EMG Retroactives: Easily the most underrated pickups of the modern era

  • Thread starter Thread starter DanTravis62
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Cordoba said:
I would've settled for Urban Combat Camo Shorts. Either way, great clip! You sold me on these pickups.
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They are so good at what they do it's kind of wild that they're so far under the radar

If these came out 15 years ago instead of 5 years ago they would have been huge
 
DanTravis62 said:
I've never been an active pickup dude. I'm really picky about the frequency response and feel of pickups, to the point where there are certain passive brands I will refuse to use, like Dimarzios, because the midrange ends up driving me insane - I can't stop hearing 1970s AOR rock whenever I hear a super distortion.

Every guitar I've ever owned that's had an 81/85 set, has been summarily gutted, and the electronics have been replaced with various passives - generally Scott's tonenerd stuff the past couple years (the roxy is like an aldrich on steroids) but I also love Jim Wagner's pickups (the godwood and ironman are great) and a couple of duncans (the sh-14 and sh-6 are both fantastic for specific use-cases)

With Fishman eating into EMGs market as far as the whole active pickup thing, I think EMG released the Retroactives at the worst time possible, with most people having never heard about them, let alone played them.

If people HAD played them lots of them would be blown away. This is the 4th guitar I've tried retroactives in, and the first with the retroactive tele set. Every guitar I've put them in has loved them. The fat 55, super 77, maverick, and tele set.

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It's crazy, because all of these companies have spent endless time and R&D trying to produce single coil pickups without the 60 cycle hum, with generally pretty poor results - the retroactive single coils are the only pickups i've ever tried that actually SOUND like single coils, just without the noise.

I assume that if the TGP tan pants types could get over their instant reaction of "EWWWW EMGS" that these pickups would catch on like wildfire with that crowd. It's actually crazy how much gain you can add with basically no discernable noise.

Here's me playing super deliberately with lots of stops - there is NO NOISE GATE. This is gain cranked on an ac15 style amp, with a MIAB and a tube screamer both gain and volume maxed. I cannot make this single coil guitar noisy, even if I try!




In conclusion, if you are, like me, a passive pickup supremacist, and racist against 81s and fluence

Or, if you want a single coil guitar you can actually gig with high gain and volume

You HAVE to try this pickup series.

They are so good, and it's amazing that they have flown underneath the radar for so long.
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You bastard! I saw that covid cough. Didnt even cover your mouth. Jesus
 
Smash said:
You fucking better, or i will start yet another thread about playing at volume
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I play at volume with multiple bands multiple times a week son, I'm pretty sure I got that covered
 
I loved the 81 I had. I would say I loved the 85, but I don't play with neck pickups...But I digress. The last time I had an active pickup, I never installed it, and I was just wondering now why that is, and then it came to me. Solderless connections.

When I opened the package and saw solderless connections, I was so disgusted I refused to install them. I saw the other day some guy selling speakers and bragging about the fact that they had never had solder on them...I solder all my speaker connections. I solder all the electronics in my guitars. It is literally the most solid connection.
 
Smash said:
I loved the 81 I had. I would say I loved the 85, but I don't play with neck pickups...But I digress. The last time I had an active pickup, I never installed it, and I was just wondering now why that is, and then it came to me. Solderless connections.

When I opened the package and saw solderless connections, I was so disgusted I refused to install them. I saw the other day some guy selling speakers and bragging about the fact that they had never had solder on them...I solder all my speaker connections. I solder all the electronics in my guitars. It is literally the most solid connection.
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I don't have a preference either way, but i do hate cheap/shitty solderless connections
 
RaceU4her said:
i go on the EMG site and they have so many pickups ive never even heard of, im sure these and others have to be good
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EMG's naming for pickups creates a lot of confusion. Pickups are named with numbers and letters, with additional numbers and letters indicating variants: A = Alnico V, X = X-series preamp, TW = dual mode, C = Ceramic, 7 = 7-String. So you end up with a string of digits that don't really indicate anything.
 
EMG says this new Preamp is the best yet; the closest to Passives..
I'm curious about the Hot 70 Set. But the downfall of EMG's is their lack of options and versatility..
If I wanna split the Neck Pickup, I should be able to.. Or at least when you come out with a new Pickup, offer it in a TW, fuck face..
 
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