Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

Justin Read

Justin Read

New member
Hello,

I am having trouble with an EMG solder-less kit fitted to a Seymour Duncan Blackout. I am literally struggling to hear any tonal difference when I adjust the tone knob. I think this is because the capacitor Seymour Duncan use is a .47 and the capacitor pre-soldered into the EMG tone pot is a 104.

What capacitor will I need to get to boost the built in cap on the solderless EMG tone to what is required of the Seymour Duncan Blackout (being a .47)? Where will i need to solder? May be you have another idea???

My other question relates to the EMG accessories. The RPC SPC and EXG. Has anyone tried them? Any gossip? Will they allow the correct tonal variance on a Blackout as they do on an EMG?
I have 1 dial position available and I am thinking to try one them out along with the PA2 to replace my dummy toggle switch.

It's super mod time ;-)

Any help will be fantastic.
 
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Re: Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

Are you using EMG's old style, straightforward passive treble roll off control or their new VLPF? The latter needs a 9v power supply.

I used to own an LTD EC-401w with an EMG Quik Connect wiring harness. I soon changed to SD Live Wire Classic II humbuckers. At the same time, I substituted the .047 cap supplied by Duncan for the stock li'l green bugger. Made all the difference. The tone pot finally DID something.

EMG-SPC is a midrange booster. The -EXG is a sort of treble and bass aural exciter that simultaneously cuts mids. The -RPC is a resonant peak frequency shifter. I cannot honestly think of any occasion that I had definitely witnessed its effects on guitar tone.
 
Re: Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

Yeah, I have the older style passive EMG tone that has the cap soldered onto the pot/chip board edge. It is microscopic is size.

Thank you for your help, I just soldered the cap on and it is awesome!!!! I now have a working tone pot.

Do you think the VLPF would have achieved my goal without needing to solder (for future reference)?

...and thanks for putting me on the right path for the EMG controls also. They sound great but that's the point of marketing I guess ;-)

As the tone is now a master tone, I have empty pot space left. What would you recommend I put in there?
 
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Re: Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

How many Blackouts pickups do you have in the guitar and which types? SSS, HSS, HSH, HS, HH, H?

The VLPF does more than earlier stock EMG tone controls but I would like to be able to change the capacitor value. Unfortunately, on the VLPF, the cap is a microscopic item on the PCB. Boo, hiss.

If your expectation is that your active tone controls should conspicuously DO something, the obvious choice would be the -SPC mid booster.

The accessory that I always wanted to try in a guitar was the EMG-VMC - a stacked knob, sweepable midrange cut/boost control intended for bass guitars.

The closest thing that Seymour Duncan ever offered to my EMG-VMC suggestion was the Prototype EQ. Frank Zappa used them in the Eighties. I have only ever seen one other example of this device and I own it.
 
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Re: Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

The guitar has a HSS set up. I only have the humbucker currently and am on the hunt for the 2 singles.

Yeah I'll give the SPC and or the RPC a go.

The VMC sounds interesting but I want to keep my F branded fender knobs

Cheers
 
Re: Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

For a Stratocaster type guitar with more single coil sized pickups than humbuckers, I would choose the EMG-SPC midrange booster.
 
Re: Blackouts with EMG accessory help required

Hey FunkFingers my RPC arrived. The SPC is still on its way.

The RPC is really interesting on the blackouts (HSS). It adds fenderish twang to my clean tones.

I am very impressed.

Thanks again
 
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