Tips for using Emgs?

[Curt]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Just buy Blackouts, sell the EMGs and be done with it.
Blackouts are everything the EMGs are only it does it all 15 times better.
Also, none of that terrible overcompressed feeling too, Blackouts solve that.

:28:

EMG 81-X bridge and 85-X or maybe a 60-X if you prefer the sound of the 60. Just personally anyway, if you dig EMG's tone and you dig the headroom and dynamics of passives, and want something that is like the product of mixing the two plus a little bit of extra "kickassness" as my friend put it when describing the output of his custom wound pickups he bought. get the EMG X series, and THEN be done with it.

But this is just IMO except for the part about them being like the perfect combination of EMG tone and passive pickup headroom/dynamics, thats a fact. lol whether or not they are the best option in your case, is just my opinion.

 

[alex1fly]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Don't buy new pickups just because other people don't like what you're using. It sounds to me like you like the guitar, like the pickups, and are interested in seeing what they're capable of.

Super easy way to do the 18 volt mod (these instructions are verbatim if you have two EMG pre-wired battery clips, but you can get a battery clip somewhere else and add your own wires)

desolder the black wire from the output jack
solder second clip's black wire to the output jack, where the 1st black that you just disconnected was
solder second clip's red wire to the first black wire that was disconnected

viola! plug your second battery and go. don't forget to play with pickup height and EQ and stuff. i found that the 18v sounded best when i backed the pickups off a little bit (i had them as close as possible before).

 

[rammer69]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

:28:

EMG 81-X bridge and 85-X or maybe a 60-X if you prefer the sound of the 60. Just personally anyway, if you dig EMG's tone and you dig the headroom and dynamics of passives, and want something that is like the product of mixing the two plus a little bit of extra "kickassness" as my friend put it when describing the output of his custom wound pickups he bought. get the EMG X series, and THEN be done with it.

But this is just IMO except for the part about them being like the perfect combination of EMG tone and passive pickup headroom/dynamics, thats a fact. lol whether or not they are the best option in your case, is just my opinion.

curt where can the X series be purchased ? i cant find them anywhere. rammer

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

I tuned the guitar down a half step and it made it sound alot phatter! Me likey! Will still prob rotate the pups just to see..

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

well, just an update.. The main 3 things: I downtuned a half step. I figure better eq settings on the amp, and, most importantly, I spent some time playing the guitar.. I like them.. Still not my favs. The big problem Im having now is control. It will take more finesse.
Ill spend some more time, but I just dont want to have to alter my whole style for one guitar.

How many of you switch back and forth?? Or are you strictly active or passive guys??

 

[jasona84]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

I'm a passive guy. I just like the tone of it better, but that's not to say keeping what you have is bad. I'd do the 18v mod and just see. Worst case scenario is you sell the EMG's for a lot of money since people pay top dollar for them, then get a nice set of something you enjoy in there.

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

+1 on the 18v mod. Some may not hear the difference but when I had EMGs in an Ibanez SZ520 a few years ago I noticed a slight improvement. I couldn't really put my finger on it at the time but increased headroom was definitely there. That said, I don't know if I would go back to EMGs now... I've tried a few different guitars with passive Duncans and EMGs with my Mark IV and they all sounded great.

 

[veryhungrycaterpilla]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

I use actives and passives: EMG SAs and SD and DMZ passives.

If it was my guitar, I'd put a 89 in the neck and a 60A in the bridge and be very happy. YMMV

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

I've got 15 guitars and only one 1 has EMGs, only because that's what it came with. Still trying to give them a fair chance.

I do prefer passives, but then that may be because the Duncans and DiMarzios I have do not require any tonal adjustments in my preamp to get a sound I like, whereas the EMGs using the same preamp settings are not to my liking.

That's not to say the pickups aren't good, or are sterile, or whatever else negative can be said, it's just that they have their own sound, and I have to create a patch in my preamp that makes the EMGs sound the way I want them to sound, which would be closer to the passives.

However, once you do that, you enter a never-ending philosophical loop - do you make EMGs sound like passives or do you live with the unique tone or do you replace them? If you use tone-shaping EQ to make them sound like passives, why keep them?

It goes on and on like that.


Another dual-battery mod you can try is to run each pickup off its own battery. I've done this with H-S-S setups and the singles really jumped out once they were on a separate battery from the hum. The hum was also much more present without the singles dragging down the juice.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Im a passive guy too.. its just what Im used to. I hoped to get used to this and thought it would be cool to have one active in the arsenal..

Im gonna swap the pups around next week and Id like to do the 18v mod.. Ill give it all a whack before I pull them. Today was the first I really enjoyed them, but I know Im gonna have to really approach that guitar different and I just wanna play it..


How do I do the 18v mod????

 

[mfprh]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

How do I do the 18v mod????

Go to Radio Shack or wherever and buy three 9v battery clips. Solder them in series black-red-black-red-black-red. Hook one 9v clip to the one already present in your guitar and put batteries on the two remaining 9v clips. Done.

 

[Stef]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Take sterile suckers out of paula. Try Bill Lawrence L500-XL- so much better, more organic and even hotter than 81.
Investigate SD Alternative8 or JB...
"Batteries belong in flashlights"

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Excellent diagram! Thanks!!

Stef,
LOL! I like the Alt 8,but not sure about it in a LP.

 

[Stef]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Yes..haha "Batteries..." I found it on Bill Lawrence site....

About A8 and JB- I wrote investigate...but I can recommend BL 500xl. My friend form the bend is a trash metal maniac and I installed and then removed 81&85. So sterile, even for him. Now in the neck of his Gibson V is stock gibson HB and in the bridge pos is Lawrence. Much better for bouth metal and hardrock, maybe eeven more output than 81...not lacking in anything....
for just60$ = 600000x better than emg IMO

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

I play both passives and actives. Truth be told, I did have to adjust my playing when switching to actives, but I got used to it. The cool thing is that my playing actually got cleaner and my technique improved. YMMV.

 

[Curt]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Excellent diagram! Thanks!!

Stef,
LOL! I like the Alt 8,but not sure about it in a LP.

I love he Alt 8 in an LP. sounds great.

 

[Curt]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Try Bill Lawrence L500-XL- so much better

"Batteries belong in flashlights"

:bsflag:

Not better, just different. actives do have their benefits.

and I always facepalm at that quote.

That said, 9 times out of 10 I rely on Passives for my playing. I just wish they could make a passive as quiet and with as much clarity as an active.

 

[Stef]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

9 times out of 10 I rely on Passives for my playing

90% !!!

I just wish they could make a passive as quiet and with as much clarity as an active.

So, you play on stages with 1000000$ worth of light and passives are not quiet enough? I don't think so...

500xl is quiet and very transparent, without the light
We tested 81 and l500xl with these amps:
6505+
Triple Rectifier
JMP 50 '73
JCM800
Various cabs, guitars and boosters, OD...

 

[Abyssous]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Just buy Blackouts, sell the EMGs and be done with it.
Blackouts are everything the EMGs are only it does it all 15 times better.
Also, none of that terrible overcompressed feeling too, Blackouts solve that.

are they not quite the same?

i feel the diffrence between the old metal/hot livewires end the emg to be way better, but the blackouts are a not really improved version of those, right?
and since they're back on 9 volts.. not that i tried blackouts, but the emg can't be massively sold worldwide just for it's large 'name' right?

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Tips for using Emgs?

Go to Radio Shack or wherever and buy three 9v battery clips. Solder them in series black-red-black-red-black-red. Hook one 9v clip to the one already present in your guitar and put batteries on the two remaining 9v clips. Done.

First... this diagram was so easy to follow.. THANK YOU!!! Took me 10 min to do this to my Les! Amazing! Bought a pack of 9 volt clips a Radio Shack this am. Soldered the wires together and taped em up like on the diagram. Snapped on a pair of new Duracells and gathered the wires and gently put the wires and batteries in the control cavity, put cover on and lit up the amp..
What is this supposed to improve?? To me, it seemed more open and bigger sounding. I def like it better! Thanks SOOO much!