Any love for EMGs?

[JapanAxe]

I was idly scanning the bass guitars for sale and came across a Jazz fitted with EMGs.

I would rather have my liver poked with skewers than have EMGs on an electric guitar, but I have no experience of how they work out on a bass. Who loves them enough to use them? Who hates them? What do you find their pros and cons to be?

Now... GO!

[Mr. Foxen]

Main con is people keep running them with a single 9v battery so they sound rubbish because they are supposed to run on a higher voltage, a pair for 18v is a good start, but I heard they are designed for 27v. Too many guitarists like the tone from underpowering, compression rendering it completely independent of how you play, because it saves having to learn how to play, and now they are associated with that. I have my guitar ones on 18, really transparent, and had a P set at 18 which was also nice, but it was in a pointy Warlock and the bass itself didn't work out great for me.

[Spoombung]

They're fine. People talk enormous twaddle about their soulless sonic quality but they produce a nice even spectrum of sounds often requiring no EQ unlike other makes. Particularly underrated are the HZs - the passive models.

[tonyf]

Got them in most of the stuff I own.

I'd agree with Spoombung, its absolute rubbish that they're "clinical" and "soulless". I've never found that at all. I think they're crisp and punchy running at 18v and I think the more neutral quality of them tends to let the instrument shine a bit more than "coloured" pickups.

Again, not for everyone but hey, vive la difference.....

T

[Pinball]

I think they sound great but I have had a Schecter, 3 Spectors and a Dean with active EMG's and would swear that they sounded pretty similar. I would have imagined that the guitar construction/make would have made them sound more different but there you go! Two had brass nuts which made them sing a bit differently but not much.
You live and learn.

Edited October 26, 2012 by Pinball

[Delberthot]

I'm a huge fan of the HZ ones. Had them in my Thunderbird and now in my Ibanez Doug Wimbish. Capable of some really throaty growl with Roto flats

Brielfy had an 80s Fernandes Jazz fretless with active ones. Absolutely incredible sound, wish I hadn't sold it so hastily

[Bass Culture]

I've got a pair of HZ humbuckers in my Les Evans fretless and they sound terrific.

[BigRedX]

I've owned 3 basses with EMG pickups.

The first was a Washburn 5-string with a J-bass configuration. I swapped the original Washburn passive J pickups and pre-amp for a set of active EMGs. It made absolutely zero difference to the sound of the bass.

Next was a Switch Innovo with HZs. Weedy sound. If I'd kept the bass the pickups would have had to go.

Finally I still own a Hartke XL4 with EMG active PJ pickups and EMG pre-amp. I like this one. The pickups and pre-amp go together well and the P doesn't massively overpower the J as on some basses with this configuration.

[LiamPodmore]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIaEoqz5qCs

80's Japanese P with EMG's. Not sure exactly which model, as it was fitted in the 90's, but it's definately active (There's a god-awful battery route on the back). They're pretty hot, especially compared to my Squier J. I have found they're pretty neutral tonally (as mentioned above) which helps as i do play a pretty wide variety of stuff.

I also apologize for my shoddy playing, random HDR effects, and the fact that my bass is too quiet.

Liam

[steve-soar]

Really unique concept, back in the 70's. Really unigue sound. Allowed long lenghts of instrument cable to be used on massive stages
without loss of signal.

I had them put in my KGB Status replica, in 1986, because GMT pickups were not available, (even though they were Kent Armstrong pups)

Been playing this bass tonight and it's incredible.


I have EMG's in my P bass, Jap Jazz and BTC tone control in my P bass.


Like Foxen says, get loads of wood removed, cause these pups and circuits love juice.

[BassPimp66]

I had a pair of active JBs some time ago. I got tired after a while as I found they sounded too perfect, too much definition, not enough growl.
I ran them on 18v. I wasn't really into their character. I changed them for something more vintage.

I also bought a pair of passive PJ Hz recently from a fellow basschatter. This was to upgrade my brother's bass.
I am told they are perfect with lots of growl on tap. But, I havent had a chance to check as my brother lives abroad, and he is a guitar player dabbling with bass.
So taking what he says with a pinch of salt

[Green Alsatian]

I had the PJX set in my Peavey Zodiac BXP and the last thing I would have called them was 'sterile'. I was running them on just 9v (it recommended 18v for extra headroom in the instructions) as I didn't have room for two batteries and didn't want to cut into the body but even then, they were a massive improvement over the stock passive pickups with a naturally higher output.

They were consistent in volume across the strings, significant low-end without being boomy and the highs were crystal clear. Absolutely zero noise from them - it was as if the bass wasn't even plugged in!

One thing I noticed, and I think this was due to just using 9v, was that the J pickup was overpowered by the P when both were on full, but it was still a great sound. Here's a sample of them from the bass track (it's a one-take warts and all recording) I recorded with them - P on full volume and the J on half:

[url="http://soundcloud.com/andrew-john-durney/com-bass"]http://soundcloud.com/andrew-john-durney/com-bass[/url]

If I wasn't happy with the pickups in my passive Overwater/Tanglewood Classic-J, I'd probably put a set in there.

[L_Bass_Dog85]

I have HZ EMGs on my Spector Legend 5 and its my go to bass! The active pickups really do cut through the mix!

[Kongo]

Not sure about Jazz basses and Precisions with EMG's, seems you guys want trad when using them. If you want trad stay away from the EMG's.
40DC soapbar active EMG's are the best pickups I've used of that style so far. Better than Bartolinis and Nordstrands IMO. I have no idea what this stigma of "soulless" or "use by skill-less player" is, I really don't they are a pickup and that's that.
To me they deliver some of the most crushing tone and output but at the end of the day it's my hands that play the damn thing, not the pickups. :-P

[BassPimp66]

[quote name='Kongo' timestamp='1351295280' post='1849945']
Not sure about Jazz basses and Precisions with EMG's, seems you guys want trad when using them. If you want trad stay away from the EMG's.

[/quote]

Spot on. They are voiced with what I would consider as "modern" tone. So, probably why they are less favoured by J and P bass aficionados.

[StevieD_FenderP2009]

I had EMG HZ soapbars and an EMG pre amp in a Spector Legend 5 I used to own and ever since have been trying to match that tone in my active basses. Decided to just buy an EMG BQC pre amp, stuck that in my main Tobias bass and loved it so much that I'm going to stick one in the other Tobias I just bought. Absolutely love EMG's products now. I still love Seymour Duncan pick ups for all my passive basses but EMG is the way to go for active stuff.

Oh, I fully stand by what Mr Foxen said about running them at 18v or more too. They're not designed to give the best output or tone at 9v so stick another battery clip in there and really wait for it to growl.

Currently using an EMG PA-2 pre amp booster with mine too to add some more drive from the bass it's self. LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE IT!

[MindGoneBlank]

I love EMG's. As has been said above, criticism tends to come from folks who were after a more traditional sound (and should have done their homework prior to purchase!). There are enough other brands offering vintage style pickups and I think it's great that EMG have differentiated themselves by offering something unique and innovative. Oh, and a blatant plug for the EMG HZ's I've got for sale here:

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/166576-2-x-emg-35hz-4-string-passive-bass-pickups/page__fromsearch__1

[bertbass]

Always use EMGs. Got a pair of Jazz and a P/J set and run them on 9v without any problems. Love the sound and definition. Not used a lot else since trying EMGs.

[Fat Rich]

I had them in my J and P basses, they're great pickups particularly at 18v. I don't know much about the current varieties of EMG but the old ones didn't require an earth to the strings which meant no hum and less chance of being electrocuted when you step up to the mic!

By most standards they're an improvement over standard pickups, however I've swapped them all out for Fender Vintage pickups purely because I wanted the more traditional Fender sound. Less good but more Fender

[JapanAxe]

Thanks guys, lots of food for thought there! One of my guitar-playing mates uprated the EMG set in his Schecter to 18V and found a huge improvement in sound quality, so I guess that's the way to go if you want active EMGs.

[Emanew]

I have 2 stock EMG JJ pick ups on my old 89 WW Thumb 5 (with a 9V MEC preamp) and i think they fit this exotic lutherie : they don't colour the instrument' sound, when i plug i refind what i hear unplugged.

Even on vintage ( fashionnable in the 80's) it can work. A matter of personal taste


Nowadays the great Bobby Vega (Tower of Power and more) has EMG pu both on Its JB and Precision

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkKXDtKesR4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkKXDtKesR4[/url]

[molan]

Standard issue on many Foderas - not least the Wooten signatures.

I have them on my '86 and love them

[neepheid]

I had a pair of EMG-HB pickups coupled with a BQC preamp in an Epiphone Les Paul Standard bass. I remember the first bass bash I went to. People laughed at it - "take that thing away, it looks like a guitar!" Then they played it, and that soon changed their minds

Ended up selling it in the end to balance the books a bit - and it's the only bass I truly miss.

Anyway, the point of this is that I like EMG pickups, even at 9V they're powerful and sound great. "Modern" sounding? Sure, if by that you mean precise and articulate.

[RhysP]

I love the EMGs in my Spector Euro 5LX, they sound much better to me than the Bartolinis I had in my Zons.
I've also got the EMG David Gilmour signature pickup set in my Levinson Strat & they're pretty awesome too - absolutely no noise whatsoever.

[Mudpup]

[quote name='L_Bass_Dog85' timestamp='1351293877' post='1849918']
I have HZ EMGs on my Spector Legend 5 and its my go to bass! The active pickups really do cut through the mix!
[/quote]

Got a feeling the HZ series are passive