Replacing my Ibanez's stock pickups

[Tharantyr]

Hi guys,

So I'm thinking about getting an active EMG 85 humbucker. I've never replaced my pickups nor do I have any knowledge about pickups. Anyway, what I was wondering is if that pickup would fit into my guitar? My guitar is an Ibanez S770PB with INF1, INFS1 and INF2 pickups. Since the INF2 pickup is the bridge pickup, I'll be replacing that one with the new EMG pickup. Does anyone know whether the EMG would fit into the bridge pickup socket? It would be a total shame to get a humbucker that doesn't fit into my guitar.

 

[Robert W]

Think you're going to have to do a little wood work to get it to fit.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Nahh, I'm almost dead sure the pickup itself will fit...

... It's just that control cavities are pretty tight on S series guitars. I've seen dudes fit a 9V battery in there, but I'm not sure wether the EMG solderless system (if you want that) will fit or if you ever want to run it at 18V you'll be able to fit a second battery in there.

 

[Tharantyr]

I actually have no idea what a solderless system is, and what's the difference between running it at 9V or at 18V?
As you can see I have no understanding of pickups whatsoever.

 

[Robert W]

EMGs/actives are powered by a 9 volt battery. This battery requires a special housing in the body of the guitar.

Unlike passives, which are wired into place, actives simply plug in and out. It's a very effective system.

 

[Tharantyr]

I see, thanks. So does that mean the active EMG 85 humbucker is solderless?

 

[Rex Rocker]

Yes. If you get a new one, yes. It should be.

 

[Robert W]

I believe that type of connection allows you to swap between EMG and SD actives.

 

[Terminus]

You may want to get an emg 81 instead of an 85 for the bridge, by all accounts it's more commonly the bridge pickup.

 

[hurdy]

yea the 81 is usually used in the bridge man, you need to do more research, dont jst dive into a new pickup without much research. The solderless connection is like a plug that connects the pickup to the jack and volume/tone pots.
The last thing you wana do is buy the pickup and then realise that it doesnt fit or sounds like crap or sumthing. Patience is everything when looking at new shit

 

[Rex Rocker]

The 85's used in the bridge by some people too. KSE's The End of Heartache was an 85 in the bridge. Peter Wichers from Soilwork, Jon Donais from Shadows Fall... there's plenty of 85-in-the-bridge users.

Depends on the guitar, but the 85 can really sound killer in the bridge position.

 

[hurdy]

^ yep for sure but the majority would use the 81 in the bridge
but wat i think is needed to be realised here, is that the pickup isnt gona b the tool to fix all tone problems.
Heck, i bet some ppl culd get a killer tone from those stock Ibanez pickups.
A lot of the tone comes from the players technique

 

[Tharantyr]

^ yep for sure but the majority would use the 81 in the bridge
but wat i think is needed to be realised here, is that the pickup isnt gona b the tool to fix all tone problems.
Heck, i bet some ppl culd get a killer tone from those stock Ibanez pickups.
A lot of the tone comes from the players technique

My technique is just fine. If that were the problem, I wouldn't have created this thread. I'm not diving into anything, considering I'm getting your opinions and I'm also searching the internet for reviews and videos about EMGs. My first thought was the 85 because I read that it was a bridge pickup, but apparently so is the 81.
I don't plan on getting anything before I'm sure it's what I want to get. The fact that we don't have a guitar store over here just makes it harder for me to do that.

I'm also capable of producing some cool tones using software like Guitar Rig 4, it's just this whole impulse thing that doesn't seem to be working for me and I don't understand why.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Yeah, I don't blame you for wanting to swap this INF's out.



Good thing about EMG's is that they've got the quick connect stuff which makes it easy to swap from the bridge position to the neck, etc.

When I switched from passives to actives I actually got myself the ZW set (81/85) to see which I liked best in which position.

Yeah, people seem to most commonly use the 81 in the bridge. However, many of my favorite bands' guitarists were playing 85's in the bridge, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I actually had the 85 in the bridge for a while, but then I realized it was time to experiment with the 81. I liked how the 81 sat in the mix, and It's actually kinda become an "acquired taste" pickup for me. I still also like the 85 in the bridge sometimes, tho.




Ended up swapping both for an 81TW/60 combo in the end.

 

[Robert W]

^ yep for sure but the majority would use the 81 in the bridge
but wat i think is needed to be realised here, is that the pickup isnt gona b the tool to fix all tone problems.
Heck, i bet some ppl culd get a killer tone from those stock Ibanez pickups.
A lot of the tone comes from the players technique

+1!

The heaviest tone I've ever heard came out of some stock Ibby pups.

 

[akbeda]

i have an ibanez paul gilbert PGM30 with INF PU´s here and never would change em. the fact that they are stock PU´s does not mean they are bad.

just my 2 cents - but like mentioned above the tone is in your fingers.