EMG 40DC tones, am I doing it right?

[imtiaz3]

Hey everyone,

I have a pair of EMD40DC's that I install into my Ibanez SR405 bass. I also got an EMG BQS system that I install in there and I have it running on 18V.

Now from my understanding, using 18V to power this system would give it more head room, and if I understand that correctly, it means it won't distort at higher volumes

now my issue, I find the 40DC's distort quite easily when I hook it up to my orange terror 1000. I have the have the gain very very low for it to sound clean. I understand orange is meant to sound a bit dirter the higher the gain it, but with the 1000 watt model again i'm lead to believe I should have more head room before it gets distorted and again i don't have to put the gain very high before it distorts. I noticed it more when using my XLR out to my computer, it distorts and you cannot get a feel for the clarity that EMG is known for and the reason why I got them in the first place. My orange amp has the button for if you use an active bass which is pressed so that is active

if i play through my 4x10 cab, it's not as noticeable, but it's there at higher gains

The pickups i don't have as high as possible, i don't have an exact measurement but i've lowered them but i still find it distorts very easily, again more noticably when using my XLR output

now on the other hand i use a rickenbacker and a pbass on the same setup, it's much smoother, cleaner, and all the clarity comes through, even when i de-pressed the active switch button on the amp

now my question, is this just how the EMG 40DC's are or does it sound like i have something setup wrong, whether it's pickup height, or my 18v system is not correct or just a bad combo between using emg 40dcs and an orange amp. Again I like the EMG 40DCs, they are very beastly but I was still under the impression I'd get alot more clarity out of them which I can't seem to hit

any suggestions, feedback, or if anyone has a similar setup, some sound samples would be good, perhaps I just don't have a good enough understanding of how all these pieces come together and overlooking something.

thanks,
Imtiaz

[FunkMetalBass]

Running the preamp as 18V means that the preamp has increased headroom and it wont distort as easily; that doesn't mean that your amp wont distort.

The DC pickups are quite hot (I have a set myself), and it's causing the amp to distort. Turning down the volume on your pickups and using your preamp sparingly tend to help limit the amount of distortion at the amp.

You can always throw a trimpot into the bass after the preamp and use it as a volume control to limit the overall signal that you're feeding your amp.

[awamori]

Have you tried replacing the batteries?

Dying batteries tend to make EMG 40DC's distort IME.

[imtiaz3]

Originally Posted by awamori

Have you tried replacing the batteries?

Dying batteries tend to make EMG 40DC's distort IME.

i haven't done it for some time, but i'm pretty sure the batteries are good, i put fresh batteries in when i did the install, and it's not like it got worse over time, it pretty much was like this since day 1

[dax21]

Have you tried using a different amp/bass?
I have a pair of DCs, though with different preamp (varimid 3). The only way to make it distort is if you turn the bass knob all the way up and pick hard. Treble/mid knob will give you a huge volume bump but no distortion. And this is the regular 9v preamp.

+1 on the battery thing. Try hooking up your bass straight to your computer (you don't need any kind of XLR for this, though you will probably need to lower the recording input on your PC). I doubt it's the pickup height, EMGs are made so that they could be raised pretty high.

[JimiLL]

Did you try to engage the -15db input pad??

[irock]

Im having the same problem. I have emg 45dc in a peavey grind. It was working fine. Then i added emg bts preamp in hope to get a better sound but now it distorts all the time. High and low volumes
I emailed emg. They asked for pics of the installed preamp and Im waiting for a reply back

Fyi. Preamp installed by a professional. 2 brand new batteries 18volt, -15db pad engaged on amp. Tried on many different amps

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by imtiaz3

...but with the 1000 watt model again i'm lead to believe I should have more head room before it gets distorted and again...

It's the preamp in the head that distorts, not the power amp.

I used to use DCs with a Mesa 400+ and didn't have any problems unless the amp was really cranked up (it was only 300 watts, and had a tube power section).

DCs are very edgy sounding pickups.