share your thoughts on active v.s. passive pickups

[Scott Ians Beard]

>|<>QBB<

I prefer passives and i dont like super high output pickups. They sound more organic to me.

Me too. These days my favourite bridge pickup seems to be the Bill Lawrence L500, which runs about 9k. I find it allows my guitars to breathe.

That said, i have a hankering for a dirty ibanez shredder with some EMGs

 

[Scott Ians Beard]

>|<>QBB<

>|<>QBB<

I havent tried the Custom Custom in an LP yet, its in bridge position of my Charvel Soloist thats basically an SL1 with a rosewood board.

If you wana try something really cool, get SD to make you a classic stack thats a bit hotter and punchier.. thats what Doug Aldrich used on his vintage strats and they sound huge for heavy rock and blues playing!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gyx03co5Bv8

I was just on Suhr's site looking for specs on the DSH and DSV, when i saw the Doug Alrich sig pickups. 17.5k impedence on the bridge? Thats more than an SD Invader! Talk about super-hot pickups....

 

[tjon]

>|<>QBB<

>|<>QBB<

I was just on Suhr's site looking for specs on the DSH and DSV, when i saw the Doug Alrich sig pickups. 17.5k impedence on the bridge? Thats more than an SD Invader! Talk about super-hot pickups....

that pup is on fire!

 

[Neeklaus]

in the past 6 months I 've become an EMG man myself.

my rg has the 18 volt mod and i think it sounds great. 81/85 combo

the 81-7 and 707 models are top notch too. i still can't get that same 707 neck sound from my 85 neck.

 

[mctallica1]

EMG's all the way for me. I switched to actives about 6 or 7 years ago after playing passives for around 14 years and haven't looked back.

I still try out passives that I haven't before, but nothing has taken the place of EMG's for me. I love the clarity and quiet performance.

FWIW, for those that say EMGs make all guitars sound the same, I call bullshit :wink:

 

[nwright]

>|<>QBB<

>|<>QBB<




The 18V mod is overexageratted IMO. Bit of a Placebo effect. :x

If you truly can't hear the difference, than it's not the 18volt mod that's overexaggerated. Obviously, in high gain situations, it's not as noticeable, but if you can't tell the difference in clean and medium gain tones, then good for you...Less batteries to change. I think the difference is easily heard, but to each his own.

 

[cobrahead1030]

>|<>QBB<

FWIW, for those that say EMGs make all guitars sound the same, I call bullshit :wink:

i believe we've had this discussion before, and i adressed my thoughts in my initial post

have you ever tried running them at 18v in any of your guitars tony? i may try that with one of mine

 

[mrp5150]

I think EMG's sound VERY similar in guitars made of the same wood. I've owned at least 6-8 EMG81 loaded mahogany guitars, and they've all sounded pretty much exactly the same. I've had an EMG81 loaded alder guitar, and it sounded totally different, even thinner than in mahogany.

 

[metalpoida]

>|<>QBB<

I think EMG's sound VERY similar in guitars made of the same wood. I've owned at least 6-8 EMG81 loaded mahogany guitars, and they've all sounded pretty much exactly the same. I've had an EMG81 loaded alder guitar, and it sounded totally different, even thinner than in mahogany.

I tend to agree.

 

[BOOGIE444]

About 3-4 years ago I switched from EMG's to passive's and I used to slam active stuff all during that time. Passives sound much warmer, organic thick and full, & darker, so I used to slam EMG's for the obvious differences between the two.

But then two weeks ago or so I helped a buddy install a EMG-81 that I gave him in his old POS strat and it made me want a EMG loaded guitar all over again. I went back & forth between his EMG-81 loaded cheapo strat & my gibby explorer through all of the high-gain modules on my RM-100 and I was blown away by how aggressive and in your face the EMG equipped guitar was. I still love the dark, thick and woody tone from my explorer, but I like the in your face agression of the EMG-81 just as much.

For me both have their place, and I will soon have LP equipped with 81/85 combo. The difference between a passive & EMG equipped guitar can be just as much as a drastic change in tone as switching from two totally different amps.

 

[dave_mc]

horses for courses, I guess.

EDIT:

>|<>QBB<

I think EMG's sound VERY similar in guitars made of the same wood. I've owned at least 6-8 EMG81 loaded mahogany guitars, and they've all sounded pretty much exactly the same. I've had an EMG81 loaded alder guitar, and it sounded totally different, even thinner than in mahogany.

i don't like the 81 in alder at all, it does sound pretty thin. The 85 is nice, though.

I just don't like guys who say "oh, EMG's suck" with no reasons. Or else you find out they're like a blues player or something.

 

[cobrahead1030]

i think it's good to have both if you can...each one provides some things you just can't get from the other

but as an above poster said, gun to the head...i'd choose passive; i could probably be limited to a JB/59 set, and be happy for the rest of my life with it

 

[thegame]

I just got a set of active Duncan Metal live wires. If you keep the volume pot low, or attenuate them, they're incredible. More organic than EMGs. Just an insane crunch and aggresiveness. They are literally several TIMES hotter than any EMG, so you gotta turn'em down somehow.

 

[again with this]

>|<>QBB<

I like EMG's for metal on just about any guitar, BUT, I don't think I could play them at only 9 volts. 18 volts are a must for me in my EMG loaded guitars. I like the "woodiness" that passives give me, but they just don't sound as in your face with my guitars/rig. Running my 81's at 18 volts bridges the gap between picking dynamics and tone from active to passive.

Over the summer I went through 81's, 85's, a JB, a Duncan Distortion, Bill Lawrence 500XL and ended up back with 81's, only this time with 18 volts. I couldn't ever go back to just 9 on actives.

I run my EMGs at 18v too. It helps them sound less sterile, but not enought for my taste at the moment.

Again, last night, the Stock 500s in the V killed the EMGs in the Paul. I think I want to check out some Tom Anderson P/Us. Apparently, they use the Andersons to test Mesa amps, which I use. So...