[jbandy10]

This is a bit of an odd one. Bridge humbucker and neck single.

Planning to use the guitar for 80s shred mostly, nothing brutally heavy. Just standard tuning stuff.

I already have an HH config RG with an air zone and air norton. Love the air zone. Air Norton is just decent. Not a huge fan of the boomy bass on the AN. I'm thinking I need something slightly hotter than the air zone in this guitar. No clue on the neck pickup. Heck, I may even want something more stratty.

Recommendations?

[jazzfromhell]

I have an Ibanez RG465 with a H-S setup and I have the Transition and Satch Track in there, and its a truly perfect combo. I do a lot of shred stuff and it's great for that but it also does a whole lot more, it's not a one trick pony.

But there are so many combinations that'll work.
If you want stratty in the neck you can go all the way from the True Velvets and Areas up to Heavy Blues 2 and the Injector. It just depends on HOW stratty you want to go.
And if you take the railbuckers into account as well....

As for the humbucker: if you like the AZ but want something hotter the Tone Zone is the obvious answer.
Tone Zone / Chopper is Bumblefoots preferred setup.

[darkbluemurder]

Going by what I know of H-S combinations I would say Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 in the neck and AT-1 in the bridge would make a great combination (even though the guitar I have them in is set up for H-S-S, with an Injector neck in the middle). No idea though whether the AT-1 is hotter than the Air Zone as I have never played an Air Zone.

Tone Zone is certainly a step up in output, so would be the Super Distortion or the Steve Morse bridge, maybe even the Breed bridge. All with a different tone, however. Breed bridge is a bit warmer than the Tone Zone and has a bit less sizzle on top. The Steve Morse bridge is quite bright and twangy for a high output pickup.

Cheers Stephan

[greenlion]

Tone Zone and Cruiser Bridge in neck maybe.

[HeyNorton!]

I have an rg3xxv, which is sorta the reissue of your rg565.

It came with an air Norton s/ d'activator  combo.  Those coupled with the unique Ibanez switching have never given me a reason to switch them.  All I did was add a treble bleed.  The air Norton s sounds great in parallel.  Inner coils sound very fender, sort of a mix of position 2 and 4 on a strat.

I love the versatility of this setup and I don't even play metal.  I know, a shame right?

[greenlion]

A Paf Joe would work well with your Air Zone in the other guitar.

[darkbluemurder]

Tone Zone and Cruiser Bridge in neck maybe.

The output from these pickups is quite different, i.e. the Tone Zone will be way louder.

Cheers Stephan