EMG 9V to 18V with Push/Pull Switch and Battery Indicator Light

[Mincer]

It uses an XPS power box.

 

[Artie]

It uses an XPS power box.

Sweet! I SO need one of those. (Just to experiment with.)

 

[alexreinhold]

Thanks so much for the support so far. I added a three-way blade to the wiring diagram (see at the bottom) and have two very quick follow up questions:

- do I have to add another wire from the blade and solder on top of the tone pot? (seen this in other EMG 3-way blade diagrams), (like so in green):

- will I need to add another wire from the push/pull top left and solder on top of the tone pot? (seen this in other push/pull diagrams), (like so in green):


Here's the whole thing:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

I've never understood why active guitars don't use phantom power, as microphones have done for over a half century. Guitar amps, (except for small portables), are always plugged into the wall. The Jensen Transformer people have a cool little circuit for this.

If amps used so little power that they could have an onboard source that added virtually no weight and took up such a small space as a 9 volt battery (or a Fishman style pack that was integrated into an existing part) and lasted thousands of hours, why would you want to drag around a special cable and another box to plug in?

The battery life “problem” is ridiculously exaggerated. My Fluence loaded guitar has a battery life that’s about 1/10th of what EMGs will last, and it’s still solved by plugging in the guitar with a cell phone charger for a couple hours every three weeks or so.

 

[alex1fly]

IME with the EMG 81/85 set and 9v vs 18v the difference was more of a feel thing than a tone thing. It was very subtle. Had them in a PRS SE Soapbar model, with the soapbar sized pups. If I obsessed over it, I could find real differences. But it was night and day when switching between that axe and my passive pickup axes. Both 9v and 18v modes are full frequency, compressed, clucky, have their own thing going on. I settled on the 9v mode because it's how EMG designed it and I didn't see a good point in trying to make those pickups act differently. They are what they are, embrace it and rock out!

 

[ToneFiddler]

IMHO, parallel is what you want. (As you have it drawn.) The reason for this is that if your 9-volt option only uses one battery, then it can be at a level of discharge lower than the other. When you go to 18-volt, the stronger battery will try to recharge the weaker battery. Very bad, maybe even dangerous, with alkalines.

this info is all wrong

2 9v blocks in series: no danger. if one is less charged you still get the sum of each individual outputs.

2 9v blocks in parallel there are some bigger currents flowing if they are not charged equally.

 

[Artie]

That info comes from Duracell. They say to never mix old and new batteries. YMMV.

 

[alexreinhold]

Does anyone by any chance have an answer to post 23?

 

[JB_From_Hell]

EMG pickups are not typically grounded, so I don’t think your additional green wires are necessary.

 

[Artie]

- will I need to add another wire from the push/pull top left and solder on top of the tone pot? (seen this in other push/pull diagrams), (like so in green):

Definitely don't do this one. You're shorting out your 9-volt batteries to ground.

 

[alexreinhold]

Thanks guys, no green wires it is