Passive to Active Pickups...

[wiiii]

Is it very difficult to change from passive factory pickups to active ones from some other company such as EMG or SD?

I have an Ibanez ART100 that I would like to throw some different pickups in but I've never done it. The soldering, etc. won't be a problem, I was just wondering if it's worth the 'hassle' or if there's no hassle at all.

EDIT* So I guess EMG has a solderless kit which means even a monkey could do it. I have a question about that though: can you use just the regular EMG-81/85's in that kit or do you have to go with the 81X/85X? What's the difference? Also, if you get a "Zakk Wylde" package with the 81/85...those are just regular 81/85's as if you were buying them separately, yeah?

Thanks all.

 

[Scott Horner]

I think the harder part would be drilling out a compartment for the battery.

 

[guitarguru777]

The Blackouts will most likely fit in the slot your current pickups reside. You may have to route the hole a bit bigger for the EMG's. I highly recommend if you do switch you put a piece of foam between any connections and the battery in the compartment. This will reduce the chance of the battery shorting the connections and you losing signal.

You dont necessarily need to make a new compartment for the battery. I just always had my battery in the compartment with the pots and had a piece of foam in there when I had my Charvel.

As far as Actives go the EMG 81 is the standout fave of 90% of the metal genre.

 

[slashvanyoung]

Why would you need to route for 6-string EMGs?

And yeah, most electrics compartments will feature enough space for one or even two 9 volts.

Seeing as this is quasi a Les Paul, picking up the ZW set ain't the worst choice as it'll come with longer pots specifically for Les Pauls. I don't know if you need them with your guitar though.

 

[guitarguru777]

I had to make the pickup hole in my Charvel a bit larger to get the EMG to fit when I did it back in the early 90s. Unless they have changed the size of the casing sometimes you do have to route.

 

[wiiii]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I am just now trying to figure out if with the solderless kit's, I should go with the Long Shaft version or just the regular one..the regular one is for "Strat" like bodies I suppose and the Long Shaft for LP's. And as slashvanyoung said above, my guitar's body is LP-esque.

Regular:

http://emginc.com/products/index/279/231/101

Long Shaft:

http://emginc.com/products/index/281/231/101

Thanks for the help everyone. Obviously I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff as I've never done it before so I appreciate all the help.

 

[slashvanyoung]

I had to make the pickup hole in my Charvel a bit larger to get the EMG to fit when I did it back in the early 90s. Unless they have changed the size of the casing sometimes you do have to route.

Had those pick-ups been directly mounted? I never had to route for 6-string EMGs yet if the previous pick-ups were mounted with a ring.

@ wiii: The solderless kits are good to go with either the regular or the X-Version. Both are the same on the outside including the quick connectors.

I would take the pots with the long-shaft to make perfectly sure that they'll be long enough.

 

[53Crëw]

I'll just echo what has been said... Some pickup routes have a large radius in the corners and require some "trimming" with a dremel tool or router for an even cleaner job.

Also, in addition to foam for the battery to hold it in place, I usually wrap it in electrical tape to prevent it from shorting out on anything. A lot of guitars have enough room in the control cavity for the battery without needing to enlarge it.

 

[guitarguru777]

Had those pick-ups been directly mounted?

Yup was a San Dimas from the early 90s like this but with a Gold Floyd:

 

[B36arin]

You will need different pots if you're changing from passives to actives. I think that people usually recommend 25k for actives whereas the common value for passive pickup circuits is 500k. I don't use actives myself so I'm not 100% sure of the 25k number, but you'll definitely need to change them.

Edit: I'm way too tired, people have already mentioned this Oh well

 

[slashvanyoung]

Yup was a San Dimas from the early 90s like this but with a Gold Floyd

Ah well, that explains it.

 

[53Crëw]

I never had to route for 6-string EMGs yet if the previous pick-ups were mounted with a ring.

My Jackson SL2H had to have the corner radiuses trimmed to fit EMG's and that guitar used a ring. I think it varies, depending on the manufacturer.

 

[wiiii]

Just going to bump my thread.

Thanks for all the replies! I got another silly, noob question. If I got the solderless kit from EMG...could I technically just put any pickups in it or will it only work with EMGs?

 

[guitarguru777]

Only works with EMG's as for as I know

 

[slashvanyoung]

... and Duncan Blackouts.

Other pickups don't come with quick-connectors and for passives you should use different pots anyway.