EMG tone control: make it sound like a passive tone?

[fretmeister]

Is there a way to make the standard EMG tone control have the same impact on tone as a tone pot on, say a passive P or J bass?

 

I love my EMG pickups, but the tone control does not do a lot and I’d like to get the same dramatic LPF effect that an old Fender tone pot would.

 

Any ideas?

[Hellzero]

Put a higher value capacitor. 😉

[JohnH89]

Not sure if its allowed to post a link to the other forum , but this is exactly how I did exactly what the OP is asking about . Its a lot easier than posting it all over here .

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/emg-geezer-butler-tone-cap-change.1509081/#post-26970612

 

[ead]

Mine seems to work fine?

[fretmeister]

3 hours ago, ead said:

Mine seems to work fine?

It works, I just want it to cut more like an old passive J or P. 

[Woodinblack]

Because the EMG probably has a lower impedance than the fender passive pickups, you need a higher capacitance to have the same effect. What that value is you can either calculate or just experiment until you find the right value. I would start with what you already have, get another one and put it in parallel with the first.

[iconic]

On 06/04/2023 at 21:21, fretmeister said:

Is there a way to make the standard EMG tone control have the same impact on tone as a tone pot on, say a passive P or J bass?

 

I love my EMG pickups, but the tone control does not do a lot and I’d like to get the same dramatic LPF effect that an old Fender tone pot would.

 

Any ideas?

Be worth putting a multi meter across your EMG and the older Fender pups you removed, then post back😎

[BigRedX]

On 09/04/2023 at 16:00, Woodinblack said:

Because the EMG probably has a lower impedance than the fender passive pickups, you need a higher capacitance to have the same effect. What that value is you can either calculate or just experiment until you find the right value. I would start with what you already have, get another one and put it in parallel with the first.

 

Surely the pre-amps built in to the EMG pickups should make them appear to the rest of the circuit as standard impedance?

[Woodinblack]

No, the preamps would make them seem like low impedance, which is the bonus of an active circuit, there isn't such a thing as a standard impedance.

However, if you go to the emg site, they either sell or list what values of componants to use with them such as volume and tone, so probably best to go to their site and use the values they mention (note, I haven't tried this but I assume they have).

[bloke_zero]

On 06/04/2023 at 22:21, Wally Gogg said:

Not sure if its allowed to post a link to the other forum , but this is exactly how I did exactly what the OP is asking about . Its a lot easier than posting it all over here .

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/emg-geezer-butler-tone-cap-change.1509081/#post-26970612

 

Is it the same? The Geezer Butler are passive - @fretmeister - pickups passive or active? I'd be interested to hear the outcome if active. With passive quite a few people go for 0.1uF like you say, though the modern take seems to be 0.046 or 0.22 for a progressively lighter touch.

[JohnH89]

The Geezers are passive . But the same would apply to the active set up . I would have to check but I think the tone caps are the same , but the pots are 25k .