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

Moltisanti

there's a guy on Facebook selling a Het Set for £80! (without the pots)

guitarfishbay

Where?

guitarfishbay

I can't see them on the groups I'm on, but I can never find anything on FB groups, I don't know how to search them beyond just scrolling.  You can't even use ctrl+f because it doesn't load the rest of the page until you scroll to it.

Elx

You want this...

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/high-output/blackouts/

Moltisanti

there is a search function within each group:

PM me if you're interested and I'll add you as a friend and to the group

guitarfishbay

Moltisanti said:

there is a search function within each group:

PM me if you're interested and I'll add you as a friend and to the group

Lol.  I had no idea there was a search function I've been scrolling the whole time.  Will PM you.

koneguitarist

I have no idea where the bland tone comes from, EMG have always struck me as being great quality full stop, the bland ness comes from the player.

Vince Gill, David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler have all got great tones using them. 

guitarfishbay

Ok! Ordered an 89 and an 81.

The plan is to see how I get on with them in my CU22 (both ways round), and if I like them then at some point next year I'll try a H/S/S setup in my Strat with either the 89 or 81tw and some SAs.

Didn't seem worth grabbing the 85 when the 89 is supposed to be very similar but a shade tighter and with a coil split.

I guess I'll update my experiences as I go along.

guitarfishbay

Well so far very frustrating.

I've had to chase the invoice, then the tracking number, now I've only been sent the 81 and a pack of pots which I didn't order - and no 89. The shop inform me they'll sort it and I should get it before Christmas. We shall see. Not too happy about the series of events so far!

Bloody hell the solder less install is a PITA! I got it to fit my CU22, just. I've stuck the 81 in the bridge for now so at least I can try something. I had about 10 mins and so far I love the clean sound. So far the gain sounds are really quite bright even in drop B, I think the plain strings might have too much zing but I've not had a chance to dial in an Axe FX patch for them yet, I just flicked though some of my standard patches (on headphones, too late for cabs now!). If it is too bright then I'll go with the 89 in the bridge.

guitarfishbay

Also it isn't as quiet as expected, though I'll double check everything when the 89 gets here. Stupidly I de-soldered everything before reading the instructions - you still need wires soldered to the pickup selector so I had to do that again. That will teach me for not reading instructions first!. I wonder if I've not done a good job of that, might do it again when I install the 89.

ICBM

I detest the solderless wiring kits, they're more hassle than the old-fashioned way. (Presumably unless you can't actually solder.) A good example of where 'modernising' something makes it worse for no real advantage, and introduces potential unreliability.

guitarfishbay

I imagine they're ok to work with in large, square control cavities but fitting everything in the CU22 was a mega ball ache with that bend. A very tight fit! Took more than one attempt to get it organised so the back plate would go on.

guitarfishbay

Ok scratch the 89.......

I'm getting an 85, from a different company.  Frustrated is one way of putting it.  I ordered on the phone...

I've had to 

- Call to chase the invoice which wasn't sent

- Call again to chase the tracking info which wasn't sent

- Call to chase the email I sent to ask why the tracking info said it hadn't been sent when they said it had, nobody replied to my email

- Call to tell them they've sent me the wrong stuff!  Instead of 81/89 I got 81 and some pots!

- Email to chase up a reply to their email to confirm what was happening - it wasn't confirmed, the email said "(my salesman)" please order the 89 and please arrange collection... I got no reply to my first email so I sent another.. I needed collection arranged from a work address so I wanted it confirmed in writing that they'd acknowledged it

- Call again - this time it was confirmed to me that instead of getting stock of the 89 on the 22nd (which they'd get to me on the 23rd via next day) they weren't going to get stock til the 24th, which means my few days of playing with the pickups over Christmas is buggered.

So I decided stuff it I'll cancel the 89 and order something from elsewhere.

I'm supposed to receive a call to discuss cancelling the 89.  But I've just gone and sent an email with the actions I want (keep the 81, return the pots, cancel and refund the 89) to the main shop email account, cc'ing my salesman because I reckon it might get dealt with quicker.

Have already ordered an 85 from a different shop.

Honestly, if a local shop stocked what I want I'd go in and buy it.  I seem to have a disproportionate amount of crap go wrong when I mail order.

guitarfishbay

Ok I've had a play about with the 81 in the bridge through my cab.

It is very height sensitive.  I didn't really understand the 'compression' people were talking about until I cranked it right up high (as the manual suggests) and boom, there is the 'standard' EMG tone with compression, however back it off a bit and it seems dynamic enough for me.

What I like about it backed off a bit is it has a tone that is something like the cross between a humbucker, a something like a piezo acoustic and a single coil tone mixed together - if that makes sense.  You can easily hear it in the clean sound, it doesn't sound like any passive pickup I've ever played.  Loads of definition but probably an acquired taste, so far I like it.

The jury is out as to whether it has too much high end on the plain strings for my tastes, I'll have to try it out at a decent volume, so far it seems I can compensate at home volumes so it sounds pretty good to me.

The 85 will go in the neck for the time being - tonally it will probably represent something similar to what was in the guitar before but different, if that makes sense.  The HFS is bright/harsh and the vintage bass is a little too warm and bassy, but it works for some of the stuff I've written on the guitar.

My gut instinct is I prefer the 81 to the HFS.

guitarfishbay

I do wonder how many 'purists' will be upset by the fact I'm playing a 10 top PRS without a neck pickup, tone knob, and some dings through an Axe FX.  There was some small sticker on the inside of the neck pickup cavity I think I still have it somewhere.  At this stage I'm not really worried about it anyway, there's a ding in the top and I've changed the pickups so half the PRS buying market are probably now allergic to it.

I do like the all black pickup against the cream coloured rings though!

SquireJapan

At this stage I'm not really worried about it anyway, there's a ding in the top and I've changed the pickups so half the PRS buying market are probably now allergic to it.

Yup!

You have a guitar I'd love to "build" (if you can call it that ) if you ever sell, let me know ...

Moltisanti

that looks badass, proper bandit

richardhomer

Moltisanti;449461" said:

that looks badass, proper bandit

Is there a TheFB Glossary of Terms available?

OilCityPickups

Moltisanti said:

that looks badass, proper bandit

'That appears to have a defective posterior (or ill tempered donkey), yet resembles a polite and upstanding robber or outlaw!'

What I take it to mean anyway :-)

richardhomer

TheGuitarWeasel;449592" said:

'That appears to have a defective posterior (or ill tempered donkey), yet resembles a polite and upstanding robber or outlaw!'What I take it to mean anyway :-)

Thanks - you are obviously far more down with the kids than me.

I thought the 'Bandit' bit was something to do with Peavey.

I think I'm getting too old for all of this....