ESP with active EMG's

Orion86

Orion86

Member
Anyone have any insight as far as dialing in a tone with active EMG's??
A very tech-minded has pretty well told me to burn the EMG's and go for passive. It does seem that it makes almost every preset sound muddy/bass-heavy. Any help in regards to "standard" adjustments would be greatly appreciated. Or just confirming the fact that I need to get rid of them would be great as well.
I do have an Ibanez with a Liquidfire/Crunch Lab combo that gets me much closer to the tone I want. Unfortunately, it's only a 22 fretter and I need the 24 that my ESP has.

Thanks!
 
I am looking at putting EMGs in my Ibanez RGA. Love to hear responses on this as well. I posted a thread on best pickups for hi gain tones through Axe FX a few months ago and the most passionate responses were 1- EMGs and 2- Bare Knuckle Pickups. Consensus was pickups were the most important factor in getting the hi gain tone you want through AFX.
 
It all depends on what tone you are going for. EMG's surprise me. I had 81s in 3 different guitars at one point and every single one sounded exactly the same. I have since dumped them and gone to BKPs. 81s, 85s, and 89s are all decent emg. The HZ series is terrible!

However, its all about what you want tone-wise. For metalcore and smooth metal tones they are awesome. I prefer the 89 neck. However, actives just don't give me what I want and tend to muddy up way too much for me. With that said, If you like high output pickups, much better passive pickups can be had.

Just remember: With pickups, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
 
[Disclaimer: I'm trying to articulate w/o sounding like a fanboy- this is my honest opinion.]

Do not throw out the EMG's!!!

If your ideal "tone" is clarity, punch, & lots of headroom, then keep your EMG 81- some prefer the 60 in the neck, & others like the 85, but the 81 in the bridge is the best for clarity and punch w no muddiness.

I have a PRS 24 that I put Duncan's (JB/59) in, and an ESP EC-1000 (81/60).

I've watched many YouTube vids & read lots of comparison threads. Often, they'll talk about the "organic" tone of passive pickups, among other things, but what few talk about is the headroom of the EMG's. For me, the headroom makes a HUGE difference!

Case in point: the biggest differences in tone I notice, is in low-gain amps with MV cranked (I.e. AC-30: EMG 60 really brings out the upper-order harmonics that jangle like smoked pork tenderloin in my belly), and in high-gain monsters like FAS Modern (81 really gives you that thunderous hammer with palm-muted metal).

Whatever "lack of organic warmth" in EMG, whether real or imaginary, is forgotten, IMO, when plugged into the Axe 2.

Bottom line: the higher voltage of the active pickups is my favorite thing about EMG's. it really does make an audible difference for the better, much like a high-voltage tube OD pedal.
 
Anyone telling you to "Burn EMG's" shouldn't be trusted to give an opinion on anything sound related.

Or I guess All the thousands of pro players that use them are wrong but your single opinionated tech savvy knows.....

Seriously though, it comes down to personal preference and nothing more. I have EMG 81's in the bridge of all 7 of my HH electrics, EMG SAV set in my fender, and a sound hole EMG in my acoustics (Except my Taylor's which actually have decent active pickups built in).

I like that they are consistent and I know exactly how they respond. Again 100% personal preference.

There are such a wide range of pickups to choose from these days. I'm not a fan of Seymour Duncan's and I'm very Tech Savvy, so if I told you to burn the SD's would you listen?
 
EMG's are pretty hot so I turn down the global amp gain to about -3.50 dB with my Emg equipped guitar (Carvin CT4). It cleans up good with the volume knob down and has better clarity.
 
Better clarity with EMG-pickups can be achieved by checking their distance to the strings. Even if they are active and have only little magnetic pull, IMO, they sound awful when their preamps start clipping. Keep it further away, and the tone will be crystal clear.

Orion86 said:
I do have an Ibanez with a Liquidfire/Crunch Lab combo that gets me much closer to the tone I want.
Click to expand...
Bear in mind the guitar itself contributes a lot to the tone. You can put a great variety of different pickups in a good sounding guitar, and it will somehow sound good. If you like the sound of the LF/CL combo in your Ibanez, it doesn't have to mean that you'll like them in your ESP.

moab said:
EMG's are pretty hot (...)
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. EMGs at 9V (not the X-series) have little headroom. They are easy to push into clipping, which will give you the impression of very high output achieved through compression. However, that behaviour can be desireable for some kind of genres and personal preferences.
 
For some amp models that boom on the low strings I find the Input Trim turned down a bit and Bass cut 'on' and treble 'brt' (if model has that parameter) off helps ..... I have a Musicman BFR Luke 2 with the stock EMGs.
 
EMG's behave no differently than any other pickups. In fact the active attributes of the pickups enhance the overall sound. Can't fault them myself, and neither can the countless pro players who depend on them. Dialling in presets on the Axe using guitars with EMG's is a breeze. I like many types of passive pickups too, so again there's no big issue here. I've found my presets to work just fine with both types, and many different brands of pickup. As mentioned above, it's not the pickups, it's everything, including your fingers.
 
I swapped the EMGs in my ESP Eclipse with SD Blackouts HB3(active pickups) and I use the same patches pretty much with both the ESP and PRS P24 (passive). For leads the Blackouts are HUGE and clear. I like them better than the EMGs.
 
shadoe said:
It all depends on what tone you are going for. EMG's surprise me. I had 81s in 3 different guitars at one point and every single one sounded exactly the same. I have since dumped them and gone to BKPs. 81s, 85s, and 89s are all decent emg. The HZ series is terrible!

However, its all about what you want tone-wise. For metalcore and smooth metal tones they are awesome. I prefer the 89 neck. However, actives just don't give me what I want and tend to muddy up way too much for me. With that said, If you like high output pickups, much better passive pickups can be had.

Just remember: With pickups, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
Click to expand...

Which BKP do you recommend? I read lots of reviews where some of them are too hot and they get muddy. I would put them in a mahogany guitar with maple neck tuned down to drop C.
 
ToneLabRat said:
Which BKP do you recommend? I read lots of reviews where some of them are too hot and they get muddy. I would put them in a mahogany guitar with maple neck tuned down to drop C.
Click to expand...
Is it the Ibanez S540? How does your guitar sound like unplugged? Snappy, full, mid-heavy ...?
 
People do seem to forget that David Gilmour used EMGs for many years and had no problems getting great clean tones and all the stages in between up to high gain.

I have used EMGs on my guitars for about 10 years and when I thought I ought to be changing (due to reading too many threads like this one) it turned out to be a mistake (at least for me). I use a Strat with an 89 in the bridge and 2 SAs. I run these at 18v. The big thing which annoyed me about the passives - apart from the noise which was the original reason I went EMG - was the affect of string pull by the magnets. I know this can be reduced by moving the pick up away from the string but with the EMG there is no compromise or "sweet-spot".

I recently bought a cheap Ibanez SA360 which somebody had already converted to EMGs (I again upgraded to 18v and put in an 85 instead of the 81 in the bridge, SAs where already in mid and neck position) and the sustain on that thing is huge!!

To the OP - If you do find you are not impressed with the EMGs, try the 18v mod. It makes a big difference and is considerably cheaper than try out than a bunch of new pick ups.
 
use the tone and volume knobs on your guitar, there are also EMGs that can be "coil tapped" i.e. the EMG 89R
 
dkenin said:
use the tone and volume knobs on your guitar, there are also EMGs that can be "coil tapped" i.e. the EMG 89R
Click to expand...

I have a PRS Santana which I've fitted with an EMG 81TW at the bridge and an 89 in the neck (both of them are coil-tap versions).

The variety of sounds I can get out of that thing is just fantastic :) But like others here have said many times already, it's down to taste. I do find the EMGs to be a little less.... dynamic I suppose is the right word, compared to the passive pup's in my other guitars.
 
In my Steinberger, I'm using 89s in the neck & bridge, and an SA in the middle. All sound stellar. The only complaint is when I coil tap the 89s, they're overly bright but the guitar also has a Hazmat active bass/treble tone circuit which cuts the highs down to non-icepick level.
 
ToneLabRat said:
Consensus was pickups were the most important factor in getting the hi gain tone you want through AFX.
Click to expand...

That's partially true, though it's important to note that the same pickups can sound vastly different in different guitars.

I've done an extensive amount of experimentation with pickups and my guitars. One pickup that can sound great in one guitar can sound like total sh** in another guitar with different woods, construction, etc.

I also feel that it's a myth that you absolutely must have very high output pickups for good high-gain tones. Certainly not true with the Axe. More than enough gain on tap. It's more about getting a pickup with your preferred EQ response and feel.
 
81/85 combo in 5 guitars, they are awesome with high gain, and not so bad even with clean. One guitar with blackouts, pure mud on my usual presets. My MM jpx1 liquifire crunch awesome but I have to program some unique presets for it, just a different beast.

THAT BEING SAID, had a muddy original Jackson soloist pro Pickup (looked like emg but passive) Just traded out for a Duncan Distortion, THIS IS THE PICKUP for ALL things gain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom