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

[GreatRedDragon]

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..

Lack of flexibility is a big issue I have as well.

Right now I'm looking to upgrade my Strat. I'd like to have a set of SAs, a master volume with no tone controls, the SPC, and I want to use a super switch to get N+B in the middle position. Well if you buy a set of EMG Strat pickups you get the solderless switch, and you can't change the switching on it. In fact, any three-pickup EMG set requires one of their blade switches, as their separate buss (which lets you tie into any switch) only works for one or two pickups (so no three-pickup Les Pauls).

Only their loaded pickguards come with a buss that connects to a regular switch, but the electronics on the pickguard are hard wired to the buss. So if I got the DG20 pickguard I could wire a switch up for N+B, but I would have to have the EXG as well.

 

[thegame]

Literally LMFAO

I Literally SMFAO. Smashed is the cure for constipation

 

[Rex Rocker]

I've had the Jim Roots which are baed around the Retroactive preamp, and gotta say, I really liked them. They felt and sounded like really hot really tight passives. I wouldn't mind getting another set sometime later when I have more guitars to put one in.

Then again, actives feeling/sounding like passives... I think the Fishman Classics pull it off a lot better. Especially if you want more mellow-sounding passives and not hot Ceramic firebreathers.

I love actives, personally. But a Jim Root sounds nothing like an EMG 57 which sounds nothing like a Fishman Classic which sounds nothing like a Duncan Blackout (which I hate, personally). There is some variety to be had with actives too.