I have an Ibanez RG series ( I think it's a 550, but can't remember and it only says RG on it) that I bought in '95. It plays well, has a super fast neck and some sentimental value as I played a lot of shows and recorded with it several times. But, it sounds too thin for my taste.

I can't decided if I should either

a) swap out the INF pickup in the bride position with an SH-8, SH-10 or an EMG-81

or

b) buy a Schecter Damien Elite instead.

I had an older, really ugly, but awesome sounding Ibanez years back that had Duncan's in it and it was super fat, sound wise. Lots of skeleton rattling crunch, without giving up the crisp high end distortion. That became my "signature sound" but I'm just not getting it out of this RG.

Kinda limited on funds, so while in a perfect world I'd do both, I can't right now, but need to do something...

Anyone have any experience that might help the decision process here? (and, I play thrash/death stuff ala Bolt Thrower & Venom with a little odd ball old-school Voi Vod tossed in).

An RG is a great guitar. My other guitarist uses one with the bridge pickup swapped for a Duncan JB and it sounds great. An Invader would be preferred but that's just by me, heh.

Switch the pickups hands down. Shouldn't even be a question! Throw a pair of BGs or Duncans in there and you'll be golden my man!

Thanks for the opinions guys. The plan is to get an Invader in the RG, then save the nickels up and get a Schecter sometime in the spring. Interested to hear the difference in sound between the two.

I say go for a SD JB. It's a great sounding pickup with a good solid low end.

If you are owning a japanese made RG which consisting the time frame it was made; it will probably play better then the chinese made schecter, friend of mine owns a schecter and i own an old 90's made japanese RG and my RG plays alot better then the schecter, i would swap the pickups, do your still have the V7 & V8 stock pickups? Because those are pretty muddy pickups, i would get a few nice passive EMG's / Duncans suiting your taste ofcourse! Actives is a option as well, but you might have to drill extra holes for the wiring in your guitar, if, your willing to drill holes in it.

Like what most people are saying, it would be a much better decision to swap pickups instead of guitars. However, I have a friend who is a strict Shecter user and another friend who is endorsed by Shecter; they're of great quality, but since you're on a budget I'd say go with the new pickups.

While I do still dig the idea of a Schecter, I got a Warlock from my family for Christmas, and an SD-1 pup to put in the Ibanez. Although, I'm considering leaving the Ibanez alone now and putting the SD-1 in the Warlock instead...

Warlock, eh? Sexy. Which one did you get? If the warlock's pickups are good ones, I'd swap out the Ibanez so you have two higher quality guitars at hand. I still prefer Devil's Choice guitars, like the Trapjaw and Manticore. You should check it out!
http://www.devilschoice.de/

The original post you quote has a link to the Warlock. It's a Bronze series, and needs new tuners pretty desperately. But I cleaned it up really good and put new strings on it and it plays almost as nice as the Ibanez. Both have a distinct sound, so I may leave them alone PUP-wise. I have the SD-1, but after tweaking my Line 6 a bit, am now not sure I want to put it in either and may return it and put that money towards a drum machine, which is all I need to be able to start recording songs.

Those DC's are pretty trick looking (the Omen especially), but I'd have to play one before thinking about buying it. Thanks for the link.

Sounds like you have it all figured out! If you have any further questions concerning equipment or anything, you can always P.M me! Good luck with the recordings, drum machines can be a bit tricky for people who haven't used them before.