EMGs vs The Other Pickup Brands.

[commandante]

I also agree that EMGs actually accent one's picking dynamics better.(like my opinion matters haha) They don't have ANY unwanted noise, which allows anyone to hear what you are actually playing, thus accenting your picking dynamics. In addition to rolling off your volume knob, picking softer helps too with the cleans.

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

indeed.. and as a major Tool and Black Sabbath fan i should have recalled that.. but, it all goes towards my point. i often roll back my volume knob during performance for certain parts... all part of playing dynamically, which as i said earler is all in your hands, not your pick-ups. cheers Hop and Wulf

I agree completely, the volume knob wouldn't be there if it wasn't some use would it! I like rolling it off a little for completely clean parts, that way you have a slightly gritty sound with it rolled all the way up... which can be useful at certain times.

On the Subject of adam jones, he does some stuff with the tone knob too, the song "Pushit" has a really buzzy kinda of sound which he achieved by rolling the tone off to 0.

So there you have it, an extra tool* to play with if you didn't allready.

*pun intended...

 

[DURBANS]

The only drawback to my EMG when I had it installed in my Gibson is that, since the pot is bigger than the original one, I had to change the knobs on my guitar (but I prefer this way now anyway...), and they also had to cut a hole in the guitar body for the battery... Other than that, it sounds great !!! Strangely, it's difficult to back of the volume pot on it though, it's not very linear, you have to be very precise. Maybe this is a problem or something with my volume knob, but I don't do that very often anyway so I'm fine and a happy owner.

Yea! Same happened to me! I have a Goth V and they had to route my guitar a bit to fit the 2 batteries (I chose to have a battery per pickup) and the pots didn't fit my Gibson top hats, so luckily the guy at the shop had these black bullet like knobs (like Jacksons or ESP's) and they were alright, those with a screw. Plus it made my guitar look "blacker", I even changed all the silver screws on the pickup mounting rings and pickguard to black, and I had that silver ring on the selector switch painted black. Now its all black...

I have 2 questions:

1) What is the usual way of setting the EMG's... 1 or 2 batteries? How can I tell when the batteries are running out?

2) On american Jackson guitars (USA Select Series, like the King V or Kelly) will I still need to change those knobs? (for anyone who has done this on an american Jackson)

 

[James Murphy]

1) What is the usual way of setting the EMG's... 1 or 2 batteries? How can I tell when the batteries are running out?

a single 9v battery can happily power 2 EMG pickups for a year, if not more.... depends if you are sharp enough to remember to unplug your guitar after playing.

there are two ways to use two 9v batteries wit EMGs: 1. wired in series, 2. wired in paralell. with in series wiring you get 18v and noticably more output. i don't suggest it for thosee with high gain amps simply because the power you get from EMGs with one battery (9v) is plenty in 99% of all situations. with paralell wiring of two batteries you get about double the battery life but still only 9v, so this is worthwhile if you are really really lazy and the thought of having to change batteries once a year is too much for you to bear .

you'll know when the batteries are dying because the pick-ups themselves will start to flash with a glowing red light and will emit a siren sound to warn you of impending core meltdown.

seriously though, you will know because they will start to sound weak.

 

[Frank'nfurter]

a single 9v battery can happily power 2 EMG pickups for a year, if not more.... depends if you are sharp enough to remember to unplug your guitar after playing.

there are two ways to use two 9v batteries wit EMGs: 1. wired in series, 2. wired in paralell. with in series wiring you get 18v and noticably more output. i don't suggest it for thosee with high gain amps simply because the power you get from EMGs with one battery (9v) is plenty in 99% of all situations. with paralell wiring of two batteries you get about double the battery life but still only 9v, so this is worthwhile if you are really really lazy and the thought of having to change batteries once a year is too much for you to bear .

you'll know when the batteries are dying because the pick-ups themselves will start to flash with a glowing red light and will emit a siren sound to warn you of impending core meltdown.

seriously though, you will know because they will start to sound weak.

Hi James. The only problem you can get by paralleling batteries is leaking current from one 9V block to the other and that can decrease the livetime of both batteries. A germanium or schottky diode in series with the plus pole of each batterie prevents the problem.

 

[evildonkeymaster]

a single 9v battery can happily power 2 EMG pickups for a year, if not more.... depends if you are sharp enough to remember to unplug your guitar after playing.

there are two ways to use two 9v batteries wit EMGs: 1. wired in series, 2. wired in paralell. with in series wiring you get 18v and noticably more output. i don't suggest it for thosee with high gain amps simply because the power you get from EMGs with one battery (9v) is plenty in 99% of all situations. with paralell wiring of two batteries you get about double the battery life but still only 9v, so this is worthwhile if you are really really lazy and the thought of having to change batteries once a year is too much for you to bear .

you'll know when the batteries are dying because the pick-ups themselves will start to flash with a glowing red light and will emit a siren sound to warn you of impending core meltdown.

seriously though, you will know because they will start to sound weak.

First off I agree with everything James said about the EMGs and dynamics. Being newly converted to EMGs and swearing by my passives for years I understand the concerns as well.

I am running the 18v mod on my EMGs and am actually not getting increase output or gain but increased clarity and headroom. Even on the 81 I have at the neck. I hate to double post (because I am not tooting my own horn here) but check this mp3 out now I know it is very rough and my playing, mixing and such is sloppy but here is an example of a clean 81 at the neck and it sounds awesome. When the distortion kicks in it is an EMG 85 at the bridge on the left and a modded Gibson 500T (runs hotter than stock) on the right. Man the EMG kicks the shit out of the Gibson in dynamics, punch and even Mid-Range yeah thats right more solid good sounding mids out of my EMG 85 then a Gibson 500T.

Check (oh and feel free to bag on my playing and mixing ha ha or for double posting this mp3)

EMG 85 test

Edit: link fixed left click and download from the audiostreet page

 

[James Murphy]

your link didn't work... i'd like to hear your sample though.. see if you can sort it out.

 

[evildonkeymaster]

your link didn't work... i'd like to hear your sample though.. see if you can sort it out.

Damn man I have been having all sorts of trouble with this crap. this link works. It is hosted on audio street so just left click and it is the only song on the page. Sorry for the mix up. Later

Working link at audiostreet

 

[Ermz]

you'll know when the batteries are dying because the pick-ups themselves will start to flash with a glowing red light and will emit a siren sound to warn you of impending core meltdown.

That is like the best suggestion you could ever give to a pickup manufacturer. Imagine that, you're in the middle of some blastbeat part during a gig and then suddenly the sound of WWII-esque air raid sirens is heard pumped through the PA. Metal to the core \m/

 

[Nitronium Blood]

Yeah, the boys and I are trying to figure out what to do about that drinking part. Shows, to me at least, are a lot more fun to play when you're wasted--or "hammer-smashed-face" as we like to call it--but then there's a tradeoff. Like our friends who hear us in the studio practicing are like "why don't you guys play like that when you're on stage? you always play better in the studio". And the answer is that we're wasted, so I guess we gotta clean it up a little.

I still cannot understand alcohol or smoking or any form of drug consumption.

 

[Ermz]

... and you call yourself a metalhead?

 

[Nitronium Blood]

... and you call yourself a metalhead?

Well, Metal is my drug actually.

 

[Ermz]

Wow that statement is so cheesy that it may well have just earned you the title

 

[Nitronium Blood]

Wow that statement is so cheesy that it may well have just earned you the title

But I love cheese. It makes my Subway Sandwich super tasty!

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

Hold still, i wanna inject some heroin into your eyeballs

 

[vile_ator]

James, youre right about one thing. The sound is in your hands. Or at least a lot of it is.

And my hands aint the greatest.

Also the 85 is a whole lot more interesting sounding than the 81.

But maybe its just that Im now looking for a different kind of gain. I want a less smooth gain these days. And the EMGs give you this saturated smooth distortion. I'd rather now have less gain come from the pickup and I pick the amp I need to give me the type of distortion I want. It seems like the EMGs stamp their sound on everything.

Colin

 

[Toshiro]

I still love my Dimarzios even after installing EMGs professionally for 6 years. Of course, I suck at playing...

 

[Liam Thompson]

I've got a Jackson Soloist Professional exactly the same as the one Herman Li from Dragonforce uses (see pic).

Mine still has the original pickups though, which are active Reflex units. I'm not sure if they are the Red or Silver Series. The pickups also have a preamp mid boost that is dialled in from the tone pot after it reaches half way.

I was just wondering if anyone new anything about these pickups and whether I would be better replacing them with a set of EMG's. I know they are no longer produced and the guy behind the design now builds high end audio equipment.

I have an EMG 81 in the bridge position of my highly modified Yamaha Pacifica, which I think sounds great but I can't be arsed to take it out to pop it in the Jackson for a test run.

 

[Liam Thompson]

Forgot to post a pic

 

[Liam Thompson]

I can't figure out how to post a picture
It wasn't that important anyway.