Active pickup issues

It's more or less normal with active EQs, the better the quality of the circuit the less noise you'll have.

I don't know what SSD uses in their CZ Spectors, but I get the US Spectors have better electronics.
Maybe you can upgrade.

 

Untrue, the czech's have the EMG BTS system with top of the line emg's. The bts is an extremely good system what may be happening is you already have that frequency boosted on your amp and you are just boosting the really high F's more. Also on the inside where the electronics are located there is a chipboard that has 2 little 3 position switches that control the frequency sweep of the treble pot there are a few different combonations to work with. Go to emg's site and I beleive they have a peice in there that will tell you how to set the switches to cover what frequencies its a really cool option that not many people take advantage or know of. No need to upgrade I use this system in four of my basses and its great.Good luck

 

Pure hissing noise is not a function of bad grounding IMHO.

What happens when you increase treble gain is that you selectively amplify more and more of the noise that the chips naturally produce. All amp chips produce noise, but some more than others. Increasing bass gain, on the other hand, doesn't produce increasing hiss because you're selectively increasing the low-end and low-end isn't hiss!!

There are a few alternatives.

1) That the actives use just 'general purpose' quality chips, which are cheap to buy but are not low-noise types. Electronics guys will recognise the 741 chip as being that type. The remedy is to have the chips changed for low-noise types.

2) That low noise chips have been used but that they may be faulty / out of spec' in that area but they work normally as chips.

3) There's something else wrong!

John

 

I own a ESP LTD-b204, and it came with active EMG-HZ humbuckers. When it hiss's like that, its normal, at least for mine it is. If you want to slap or pop on the strings, to get the right sounds, you gotta turn that " hissin " knob up, or you'll get a warm poppin sound which will barely produce it at all. If you just hate the hissin, just go to the bass knob that takes out the low and keeps all the high ( im assuming you got a 5 band EQ ) then you can still pop and slap but you will loose all your low end. Hope I've been a help

Daniel



" Imagine a world without color,
Imagine a song without bass......"

 

did you guys read this?,he just explained it.

 

Just to clarify for people: What you are describing are NOT ACTIVE PICKUP!!!!!!! IT IS AN ACTIVE EQ!!!!!!!!!

The EMG-HZ pickups are PASSIVE. The B-30 Active EQ is what is active on the bass, not the pickups themselves. I only am clarifying this because you can have all different EQ/pickup combinations (ex, passive pups/active eq, active pups/passive eq).

 

When I bought my B-204 from Mars they said it was active with a active EQ, and on the ESP website under the electronic details page or whatever, under the section for the EMG-HZ 35's it says ative pickups require 9v battery. Now it said it has a active EQ, but it didn't say no battery is required for the EQ. Mine takes a battery, and if it said nothing about active EQ's takin batterys than I guess they don't, I really don't get how they wouldn't but Ive read every website possible and none of them say anything about active EQ takin batterys. So anyways, I guess the battery in mine feeds into the pickups, so I think your wrong dude. But it doesn't really matter, its pretty much the same thing but just wanted to clarify on that.


" I'm gonna play metal till the day I die. "
- Dimebad Darrell

 

Isn't it true that all electronics have some degree of noise? And if you boost the gain enough in that frequency, you'll get the hiss? What are the quietest on-board pre amps anyway? Just curious.

 

Active EQ -> takes battery power. It sounds like, as well, the EMG HZ pickups are active. In that case, the same battery powers them both. Some basses have two batteries, but this isn't because one powers the pups and the other the EQ, they are just both used to get 18 volts.

However, looking it up, it looks like the HZ pickups are passive.

http://www.sonic.net/~emgman/FAQS/FAQ-071.html

 

That makes sense to me. HZ=Hi-Z (high impedance), therefore passive.