There are very funny reviews of Ibanez RG1570 Electric Guitar. People make the mistake of trying to compare two unrelated guitars when doing their reviews. I object strongly to that. I think what should be considered is the value to price ratio you get from any particular product and NOT how close it sounds to the guitar played by one rock star or the other.
For me, this guitar gives a great sound that’s crisp and clear. Simple put, the pickups do a great job. You get something close to a clean strat sound when you take down the volume a bit (there I go comparing guitars). I think they are a lot better when compared with the classic humbuckers of the 57′s. As far as I am concerned, I don’t think I’ll need to replace these pickups.
I know you must have read how much better the sound gets when you change the pickups to Dimarzio’s. But as far as I am concerned, it’s all a matter of taste and NOT quality. Most people who want to change are very likely fands of Vai or Joe Satriani. While there’s NOTHING wrong with that, we should make a distinction between personal taste and general quality.