Seeking overview on EMG pickups

[gorch]

Would someone mind to give me an overview on active EMG pickups? I'm not interested in any way shredding but rather seek a quality warm lead tone for the neck and a complementing bridge pickup.

Are EMGs used in the typical mid position with parallel wiring the two?

What's up with the double mode pickups?

Do they qualify for gibsonesc short scale or fenderesc long scale guitars?

What do you know?

[Studio Custom]

What I know is, all the complaints about them sounding sterile went away when Gilmour started using them.

[velorush]

You'll find people that love them and people that hate them. I had them in the late 80's / early 90's, not because I was running some huge rig and was concerned about technical things like impedance or noise but because Steve Lukather and Gilmour were using them so they must be cool.

Here's what I remember:

1. dead quiet. No, I mean quieter than that. Think of the sound of nothing... okay, quieter than that!

2. powerful, but not overly so, however, with the SPC (active mid boost) they could really pound a preamp. In fact, the SPC with a humbucker was too much and would distort in a bad way.

3. If you like to use your volume knob to control amp dynamics, you have found your answer. I have played with nothing that could allow pretty much any overdrive / distortion / whatever to go from dead clean to whatever the box / amp has with only the volume knob, yet the volume remain pretty much the same (don't know if I explained that very well).

4. I thought they sounded great, but realize that was before The Gear Page came about and I learned what TONE was all about [/sarcasm]

So why don't I use them now? I don't know. Maybe I liked a more analog connection with the instrument (noise)? Could it be so ridiculous as I didn't care for the look? Could be... of course, they look far more conventional these days than twenty five years ago.

[murkat]

I am very familiar with.

81, hard rock on up. it is it's own thing

85, great pickup, esp bridge, classic modern humbucker tone pushed. Like a duncan custom

89, (85 hum, sa, switchable) also great in either neck or bridge.

60, great neck pup. kinda like duncan jazz, only "more".

they like to sing, sustain.

I used them for years and some still now.

They just get a bad rap with purest.

find some used, try them out.

edit to add, what Vel said as well.

[gorch]

Thanks so far. I have a picture of them of endless lead tone of nicest color. Since I'm not a pedal jerk, I wonder it'll work on an almost pure analog tube setting. Their website is quite confusing with all that different models and to me only with rough explanation. Often missing samples. Many of them artists are heavy metallers. So, that doesn't solve it for me either. Alnico vs. ceramic on pickups? Ups!

The actives come with a bunch of electronics. Buy used and try is a bit difficult right jow, because the guitar ment for them has not been built yet. Wood and guitar construction play a major role for the overall sound impression. So, my idea is to build up some knowledge in advance to fetch the right set for the build rather than test driving in the wrong environment.

Wood? Currently I think of limba for the body, with a maple top. Neck could be either chunky maple or limba again. Is the fretboard important? Ebony could be the wood of choice.

I like warm tone even at the bridge.

[velorush]

Gorch, my comments (and Murkat's, from his designation of model numbers) are specific to the active EMGs only.

I have never used any of their high impedance models. When someone mentions EMG I immediately think of their active pickups as for years that was all they made.

I used an SA/SA/85 set with SPC in a Charvel Model 3 and was very satisfied with the combination. The SA is a thicker Strat pickup and the 85, like Murkat said, is a great classic humbucker tone. I would have loved to have tried an 89, but they weren't making that model at the time.

EMG tech support was incredible helping me to use a normal 5-way switch and run a resistor and capacitor in series with the humbucker in the #4 position that both thinned (frequency) and reduced (volume) of the 85 to deliver an incredibly realistic "in-between" sound. Realize at the time there was no internet and telephone calls were quite expensive (they are in California and I was in a dorm room at Murray State University (Kentucky, USA)). There was a lot of experimenting and theorizing and they were as excited about it as I was.

Scanned out of focus picture from a 110 camera around 1989:

[murkat]

" I wonder it'll work on an almost pure analog tube setting".

Yes, very much so.

EMG's also pickup the nuances of wood types, be it body, neck, fret board. just like passives.

[tomteriffic]

Back when EMG was still EMG/Overlend Electronics, I cobbled together a set of SA/SA/SA with an SPC and an EHC (I think). The wiring was a rats nest inside that Strat. What I accomplished was:

A quiet, good-sounding Strat rig that, output wise, could hang with a moderate output humbucker (No screwing with the amp when I changed guitars).

A quick and dirty wind-up to a humbucker tone in any position (SPC) and a larger than life Strat tone (EHC or whatever it is)

SHOCKPROOF for crappy, hinky power supplies in the backwoods.

I also got David Gilmour's rig about a decade before he put his together.

It took me quite a few bucks and months of trial and error, not to mention several long distance calls to guys who were enthused about what I was trying to do but had little more idea than I did as to how to get it done. I still have that guitar.

I did the same thing to another Strat about a year ago. $300, half an hour and no soldering.

OH, and EMG bass pickups have a lot to recommend them too.

[zenmindbeginner]

Seth Lover knew what he was doing... never saw a need to re-invent the wheel personally.

Active pickups solved problems that didn't exist IMHO... the tone feel and performance of them are subject to everyone's personal opinion.

i think I'd have a really hard time telling whether or not the pickup was active or not from a recording.

I think all of the advantages of the active design goes away with high impedance EMGs though. Do put them in and let us know if they work for you... might LOVE them, who knows right?

[carfish7]

I'm loving the SA x 3 in my Strat with the SPC added.

Never had anything beyond "meh" to say about any of their 'buckers (usually bumped up against a Kahler or a Floyd, so unfairly judged?), but I did like what the 89 offered when split in a neck slot.

Super-quiet and super-easy to wire with their modern "pushy" ways. I'd drop a DG set in any time and use all of it with a most satisfied grin.

All that said, if I'm loading a Strat and it is my own money, I'm likely reaching for the DiMarzio Areas instead.

[FrettyMcgee]

I never understood the bitchiness towards EMGs. I always found them to be fine sounding pickups. I think my favorite was a 85 in the bridge. It always felt/sounded a tiny bit artificially aggressive, but never to the point of distraction. But maybe that could be said about most active EMGs. I liked sustain and the whisper quiet bonus...what's not to love.

Maybe at a certain point EMG got co-opted by metal heads and I think that might have lead to the whole "sterile sounding" mythology. With that much crushing distortion and fx, almost anything can sound "soulless". Just my 2 cents.

I will say this about EMG: I once was in dire need of some left handed 25k pots. All my local music stores gave zero fucks about ordering me some. I contacted EMG directly, and explained my situation, and asked if I could buy some directly from them. A rep got back to me asking for my address. Week later, UPS showed up at my door with 2 free boxes of EMG lefty replacement pots. BAM! I gushingly emailed them back, thanking them. I had assumed they wanted my address for a shipping rate. The rep got back to me, apologizing for not giving me a heads up about sending them. Apparently he got my email, threw a couple boxes in the mail as he went out the door on vacation, and forgot about it. That's some customer service right there....

[aknapp]

^^^

SOME companies still care about customer service....

[Feynman]

I happen to think EMGs look super cool, and since looks are pretty much how I choose all of my musical gear, I'm a fan.

[velorush]

One more customer service anecdote I hinted at in my original post: my initial EMG purchase was an 85 for the bridge of that Charvel up there. I bought the pickup new but from a non-EMG dealer. I got it in the guitar and it sounded fizzy and sputtery. I sent EMG a letter (remember those days?) explaining the problem, that it sounded like a bad pickup but that my purchase was not from a dealer.

A week or two later I'm packing up for the weekend and about to leave the dorm on a Friday night and the phone rings. It's EMG and the guy on the other end of the line [Daryl Rush, won't forget that] clarified a few things symptom wise, explained it was a bad pickup and that it was irreparable due to the epoxy filling and he'd be sending a new one out free of charge. We exchanged addresses (so I could return the bad one) and I had the new pickup in a week (speedy for back then). He didn't give two wits where I'd gotten the pickup and was actually apologetic his pickup had given me problems.

It took another month or so of saving (and selling the original Jackson pickups) to get enough cash for the SA/SA's in the neck and middle and the SPC, but I was sold on their commitment to put out a great product.

Another +1 to Tom's endorsement of the SPC. I have this dream paradigm of where I want an amp that has Marshall overdrive and Fender cleans paired with a guitar that is both humbucker and single coil. Splitting humbuckers is an effort to deliver the latter - the SPC is the reverse of that, but I think it is far more effective (allowing a single coil to simulate a humbucker).

[gorch]

Hhmmm, I've just about voltages. 9 volts is the regular I think. What about 18 volts? I found a statement on a forum somewhere with no detailed description. Any experiences here on 18 volts?

[murkat]

18 volt is for the new lemon fresh scent chasers.

not necessary since the pups, preamps, etc. where designed for 9v, but can handle 18v.

[Armitage]

Hhmmm, I've just about voltages. 9 volts is the regular I think. What about 18 volts? I found a statement on a forum somewhere with no detailed description. Any experiences here on 18 volts?

18 wiring stops the preamp from clipping internally and cuts the compression a bit. Not a big deal if you're into really heavy distortion already.

[velorush]

From the EMG FAQ page:

Can I use multiple batteries?

Yes. If you’ve got room for multiple batteries in your guitar, you can use two batteries wired in series to power your onboard circuitry at 18 volts. The output level will not appreciably increase, but you’ll have increased headroom and crisper transients. This is especially useful for percussive/slap bass styles where you can generate enormous instantaneous power levels across the entire frequency spectrum.

You can also wire two batteries in parallel to provide a regular 9 volt supply but with much longer lifespan between battery changes.

Although most of our products are rated for 27 volts, we recommend a maximum of 18 volts. The additional benefi ts of 27 vs. 18 volts are negligible.

i.e., what Armitage said.

[jim777]

I am hearing very good things about the new 57/66 set as well.

[scottcald]

I too used to use the EMGs back in the 80s. Then, I had 2 guitars I put them in. Ibanez RG550 I had an 89 in the bridge, an SA in the middle and an 85 in the neck. I had a tone pot that split the bridge for strattier tones.

I also had a Peavey T-60 that I gutted and put in an 81/85 combo. Akin to the Super Distortion and SD 59 kind of combo.

I too went back to hi impedance pickups, just looking for something different. I have these pickups sitting if you're looking for some. Also have some of the volume and tone pots that are unused. Let me know if you're interested.

I can post or send pics.

[gorch]

Many thanks for the offer. I'll keep you in mind. I'm not having a guitar right now to put them in. So, I might wait my project to develop further.

[scottcald]

Many thanks for the offer. I'll keep you in mind. I'm not having a guitar right now to put them in. So, I might wait my project to develop further.

No problem. If I get around to it soon, I'll sort through and list some of the stuff.

[Hamer Bass Head]

For basses the cs and tw series sound a lot different than the old series.... I have them on my white blitz bass, and they sounded great on the 8 string side of the doubleneck. I hated the stock series on the 12 strings....

[ARM OF HAMER]

I had them in a highly modified Strat back in the 80's and also had them a Steinberger guitar I bought from "Knut Koupee" with a SSH pickup layout.Clean as a whistle they are...............had some early Bartolini's and HI-A pickups also very good.............depends on what your looking for and the sound your wanting.Every negative comment I heard about them back in the day seemed to include the word "STERILE" as far as the sound. I have not had actives in anything recently except in the Yamaha "Image" Custom guitars I had owned...........they had the H.I.P.S."Hybrid Integrated Pickup System" Yamaha's "Take" on active electronics..............those did sound really good.Like some others have mentioned once David Gilmour started using them they were approved as being "Good". I prefer the regular old humbuckers these days.

[Bennyboy-UK]

Excited to say that pretty soon I'll be able to give you a first impression of EMGs having never used them ever before!

[gorch]

That sounds great! I haven't come along with the idea since.