Can 2xAA batterys power EMG-81 pickups?

[TheSecondBite]

So, the guitar I'm planning to buy have 2xAA battery instead of one 9v.

It's a good idea in the future to replace the bridge pickup with an EMG-81.

But can the AA batteries power it up?
How much will be the battery life?

 

[CAlexanderParra]

Buying an Ibanez RGA or something? My RGA32 came with AA battery powered pickups and it was god awful and no, emgs won't run on AA as far as I know. Its better to buy a full set of EMGs with the pots and the 9 volt connector because most likely the stock pots on the guitar won't be 25k which is needed to run real active pickups.

 

[TheSecondBite]

Thanks.

Not an RGA.

I will probably replace them with passive pickups, but I don't like the idea one pickup on the battery and the other passive.

I really hate the powered-pickups in general.

 

[egan.]

So, the guitar I'm planning to buy have 2xAA battery instead of one 9v.

It's a good idea in the future to replace the bridge pickup with an EMG-81.

But can the AA batteries power it up?
How much will be the battery life?

AA batteries put out 1.5V. Depending on how the two are wired you might get 3V total.
A 9v puts out (guess what?) 9V.
So no.

 

[Zozobra]

As has been determined: Defintely not, no.

/redundant post.

 

[John_C]

6 AAs in series will do it!

but 9V batteries are there for a reason.

Depending on what style you're playing, don't hate on the EMG-81, it's been deliberately chosen by many top engineers to feature on many great sounding albums.

 

[Djentkitty]

no but two 9V batteries(making it 18V) makes EMG's sound better/more dynamic

 

[cyril_v]

no but two 9V batteries(making it 18V) makes EMG's sound better/more dynamic

This or 81-X.

 

[Djentkitty]

I think you can do it to any active pick ups actually. The results are great and it's very simple takes about 5-10 minutes, just look up EMG 18v mod on google.

 

[Fama]

Thanks.

Not an RGA.

I will probably replace them with passive pickups, but I don't like the idea one pickup on the battery and the other passive.

I really hate the powered-pickups in general.

As far as I know, having one passive and one active pickup doesn't really work. It would require two outputs on the guitar or something.

That's what I have read, anyway.

 

[TheSecondBite]

As far as I know, having one passive and one active pickup doesn't really work. It would require two outputs on the guitar or something.

That's what I have read, anyway.

Can anyone else confirm this?

Because that's what I'm thinking to do.

 

[guitarguru777]

This is UNTRUE you CAN run Passive and Active in the same guitar Lose the tone knob and wire a 25k for the EMG and a 500K for the passive.

DONE

 

[006]

I really hate the powered-pickups in general.

Why? Having to use batteries? Yeah... gee, having to replace the battery in any of my guitars with EMGs once every 6 months or more is really inconvenient.

 

[TheSecondBite]

Why? Having to use batteries? Yeah... gee, having to replace the battery in any of my guitars with EMGs once every 6 months or more is really inconvenient.

I just don't like the idea an instrument (especially a guitar) to need electrical power to function.

 

[Djentkitty]

Dude, the who battery powered thing is a pre amp. It reduces the noise when using high gain tones.

 

[TheSecondBite]

Dude, the who battery powered thing is a pre amp. It reduces the noise when using high gain tones.

it overdrives clean tones too..

 

[egan.]

it overdrives clean tones too..

No, it doesn't. Or at least it certainly doesn't do so automatically or by design. If you think actives are just (or always) louder than passives you are misunderstanding the entire concept. An electric guitar requires power to function ultimately no matter what so you are drawing pretty arbitrary distinction.

 

[TheDriller]

I just don't like the idea an instrument (especially a guitar) to need electrical power to function.

Surely you realize the whole _Electric_ guitar concept centres around electrical power?

 

[Wolfeman]

Surely you realize the whole _Electric_ guitar concept centres around electrical power?

Yeah sometimes I think people forget that the guitar is actually part of the circuit of what you are plugging into.

 

[006]

Ah, gotta love misinformed people