The Myth of Super 58 Pickup

[joman50]

Thanks Newsense

You only get what you pay for in this world, to think you're buying a $700-$800.00 guitar with a set of $300.00 pickups is naive. Really. Check out the Ibanez website for your country, look for the SUPPORT tab on the top of the page, from that drop down menu select PARTS, from there navigate a bit more and you can scope out parts prices. You'll see the original Alnico II Super 58s are about $150.00 a piece. Whereas the Super 58 Customs in the Expressionist are far cheaper, less than $75.00 each. And those are Alnico V pickup. Heck loo for used Super 58's on eBay, you'll find many but when you ask the seller what guitar they came out of you'll find they are the lesser Alnico V Super 58s (Custom remains unspoken or at best sotto voice).

Having owned 4 of the upper quality AS103s (burl and spalted maple versions) that came stock with the Super 58 Custom (Alnico V) pickup I know from owning them that they are decent pickups. BUT my last AS103 in burl maple had been upgraded with Gibson Classic 57s and CTS pots, caps and output jack. The improvement was fantastic. There are three pickups that I'm quite fond of, the Super 58, the Duncan Seth Lover and the Gibson Classic 57. To my ears they all have that PAF tone nailed. The Super 58 Customs don't come close. Ibanez probably won't reply to you because they want people to think they're getting something that they're not. Or put more kindly: Lost In Translation.

Check out this ad for an AFJ95, pretty much a dead wringer for what you are asking about. Look down at the detailed specs, it says Super 58 custom, but they stray vaguely from the truth by saying these are the same used in the Benson model (really it's the lower end LGB30), Scoville (JS10) and so on. Get it ?? Of course not but it makes for a nice "what if" debate about is Ibanez REALLY putting a $300.00 set of pickups in a $600.00 street price jazz box.

Ibanez site, navigate around and you can find parts you want to research

Ibanez.com | Parts

Pots and caps and wire and output hacks are all made in China. There is no magic sounds coming from those components. I worked several years as an electronics technician n the military. Same thing for pups. They fall into two categories, those that sound ok, those that dont. If the sound is bad and your amp is good, then replace. Im not falling for the “cultural bias “ anymore especially for anything coming out of China these days. I replaced the KA Eastman licensed for an ordinary KA. The sound was just a little different, maybe a little better, but just a little different- it wasn’t worth the expense and effort. If you’re already considering Chinese parts to be junk, surely you’ll hear a difference. It’s called psychosomatic expectations.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I replaced the KA Eastman licensed for an ordinary KA. The sound was just a little different, maybe a little better, but just a little different- it wasn’t worth the expense and effort.

Kent agrees with you, and so do I. The Asian KAs made under license are built to the same specs as the identical ones he makes here, on the same equipment using the same materials. He told me that by phone when I called to discuss replacing the floater on my carved 17” Eastman with one made by him. He said, “You’d be wasting your money”.

[MCO]

Informative insights and details. Thanks much!

[MCO]

When in doubt, I just switch out with Seymour Duncan. I know what I'm getting and 95% of all my guitars have Duncan's in them.....even my Ibanez AM93. The difference between the SD and Super 58 Customs was noticeable.

Which SD did you go with? (I'm looking for a hollow body neck pickup to replace a lower end Ibanez).