Can you get used to active pickups?

[SF audio]

I've got an ESP horizon with the EMG 57/66 pickups. At first, I almost puked as the sound is just too much - high output, hyped, too hi fi, etc. I got another distortion pedal in my setup (Bogner Burnley), and figured out that if I back off on the volume I can get a more dynamic, open sound which sounds a bit more like passives. A good thing about them is that the high end does not roll off when backing off on the volume, so you can get pretty much the same tone anywhere on the pot.

The EMG's don't sound bad, but it still seems to lack the touch sensitivity and dynamics of a passive pickup (I'm not playing metal which EMGS are known to excel at). I can adjust my playing technique, I guess, to suit what they are, but I wonder if I'm wasting my time and I should just sell these things and get passives.

Anyone "convert" to actives and make it work, for medium gain rock/blues stuff?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

i have one guitar with active duncan blackout singles. it takes a bit to get to know how the pups react but now i dont think of it at all. its just another guitar to play. i play blues rock for the most part

 

[Securb]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

It really depends on the actives. Just like passive pickups there is a huge range of manufacturers and models. The Fishman Fluence, for instance, are very warm sounding. That being said I only have one guitar with active pickups that I like.

My B. C. Rich came with horrible active pickups, I ripped out the entire wiring system and put in a set of passive Fralin SHOs. The guitar screams now.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

If you hate your ESP Horizon THAT much, there's only one solution!!


Send it to me for proper disposal!!!

 

[LLL]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

No.

 

[SF audio]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

If you hate your ESP Horizon THAT much, there's only one solution!!


Send it to me for proper disposal!!!

Hah....love the guitar, plays great, its just the pickups. Maybe I'll figure out how to get the tones I want....but maybe not.

 

[SF audio]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

I guess the big thing for me is getting great tones. When I hear the EMG's, its not bad but it doesn't seem to be special either. Kinda generic, like a digital recording is to live sound. I might try the 18 volt mod if that would make a difference, or play around with pickup height, but it seems like I'm T&rd polishing at this point.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

Are they running on 9 volts? Run them on 18 v. It gives you more headroom for a less compressed feeling.


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[SF audio]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

The horizon has a battery compartment for one battery....how do store the other battery? In the pot assembly cavity?

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[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

The horizon has a battery compartment for one battery....how do store the other battery? In the pot assembly cavity?

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You’d either have to put the battery in the control cavity or get a double battery box.

Personally I liked the compressed feel when I used EMGs. I used to use a compressor before and didn’t need it.


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[NegativeEase]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

OP, playing Actives will make you a better player -as you cant hide from the truth with an active pickup.

Maybe swap them out on your ESP and throw them in a practice guitar so you can know the truth every once in a while

 

[jeremy]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

i dont know if thats true. i used to use emgs and liked them because there was a fair amount of compression which covered up my sloppy technique

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

i dont know if thats true. i used to use emgs and liked them because there was a fair amount of compression which covered up my sloppy technique

I guess it depends on the pickups, most of mine (Bartolini and EMG) are very revealing -but I can see where you could be right too.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

Look into the EMG Retroactives. They sound and feel like passives while having all of the benefits of an active. I had a Fat 55 neck and Hot 70 bridge in a Firebird for a time before I sold it to fund my pedal projects.

 

[donaldr]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

Liking my EMGs (S/S/60) for what they are: different than passives
Yes a bit of compression but a lot of sustain. The EMG 60 is less full/compress than 81/85 models, so suiting my needs better as I don't play metal. I like them better playing with the band than playing alone as they seems to not spills on other instruments sonic territory.
I started appreciating my EMG set when I discovered the volume pot was having a HUGE range and that I could go as low as 3-4 without affecting that much the "perceived" volume but affecting more the input gain to the amp. Same behavior with volume at 9.0-9.5 gives a bit more "air" to my sound.
I'm also using less distortion with them.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

I have a EMG Gilmour set up in an ash/maple strat and it took some getting used to. This circuit hides nothing and is pretty darned hot to boot. I love the tones I can get out of it, but if I'm not playing at 100% that day, I reach for a different guitar. We

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

Look into the EMG Retroactives. They sound and feel like passives while having all of the benefits of an active. I had a Fat 55 neck and Hot 70 bridge in a Firebird for a time before I sold it to fund my pedal projects.

Is that the same Preamp as the X series or different?

 

[bldrst]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

I have a EMG Gilmour set up in an ash/maple strat and it took some getting used to. This circuit hides nothing and is pretty darned hot to boot. I love the tones I can get out of it, but if I'm not playing at 100% that day, I reach for a different guitar. We

I haven't tried active in a strat, that could be awesome. I'll have to build a 4th strat!

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

Is that the same Preamp as the X series or different?

I couldn't tell you, but I'm sure somebody else here can.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Can you get used to active pickups?

Not sure I'd be using an ESP Horizon with active EMGs for blues rock.

Then again, I wouldn't use as Gretsch Duo Jet with Filtrons for heavy metal either.