I’m considering a new guitar project using a guitar body currently set up with active humbuckers and a locking trem.
I’m tempted to upgrade both pickups (generic stock) as they sound thin and lifeless while the trem does not feel solid when used.
Are there any opinions on active pickups given previous threads on the forum seem to suggest they are less responsive than passive and are only really suited for hard rock/metal? Apart from EMG are there any other makes to look at?
In regards to a locking trem , there seems to be a variety of different trems variants and I’m keen to be enlightened on the various types and what to look out for.
Comments
Pickup wise ideally something not super compressed and with a degree of response would be the aim here
‘ Intriguing. Not many budget LTD single cutaway models come with a double locking vibrato system.
In fact, generally, telling the forum what the guitar is saves a lot of thinking time. Forumites who have worked on examples of the same model can share hints and tips for getting them to work better. Without this basic information, the possible permutations become almost endless. The line of least resistance is to make no effort to help’
’ Opinion #1 - Is there a convenient place in the guitar to tuck the PP3 needed to power the active electronics?’
Some EMG pickups completely come alive with their active EQ kits
some people hate actives, I like some of them a lot
EMG SAs give the cleanest strat sounds, and with active mid and scoop boosts, are amazing (Gilmour's 90s setup)
traditional EMG humbuckers are good for rock, but I use them more subtley for almost classical style arrangements and lap steel, and again, very flexible with active EQs
The new EMG RetroActive sets are best of both worlds: passive style winding, magnets and sound, but with a built in preamp that is tuned to get specific sounds. My Hot 70 set is probably the best rock set I've tried: Van Halen ceramic bridge pickup, laid-back blues-rock ZZ top Alnico on the neck. They do a Hot 55 set that replaces the bridge with another Alnico pickup
Your attitude to providing advice is not problem solving but rather problem making and in the whole awkward ….in what is considered an impolite and rude manner towards others, especially as you are trying to hijack a post looking for advice into a rant about the forums use.
Perhaps rather then being added to an ‘ignore list’, you could consider how your posts/replies are considered by others and then decide if you should post anything in the first place.
If the trem is fit for purpose I’ll be selling it as I have a stash of Hamer Logo’d Schaller units I’ll be putting on to make it “right” - although it’s the same unit in fact.
Let me know if there’s any interest.
Cheers!
Ben.
At the moment I'm looking for:
* Hamer SS2 & T62
* Music Man Luke 1
Please drop me a message.
Quality-wise, I'd say the Gotoh is on par with the German-made OFR. It does feel slightly different, but it's a top-quality trem.
I haven't tried a Special, but assuming doing those upgrades brings it up to (more or less) an FRT-x000 in spec, IMO a Schaller-made FRO would still be a bit better.
A Schaller Tremolo or Lockmeister would be another option. Again similar in quality to a Schaller-made FRO (I haven't tried one but in fact I think a Lockmeister is identical apart from the branding stamp).