Starting to hate emg's/active pups

[acalaf]

From Lasse's shootout, definitely emg's

 

[MatrixClaw]

I also think it's the other way round...passives often sound "bigger", but EMG are definitely much tighter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3YfnrGjGIM

Interesting. Definitely liked the EMG better out of the mix than the Aftermath, but once the rest came in, it was kinda a wash for me. The EMG was certainly tighter solo'd, though.

Cool comparison, though. Interesting to see an Aftermath come out less tight than an EMG - I haven't personally tried that pickup, but from what I've heard, it's supposedly the tightest pickup they have; the Nailbombs in my Jackson are certainly much tighter than that. What were the two guitars you used?

I'll have to post the clips of my EMG vs. BKP comparison when I get home. For me, there was no comparison between which was tighter and clearer, and I hear it everytime I record a guitar with EMGs now. I'm always craving the tone of my SL2H, and nothing else seems to live up to that sound

 

[Robert W]

I also think it's the other way round...passives often sound "bigger", but EMG are definitely much tighter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3YfnrGjGIM

Always that annoying plasticy sound from EMGs.

 

[SwambA]

Indeed. Never had another pickup work as universally well as this one. Truly the 'vanilla' of pickups.

SwambA: Do you have a reamp box? If so, try running my ESP Horizon DIs with the Alt 8 pickup. See if you can narrow down what's bothering you. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/285689/Foru...n - Alt 8 - Countryman, Millennia & ADI-8.rar

Reamped your gtrs
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6774846/Ermz test-01.mp3

 

[ttrentt]

This is why I have multiple guitars with EMG and multiple guitars with all types of passives. They are all great at certain things.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Interesting.

You're not the first person I've heard this from, but at the same time, it makes me think that the guitars with passives you've used, weren't that great of a guitar to begin with. You can throw EMGs in a cheap guitar, and it will sound great, because they tend to have a certain character to them that relies less on the guitar's quality. Doing the same with passives will show more of the guitar, and it will be clear whether you're using a cheap guitar or not.

I'd challenge you to try out EMGs in a fairly high end guitar vs. a set of nice passives, and see if you still prefer the EMGs. Having A/B'd a set of EMG 81/60, BKP Nailbombs and Duncan JB/59 in my Jackson SL2H, there's no doubt in my mind that the passives were tighter and clearer. Not as "big" sounding, no, but the difference was so profound that I will only ever use EMGs on heavy rhythms for my own stuff anymore. There's just something about EMGs that makes palm mutes sound even and less dynamic, I've heard clips of them where it almost sounded like the person was using a completely different technique on mutes than on the passive pickup version. Passives always sound more lively and crunchy on palm mutes. They have a grind to them that makes them sound less mechanical and "real" for lack of a better term.

Dude, did you not read my whole post, I said I prefer the Alt 8 in my Schecter (which is Korean-made from 2007 and resonates beautifully) And on your experiences, I agree with all of them except the passives being tighter/clearer, but we probably just have different ideas of clarity and tightness (7- vs. 11-year old girl, for example)

 

[JeffTD]

EMG's are definitely tighter and more controlled, I don't think it's very easy to argue that at all unless you're referencing one or two very, very specific passives.

They each have their uses, I find EMG's to be fairly pigeon-holing, though. Hard to get anything but "that" tone out of them.

 

[PD-Baraka]

i like the emg jh set the most. but i am contemplating buying passives again, buti h a t e the noise.
dont tell you can screen it out and stuff, because actives are more silent.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

*groans* Passive vs. active threads are slowly turning into Mac vs. PC threads.

 

[abt]

EMGs for me. I've been down this path before. I tried passives over EMGs, I really thought at the time passives were better but now I think that its was probably more that they were just different.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I has both, don't prefer one over the other as they both sound good just different.

The emgs 81/60 are tighter than my passives though.

 

[abt]

*groans* Passive vs. active threads are slowly turning into Mac vs. PC threads.

EMG = PC

 

[4Eyes]

if I can get good tone from the whole setup I don't care about actives vs passives.

 

[abt]

^Amen.

 

[Brandon E.]

Going back to embracing passives and making a 'EMG only for leads' rule has returned some semblance of sanity to my mix process

Wait what? how come? I find that if there is anything absolutely unbearable about EMG pickups its how sterile they sound on leads...takes all of the nuances and sweetness/juiciness out of the playing. Not to mention they are always really sharp and abrasive on leads.

I am a passive fan but I don't really have anything against EMGs...they sound good, but they have 1 sound and it just isn't the one I want. Plus I have certain passive pickups that just plain fucking rrruuuule. It is probably a good idea to have one guitar on hand with EMGs though, it is a pretty unique and solid sound, has kind of become an industry standard too.

I also feel like EMGs are a way for people with girl hands to cheat. They make you sound angry when you aren't...This vision comes to mind of these emo kids with their EMGd guitars trying to play on passive pickups and sounding lame because they've been handicapped the whole time they've been playing guitar...and then going on to blame passive pickups as the problem. If you know how to play guitar you will sound just as "angry" on passive pickups.

 

[Mago]

Soooooooooooooo we have another "Tits vs. Ass" thread now?

+1 on ^
I also don't like EMGs (the 81 at least) on lead stuff. At least not with my playing and my guitars.

I also feel like EMGs are a way for people with girl hands to cheat. They make you sound angry when you aren't...This vision comes to mind of these emo kids with their EMGd guitars trying to play on passive pickups and sounding lame because they've been handicapped the whole time they've been playing guitar...and then going on to blame passive pickups as the problem. If you know how to play guitar you will sound just as "angry" on passive pickups.

Nahh. Pussy picking sounds like pussy picking, doesn't matter which PU you use for that.

 

[Beezerk]

if I can get good tone from the whole setup I don't care about actives vs passives.

Bang on, I have guitars with EMG's and passive, both sound great but have their individual nuances.
I'd say my passive humbuckers are a bit more versatile though.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

+1 on the 81 being horrific for leads, listen to Jonas' solo at 2:00 for a perfect example (as said, just very unpleasantly sharp IMO, and the pick attack has that trademark "skwawk" sound)

 

[drew_drummer]

EMG's are buzzsaw city.

 

[drew_drummer]

I'm also a bit bored of reading arguments for "tightness" - no one has even bothered to define what tightness actually is, in the context of a guitar pickup. I get what tightness is in the context of vagina, in the context of plumbing, in the context of physical, etc....

But no. I confess. I must be inferior to y'all, because anytime someone says the word 'tightness' in the context of a guitar pickup or audio in general, my pineal gland does a 360. I have no idea what it means, and thus am dubious of the claims.