Pickup Recommendations for a Ibanez Artcore

[CaseyCor]

Looking for some new pups for my Artcore. I don't know anything about semi-hollow bodies and what pickups will work well with it. I'm a metal guy, but play a lot of clean stuff and jam the blues a lot. I'm looking for something very versatile, and I'd like to be able to coil-tap both pickups. So, what'da got for me?

 

[grooveHT]

How about the SD SHPR-1 P-rails? an excerpt from their website:

description
Until now, if you wanted humbucker, P-90, and vintage Strat® tones, you’d have to haul three guitars to the gig. Enter P-Rails™. It’s a full-size humbucker that splits to either a full-size P-90 or a special Alnico-powered single-coil Rail pickup. The humbucker sound is full and expansive, owing to the mis-matched coil configuration. The P-90 is a super fat. And the Rail coils, when used together, sound like the “2” and “4” positions in a great Strat.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/products/e ... ils_shpr1/

I put two of these in an HSH guitar, with a classic stack plus in the middle. Using a 500k vol, a TBX tone, two mini-switches (you could use push-pull pots instead so you don't have to marr the top) with the P-90 side oriented to the outside and the single toward the inside, I can get either or both humbuckers in series or parallel, or the p-90 side or single side of either or both. ALL of the sounds (single, p-90, parallel, series) are useable and sound damn good...you want versatile, you got it!

 

[CaseyCor]

Wow! I'm really interested in those. How do they do for super-high gain stuff though? Also, can you get 3-way Push-Pull pots, so I can switch between Humbucker-P90-Single-Coil?

 

[grooveHT]

Wow! I'm really interested in those. How do they do for super-high gain stuff though?

To be honest, I don't know. In the parallel mode you'd get better note distinction; it's more of a PAF vibe and somewhat lower output rather than in series, but in series its thicker along with the higher output. Not sure you'd want to do super high gain with a semi-hollowbody anyway though I tell you this, I can't see the P-rails not getting it done for you...blues, country, rockabilly, hard rock, I like the pickup!

 

[grooveHT]

Also, can you get 3-way Push-Pull pots, so I can switch between Humbucker-P90-Single-Coil?

You can't get a 3-way push/pull; however, you can use two normal two-position push pulls in conjunction, like this:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wi ... 1v_1t_tspp

With both up, both buckers are series, both down they're parallel. With one up and one down, they're either p-90 or single coil, depending on which pot is up. Like I said, I used mini-switches, but push pulls are just as good.

 

[ke2]

Two I like that will do what you need-- Rio Grande BBQ (bridge) and DiMarzio Air Norton (neck)