EMG SAV

[velorush]

Before we changed some things around, I used to play in the AM services at church and always used a humbucker guitar because the ancient wiring made the sanctuary noisier than most bars . So here's the deal: the little group I play with in the youth service on Wednesday nights was scheduled to do special music in the Sunday AM service last month. I brought a Strat that I typically use on Wednesday nights [where we meet on Wed is in a newer part of the church with modern wiring]. I plugged in and the noise was so bad I just put my guitar back in the case and let them go on without me.

So I'm looking for solutions and I run across the EMG SAV set. I had EMGs (SA/SA/85 with SPC) in a Charvel Model 3 superstrat back in the late 80's. I remember them being extremely quiet, and I remember enjoying how the volume knob could be used extremely effectively to control gain with no effect on tone. I don't remember them being sterile at all, but they did sound a bit different than high impedance pickups - I just don't remember how...

Am I just waxing nostalgic and forgetting the cons? What am I not remembering? Anybody using them now or recently elected to pitch a set aside?

My other alternatives seem to be noiseless pickups, stacked humbuckers and the Suhr BPSSC system (but that's $260 PLUS pickups!).

[murkat]

Do it.

You'll love it.

You'll remember

once you plug in

and play.

David Gilmour.

Nuff said.

[Scottcrud]

I've got them in my Strat and love them. I hate single coils in the bridge position but these things are great. Do it.

[Jorge]

Those are great pickups. But, cheaper than that, and good in different ways, you also can:

-Buy a set of Bill Lawrence L280/280/290, and be done for life, or...

-just play in positions 2 and 4 in noisy environments!

[dobieboy]

That's also the Steve Lukather set, IIRC

[velorush]

Now I'm wondering if they would even fit. I need to research (or maybe just email customer support) about fitting them into a vintage routed Strat body.

I'm still torn. There's the aforementioned Bill Lawrence, the Strat-Talk board is really excited about the DiMarzio Area pickups... maybe I'll get to try out some of these choices while I'm on vacation here in a couple of weeks.

[e-isle rock]

I use Dimarzio Area 58's in the neck and middle and a S.D. JB in the bridge of a Hamer Cent. I use 250k pots and really like them. I also play for Church.

[cloakerz]

my 1989 strat plus deluxe that I use at church has laces in it stock and they sound fantastic, very quiet and very "stratty". it is my main gig axe.