Ibanez AH1 AH2

-only ah1-
passive full humbucker, it can be split.

it's the only pick up in my strat, neck position.
i dropped the singles because i don't like their sound, i just like the strat shape and feeling.

with laney hcmr15w or fender sidekick reverb 35w, no pedals.
the sound is quite neutral and can be shaped well with eq, medium output, warm, full tone.
no mush here, very good indeed.
when split it turns into an almost acoustic sound i find usefull.
good too if overdriven, no squeals.
versatile, works well for rhythm and solo.

i began when i was 16, now i'm 27. i had a few other guitars and basses and i play pop, reggae, swing, funk and blues.
i like this pup because it's not muddy and it's very versatile.
it plays good both clean and overdriven.
i also tried an epiphone, which was uargh and broke, and a dimarzio air classic neck, which was good, but too bassy and not versatile for what i want.
i'm satisfied with this one; not looking for else.

Humbucking-Passive,
Bridge = Alnico,
Neck = Ceramic.

Stock on Ibanez AR200

Classic Les Paul tone, Not for post 80's Metal heads (but can achieve some good 80's metal tones). Perfect for Southern rock/70's rock/Blues. Think Allman Brothers/Mick Ralphs/Mike Bloomfield/ZZ Top.
warm Alnico bridge position. The Ceramic neck pickup (As installed on the LP Classic)helps add definition. Good harmonics in both positions.
I play through a 1972 Twin Reverb,80's era Champ 12, Line6 POD and Amplitube.Effects are B.K Butler Tube driver, Chandler Tube driver, Boss CS-2, CS-3, DM-2, LM-2 & modified SD-1 (Monte Allums SD-1GT mod),Lexicon PCM60, Lexicon Alex, Yamaha FX500, Yamaha R1000 (modified), Morley Pro Series II Wah.
I play Americana, Country, Blues, Rock, Jazz, Etc...

A good way to look at these pickups is this... When I worked for Gibson USA I was given a Les paul. The first thing I did was remove the PAFs & install the ceramic 496R & 500T pickups for the simple reason that I mostly play Teles & Strats & the ceramics gave me the Les Paul tone without having to totally reset my amps onstage to compensate for the dramatic frequency differences. This pickup compares to the 496R & most '57 vintage style Alnico pickups (*As credentials -I USED TO RUN GIBSON USA ELECTRONICS). The only style I don't care for it on is Chicken Picking country (But I have never played a Gibson Les paul I liked for that style either!
I have been playing 34 years.
Other gear is varius Electric,acoustic,resonator & bass gtrs, mandolin. Baggs pres in the acoustics & mandolin, McIntyre for Resonator. Crate CA6110D acoustic amp, Pro Tools studio with 3 ADATs (+BRC), early 80's Studiomaster console & varius rack gear.
I will happily continue making money using these pickups.
NB: The only reason I posted this review is because I am tired of hearing people bad mouth gear just because it is not what they particularly like or does not match their individual playing style/rig!

Passive Humbuckers

Ibanez IC400, neck and bridge. Will be replaced with EMG 81/85. The AH1/2 do not have the output necessary to play really intricate leads. They simply are not strong enough. Having said that, if all you wanted to do was play Blink 182 all day, then they would be fine. Rumor has it they are the same pickup they put in the Satriani model. That must be disappointing when you get your new Satch.

Output is low. I am using it direct and with Marshall MG100. I use a Pod 2.0 and a Fishman DI/Preamp. The Fishman salvages the AH1/2's tone. The pod sounds great with other guitars by itself. I have a Seymore Lynch Demon in an old Fender that blows these pickups totally out of the water. That says a lot considering that most people generally consider the Screamin Demon to only have a mid-level output.

I would thank whoever smashed this pickup. Might make taking it out to replace it a little easier. I have been playing for 15 years. I don't love anything about it. I wish it had a quick disconnect so I could pull it out faster. If you buy a guitar with AH1/2 pickups in it, you are going to have to replace them. That's just the facts of life.

Pickup features: Passive humbuckers made by dimarzio
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Iceman
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Classic & hard rock and Metal
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Not overly hot, 8.6Kohm for AH-1 & 13Kohm for AH-2
Tone: fairly balanced but a little bassy
Sonic evaluation: Im playing a 1995 model Ibanez IC300 Iceman usually though a peavey studio chorus 210. I also play it through various marshal and other peavey amps on occasion.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock/Metal

Comments: One of the things I like about these pickups is that you can split the coils. Red is hot, white is coil split, & bare is ground. For being stock pickups they're pretty good, they're made by dimarzio. They seem to be made more for playing rhythem than lead. A good set of pickups if you want that Metallica-ish rhythem sound from their puppets & justice albums. Overall the AH-1 & AH-2 are good pickups.