I have an AS73 w/TCR finish that I bought used and I am having some weird sound issues I think may be related to the pickups. I want to get the guitar serviced, but I would like to know what the problem first, so that I can purchase any necessary parts without paying overhead on them.

When I put the pickup selector in the middle, the neck pickup is silent if I turn the bridge pickup down, and only reappears when the neck pickup us up, as if the neck pickup were a master knob and the bridge pickup was running through it...hardly good for trying to balance them. The neck tone control knob doesn't seem to be doing anything at any volume unless only the neck pickup is selected. I'm not sure if it's supposed to work like that or not.

I am also having serious tone problems. With the pickup switch in any position, the high two strings sound shrill and sort of nasal toned, while the third string is loud and way too bright. The bottom three seem way too muddy, unless I turn down the volume in which case I lose the top end. When I am on the neck pickup alone, there is almost no high end at all. Both pickups yields a severely bottom-heavy sound, with the high strings drowning in the low rumble. The bridge pickup is more powerful sounding on the high end, but the low end is still overpowering it and regardless of my tone and volume settings I get a low, rumbling bottom and a shrill, whiny top. Does anyone know what could be causing this?

I thought it was my lack of knowing how to get the tone right until I compared it with a friend's guitar and noticed the drastic difference in clarity over the high end of his sound, no matter what settings he chose. No configuration I try can get my high strings coming out clear, and if I turn the tone up high enough to hear the highs, they are distorted and mid-heavy but nowhere near as loud as the lows. Turning it up also makes the overly bright G string become very loud and stand out from the rest of the sound, with almost a banjo twang to it. I am new to sculpting tone, and I don't want to overpay for everything at the shop, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks, Max :)



I'm sure you're right that it is just wired that way. Is this what people mean by serial configuration? I may look into rewiring it, but perhaps the master volume idea isn't so bad. My initial thought was that the tech had miswired it and that this behavior was somehow related to my sound problems.



My neck tone control doesn't work in middle position, when both pickups are active. Perhaps this is another case of the bridge acting as a master, the way the volume is set up. The difference here, though, is that the neck tone has no effect no matter what the bridge is set to while the neck volume works as long as the bridge volume is up.



I will look into adjusting the height - is this easy to do? I'll see if I can find a guide on it. I have heard of people getting some new pickups for the AS73 and loving the results. It seems popular to throw on some PAFs. That's gonna be a day in the future, when I can afford the perfect set, lol. I also have some research to do. How do people find the perfect pickups for their guitar? It's not like I can slap on each pair at the store and hear how they react, lol, nor can I afford to buy each option and try them at home.



My friend has a Gibson Custom Gothic ES-335, a limited edition one I have trouble finding on the web. I am fairly certain this is it. I completely expected a better sound from his guitar, however, the difference seems more drastic than that, as if my highs weren't even coming through the line. When recorded together, the power in the low end was comparable but in high parts my guitar couldn't even be heard. If I try to EQ in the high parts, it overdrives the high mids and the result is terrible.



I chose the AS73 because I wanted a clean, sweet sound with a good sustain. The sustain is there, but the high notes are impossible to get through. I hope it is just the way it's set up, that would save me money and force me to learn something new. My favorite guitar tones off the top of my head are Trey Anastasio and Santana, both having a super clean sound even when driven. I also love the sound of Warren Haynes, whose tone sounds similar to what my guitar is supposedly capable of. I know I'm not gonna sound like them any time soon, but I at least want a tone that is clear and present, and doesn't go to sh** as soon as I add any kind of drive to it.

I don't have a rig at the moment, just an old copy of NI Guitar Rig 3 that I use as a plugin to Ableton Live 7. I'm pretty impressed with the rigs that GR is capable of, although I understand there are limitations as nothing reacts quite like live sound. Again, other guitars I have tried through the same setup (even an Ovation acoustic/electric) had much better representation in the high ranges and played well through distortion. If I add any distortion on my sound the highs are lost in a wave of mud. I have had a similar experience playing it through my friend's amplifiers and using distortion pedals: the highs aren't present, the mids are overly nosey and sharp, and the lows are boomy and muddy.

The is a video on Gearwire demonstrating the sound that the AS73 is capable of with stock ACH pickups. Skip halfway to hear it played. You can see that his tone is powerful in the middle range, but doesn't lose clarity and power when he goes up from there. His highs are crystal clear, and I can't reproduce anything near that in any configuration - even with the volume and tone all the way up (I know better than to do that, btw) the highs are completely missing. You can also hear some variations on the sound by searching AS73 on YouTube, I found a plethora of people playing light jazzy melodies on the high strings and sounding sweet and clear. Most of them had toned down the high mids on the bridge pickup somehow and don't sound overly punchy as the GW guy does at times. If I want to hear my high strings, I have to play hard.

I also read this review in which the reviewer was saying the very same thing about the sound. You will notice this is in contrast to the greater number of reviewers going on about how great the sound is for the price. The muddy tone and lack of highs he is experiencing sound just like my problem.



Dont' worry, I am a noob when it comes to the mechanical aspects of the guitar. I've played for years but been limited by my own guitars for the most part, which only recently included an electric. I also play a lot of other instruments, guitar isn't my primary although I absolutely love playing it. I'm honestly not sure how to adjust the pickup height, is it fairly easy to do? Since this guitar was refurbished, it wouldn't surprise me that the tech at the guitar shop I bought it from might have replaced them and left them maladjusted. Thanks again for all your help !

Here's a good guide to adjusting the height of the pickups, and here's another one with less overall info, but some very helpful photos.

Overall, I'm not surprised your friends Gibson, with it's superior Gibson USA 57' pickups, as well as Ebony fretboard, not to mention it's overall better construction (which is reflected in the price), sounds better overall. Though, that doesn't mean your guitar doesn't have potential to sound better then that Gibson ever will. Think of it as a diamond in the rough. With a proper set-up and some new pickups, you'll be getting some amazing, balanced, tones in no time. It is possible that you could have a small wiring problem, but even so, it'll be an EXTREMELY cheap and easy fix.

As for what pickups to look into, it's more of an art then a science. A good thing to do is to find tones of musicians you really like, find out what pickups they are using, and then compare those pickups to see what common qualities they share. It'll take a little research, but with Wikipedia, Fan Pages, and YouTube, it's a fairly easy search. If it makes you feel more at ease, just about any pickup of higher quality (i.e. Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan, GFS, Golden Age, etc) will sound better.

I use NI Guitar Rig (2, 3, and now 4) and it's a WONDERFUL program.

I think what you should do is take your guitar to a professional tech for a full set-up and electronics check-up. You're guitar will play far better, and potentially sound better, and you'll be at ease to know your electronics situation. Just be sure to tell the tech to not do anything invasive (i.e. replace parts) without you OK. Many shops should be willing to accommodate you. As for the shop overhead on parts, they'll rarely charge you more then the part would have cost if you bought it yourself.

Also, just curious, have you tried replacing the strings? Many of the guitars I've bought over the years had dead, lifeless strings on them when I received them, and since dead strings can often kill tone, it would be worth trying out a new set.

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Current "Heard":
UV777PBK - UV7PWH - UV7BK "Green Dot" - UV7BK "Green Silver Dot" - RG7620VK - RG7420BK - RG1527RB

GUITAR SET-UP AND MAINTENANCE
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Good luck man, and please feel free to ask any questions you may have. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum.

A good set-up on a fixed bridge guitar, and an electronics check, should run you a good amount under $100, and probably in the neighborhood of about $60 depending on where you go.

Another good source of pickup info is the manufacturer websites, Dimarzio for instance has a lot of really good sound clips up.

I love GR too, at first I was pretty skeptical about amp sims, and really only bought it as a practicing/recording tool, but now I just absolutely love to play around with it. It also can help you determine what real life gear you may want to acquire at some point.

I say, wait till your guitar is fully set-up by a tech before taking any further steps. You'd be surprised how much a good set-up can help a guitar, in both playability AND tone.

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Current "Heard":
UV777PBK - UV7PWH - UV7BK "Green Dot" - UV7BK "Green Silver Dot" - RG7620VK - RG7420BK - RG1527RB

GUITAR SET-UP AND MAINTENANCE
Ibanez Catalogs---Megatron's Trem Guide
Need replacement parts? Go here.
Want to talk to Ibanez USA (Hoshino USA)? Then call this number (PA area code): (215)245-1648.
OFFICIAL IBANEZ PARTS & APPAREL STORE!!!

I think you'd like Stewmac's Golden Age pickups. I'd put them in the same group as a SD 59 or a Pearly Gates. They're much more affordable too.

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1998 Ibanez Artist AR700
1983 Ibanez Artist AM50
2007 Ibanez Artist AR305
2005 Ibanez Artist AR200
2004 Ibanez Artcore AM77
1985 Ibanez Pro Line PL1770
Custom made doubleneck