Swapping HZ for 35DC

[solomon707]

I want to switch the passive EMG-HZs in my ESP (which has an active preamp) for some active EMG-35DCs and am wondering what's involved in the process. Any thoughts?

[mattygbass]

bump id like to do the same

[DavidRavenMoon]

You may have to change the pots that the pickups connect to... it might be a blend or separate volumes. Active EMG's use 25K pots, but they can work with 50K and 100K also.

I've used EMG's with 250K pots in a pinch, and they work fine, though you might not like the taper on the blend pot. I have a Frankenstein Charvel Strat that I put some old EMG's into, and I just left the existing 500K volume and tone controls. I never found a need to change them.

The larger value can make them seem to jump to full volume kind of fast. But you can try it and see if you like it or not. You can get 25K blend pots from EMG, and if the bass uses separate volume controls, the 25K pots come with the pickups.

Otherwise, just connect the red power wires from the active EMG's to the same red power wire that powers the preamp, wire up the ground and hot connections to the same location on the controls, and you are good to go.

They should work with the existing preamp with no problem. The EMG bass pickups sound a bit better on 18V, but they are fine on 9V as well.

[solomon707]

Thanks for the reply. Is going from 9v to 18v as simple as wiring another battery into the circuit?

[DavidRavenMoon]

Originally Posted by solomon707

Thanks for the reply. Is going from 9v to 18v as simple as wiring another battery into the circuit?

Yes, you take two battery connectors, wire the red from one to the black from the other, use some heat shrink or tape it up securely, then treat the remaining red and black wires like one battery clip.

However... the existing preamp has to be able to run on 18 volts. EMG preamps can, but I don't know what's in that bass. It might, it might not.

Probably will, but I don't know.