EMG Active Pickups

[nervous]

I just picked up a gorgeous Carvin CS3 (what a damned nice guitar) loaded with EMG active pickups. I have had EMG's in many a bass and loved them all but this is my first guitar wth them. I am curious what the feeling is on them vs. teh standards like the Duncans I know pretty well, other boutiquey models etc.

I rarely see them. Does anyone dig them?

[jettster]

From what I remember with a few exceptions, most around here don't care for them. I have a Cali with them and it sounds pretty damn good through my Orange Rocker but hit and miss through my other amps. They seem to excel for high gain and the single coil does pretty well for that clean chorusy 80’s type of thing.

There are some pro's that get some nice tone out of them, Steve Lukather and Buck Dharma come to mind.

[Scottcrud]

I like em for metal. I used EMG 81's exclusively for about 15 years. I switched to passives cause I found a guy who will build me pickups the way I want for a reasonable price.

BTW, the EMG's blow the stock carvin pickups out of the water, IMO the carvins are some of the blandest pickups I've ever used.

[tbonesullivan]

My biggest issue with EMGs is that they sound so... sterile. They are high output but the actual tone I've been able to get out of them is so generic. I get much better sounds out of my passive pickups.

Also RE: carvin pickups, the M22 series is pretty bland, but the C22B is a good pickup, and the H22N (alan holdsworth model) is quite possibly the best sounding neck pickup I have EVER played on. It sounds almost stereo through a mono amp.

[Armitage]

I've still got a couple guitars with EMGs... sterile is a good term. They're also so "flavored" they tend to negate the differences in guitars.

I love EMG Soapbar bass pickups though.

[cwgatti]

I think if you play with a lot of effects, EMG is the way to go. I have guitars with OBL's and others with Seymour Duncan's (all passive) that sound great, but do not come close to the EMG's when I am running a string of effects. Without a doubt, my Cali loaded with EMG's sounds the clearest to me. But that doesn't mean it sounds the best.

..but with that said, I am considering refurbishing a few of my guitars and I am absolutely putting EMG's in them.

[tbonesullivan]

I've still got a couple guitars with EMGs... sterile is a good term. They're also so "flavored" they tend to negate the differences in guitars.

yeah... that is what really put me off. It seems like they sound mostly the same no matter what guitar you put them in. they are very low magnet pull, which is good, but they just don't seem to pick up the natural sound of the guitar.

[LordOfTheThighs]

I have them in my Dean Time Capsule Z. I think they sound fine. Not as organic as a set of Duncan Antiquities, but

better than a JB. They have their place in the scheme of playing guitar. I'm not a tone snob. I can make

a set of PAFs out of a '59 Les Paul sound like shit.

[nervous]

All very interesting. I am looking forward to hearing them live this weekend. There's also an EXG Expander in here as well.

[Dr Rockso]

Depends on your setup really; the obvious advantages is the low noise floor and low impedence which means you can run a longer cables. If you play with quite a saturated, effected sound, or with a rack setup, they work really well. As others have said, they tend to sound the same regardless of the guitar they're in and they are fantastic metal pickups. All a matter of taste I guess, but they're not my first choice when I want to play through a small valve combo and play some bluuuuuz

[nervous]

Well, playing a lot of 70's, 80's & 90's rock these might suit me well. I just opened the control cavity and found that everything is connected with EMG's modular system. It's also my first exposure to that. I will say that for initial installation purposes I see it's appeal but it looks sketchy. I already found a disconnected ground cable and teh actual connectors don't have the best bite. I have always soldered everything so we'll see how this goes.

[ton13]

Excuse me.. I ever heard some one said If wood of ur guitar is low grade & cant give good sound . EMG(active)

can help . cause all sound come from EMG pickup more than wood tone. Is that truth ?

[zenmindbeginner]

EMGs are affected by body and neck wood like any pickups. I mean, we're not getting the top of the body to vibrate like an acoustic but just letting the body and neck woods act like slight tone filters to the pickups.

I have never had any personal experience with them until I met Brooks. I've had a chance to A/B it with my Centauras that have passive pickups in them. I've had good opportunities to hear them in different settings too.

I've had some prejudices about them. I've always thought that depending on a 9 volt in my guitar is absolutely retahded... I hate batteries and absolutely can't stand their short life spans. I'd only put a battery in a vintage pedal and even then, I'm hating it every second.

Like Hasbro always said, "Batteries sold separately." lolz. I have an irrational hatred of batteries.

I didn't even think about the low impedance thing which could be of massive benefit playing live.

Batteries -1

low impedance +1

Now the tone...

I would not characterize their sound as being "harsh". The SD JB has more highs and upper mid cut.

EMGs have some real nice lower mids which give them a "warm" sound. Did I just say that EMGs sound warm? You betcha. As far as their sterility goes... sterile means clean and their low impedance makes them very clean. They are as sterile as they are warm, can this be possible? Yes.

They have a wider dynamic range than passive pickups which can lend itself to a huge sound.

Switching back and forth between active and passive is a little hard because they both effect your playing style. The stuff I can do with passive pickups won't really fly with active pups and vice versa. Brooks plays my Cents but puts them down after a minute or two. I play Brooks' EMG equipped Chap/Cent and get frustrated after a short period. They change your playing style...

... or, good guitar players with chops, licks, knowledge have a better chance of sounding good on active pickups. Guitar players who are addicted to their wah, don't really know any theory and depend on the pentatonic scale and a fast right shoulder probably all sound horrible on active pickups.

They are amazing pickups and a watershed development in guitar electronics. They are quiet and warm and have a note clarity in the upper ranges that sounds almost crystalline.

The low string pull is cool but DiMarzio has developed that with their "Air" technology.

Dynamic range +1

Note clarity in high ranges +1

low string pull +1

both classic rock and metal tones +1

harmonics +1

Geoff(me) sounds bad on EMGs -1

My biggest beef with them is that there aren't enough different flavors of active like there are with passive pickups. They also require you to be a good player or you'll sound like ass.

Brooks always says that, "They sound like they have been processed with a whole rack full of gear".

I'll second that. If I ever learn to actually play the guitar rather than just abuse it, I might think about getting some EMGs.

[atquinn]

I didn't like the EMG's or Duncan Blackouts I had in my 1994 Studio Custom. They weren't bad in an objective sense, just too different from the passive pickups I'm used to. There are all sorts of people that sound great with them so, so maybe you'll be one? Also, if you have the space, you should try the 18 Volt mod; it makes a very noticeable difference in the sound (whether it's better or not is up to the listener) and is cheap and easy to do.

-Austin

[Feynman]

They look cool. That's good enough for me.

[Hamer Bass Head]

the way you set them up (pickup height) is really critical. there's definately a sweet spot where they sound really nice,but if you just slop them in and don't tweak them they sound the same tonally no matter what the position. Even the usual p/j bass setup is susceptible. Also you can achieve better results if you set up your amp from scratch when using them, rather than expecting them to play nice with your passive settings.

[tombo]

Brooks always says that, "They sound like they have been processed with a whole rack full of gear".

This is a perfect description of EMGs. Even if you do play metal, there are better passive pickups that come to mind (I like Duncan Custom Customs, Distortions paired with a good ole 59 in the neck......ymmv).

I love Steve Lukather and have most of his solo albums and his tone always sucks. Toto IV, with him, his old Les Pauls and Marshalls (Rosanna outro solo) is great. He always claims in interviews that his EB Luke guitars are "the best on the planet." I've been tempted, but after playing Ted's Luke, my suspicions were confirmed: I personally don't like EMGs. Again, ymmv.

[zenmindbeginner]

Brooks always says that, "They sound like they have been processed with a whole rack full of gear".

This is a perfect description of EMGs. Even if you do play metal, there are better passive pickups that come to mind (I like Duncan Custom Customs, Distortions paired with a good ole 59 in the neck......ymmv).

He meant processed in a positive light. The man doesn't need a noise suppressor, limiter or a compressor with the EMGs. They have a perfect sort of sound.

Laying on the gain with passive pickups means lots o' noise. EMGs are whisper quiet and don't require much noise suppression if any under tons of gain. That's why I thought they were great for metal. Custom Customs are awesome pickups FWIW.

[DarrenD]

There doesn't seem to be many actives on the market when compared to passives, so I don't know how much variation they can have. Regardless, I like the EMG85 over 81 - don't know why. Never tried the blackouts.

They are very different in their own sense. I tend to enjoy a mod such as mid-boost when I install active pickups. They are very smooth and crystal clear. They work very well with effects, as others have mentioned. Vintage purists seem to hate them with a passion - with a few exceptions of course. I almost seen a bar fight happen with a PAF fanatic and another guy who put EMGs in a telecaster.

They work very well in some applications. Everything is about personal preference anyway. Tough to tell unless you try them out yourself. Get those new luthium ion rechargeable 9 volts and they last forever. 18v gives a more open sound.

[carfish7]

I have always hated them, but that is because it was usually an 81 and I just don't dig mega-hot pickups in general.

However, I recently put a set that came with a guitar I bought into my old Squier Strat, and I have to say that the single-coils sound pretty damn good, especially in clean mode. I also appreciate what the Expander circuit brings to the party. Dial in some mid-boost and it gets really fat really quick.

I did find that messing with the string height was critical to getting a decent tone. Initially they were way too far away and sounded very much like ass. You can really get these close to the strings ( you SHOULD it seems - maybe that is why so many of the covers are grooved) and you absolutely can't beat how quiet they are.

I may be a convert.

Tombo, there is another reason why Ted's guitar sounds the way it does - but I'll be cool and keep that to myself!

Z

I have always hated them, but that is because it was usually an 81 and I just don't dig mega-hot pickups in general.

However, I recently put a set that came with a guitar I bought into my old Squier Strat, and I have to say that the single-coils sound pretty damn good, especially in clean mode. I also appreciate what the Expander circuit brings to the party. Dial in some mid-boost and it gets really fat really quick.

I did find that messing with the string height was critical to getting a decent tone. Initially they were way too far away and sounded very much like ass. You can really get these close to the strings ( you SHOULD it seems - maybe that is why so many of the covers are grooved) and you absolutely can't beat how quiet they are.

I may be a convert.

Tombo, there is another reason why Ted's guitar sounds the way it does - but I'll be cool and keep that to myself!

Z

Edited to add - is the 18 volt mod only for basses or humbuckers, or is there potentially a dividend for a set of the "S" models in a Strat?

[Brooks]

this is my 1st set of EMG's, and i'll echo some of the things already said;

they are quiet, and do sound good for metal. like geoff quoted me, they do seem to make guitars sound like they have been EQ'd and slightly compressed thru a rack o' stuff, kinda "hi fi", which i think makes floyded guitars (which to me don't sound great) sound not so bad.

i don't think anyone mentioned the almost "cocked wha" mid boost that they seem to have; its a familiar sound due to all the 80's & 90's metal guys who have recorded w/ them. they seem to make my high gain mostly SS rig sound better, almost a cross between kings x and dimebags tone. kinda.. you know...

they wouldn't have worked w/ my rig and clean tones that i used in my last band (generic hustle), but work perfect w/ my rush tribute rig.

the standard guitar internet board thing to say is "you gotta try 'em w/ your rig and style and make up your own mind" (not helpful, i know).