EMG active into formerly passive

[drummerguy1010]

Hello all,

Sorry if this has been covered before. I looked through and couldn't see it off hand...

I play a couple of Epi SG's and i'm wanting to get rid of the stock pickups and get some better ones. I need something for heavy distortion that will give clarity and also allow for Wylde-eqse harmonics, and i'm looking at the EMG Wylde or Kerry King packs.

Have any of you that have gone from passive to active had trouble doing this as far as the 9v battery pack? Did you have to do additional routing or would the battery fit in the cavaties already created in the guitar?

Thanks in advance

 

[GtrGeorge!]

Hi,
I am a passive pickup guy..but will probably get an EMG set soon..so Ive been reading up on them.
In some cases you may need to remove some wood from your guitars electronics cavity. But it depends on so many things. these days guitars are farmed out to Malaysia,Indonesia,mexico and whoever. The different factories may make the cavity's size a little different from the original design. And even a few millimeters can make difference, when trying to squeeze an active system into that small space.
I think the best idea is to get the system and try putting it it, and IF AT ALL POSSIBLE TRY NOT TO REMOVE ANY WOOD. It really can decrease the value of your guitar so...try not to.
Have you tried hotter passive pickups? They fit easy and dont ever use a battery. For high gain stuff Duncans and DiMarzio make all kinds of options. I find passives more versatile, but thats just my opinion.
If you need Zack-like squeels..the master of that was/is John Sykes nad he uses passive Humbuckers into a very hot Marshall Tube amp.
If you havent got mega-money use a pedal and get it there.

 

[drummerguy1010]

Yeah, I've consididered gettting some hotter passive pups, but seems everywhere I look people are talking about EMG's. There are a few Seymour Duncans that sound kind of interesting though.

 

[slik_karl]

I have 1 guitar with EMG actives the rest all have passive duncan distortions. The Duncans blow the emg's away. I may rip out the Emg's real soon! Now remember its all in the users prefrence. I play metal and I think the Emg's are to thin sounding for my liking.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

my passing experience has been..that they seem a little cold..and the HBs are voiced in a way thats getting to be a cliche'.
If you LOVE Nickelback..thats great but if you are trying to be really different..I think the HB seem to have limited playability.
I dont know if this makes sense..but I just find that one can play the pickups on passive with more versatility than the EMG HB.
Still I may buy a set..why? I play in a cover band and thats the flovor alot of audiences want...this week.
..now how does that song by Hinder go...?

 

[Gearhead]

I'm in a cover band that plays everything from Grand Funk to Rage Against The Machine to contemporary country and have used EMG's for as long as I can remember.
I've received compliments on my tone in the past, so I don't think the audience seems to mind the EMG's. They're dynamic, noiseless and loud. As a matter of fact, I use the 89, 85, 81 and SA's. Other passive pickups I have are SD, DiMarzio and Bill Lawrence... who by the way, always said you need to start with volume/output from a pickup (esp. a HB) and the rest falls into place because you have the ability to back off the volume, but if it's not there to begin with, then you're **** out of luck. The EMG's are my standard.

If you're looking for niche pickups then passives work, but in a situation where you're playing a wide variety of songs, the resonant peaks of some passives can actually get in the way. As far as EMG's being sterile, then some of the best guitarists in the world seem to like sterility. David Gilmour, Steve Lukather, Allan Holdsworth, Tom Morello, Vince Gill, Zakk Wylde, James Hetfield etc. I think some people are confused with the flat EQ response of an EMG. A blank canvas always allows for more creativity, so go out and use/try an EMG and create your own tone. Sorry about the rant, but I think this horse has been beaten to the ground already.

As far as putting them in certain guitars, I have Les Pauls and Strats and they all fit. I couldn't say about an SG installation, but I know they sell SG's with EMG's factory installed. I usually cut the foam that comes in the packaging to the shape of the control cavity, lay it in the cavity and place the battery on the foam so it doesn't contact the pot's or otherwise bounce around in there.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

"audiences dont seem to mind"....
...since when do we let the audience determine your sound?

Its obvious you are in a cover band (btw: so am I..)...its sad how many cover guys just blast thru whatever is the gear of the day without considering if it could be done better. I believe a number of the artists you mention used passive pickups in the studio then used emgs to play the material live. Considering the problems of hum and interference...anyone could understand.
But I dont think that means that they have the best tone. There is something about passives...the most esteemed recording in rock have been done with passives. The gold standard has been passives.
There is something to be said for that.
Dont put me down in a manner that is personal...because I side with the gold standard.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

hey drummer guy...
just to show you what kind of a guy I am, I want to add some stuff here about my experiences with EMGs.
As you may know I have been looking for a set for time (I have a post elsewhere stating this), well today I hit 3 music stores and tried some EMGs again...and ya know what?
I have to take my former opinion and roll it back a notch.
I play some SAVs and an 81 and an 85 today. Overall they WEREN'T that sterile. They worked a different dynamic, is a better way to put it.
I guess the Tele that I hade tested a few years ago (with 3 EMGs) happened to be a sterile sounding guitar. Thats where I formed my prior opinion.
I still love passives, but EMG are not that sterile..just differernt.

 

[Gearhead]

gtrgeorge, if you're going to take something like a discussion about pickup tastes personal, I think you're reading too deeply into it. I'm not looking for a pissing contest. :?

I'll put it more succinctly... I've used several different brands through the years and I like EMG. They've got the sound and versatility I was looking for and sound just as good (to me) when recorded or used live.

 

[Mailman1971]

I was going thru the EMG madness myself. Been playing them exclusive(81 bridge 85 neck) for years. Seemed like whatever rig I plugged in, it had the same tone. I wasnt sick of it......but wanted a slight change, so I just made a second guitar, hotrodded it with a nice passive Duncan Screamin Demon, and when I feel to play the less aggressive with more soul, I use the duncan guitar. Its been working wornderful the past 6 months this way for me and then I always have the EMGS when I want that TONE! I love them, and always keep going back.

 

[slik_karl]

I was going thru the EMG madness myself. Been playing them exclusive(81 bridge 85 neck) for years. Seemed like whatever rig I plugged in, it had the same tone. I wasnt sick of it......but wanted a slight change, so I just made a second guitar, hotrodded it with a nice passive Duncan Screamin Demon, and when I feel to play the less aggressive with more soul, I use the duncan guitar. Its been working wornderful the past 6 months this way for me and then I always have the EMGS when I want that TONE! I love them, and always keep going back.

Great Answer! Kudos to you sir.

 

[Mailman1971]

I was driving everyone nuts in my band with that dillema. Trying to crank the amp in different directions for different tones.....now I just grab a different guitar, leave the amp settings pretty much the same. Besides....for me, when I play a different guitar it makes me play different. Sounds weird, but when I play my ESP Tiger, I do feel like playing all the Dokken, Ratt, etc.....when I grab my Killer(Akira takasaki from Loudness model) with the EMG's I just want to Metal out!! No jazz played on that bad boy! 8)

 

[GtrGeorge!]

Its kind of cool to note...that "Slither" by Velvet Revolver was done with passive, and its a good Heavy sound. meanwhile, The newer Seether material is obviously EMG-land. And so is Nickelback, and Finger Eleven and Hinder and dozens of other bands.
All good usable sounds, but I think there is starting to be a little backlash on emg 85s....there all over, and I think someplayers,like above may not want to be grouped together with that sound.
BareKnuckle pickups and Duncan certainly have their fans.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

So since my last post I have owned and used an emg DG20 set (David Gilmore's live set) and the Steve Lukather set.
Conclusion: so far...I am not taking back anything I said previously. For me: emg work a different dynamic, and if you like that: thats fine. But Passives are a whole other world..and there is plenty of variety in that world (from DiMarzio to Duncan to Motor City to Voodoo to WD to ???)
all different flavors. I wouldnt say anybody has the best pickups...they are just different flavors.