EMG pickups - general experiences? (Active guitar pickups discussion)

ToneControl

guitarfishbay said:

So has anyone tried the EMG RPC control?  http://www.emgpickups.com/rpc.html

It basically is a pot that controls a high boost and low cut.

I took a look at the graph in the manual (PDF on link) and created something similar using an EQ block on my Axe FX.  I actually prefer what it does to the highs than what the 18 volt mod does.  I don't need any extra low end smack as I'm actively trying to reduce it - playing in drop B creates more than enough low end already.  I've been thinking about buying one for my SC, as that guitar with the JH set seems to benefit most from the EQ block.  Would be useful to have the control on the guitar itself I think so I could dial it in as necessary.

no, but I have active bass/treble, which I use to do the same thing

guitarfishbay

I hadn't considered that.  I'll have a look and see what frequencies they're working on.

ToneControl

they are switchable on the EQ set I got

I also have them on Steinberger 28.6 inch guitars, one of which is tuned A-A with baritone strings, and they work very well

The trouble with the EMG EXP is that you can't vary the gain on the bass and treble separately, I prefer separate bass and treble

Chairs

I’m retroactively amending all my comments for privacy’s sake. I know they’re cached in places, but this is still a best attempts effort. Mods - if any rules have been broken, please revert this post.

guitarfishbay

Yeah I have that 24v clip, and I've made myself an 18v harness too.

It really is a preference thing.  I prefer 9v to be honest - there is a compromise each way in my opinion.

Here's my take on the different voltages with humbuckers, drop B tuning, mostly high gain.  I have never tried the X series, but I understand it to be similar to the 18v mod but only needing a single 9v battery.  I've tried the 81, 85, 57, 66, Het set with different voltages.

9v + Positives

Sound fat and even across the strings, plain strings sound thick

Very easy to get good high gain rhythm sounds IMO.  Pretty much 'the sound' of most bands who use EMGs with very little extra work

Longest battery life

Tight on the low end

9v - Negative

Decreased dynamic range if you run the pickup really close.  Can clip if they're close and you pick hard, which actually can sound good through distortion but sounds terrible clean.  

This can make soloing sound 'less expressive' if you rely on a massive dynamic range for your soloing.  Less of an issue for some, but noticeable to others.

Actually not as much low end thump as you'd think.  Compared side by side with a passive, the passive could have more low end smack.  But for some this is a plus, for example I prefer to have the lows under control.

18v + Plus

Increases headroom, which increases the dynamic range before clipping (and solves it for many).  This can really improve the clean sound

This also increases the amount of low end smack you get through the cab which can feel great, and like the pickups can finally 'breathe'

Seems to 'open up' the tone, more bass and more treble which is the preference of some people

18v - Negatives

Increases the treble, which might make the plain strings sound too bright for some.

Increasing the headroom of the bass seems to lose the consistent fatness you get on the low strings with 9v.  So it is simultaneously more thumpy, but slightly less good at that 'always fat' sound that works well for high gain rhythm as the bass can get a bit much for my tastes.  I tried cutting bass afterwards with EQ, and it ended up sounding thinner than 9v did.

Not as tight, but some might prefer this

Two 9v won't fit in all guitar cavities without extra routing.

Less battery life than 9v

24v + Plus 

Easy to fit, will fit in any guitar when a 9v will fit

Pretty much same tone as the 18v but maybe a tiny bit more headroom again

24v - Negatives

Shortest battery life

Same tonal negatives as 18v, if you view them as negatives

guitarfishbay

(apologies for the above formatting, I kept hitting the character limit and couldn't work out why)

This guy (not me) did an A/B/C comparison with an EMG 81.  The 9v and 18v are just plain duracell shots, his 24 volt mod is covered in black.

Isolated guitars at 6:35, and the other riff starts at about 7:01.

To me this test highlights how I felt about it.  Increasing the headroom ups the bass on the low strings but it doesn't have that even tight and fat sound anymore.  I've tested cutting the bass with EQ afterwards and it just ends up being thinner for the high gain music I play.  The even tight and fat sound is what I personally look for in EMGs, so after some testing I decided the best compromise for me was 9v.  I've got a Stock Les Paul which I really like to use for looser passive tones.  

One day I'd like to try EMG singles, it may very well be that I'd prefer 18/24 volt with them.  But for the humbuckers I personally prefer 9v

YMMV!

guitarfishbay

I did not like the 57/66 or Het set at all at 18v/24v.  They just end up too 'pseudo piezo acoustic' for lack of a better term, and lose the balance they have in 9v.  I've seen a couple of posts from people really liking those pickups at 18v so it'd be worth trying, but personally I didn't like it at all.

The EMG 81 at 18v can be cool for something that sounds a bit more 'soupy' on the low strings, for lack of a better term.  Not really super tight anymore but it is a cool sound and still fairly tight if a little hollower in the mids than the regular 81.  The plain strings end up too bright for my tastes though.  I've heard some really cool recordings with an 18v 81 in the bridge, but not really with the kind of tone I like.

The 85 is the only one I kind of liked at 18v, it seems to open it up a bit since it can be a bit dark at times.  But overall I actually preferred the cleans at 9v with the pickup lowered.  18v with a high pickup height was almost pseudo acoustic-like (not to the extent of the 57/66 set though), which wasn't what I wanted, but I could use it.

It all depends what you're looking for.  It is a super cheap and easy mod to try so well worth giving it a go as many seem to prefer it!

guitarfishbay

Has anyone tried the humbucker sized single coil EMGs?  The H and the HA?  Or what about the 58, I think @Feline guitars liked those?  Does the 60 have those characteristics in the bridge?

I'm looking for something specifically thinner and more singlecoil-ish for the bridge position, to contrast humbuckers.  It will mostly be used with higher gain sounds.  

I find the quick connect system really handy when recording, it takes less than 5 minutes to switch in a new pickup and have the strings stretched back in again, and it looks like the splittable EMGs use a different cable and pot so would be less practical to switch in a hurry.  

Unless someone knows if you can use the normal quick connect cable and attach it to specific pins on for example the 89r which looks like this:

All the normal humbucker have a 3 pin like this.

The less time I spend faffing around the better.  I was thinking about getting an SA set for strat but realistically I'm only going to use the bridge pickup during recording so it would be an expensive investment.  Plus anything HB sized I could try in my PRS too.

It really doesn't have to balance with a neck humbucker for output as this will be for recording only.

SquireJapan

If its any use, I'll let you know how I get on with the 81TWX (which is split-able to give single coil sounds) once my guitar is back from Feline (they're waiting on batch/delivery from the USA as it's a less popular pickup).

Still a few weeks off though.

guitarfishbay

Yeah I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on those.

I've not tried any of the X series pickups.  There must be something different going on though as they require a different tone control.  I do fancy trying the 81TW.

I think I'll send an email to EMG support to see if you can use the 81tw or 89 with just hte regular quick connect cable.

thomasross20

I had a set in my Torero. They were ok but not as "natural" sounding as the passives in my other guitars (honest!). Was glad I sold it.

guitarfishbay

Set of which?  The stock 81/85?

Yeah they sound different to passives and work for some situations and not in others.

For what it is worth I don't like the 81/85 set.  The neck pickup is too hot and dark compared to the bridge pickup.  In standard tuning I think the 85 works well in the bridge, but then the 81 neck winds up brighter so needs its own tone control (no problem on something with two controls).  Personally I like 81/81.  I'm not sure what I'd pair with an 85 bridge, possible a 60A but I've not tried one of those.

But if you want the grit of a passive pickup you won't really get it from EMGs, they're too clean.  When they clip (9v regular series EMGs raised really close to strings) it sounds different to passive grit too.

Also Floyd Rose trems are the work of the devil.  )

thomasross20

81/85 yeah.

I wont buy active pups or anything with a Floyd again, I reckon.

ToneControl

guitarfishbay said:

Has anyone tried the humbucker sized single coil EMGs?  The H and the HA?  Or what about the 58, I think @Feline guitars liked those?  Does the 60 have those characteristics in the bridge?

I'm looking for something specifically thinner and more singlecoil-ish for the bridge position, to contrast humbuckers.  It will mostly be used with higher gain sounds.  

I find the quick connect system really handy when recording, it takes less than 5 minutes to switch in a new pickup and have the strings stretched back in again, and it looks like the splittable EMGs use a different cable and pot so would be less practical to switch in a hurry.  

Unless someone knows if you can use the normal quick connect cable and attach it to specific pins on for example the 89r which looks like this:

All the normal humbucker have a 3 pin like this.

The less time I spend faffing around the better.  I was thinking about getting an SA set for strat but realistically I'm only going to use the bridge pickup during recording so it would be an expensive investment.  Plus anything HB sized I could try in my PRS too.

It really doesn't have to balance with a neck humbucker for output as this will be for recording only.

I really like the 89s on 3 guitars

on one the bridge is a little quiet in SC Mode though, probably something wrong, it was used

I'd advise trying the 89R for the bridge, I think the SC is the one nearest the bridge on the 89, and is quieter and brighter

What about the P90-style ones?

guitarfishbay

Yeah 89R looks good. Apparently in humbucker mode it is somewhere between the warmth of the 85 and tightness of the 81, a couple of guys whose opinion I trust think so anyway. I find the 85 has too much lows in lower tunings, but I like the general voicing. The single cool ends up in a 'nicer' position too, but I've heard some clips of the 81TW which sound decent, and that splits to the 89 position IIRC.

I think the 58 is the P90 style one, just realised I didn't tag @Felineguitars properly last time.

ToneControl

no, the P90 ones are:

http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/p-90.html

P60, P60A, and P81, P85 which are made to be like an 81 and 85

guitarfishbay

Ah right but they're actually P90 sized. I the 58 has P90 characteristics but is humbucker sized. I need humbucker sized.

guitarfishbay

Ok re: using the standard 3 pin cable with the splittable pickups but just for one orientation (I.e. Quickly switch in to use 89 single coil sound), it doesn't work. Here is EMG's response (their customer service guy Rick is super helpful and quick to reply, I've asked him plenty of things via the contact form on the site, +1 EMG customer service).

"Our standard 3 pin cable will not work with the 89 in that manner, as the header pin orientation in the 89 connector does not match the layout on our other pups. You can modify the 89 cables to provide either humbucker or single coil outputs constantly, but you’ll need a separate cable for each configuration. Sorry for not being more helpful."

No big deal but clears it up.

guitarfishbay

I disconnected my tone pots last night, super easy to do with the quick connect system. The signal is peaking noticeably louder, and has a little more high end, actually it is just generally louder.  I think I prefer it but I need to A/B test some recordings. Really surprising difference, I did not expect that much change but it is noticeable.  Had to reduce gain!

On my Axe FX 2 (this only really makes sense to Axe owners) I have it set so my passive Les Paul makes the red input light activate when I play a strong palm mute.  With my EMGs in 9v and tone controls I couldn't make the red light activate, due to the internal clipping.  Removing the tone pots means that light now activates with EMGs.

The highs don't seem to sound as 'piezo' like as when using 18v or 24v mod (which I dislike).  I haven't A/B'd this, but I know I dislike the sound of the plain strings with increased voltage but I seem to like the sound of no tone pot.

I need to test if it is just getting louder (it definitely is) or if it is getting louder with increased headroom.

I use normal style EMGs, currently 81s and Het Set.  I think I want to re-try the 57/66 set with no tone pots now.  I have a real love/hate set with those pickups.  I seem to love playing them up loud, and get frustrated with them at low volume and prefer the tighter 81 or more aggressive Het Set.

I am not sure how no tone pot would affect 18v or X series EMGs.

guitarfishbay

Also I had it confirmed by EMG that the 89 and 89R should sound identical in humbucker mode (I figured it was worth asking).