EMG 40HZ = very quiet?

[kyral210]

Ok, here is my bass info. A Schecter C-5 (5 string bass) with EMG 40HZ pickups. This is controlled by an on board EMG active EQ system (blend, volume, bass, trebble). I am running the EQ system off an 18v power supply as EMG advise.

Now here is the problem. Playing live I switched to my spare bass, a Squire P-Bass with a Select (cheap EMG designed) pickup. This inferior setup was clearer, louder, and with more attack than the Schecter. How can this be, and how can I fix this without shelling out for two EMG 40DC's?

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

Shell out!

 

[kyral210]

But why is the output so low? Thats whats bugging me the most.

both bases have near enough the same setup, only the electronics are different. How can the Schecter with EMG-HZ's through an EMG active EQ with 18v give a lower, less defined output than a Squire with a single EMG Select P-Bass pickup?

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

Hm, I hope someone else chimes in. Check pickup height, maybe internal gain setting on the preamp?

 

[22pauld22]

hmm .. heres just a off hand opinion for you .. but I know people who actually quite like emg select .. however I haven't really heard of anyone raving about hz's ..

so maybe the hz's just aren't as good .. ??? read some review on hz's I don't think anyone is raving about them

at present I'm running a 40p5 and 40cs with a ? bqs ? pre on only one 9v and its mightly loud

does your pre with the hz's function normally other than the low output ..

you might want to hunt your bass down in a music store and go plug in and see if you get similar output .. if you don't you know you have problems with the bass .. in a perfect world you would hope to get alot more output out of the HZ's so its going ot be pretty obvious if its different on the shop bass ..
you could even take yours in and a/b them .. the shop will let you especially if they think they are going to get a sale of two new emg pickups out of it ..

BTW from what I have read on here you sooo don't want two DC's .. like I said I have a 40P5 and a 40CS and they are too EMG for me .. and the DC is supposed to be the MOST emg sounding

hope that might be helpful
cheers
Paul

 

[kyral210]

Hi

The BTS is just an EQ shaper and not a preamp (as most people think). When I centre the treble and bass pots it [should] effectivly cut out the extended EQ from the circuit.

Interesting what you say about the DC's. I am definitely going for a 40P5 for the neck, but am stuck between another P5 or a DC for the bridge. If you have a BTS, 40P5 and a 40CS and get a massive output then the active EMG's is what I am looking for.

What do you mean by 'too EMG'. I am looking for a very heavy metal tone, so maybe that is a good thing for a me and the DC in the bridge will just sing?

Bands I adore. Mortiis, The Birthday Massacre, Rammstein, Strapping Young Lad, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails


(P.S - I am a designer and have set up all my guitars and basses to have a perfect action, intonition, ect..)

 

[Ian Perge]

...maybe the hz's just aren't as good .. ??? read some review on hz's I don't think anyone is raving about them

Actually, I find the HZs to be quite nice as a passive pickup - I simply think that with the letters "EMG" in front of them people expect the traditional active EMG tone, and are put off when they don't hear it. I also have a set of HZ humbuckers in a gu*tar of mine that do their job and then some. Absolutely killer 'buckers.

I have 40HZs in my Spector ReBop 5 DLX (with yet another set coming in my custom fretless that's being build as we speak) and although I'm going to be swaping them out with a sets of 40TWs and Aguilar OBP-2s, it has far more to do with my desire for the single/dual-coil ability of the TWs and far less about any issues I have with the HZ. I'll certainly save the HZ/TonePump combos in case I come across a beater that needs new pups.

 

[towsonbassist]

Well from what I know the HZ's aren't high output pickups, where as the EMG on your Squier is a more high output pickup. Make sure that you are using the 18V power supply and that your instrument volume's were the same.
Look into other replacements, I've never been TOO satsisfied with how EMG's sound. Duncan might make something that'll fill the space from the HZ's.
PS: Duncan quarter pounders are sick for squier replacements.

 

[kyral210]

Hey guys, thanks for all your help and advise here. I think the best comment I have had has been about the Select (by EMG) pickup in my squire being a high output pickup, and the EMG HZ's in my Schecter being low output pickups.

I have decided to bight the bullet and order an EMG 40DC and an EMG 40P5 to be installed without the BTS EQ system. This should make the bass sing!

If anyone else has any suggestions to the original post, I would love to hear them!

 

[22pauld22]

too EMG .. Yup for me .. but I would have killed for the sound in my early 20's hard rocking days

the P5 and DC should be a great combo .. and the excellent thing about the EMGs is that when you change your strings you can swap them around .. this week I'll have the DC at the neck and the P5 at the bridge .. takes about 5 minutes .. if your slow .. and then keep your eye out on here for someone selling a J incase you get a differnt gig later on you can swap out your DC for a J and your back in standard land in 5 minutes again

I take it you have the BTS 2band thats supposed to actually be a better setups that the BQC which is the 3 band with mid sweep

only reason I'll be getting rid of mine is that I'll never need that hard rock sound again ..

good info on the HZ's above too .. interesting .. next time I see a bass with them I'll have a listen

 

[kyral210]

Yep, I have the 2 band EQ system. You know I had never thought about changing the pickups to suit my needs, so thanks for that tip! I will definitely want a P5 in the bridge during recording. I prefer the sound of the staggered single coils on bass to the strait jazz type, more deep resonance which is what I am looking for.

I am really stoked about getting me fully blown EMG's right now. I think 80% of bassists don't like distortion either, so I am the minority here.

Everyone, please visit Link Removed and download our SHE EP to hear some EMG HZ's. We are working on new material, so soon we will upload more stuff, which is way better.

We are currently recording a version of 'Im Leaving' by Lodger. I don't like the brag, but the bass line is just sexy, so download the EP, join the mailing list, and as soon as it is done, we will release it to as a free download!

 

[Bobbydeells]

I have a peavey grind 5 string and the passive pickups are weak and would like to change anyone have a suggestion on a good pickup. I want to stay passive

Thank you

Bassman in Mexico

 

[kyral210]

Depends on what tone your looking for. I would say the EMG 35DC are very popular and sound good, but I prefer the p4 or j4 Soapbar pickups for that added industrialism grind.

 

[jose1500]

Did the Emg Dcs have a louder output then the Emg HZs ??

 

[iiipopes]

My 5-string bass originally had EMG 40Hz's. Quiet? Yes; it is a two-coil conventional passive humbucker, relatively well-shielded. Very quiet, as are EMG actives? No. Moreover, the Hz's had more of a guitar tone than a bass tone, typical of the mid-boost in any conventional guitar-shaped two-coil humbucking pickup. After one season of gigs, I upgraded to full EMG actives on this bass and played it for a dozen years in my 10-piece party band, including a Chicago-style horn section, until the band retired at the end of last year. Our sound man loved it. Where everybody else took interminable amounts of time for sound check, I plugged into a DI, and all he had to do was eq the room and slot me in the mix - two or three minutes at most. No noise, since I always ran my master tone control at @ 9 or 8 1/2 to get rid of that last little bit of residual hiss you get with any active setup.

It is expensive. And you might want to do this one bass at a time. But the sonic improvements are worth it; your sound man will appreciate it; and you can go one of two directions: same guts for each bass for consistent tone, since one bass is the backup for the other; or different guts to get contrasting tones as you may prefer.

 

[kyral210]

Did the Emg Dcs have a louder output then the Emg HZs ??

Hello from 20 years after the original post. I’ve do got the Schecter bass. I tried EVERY EMG pickup and settled on Seymour Duncan Blackouts. They just sound fantastic immediately. The Blackouts are definitely loud!

 

[jose1500]

Thanks for the info man! I needed the reply

 

[jose1500]

Hello from 20 years after the original post. I’ve do got the Schecter bass. I tried EVERY EMG pickup and settled on Seymour Duncan Blackouts. They just sound fantastic immediately. The Blackouts are definitely loud!

What’s the exact model name that fit the bass man?

 

[Dincrest]

EMG-HZs are a passive soapbar, thus lower output than their active soapbars like the DC or CS.

I once had an EMG-HZ equipped bass with passive VVT controls. I would say they were a medium output pickup and tonally they were... neutral. They didn't have the warmth of traditional passive pickups, nor did they have the hi-fi tone people expect from active EMGs. EMG-HZs work best when mated with a good preamp.

My main bass has passive Duncan SSB soapbars and VBT controls. Output seems slightly better than the aforementioned HZs and the pickups themselves have more personality in their voicing. If I were to "upgrade" the pickups, I would go for Duncan Blackouts and VVT controls (I like the idea of active pickups with passive controls; I get power and simplicity). Though some say that EMG's X series pickups do the Blackouts thing better than Blackouts... but I'm more of a Duncans guy.

And Duncan soapbars are in EMG sizes so, the 5-string Blackouts will fit any bass routed for EMG 40s. Says so on Duncan's site.

Blackouts® Bass Soapbar 5 String Pickup | Seymour Duncan

These high-output active 4- and 5-string soapbar bass pickups (ASB-BO-4, ASB-BO-5) bring more tone, more power, and more impact, with high headroom and quiet operation.

www.seymourduncan.com

 

[GTHintz]

I have hz in 2 basses and they seem to work great for me. They are pretty loud. Not as loud as some but better than others. The tone is good especially if you have eq and preamp pedals to get things where you want.