I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

[suislidE03]

Made a big mistake buying an EMG 81 not long ago. I have been wanting to try actives for a while now just to see what they were all about, and i just cant get over how disappointed i really am right now. Ive been trying to figure out a way to wire it with my full shred in the neck, but after alot of hassling trying to do it, i just wired the 81 by itself straight to the volume pot and out to the jack.

I played with our other guitarist today at 5, and after i plugged it in and played on the clean channel, i realized it was more sterile, darker, and very solid state like. After hitting the channel button, it made my Laney sound harder and cleaner. Turned up the gain and volume to where i usually play and instant feedback. Stepped away to kill that, and realized it sounded much cleaner than it usually does. I was disappointed already, this just made me sad. I couldnt even reach the amount of gain I play at.. and thats not even very saturated. With the gain over 4 and my SD1 on it will not stop feedbacking. The pickup did sound a bit tighter and gave a bit more punch, but that was the only positive about this pickup. Nathan and I came to the conclusion that without a really high gain amp, these pickups are trash. I missed the spongy, smooth depth of my duncans. Needless to say, I am taking it out and wiring my trusty duncans back in ASAP. Off to ebay mr 81, good ridance.

 

[ErikH]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Just curious, but did you wire it up with the pot that it came with? I think they're something like 25k. And don't feel bad about not getting it to work with a passive. It's a major hassle to do. Never could make that happen myself.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Actives don't work with passives. Your guitar has to be either all active or all passive.

 

[suislidE03]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Eric, i did use the pot it came with.

Zhsnafijaoe whatever (sorry), doesnt matter anymore cause its getting taken out.

 

[metal]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Eric, i did use the pot it came with.

Zhsnafijaoe whatever (sorry), doesnt matter anymore cause its getting taken out.

it matters alot 'cause if you try it the right way youre gonna love it !

 

[Xeromus]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Yeah the EMG's won't sound right unless you use an all active circuit and the one they provide. I'm not a huge fan of EMG's, but it probably didn't sound anything like it should have with the way you installed it. They are made to work only with those circuits.

Like someone said above, you can't mix active and passive.

 

[suislidE03]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Maybe i should reiterate. All the passive electronics were present, but NOT connected to the active circuit. I wired the 81 to its volume and tone pot, with the battery etc, and to the output jack.

 

[James Rock]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Ur amp is also more vintage based and EMG's are kinda High Gain metal type pickups. In my opinion (i havent used them just heard them on recordings) they dont have the feel of passives and work better for keeping super saturation tight and cutting.

 

[JeffB]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

no likey actives..any brand...

once in awhile I pick up a guitar with EMGs and they are fun for about 5 minutes...but that's it...they get real old, real quick....

I understand why others like them, but they are not for me.

 

[bryvincent]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Actives don't work with passives. Your guitar has to be either all active or all passive.

From the EMG website:

Can I mix EMG's with passive pickups?

It is possible to mix EMG's with passive pickups. There are three possible wiring configurations; one is better than the other two.

Use the high impedance (250K-500K) volume and tone controls. The problem is that the high impedance controls act more like a switch to the EMG's. The passive pickups, however, will work fine. If you have a guitar with two pickups and two volume pots, with a three-way switch, there is another alternative. Use the 25K pots for the EMG, and the 250K pots for the passive pickup. This way you can use one or the other with no adverse affects, but with the switch in the middle position the passive pickup will have reduced gain and response.

Use the low-impedance (25K) volume and tone controls provided with the EMG's. The problem here is that the passive pickups will suffer a reduction in gain and loss of high-frequency response.

This is the best alternative. Install an EMG-PA-2 on the passive pickups. There are two benefits to doing this. With the trimpot on the PA-2, you can adjust the gain of the passive pickups to match the EMG's. The PA-2 acts as an impedance matching device so you can use the low-impedance EMG controls (25K) without affecting the tone of the passive pickups. You will also be able to use other EMG accessory circuits such as the SPC, RPC, EXB, EXG, etc. For this application, we recommend ordering the PA-2 without the switch for easy installation on the inside of a guitar.


also, checkout the Judas Priest SG. EMG 58 on the bridge and Classic 57 on the neck.

 

[theodie]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

no likey actives..any brand...

once in awhile I pick up a guitar with EMGs and they are fun for about 5 minutes...but that's it...they get real old, real quick....

I understand why others like them, but they are not for me.

Yup!!!!

In addition, I have always found them to be very sterile with no real personality! Kind of like said before, very solid state sounding.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Ah see, us active users hate the sponginess you love about the Duncans. That's what sets us apart .

 

[suislidE03]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Maybe so.. I just like to "feel" the pickup and the amp. EMGs separate the player from its instruments..

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Actually, I find the exact opposites.

I feel I have to try harder with Passives. It's as if... Passives pull sound through the output jack, while actives push it through.

I find that EMG's translate exactly what you play, and that's what I love about them.

 

[suislidE03]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

You are also playing through high gain amps.. im not. Playing my amp at medium gain made it so difficult for me to play. I almost couldnt figure it out. I do play at all sorts of gain levels, and alot clean. It just didnt feel right to me. It did make a big difference when i played through my guitar port vs my laney. Since it has gain through the roof i could experiment with it a little more. I could tell it was a bit punchier and faster to the attack, but that was all. Just not for me i guess.

 

[Farkus]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

My personal feelings about EMG's are based on my personal experience, so YMMV.

The single coils sound great for country. I use them in a Tele copy (Tele set) and they do well if you're into effects and compressed cleans. Same for the SA Strat single coils.

The 85 (which I have the most experience with) worked great for metal, but otherwise isn't terribly versatile, IMO.

Thing is, overall, they don't respond to pick attack at all like a passive, which can be good or bad, depending on which sound you like better. The EMG's are like microphones over the strings rather than guitar pickups in my estimation, and don't sense much of the body wood. To me that's why they sound the same in different guitars, which is another negative, IMO.

They're neither good or bad, it's just what you like. I feel like I have much more control over the tone with passives, and can cover many more styles in a convincing fashion than I can with EMG's.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

I'm not that keen on EMGs either. I think that they sound bad without lots and lots of distortion. Also the picking attack and dynamics don't suit my style. If I was still playing 100% thrash metal, I'd probably use them. But I'm not.

 

[Mephis]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Ur amp is also more vintage based and EMG's are kinda High Gain metal type pickups. In my opinion (i havent used them just heard them on recordings) they dont have the feel of passives and work better for keeping super saturation tight and cutting.

Heh... They sound fine through my classic, that is if you like having 0 dynamics. (I've had a few guitars with some pretty wild EMG setups that were amazing for what they are worth but really didn't do much for me.)

 

[dekzan]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

Depends on what you play. To play Dimebag's riffs, you got to have a Dimebucker. The man himself had them. All other pick ups have too much mids.

 

[MBreinin]

Re: I dont think I could be more disappointed in a pickup

They always sounded pretty good when Gilmour was playing them!!!

I had a Tele set, and I really like that.

Mike