was really impressed with the stock ibanez Ach humbuckers in my artcore though. They sounded awesome.


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## wakjob (Jan 21, 2013)

If anybody has an *Ibanez SB-1 twin blade single coi*l from the early 90's RG565 that might be just laying around in a box or drawer... I'll buy it.


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## Andromalia (Jan 21, 2013)

bob123 said:


> Ok guys, lets not confuse ibanez's shitty lower pickups with the IBZ/dimarzio's from the past....


Note that I bought a RG whatever in 1995 in Japan which had Vsomething pickups and it sounded great.
The IBZ/Dimarzio I got recently weren't bad, as such. They just aren't suited to conquering the northern seas in B standard.  They're too average everywhere to really suit a metal guitarist needs.


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## rockstarazuri (Jan 24, 2013)

I think the Dimarzio/IBZ in my RGA321 sounds really good and it cleans up better with the volume knob than my CL/LF set in my Prestige S and RG1527M. So good I'm almost scared to swap them out for another CL/LF set that I bought recently lol


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## prestige_worldwide (Aug 11, 2013)

i think people dont like the DiM/IBZ pups because of the fact that they ARE stock. 
maybe, im not sure but whateves


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## Alphanumeric (Aug 11, 2013)

Because people are only hearing the naff ones you get with standard RG's, S sereies, the INF ones or nasty active ones. Quite often the ones that come with prestiges, especially the V sereis V7/V8, are the absolute best they've ever made and a better than quite a few commercial brands, the other prestige ones, like some of the dimarzio designed ones, are OK, and of course if they ever put real dimarzios in like the air norton, evo, PAF, they are good.


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## CTID (Aug 11, 2013)

My Ibanez RG321MH has an INF4 in the bridge and INF3 in the neck and I think they sound absolutely amazing, even down in Dropped A#, which is what I play that guitar in all the time. It's thick sounding, no feedback issues, high enough enough output to have a very impressive metal tone, but still able to be very clean when I need it to.

Conversely, the IBZ-LZ active pickups that came on my RGA7 are bad. If you play on the upper (as in, higher registers) mostly, they're fine, but they're INCREDIBLY muddy for the low strings, and this is just in regular old Drop A, which is higher than what the band I'm using it for tunes to, so those need to be replaced ASAP.

I suppose it's all a matter of the player, and what they want to do with it. It seems ot me that some Ibby stock pickups work, and some don't.


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## mustache79 (Aug 11, 2013)

I just pulled the stock pickups out of my GRG32T and put in D Activators. Compared to the DA's the stock pickups were just muddy and weak. On a clean setting they sounded thin and lacked articulation. 

I've played some Ibanez guitars that had decent stock pickups, but the lower end models just seem to have trash for pickups.

The best stock pickups I've ever come across were in an Agile Septor 828.


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Aug 11, 2013)

sevenstringj said:


> Because you can't spell BKP with IBZ.



I was gonna say this is sig worthy, but then realized that my sig is already quoting you  

Back on topic, I think that the IBZ/DMZ pickups are pretty good. Certainly not ideal for metal or tuning super low, but I think of them as a "jack of all trades but a master of none" 

Someone earlier said they liked the result of swapping the bridge and neck magnets in their stock ibby pickups, so I may try that out with an INF3/4 set I have sitting around.


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## gclef (Aug 11, 2013)

I don't get it either. The bridge pickup is pretty good. The neck was good until I ran high gain, then it got super ? Muddy? The notes above the 8th fret on the low e just kinda smear together.

the full shred set I put in my rg921 kills the dimarzio/ibz hands down.


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## charlessalvacion (Aug 12, 2013)

different people, different pickups.


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## pushpull7 (Aug 12, 2013)

Ok. So since I started this I've had quite a few new ibbys and have done a tone of pup swaps and the conclusion is if the guitar sounds good in the first place, then it's just taste but if you didn't like the sound, new pups just make the bad sound more prominent 

BTW, I have a 1520 and a premium 921 both with stock ibbys/ibz's and they sound great. I will likely trade out that set on my 921 though but I don't know what I want yet.


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## tyler_faith_08 (Aug 13, 2013)

I generally recommend a PAF based pickup for general better tone. A lot of people get all pissy when I recommend a low output pickup like the Seymour Duncan '59 Model and are generally the same people that'd love to have an old gibson pickup. These people, I call idiots.

SD 59 model = 1959 Gibson PAF (patten applied for) based. 
SD model 78 = hot 59 with more definition. Called the EVH (evenly voiced harmonics)
DiMarzio PAFs= tone specific 59s (more highs or more lows or hotter, etc)


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## Neon_Knight_ (Jun 10, 2020)

Andromalia said:


> Note that I bought a RG whatever in 1995 in Japan which had Vsomething pickups and it sounded great.
> The IBZ/Dimarzio I got recently weren't bad, as such. They just aren't suited to conquering the northern seas in B standard.  They're too average everywhere to really suit a metal guitarist needs.


Sorry for digging up such an old thread but...

What passives have you liked for B standard? I'm primarily hoping to achieve a decent Amon Amarth tone.


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