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All things EMG active! (And yes, the 9 vs 18v too)

#21
JobuDRK79 said:
Nice one mate! Let me know how you rate the difference. I know for sure you will have a completely even volume across the blend sweep with the ABC, that’s for sure.
Click to expand...

So my ABC finally arrived after some substantial shipping delays. I was able to install it last night and test it out.

It definitely has an even sweep from pickup to pickup and there is no detectable loss of output in the center position.

The cons are that it costs a lot compared to an equally effective "traditional" blend pot and also, it was kind of a struggle fitting it into my bass due to the depth of the PCB mounted to the pot. It had to be situated in a way that makes the shaft sit a little higher than the other EMG solderless pots in the bass. I was able to move the knobs on the volume and tone pots a little higher so they all appear even.

All things considered, I will keep it in this bass but I don't think I would seek out another one unless it was included with an EMG preamp system or package.

Hope this helps someone in the future.
 
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#22
Classic EMG P here in my 1998 MIM Fender P bass. Put in the EMG's in 2000 so before the solderless pickups. I actually put in a humbucker (Not the EMG 35... much smaller, I forget the number or name but it barely covers all 4 strings) in the bridge position which I later discovered is a P orientation pickup. So for me a double P is a tone I really like. I have been just running the actives with a tone control so no preamp and I love the sound. I'm building another bass that will have double EMG 40P's and a BQS preamp. We'll see how it sounds but I think I will like it.
 
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#23
Double EMG P (whether in soapbar form or Tetris-block form) is a killer setup.

My current favorite is a P soapbar in the neck, a DC or CS at the bridge, running through a dual-filter preamp (JTEX, Underhill, Lusithand, ACG).
 
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#24
My EMG experience has been with basses that came with them from the factory. That’s a couple of Steinbergers (L2 and XM2) ans the NS Radius CR5. My Steinbergers were all 9V with the passive EMG vol/tone wiring. The NS is 18V with a two band preamp. All of these basses have custom pickup designs. NS uses 18V preamps on most of their other instruments except the Radius WAV which is 9V, the passive WAV models and the NXTa models which are active but don’t use batteries :thumbsup: So today Ned clearly thinks that 18V is better.

The L2 pickups look like soapbars but are basically P pickups in a soapbar housing, or so I've read. Not sure if the newer generation XM pickups are also split coil Ps under the covers.

The NS pickups have wood covers :woot: and are radiused to match the fingerboard. The wiring is tone, three-way toggle for neck and bridge and a blend pot to balance the magnetic pickups with the piezo bridge pickup which has it’s own three way treble roll off switch. There is no way to control balance between the neck and bridge pickups which probably annoys a lot of people.
 
#25
Not entirely related, but sort of-- is there a way to modify an old active EMG P-J set to add the connectors? I made a mistake with a soldering iron trying to install my old BTC preamp into a new body and now it's non-functional. Apparently all of the preamps they sell now use the quick connectors, and I would love to not have to throw out my old pickups.

Thanks in advance.
 
#27
I intend to get a Fodera Yin Yang with active EMG P/J, but I noticed that the pickup blend does not allow any audible intermediate levels besides P100%, P/J 50/50% and J100%, it reacts more like a 3-way switch. Fodera exlained this with the impedance of the PUs. Would changing the original balance pot to an ABC solve this problem?
 
#28
Cholo said:
I intend to get a Fodera Yin Yang with active EMG P/J, but I noticed that the pickup blend does not allow any audible intermediate levels besides P100%, P/J 50/50% and J100%, it reacts more like a 3-way switch. Fodera exlained this with the impedance of the PUs. Would changing the original balance pot to an ABC solve this problem?
Click to expand...
???

Do you have the instrument in your hands?

If not, how have you determined that the blend functions more like a switch?
 
#31
Cholo said:
I intend to get a Fodera Yin Yang with active EMG P/J, but I noticed that the pickup blend does not allow any audible intermediate levels besides P100%, P/J 50/50% and J100%, it reacts more like a 3-way switch. Fodera exlained this with the impedance of the PUs. Would changing the original balance pot to an ABC solve this problem?
Click to expand...
Hello Brother✊😇 yes, exactly, the active balance control would give you a “normal” blend capability.
So any point between 100% and 100% J is possible. Happy bassing🤌😉
 
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#33
DWBass said:
I've used EMG systems in both 9v and 18v and found zero difference.
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Sure DW, there are a few variables in detecting the difference. First is how hard you play. I play pretty hard so the extra headroom and depth of note due to that makes a big difference to me.
Also I find especially PUPs like the DC greatly benefit IMO from the 18v as its gives a little more clarity in the bottom.

But like everything mate, it’s just perspective, and what works for the individual, however I can assure you in every instance and every combination of EMG active bass pickups I have tried, the 18v has made everything from a subtle difference to quite noticeable.

Cheers✊😉
 
#34
Cholo said:
I had tried the bass a few day ago. And the dealer as well as Fodera themself confirmed my experience with active PJ.
Click to expand...
What a strange choice for them to make. So are you saying it’s a knob style but is notched? So it clicks from from, into middle and then bridge? You physically can not leave the pot in. A position between? Or when you do the sound doesnt change till you get right in the middle?
I am super interested in this and why the choice……I wonder is it a V Wooten spec?
 
#35
JobuDRK79 said:
Hey mate, no you get no insertion loss at all using the ABC or ABCx with their active or passive pickups. However you can not use the ABCX with passive pickups, only the ABC and the standard ABC does not play nicely with the X series.

I will offer my option only here, it’s not gospel. I actually like the EMG Geezer, its the only passives I like from them, dont think you can go wrong if you want that more “classic” PJ and by that I not only mean tone wise but the classic situation where the J is no real match volume wise for the P at appropriate height settings which is par for the coarse with “traditional” PJ.

The Frank Bello is an X series set.
My suggestion is get the BTC active system that already comes including the ABCX. That way you have a choice of list of variations of P and J from the active selection, if you end up not liking the bello. If you go passive EMG and want a system and buy the BTC active/passive system you can then use any X series pickups.
Me? I would and have gone all active.
I can get the Geezer tone out of my active pickups but can’t get my active tone out of the Geezer set.
Click to expand...
I am so glad you started this thread - I have a 'special need' that you can hopefully confirm choices for.

For the record, I have the Geezer passive set in a Yamaha BB234 (along with Hipshot Ultralite USA tuners and a Badass bridge) - it transformed the instrument. I love the tonal range it produces. On to the next one...

I'm building a stereo bass for the purpose of recording discrete pickup channels with, as well as playing normally. As you will see, attached is the Rickenbacker diagram which creates separate stereo and mono outputs, which requires a passive approach, I am told. If that is true, what is the expectation for going with EMG CS soapbars vs. another Geezer set for this approach? I get confused over the use of all the EMG blend and tone controls but would love to use them instead of just tone if they make sense.

Any changes or edits this diagram and your choice of pickups would be appreciated...unless you have a better idea.

Rickenbacker 4003 by Jakub.jpg
 
#38
JobuDRK79 said:
What a strange choice for them to make. So are you saying it’s a knob style but is notched? So it clicks from from, into middle and then bridge? You physically can not leave the pot in. A position between? Or when you do the sound doesnt change till you get right in the middle?
I am super interested in this and why the choice……I wonder is it a V Wooten spec?
Click to expand...
The sound doesnt change till you get it right in the middle. I‘ll keep you informed. It‘a a Yin Yang PJ (electronic same as VV)
 

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