My Charvel Model 5FX & EMG'S = No Clarity

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Charvel1975
Charvel1975
Active member
So I got my Charvel 5fx out over the past couple days and was playing through a Marshall DSL20CR combo and Marshall 1x12 closed back extension cab and doing bar chords distorted or clean there was no clarity at all with the EMG-81 and the neck SA was somewhat ok.

There's times where I think "Well I'll just get a different EMG bridge pickup with new pots, wiring, output jack" and then tge other part of me is saying "Just go with all new passive pickups."
 
Are you setting these way up to the strings? In my experience EMGs do sound like a mushy mess if you treat them any different from a passive pickup, even if they can go closer without stratitis.
 
I would try disconnecting the tone knob if you don’t use it, gives my 81’s a little extra bite and attack
 
Tone Monster said:
EMG says going all the way to 24V does nothing extra. I've never tried it. Don't think three batteries would fit.
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It doesn't require 3 batteries. The Mod can be purchased on Ebay or Reverb & it take 2 12v batts that are included. It's better than having 2 9 volt that take up a lot of space.
 
Detroit1973 said:
It doesn't require 3 batteries. The Mod can be purchased on Ebay or Reverb & it take 2 12v batts that are included. It's better than having 2 9 volt that take up a lot of space.
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cool thx. good to know. is it worth it?
 
Weird, I find EMG's have lots of clarity, especially with high gain. The way they low and high cut the tone a bit makes them sit in a mix especially well too. But ya, I've disconnected the tone knob on my EMG guitars too, it does add a bit of bite to the tone. I've tried the 18 volt mod too and didn't notice a huge difference, maybe a bit less compressed??
 
I used to be a die-hard EMG player. I have since converted all but 2 of my guitars to passives. But back in the EMG era, if I ever had a signal issue with any of my guitars, 99% of the time it was either a weak battery / not quite fully snapped in place battery or something loose at the Jack.

Most of my guitars had the old Solder Series - my more recent builds had the solderless 'plug-n-play' series which was a lil' easier to trouble shoot.

Check battery, check battery connection, check input jack.
 
No clarity at all seems like somethings wrong with your wiring or your setup

EMGs have their own issues, but clarity generally isn't one of them.

Something I would recommend if you wanna try different pickups without having to redo the entire harness, is the retro active series EMGs.

They are CRIMINALLY underrated, and sound fantastic.
 
Dave L said:
Are you setting these way up to the strings? In my experience EMGs do sound like a mushy mess if you treat them any different from a passive pickup, even if they can go closer without stratitis.
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Hi 👋 Yes I have the pickups raised really close to the strings and the battery is not that old.
 
PDC said:
I used to be a die-hard EMG player. I have since converted all but 2 of my guitars to passives. But back in the EMG era, if I ever had a signal issue with any of my guitars, 99% of the time it was either a weak battery / not quite fully snapped in place battery or something loose at the Jack.

Most of my guitars had the old Solder Series - my more recent builds had the solderless 'plug-n-play' series which was a lil' easier to trouble shoot.

Check battery, check battery connection, check input jack.
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Yea the EMG's in my Charvel are the really old ones that are soldered. I have wondered if an EMG-89R, 89XR, 57 or 57TW would sound good & match with the SA in the neck? I saw EMG has a Reverb.com store where they sell B-Stock pickups, etc. that the pickups don't come with the complete wiring kit like you do new.
 
Charvel1975 said:
Hi 👋 Yes I have the pickups raised really close to the strings and the battery is not that old.
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OK, if they´re really close that could very well be the issue. I´ve always thought EMGs biggest mistake was telling everyone the pickups basically should kiss the strings, that´s probably why a lot of people write them off as overly hot and bloated. If you ask them today they recommend setting them at 3mm to start and dialing it in from there.
 
You seem to have a lot of pickup struggles, can I ask what amp/signal chain you are playing through?
Pickups are great but it's a small part of the overall equation. You can have the most perfect 24v modded EMG-X-X-X setup and if you're playing through a Bogner Uber with the bass turned to 10 it's gonna be mushy, if you get what I'm saying.

I have a lot of guitars equipped with EMG 81, 85, 81-X, 85-X, 89, S, SA, SA-X, plus Duncans, Dimarzios, BKP's, and none of them sound mushy except through amps I have dialed to be mushy...
 
I like EMGs in my basses all day long but just do not like them in guitars. I see shapes when I play music or hear sounds, and with most EMGs, like certain amps, especially certain Marshalls, I see a bunch of jumbled up squares mashed on top of one another. This almost boxy, wide mids, sound to try to put that into a tonal perspective? Anyway, passives all day for electric guitars for MOST things. If you are going for a very specific sound, not one that I personally prefer, EMG can definitely get you there like no other but... Yeah, that's not where I want my guitar tone to live at all.
 
Dave L said:
OK, if they´re really close that could very well be the issue. I´ve always thought EMGs biggest mistake was telling everyone the pickups basically should kiss the strings, that´s probably why a lot of people write them off as overly hot and bloated. If you ask them today they recommend setting them at 3mm to start and dialing it in from there.
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Thank you @Dave L for the information! 😀
 
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