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

  • Thread starter Thread starter Charvel1975
  • Start date Start date
TotallyRadGuitars said:
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...
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Yes I do have a lot of pickup struggles ?
 
when it comes to high-gain tones, EMG actives excel at clarity. No question about that.
 
DanTravis62 said:
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.
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Thank you for the recommendation on the retro active EMG's ? The wiring in my Charvel is really old as are the EMG's and the guitar already had the EMG's and gold Original Floyd Rose tremolo when I got the guitar as a Christmas Gift from my parents in the 90's.
 
Well just got done doing some extensive jamming on the Charvel just now through the Marshall DSL20CR 1x12 Combo with the Marshall 1x12 closed back extension cab and jamming along to the songs our cover band does along with some old Metallica, Accept "Balls to the wall" and Whitesnake "Still of the night" and it seemed somewhat ok but I'm still not hearing the clarity like I do with my other passive pickup equipped guitars??
 
I even played "The Hunt" by Lynyrd Skynyrd with the volume pot rolled back on the Charvel!
 
Dumb question, but are you running the correct pots (25k)?
 
If it's not an EMG X Series, you are wasting your time.
I just bought a guitar with a standard EMG 81 in the bridge position.
Sounded OK.

Swapped it for an EMG 81-x, and it sounds AMAZING.
I have the X series in all my main guitars' bridge position.
The 81-x makes the standard 81 obsolete.
 
FLUXX said:
If it's not an EMG X Series, you are wasting your time.
I just bought a guitar with a standard EMG 81 in the bridge position.
Sounded OK.

Swapped it for an EMG 81-x, and it sounds AMAZING.
I have the X series in all my main guitars' bridge position.
The 81-x makes the standard 81 obsolete.
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That's good to hear! What about the EMG-81TWX and would I need to replace the old EMG-SA in the neck with an EMG-SAX?
 
IME, the EMG 81TW is more different from the standard 81 than the 81X is.

The EMG 81TW is fatter and lower output than the 81.

The 81X is slightly more open and slightly lower output than the standard 81. Just slightly.

I don't agree that they're night and day different. If you don't like the regular 81, I don't think you'll love the 81X either.

JME.
 
Rex Rocker said:
IME, the EMG 81TW is more different from the standard 81 than the 81X is.

The EMG 81TW is fatter and lower output than the 81.

The 81X is slightly more open and slightly lower output than the standard 81. Just slightly.

I don't agree that they're night and day different. If you don't like the regular 81, I don't think you'll love the 81X either.

JME.
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Interesting
 
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