EMG 81/85 SERIOUS PROBLEM HELP!

[Djentkitty]

Hey guys, something is very wrong with my emg's. For some reason there is WAYY to much distortion on them.

I haven't changed the battery in about 4-6 months maybe? It was working perfectly/clean earlier(1PM), then I played at a talent show(3PM) with DR Neon green 10-46 strings and sounded good. So when I got home(5PM) I changed my strings to DR DDT 12-60 and that's when I noticed the big change. It's not the cable or my interface because I changed guitars to see if something was wrong but it's clearly something with the EMG's.

Have a listen of how bad it sounds, have any of you had this problem before? and I would love if anyone can help me out. It would be greatly appreciated, thanks.


Here is how the DI sounds(completely dry. no ts/eq/comp. nothing).
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31816160/aaasoobad.mp3

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Swap battery, that's probably the cause. Maybe you left your guitar plugged or the batteries are shit.

 

[Trevoire520]

Any problem with active pickups = change the battery. Low power means the preamp will probably run at a lower voltage than normal and distort more.

If that doesn't work then it could be the heavier strings giving too much output for the preamp, which you should be able to solve by lowering the pickups.

 

[AD Chaos]

Have a listen of how bad it sounds, have any of you had this problem before?

Of course - way back when I didn't know you always have to unplug the cable every time you're not playing in a gtr with actives, or else the battery(ies) dry out rather fast, even if the guitar is not plugged to an amp or whatever (the cable jack inside the guitar enables the circuit or something).

That's why I use rechargeable batteries and everytime I feel like the t0nez is lacking if even just a bit, I recharge them for a half a day or so. That happens rarely though, as I always unplug the instruments nowadays.

 

[Djentkitty]

thanks for all the replies guys, it does make sence because the new strings are a lot louder and it would probably overdrive the sound, as i was starting to notice a bit more a driven sound lately, even with the 10-46. i didnt change the battery in a while and im running the 18v mod. also, i read a while back about not leaving in guitar because it would drain the batteries, so i almost always(98% of the time) took out the cable. tomorrow after school ill buy new batteries and report back to see if my problem would be solved.

 

[Erik Monsonis]

String gauge wouldn't be the cause, as it wouldn't alter the tone from clean to distorted. Maybe it would clip a bit on hard strums but not THAT much.
Also, if the problem is with both pickups, must be something that affects the two pickups => battery. I would be extremely rare that one of the pickups died, so both of them at the same time is nearly impossible.

 

[Djentkitty]

ok guys, i put in 2 new 9v batteries. my problem was solved however i have a new problem i was playing for a bit and i noticed the volume knob was unusually hot. so i opened up the back and saw that one of the batteries had almost melted through the plastic covering(the battery slight touches the cover) and was hot as hell! i almost burnt myself trying to take the battery out. i never had this before, anyone know why? faulty wiring maybe?

 

[22km Tombstone]

Probably bad wiring caused the battery to short. I'd re-do your 18V mod wiring and double check to make sure it's wired properly and there is no chance of shorting out the wires or the battery terminals.

 

[Trevoire520]

Watch out for battery contacts touching other metal parts in the control cavity which will cause the battery to short out. I normally wrap them in electrical tape to prevent this.

 

[Djentkitty]

Watch out for battery contacts touching other metal parts in the control cavity which will cause the battery to short out. I normally wrap them in electrical tape to prevent this.

thats exactly what i do/did. i always wrap them in electrical tape, i did the same wiring as before and it was fine. maybe as i was changing batteries the wires might have ruined somewhat. ill re-wire the 18v mod thoroughly this time in a few hours

 

[AD Chaos]

I'm almost sure you f*cked it up.. I remember last time my gtr tech wrapped the batteries connectors (positive and negative) with wire so it wouldn't short before placing the batteries on.

I can't remember exactly atm, but I think that happens when you try to play with ONLY one, or none of the batteries connected or something.

 

[Djentkitty]

i fixed it. yea the wiring must have been fucked up. i re-did it and magically worked. new strings + new battery = win sound

thanks for the help guys!