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Well I read it somewhere when I was doing quite intensive research before buying the SS300. The source seemed reliable enough to make my statement.
Honestly I can't remember today where I found the info concerning the fact that they were Chineese copies of the original super 58.
And that the Jsm100 has the same Pickups.
The Ibanez "58 pickup puzzle" is kind of annoying and gets on my nerves at times.
They seem to deliberatly confuse everybody.
I mean, pickups on a 700 € (and upper costing) instrument, are very important, and we should be able to know exactly what we buy...
And there is no fetishist thing in that !
The super 58 sound different than the customs than the chineese super 58 than the S58 than the.... ah what the f... !
Anyway, the S300 is a fabulous guitar, and I prefer it to my 81' AS200, and guess what, as well as the pickups..
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03-26-2015 12:57 AM
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Thanks for your reply. Yes, I know it is annoying. I am at the same position as yours. I just want to know exactly what I am going to buy.
Originally Posted by Jx30510
If the 2015 model is different from other years, I better pay an attention on that.
I m glad to hear you enjoyed the SS300.
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How would you descirbe the tone of the JSM10 (and JSM100).
The only videos I can find seem to be for slightly over-driven blues.
Does the neck pick-up have a more mellow aspect?
How well does the tritone switching work?
Is the single coil position sound like clangy or bell-like ?
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Having the As200 (81), I would say that the sound is very clean, almost hi-fi, which seems to enhance further more the importance of the amp tweaking and your effects chain for the final sound you're seaking.
The tri switch does what it's made for, in the two other positions you get a single coilish sound, and an out of phased sound.. less volume but is handy to get a more thin sound that can be useful for rythm or funky chops.
Also, the tri switch works only on the bridge pickup (just to recall for the ones who aren't aware of this), and works when your are in the middle position
That gives even much more configurations.
As a matter of fact that makes a total of 7 switching combinations (if I'm not too lousy in my counting...)
So to me the tri switch is more of a big plus, but I must admit I don't use it that much.
However, when I use it, I find to tweak the sound to a point where I really appriciate it.
And when you listen closely, it's obvious Scofield clearly uses the tri switch, because the sound is pretty distinctive.
The overall sound of the Scofield Ibanez is on the bright side, but you can get a very mellow sound with the tone pots, even in single coil combinations with the 2 pickup working together.
A powerful guitar in sound design
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The neck pickup is fantastic. It can be mellow or bright depending on the tri-sound and tone control settings. The single coil setting is, I guess you could say sort of woody. Kind of like a Tele pickup, but more fullness from the hollow body. (That's a really bad description. I'm really bad at describing sounds in words). Originally Posted by drewbuchan
I think it's definitely mellow enough for straight-ahead jazz, although I suspect some archtop purists might think it's a bit bright. When I play jazz on it, I use the neck pickup, and roll the tone control down to about 2. If overdrive starts to kick in, it gets a hair muddy at that setting and wants to brighten up a bit. For blues, fusion, or rock, there are dozens of awesome tones in it. (And of course, if you run your amp right at the edge of breakup, you can nail those Sco tones pretty easily (nailing his touch and creativity is rather more difficult.))
Once again, I have to enthuse about how well made this thing is for the price point. The setup and intonation were spot-on right out of the box, and it's probably the most playable guitar I've ever owned. As I said, this thing rivals my old PRS, which cost twice as much.
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Ibanez pickups reminder :
Super 58 : Alnico III made in Japan
Custom 58 : Ceramic made in China
Super 58 Custom : Alnico V made in China
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Do you have this on good authority? I'd like to believe it, but all three explanations might be wrong. Originally Posted by nado64
HELP: The Myth of Super 58 in 2015
So, alternatively:
- Super 58: Alnico V made in Japan (formerly Alnico III made in Japan)
- Super 58 Custom aka "Custom 58": Alnico III made in China
- A ceramic Super 58 has always been a rumor (and never, in fact, existed)
(Sorry, I'm really not meaning to warm this topic up here...)Last edited by Dirk; 05-20-2018 at 10:09 AM.
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OK, so the info is from the same guy (Bill@Ibanez) having published contradictory posts over there, although the relevant posts in your link (2/19/2013) seem to predate the relevant posts in my link (3/21/2013). And whether a ceramic Custom 58 ever existed seems to be a moot question ("official word" versus "educated theory").
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I’m thinking to order an Ibanez LGB30 made in 2015. However, I have several questions regarding the pickup of this guitar.
First of all, I want to know what pickups now install into the 2015 LGB30. I have spent huge amount of time to search on the internet, but I still can’t get a sensible answer. What really confuses me is the name of the pickup between “Super 58” and “Super 58 custom”. In 2015, Ibanez have started advertising the Super 58 pickup that are used in their new production (Artcore Expressionist, Artstar and low end signature series). In the past, Ibanez only fitted the Japanese made Super 58 pickup into the Prestige and flagship models which were made in Japan, whereas other archtops used the Chinese/Asian made Super 58 custom. However, they seem to upgrade the pickup on other series to Super 58 now, including LGB30.
Here is the product description quoted from the Ibanez website:
“ For a decade now, Ibanez has continued to energize the hollow-body segment with wide range of designs-with everything from rockin' hybrids to straight-up jazz-boxes. The new Expressionist line begins yet anotherchapter in the Artcore story. The Expressionist difference? Jazz fans will recognize the Ibanez original Super 58 pickups-the preferred pickup of George Benson, Pat Metheny and John Scofield on their own Signature models. A jazz favorite, yes, but as funk guitarist Eric Krasno has been proving, the Super 58s perform well in a variety of situations. Warm, balanced articulation, and excellent response characterize the Super 58 pickups.”
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One thing I know for certain. I'm pretty sure, it ain't over.
Ibanez definitely changed their pickup name as well as the parts number on LGB30, for instance.
Super 58 (3PUS58N4 from 2014/09 - 2015/04, without engraving cover)
unlike:
Japanese made Super 58 (3PU1J158G1, without engraving cover)
Chinese made Super 58 custom (3PU1H58NG from 2013/05 - 2014/06, with engraving cover)
I hope this information can help you guys
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As has been said elsewhere - there is nothing to stop Ibanez from making Super 58s in both Japan and China, with the MIC ones going in the lower priced guitars, but really none of us know (or ain't telling !). You need someone at Ibanez to tell you the truth, but I feel it is not in their interest to reveal this sort of thing. Originally Posted by Falling_leaves
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I think this attitude from Ibanez is not very honest.
You should be able to know exactly what you're buying, and what are exactly the specs of the pickups on the guitar.
After, you decide what you want, and you can choose if you need to put more cash because a particular pickup doesn't suit you.
Ibanez, are you misleading us on purpose, or is it misinformation in your factory product line?
In the two cases it's not a very pro image you're giving us...
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Meh. The ultimate test of a pickup is the sound, and you can always demo it. And if you need to replace it, you can always sell the old one on Ebay or something. I don't see it as a big deal. Originally Posted by Jx30510
Last edited by Boston Joe; 04-14-2015 at 04:42 AM.
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You're right
and it didn't keep me from buying a SS300 on line, and I very much like the pickups.. so it is no big deal really.
but for some people, if you read other posts, it is..
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For the 2015 LGB30, the Super 58 pickups have the following part numbers and descriptions:
NECK 3PUS58N4 Super 58/Neck/2PU use (Guitar: 10.0 pitch)/Humbucker/Gold/Polepice finish :Gold/4C shielded
BRIDGE 3PUS58B4 Super 58/Bridge/(Guitar: 10.4 pitch)/Humbucker/Gold/Polepice finish :Gold/4C shielded
whereas the Super 58s on the LGB300 have the following part numbers:
NECK 3PU1J158G1 Super-58 humbucker neck (Gold)
BRIDGE 3PU1J158G2 Super-58 humbucker bridge (Gold)
Obviously different - and I'll bet different prices. I wonder which part of the part number tells us which factory they were made in.
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Meinlshop has the prices for each pickup model.
their website is very well made but there are so many parts that it's quite tedious to find your way. But it's instructive
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JSM10- I /ve tested it today. I think it is very good jazz guitar.You can get nice deep hollow sound on neck pick up position. The neck is fatter than my orginal as-200/1982/ but it is different guitar also..
Last edited by kris; 04-14-2015 at 02:48 PM.
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Is it as heavy as your 1982? (I once had a 1981 for a while, which I found quite hefty.) Originally Posted by kris
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a little lighter is new one. Originally Posted by palindrome
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Oh yes the As200 IS heavy for sure!
The only guitar that was as heavy was a Yamaha Sg2000 I used to own (a really great instrument by the way)
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as- 200 is heavy but I like to play on it. It is a great instrument...;-) Originally Posted by Jx30510
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The 3PU1J158G1and 3PU1J158G2 are quoted as being "Super58 humbucker in gold for Signature/AR/AS series, for models: AR2000,AR3000,AS200,GB200,JSM100,LGB300 and are priced at 88 euro each. Originally Posted by Jx30510
The 3PU1C158G1 S58 in gold for AS120/AF120 is 52 euro
and the 3PU1H58NG Super 58 for models AF105BM, AF105SM, AF105, AF125, AF151 ,AF155 ,AFJ95, AK100 ,AK105SM, AM103BM, AM93, ARC500, ARX500, AS103BM, AS103L, AS103SM,A S103, AS93, AWD102, PM2, PM35, SJ500, SS500 is only 47 euro.
Go figure !
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My bet is that the "J" in the 3PU1J xxxx stands for "japan"
and logically the "C" in the 3PU1C xxxx stands for "china".
The first one is the original super 58 made in Japan, the second is the super 58 exact copy made in China.
and the third, the 3 PU1H xxxx is the Super58 custom
or maybe not.. it's gamish finally :-)
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These guys at Ibanez are so crazy complicated with all their code numbers ...
and so much models.. without even mentionning their solid bodies and all the rest..
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New pickups have been fitted into Artcore Expressionist and low end signature model with 3PUS58N4, not3PU1H58NGanymore. Originally Posted by newsense
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A really nice pickup in a cheap guitar
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