Steinberger Spirit pickups: a confirmation.

[Chistopher]

You may want an L45 in the middle too

 

[CarlosG]

I've compared them to my Synapse, and every one I've tried had stiff tuners and some weird fret issues. I really wish Gibson would sell the brand to someone willing to put out real Steinbergers again.

I have question to you. What EMG does your synapse have?
What EMG was installed in the high-end Steinberger models?
Since the Steinberger pickups were supposed to be a cheap copy of the EMG, maybe the EMG is my way? I always liked the EMG 81 on demos, but I've read that it lacks dynamics. I wonder if that's true. I'm also curious about how the volume knob cleans. Apparently Vito Bratta used an EMG 85 on the bridge and an 81 on the neck on his Steinberger.
EMG X supposedly have better dynamics, and the TW version also has a single-coil sound.

 

[freefrog]

Since the Steinberger pickups were supposed to be a cheap copy of the EMG, maybe the EMG is my way?

The question was not for me and I can't reply for you (nor instead of Mincer) but one thing to consider is that passive EMG's have nothing to do with active ones. Sure, they share the same coils. But an active EMG has its coils wired SEPARATELY to both sides of an op-amp and is EQed in a totally different way.

Illustration below. Passive EMG's would have a resonance like any passive transducer (and therefore like the 3 DiMarzio's + one Fender PU pictured in this link). Active EMG have the specific "bowed" response without resonance pictured there... a bit like a passive pickup whose tone control would be lowered but much louder...

https://www.cycfi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/all-freq-response.jpg

 

[Mincer]

I have question to you. What EMG does your synapse have?
What EMG was installed in the high-end Steinberger models?
Since the Steinberger pickups were supposed to be a cheap copy of the EMG, maybe the EMG is my way? I always liked the EMG 81 on demos, but I've read that it lacks dynamics. I wonder if that's true. I'm also curious about how the volume knob cleans. Apparently Vito Bratta used an EMG 85 on the bridge and an 81 on the neck on his Steinberger.
EMG X supposedly have better dynamics, and the TW version also has a single-coil sound.

It did have an EMG 81 and 85. But those didn't last long. I am not really a fan of any EMGs I tried. They were replaced with an SD Alnico II Pro in the neck, and a Custom Shop double screw 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge about 2 months after I got the guitar.