Favorite Pickups? Active vs Passive?

Today I'm picking up a Schecter 8 string guitar with EMG 57-8H and EMG 66-8H.

In previous EMG loaded guitars ive used a 24V MOD batterypack. I liked it for the 6 string, but really enthusiastic to try it on the 8 string.
 
In the Axe-Fx Ultra days I remember being happy to have EMGs, as it lifted a curtain for me, where every preset became listenable to great.
For the later gen, I'm sure I'm happy with almost any pickup, and have enjoyed P90s very much, for example.
 
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EMG SA + EXG expander + SPC Mid Booster

All these myths about being compressed, non-vintage, for high-gain only, lifeless, etc are pure caca de vaca BS

The active circuit is just a preamp. Even if you use passive pickups, you are still connecting them to the first preamp stage of your amplifier, or pedal effects, or wireless unit. If that preamp is well designed, it should not spoil the tone.
 
Piing said:
EMG SA + EXG expander + SPC Mid Booster

All these myths about being compressed, non-vintage, for high-gain only, lifeless, etc are pure caca de vaca BS

The active circuit is just a preamp. Even if you use passive pickups, you are still connecting them to the first preamp stage of your amplifier, or pedal effects, or wireless unit. If that preamp is well designed, it should not spoil the tone.
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Early EMGs were much lower impedance and output than normal humbuckers, without the preamp. Low output was why they had a built-in preamp, and low impedance was why they had wider top end frequency response than usual. All of that is similar to the pickups in the original Les Paul Recording, or some (most?) Alembic guitars..

I have no idea if they're still built that way, but that's the tech from them I have experience with.

None of that means they're good or bad, or metal only, for the record.
 
When I was younger, and sponsored by Ibanez in the late 80s and again in the mid 90s. I had the DiMarzios in my Ibanez models. Secretly I never liked them in the darker basswood guitars. I had 2 of my guitars switched to EMGs in 87 a set of the 89 with coil split in the bridge and the 85 in the neck. I had them put a new pick guard on these two so there was no hole for the middle pickup (I never used one back then).

Then I got a used PRS in 96 and loaded the JB and Jazz set in it and loved it. It was open and had grunt, but still balanced. I listened to it and my sig ibbys with EMGs and instantly heard the compression and added gain that had this fizz under each note. Funny how when you grow as a player and person things you should have picked up and didn't become glaring later on.

I have a Samick PRS clone (love that guitar better than a couple of my real PRS guitars) it is completely gutted and and everything was replaced with good quality parts including tuners, bridge, the JB and Jazz set, new wiring, pots, switches, etc. The reason I like it is because of the feel of the guitar and its resonant frequencies aligned with my playing style. I tried a several sets of pick ups but the mid-hot passives just sounded better to me.

I also have a Silverburst Epi LP that has the BKP Holy-Diver set in it and it is the same thing. I even tried the Fishman fluence in it since a couple guitar players I like have the Fernandez LP with them. It was a no-go for me, too compressed, but I could hold and sustain a note into the edge of feedback for so long with it. The Holy Divers just fit this guitar best. I even had the JB and Jazz in it but didn't like them as much in this guitar.

As I always say the guitar will tell you what fits it. I still have 3 EMG loaded Ibbys and 4 more with the stock DiMarzios in them. I like the EMGs in the basswood, still, but I am always having to back gain way down usually add an exciter to the high mids when I record with the EMG loaded Ibbys (which is less and less often as years go on).
 
Another diffrence between Active and passive

Dont forget to pull the plug from the guitar when finished playing. The next day, first thing you have to do is go buy new batteries

My guess, you've also -> been there ->done that right? 🤣

Cheers 🍻
 
Axelman8 said:
Another diffrence between Active and passive

Dont forget to pull the plug from the guitar when finished playing. The next day, first thing you have to do is go buy new batteries

My guess, you've also -> been there ->done that right? 🤣

Cheers 🍻
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I love the sound of actives, would possibly make the jump to passives to avoid batteries if I find a good enough sound.

Battery saving tricks for FM3?
 
Hard to say. The important question for me is what a pickup preamp adds.

On that end, there's obviously the usual EMG 81 kind of active pickups. But there's a lot more, and many different things can be accomplished via such preamps. Most certainly not all active pickups tech is the same.

I would say that my best pickups range from passives to actives.

There's cases where what a preamp adds is hard to replicate otherwise; and there's cases where, even considering the possibility of replicating a passive PU very well with an active PU... no current active PU that is voiced accordingly is available to consumers.
 
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adamsmith0211 said:
I love the sound of actives, would possibly make the jump to passives to avoid batteries if I find a good enough sound.
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Sure. There are hundreds of good passive pickups. What guitar are you using? What sound do you like?
adamsmith0211 said:
Battery saving tricks for FM3?
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Battery use of the active pickups is not related to the FM3. The only trick is what @Axelman8 just said: unplug it after use
 
EMG'S. I've been using them since before they were called EMG. I've tried a lot of different pickups but always go back to EMG'S. I like the SA-X.
 
I use both... Have an '84 Epi Explorer with the EMG 81/85 combo and really disliked the 85 so I swapped it for a 60 and it's Hetfield tone heaven. Got another guitar with Duncan Blackouts and while they sound nice and punchy, man the output is surface of the sun-hot!!! Been wanting to try the Fishman KSE on that guitar when I tune it to Drop C but one thing I don't like about Fishman is that apparently they eat up batteries as much as five times faster than your typical EMG and don't have that much space on that guitar to hold the Li-Ion battery pack from Fishman.

Also been meaning to get a set of Fluence Classics for a Fernandes Monterey currently loaded with a Dimarzio Crunch Lab/Liquifire combo. That guitar had a sustainer so it already has a battery box installed, so why not?

Speaking of the JP combo, I REEEEEALLY love the Dimarzio Liquifire, it's my favorite neck pickup ever but still searching for the perfect bridge pickup. The Crunch Lab is absolutely nice, but I don't love it. Maybe a Dreamcatcher to try in the future.

Also have an Air Norton, Steve's Special, Gravity Storm Neck and Mo' Joe in other guitars.

In the end, I really love the actives for High Gain stuff (and the EMG 60 shines on cleans too!) but I really dislike the battery side of it. Having to remember to unplug the guitars, dying batteries that won't let you know until they're are almost dead, etc...

For about anything else, passives all the way.
 
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I used everything over the years and today my Music Man LIII is best of both worlds.
Passive Pickups with an active preamp. No more worries about cable length etc. and the option to have a boost for solos or giving a clean amp some dirt, no matter where on stage I‘am.
 
RifferMcDuck said:
Previous EMG guy here, I for the most part abandoned them and actives altogether when I got the Axe. They're a wonderful pickup, but it made me realize they make everything sound the same, as in, I could "hear" the mechanical EMG sound in every amp and effect combo. Passives just give you so many more options.
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Used to have EMGs in my Strat 30-ish years ago. Liked the lack of hum, but they sounded compressed. Turns out a second 9V battery in series with the first would have provided the headroom needed to get the attack out uncompressed. They didn't advertise the 18V capability, so I didn't find out until semi-recently....
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
Used to have EMGs in my Strat 30-ish years ago. Liked the lack of hum, but they sounded compressed. Turns out a second 9V battery in series with the first would have provided the headroom needed to get the attack out uncompressed. They didn't advertise the 18V capability, so I didn't find out until semi-recently....
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I tried the 18V and 24V hack with my EMGs in the 90s and still didn't get that less compressed more open attack that is quoted for the hack. It used to be a hack back then. Now you can buy a kit and just plug it in. LOL

I still feel the JB and Jazz sound much nicer with and without gain, and have that open attack and still have the clunk with palm mutes. Granted they don't sound as good in a basswood guitar or even a maple guitar is just too bright with them. Mahogany with a maple cap is great for them. Same goes for the BKP Holy Diver set. Also love the DiMarzio Super Distortion for the same reasons. Just listen to early Al Dimeola and you know what I mean. That is all Super Distortion into a Marshall, just the highs rolled off. Even the DiMarzio Illuminators are great and in the same vein, IMOP.

I feel all of those just have that open clear sound with enough harmonics and just enough gain boost to still allow a TS in front of an amp. I feel they also have that bite that most actives try to aim for, but usually miss.
 
jamesmarshall said:
I tried the 18V and 24V hack with my EMGs in the 90s and still didn't get that less compressed more open attack that is quoted for the hack. It used to be a hack back then. Now you can buy a kit and just plug it in. LOL

I still feel the JB and Jazz sound much nicer with and without gain, and have that open attack and still have the clunk with palm mutes. Granted they don't sound as good in a basswood guitar or even a maple guitar is just too bright with them. Mahogany with a maple cap is great for them. Same goes for the BKP Holy Diver set. Also love the DiMarzio Super Distortion for the same reasons. Just listen to early Al Dimeola and you know what I mean. That is all Super Distortion into a Marshall, just the highs rolled off. Even the DiMarzio Illuminators are great and in the same vein, IMOP.

I feel all of those just have that open clear sound with enough harmonics and just enough gain boost to still allow a TS in front of an amp. I feel they also have that bite that most actives try to aim for, but usually miss.
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Been digging low-ish output humbuckers (SD Jazz, PRS 85/15S), hum-free P90s (Fralin, Kinman), and normal to slightly hot Fender-style single coils (Fralin Split Rail 'high output') lately. If I need gain, a nice drive pedal can bump it up and shape it nicely....
 
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