EMG Club!

[JW56789]

A question for you EMG guys:

Got a Squier James Johnston that I was thinking of adding the JV52 set to replace the stock (which really are pretty good) pickups. Then I noticed that EMG offers add-on active control circuits to work with their passive pickups.

SO . . . . . .

My original inclination was to add the 'real' active EMG J set with a BTS circuit and have the bass routed for a battery holder, and add a side jack as I'd need all four holes in the control plate for the four pots. Of course I'd need the same surgery for the 52's plus an active circuit.

For just a good 'all-rounder', whaddya think:

Just do the swap out to the 52's as a passive setup (which is fine, I don't have to go active, though I could always add the active circuit later)

Add the 52's plus the active circuit

Go full tilt with the all active setup, and how different would they sound to the 52's?

The expense of any of the choice is not a factor, I don't mind spending the money. And I must admit after years of 'battery basses', there's something liberating about using pickups that are unpowered. 'My tone' is about 50/50 vintage/modern, old school beef with just enough mid/top to hear clean articulation. Between Rotosound and flatwound.

Opinions?

 

[amimbari]

a factory 1986 Charvel that used to have a passive pickup was swapped out for a EMG81 which sounds so much better.
Funny that they chose to use a standard guitar style pickup in this model only, but plenty of swapability

And a 1989 Charvel Fusion-5 that came to me with EMG X's in it.

 

[jwilson67]

I will be joining the club soon! An original recipe J-Set is going to be one of my Christmas gifts! I've listened to multiple clips on YouTube, and while that certainly isn't the gospel as far as sound goes I like the smoothness of the originals as opposed to the X series pups which have actually a bit too much sizzle for my tastes.

 

[Chuck Chill-Out]

Homebuilt fretess with ENG Selects. It just sounds right.

 

[Aidil]

I should've been member of this club too... I forgot to post here while I actually have this...

The Ibanez SR Crossover SRC6 with stock EMG 35Hz pickups and Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ, swapped with EMG 35TWX pickups and EMG BQS Control pre:

Stock EMG 35HZ and Ibanez Custom Pre was modified for coil splitting using 500k linear taper push-pull vol knob:

Then swapped with 35TWX pickups with 2 push-pull vol knobs and BQS Control pre:

Question for you folks who use EMG plastic knobs (I know, they look cheap):
how do you orientate the EMG logo on the knobs, in line with the EMG logo on the pickups (just as my 2 vol knobs in above last pic) or the opposite / upside down (like the pre knobs)?

 

[JimmyM]

I always put the knobs where the full-on position points the pointer or the Allen screw right at my face when I look down at them. Pretty sure I do that for every bass I have, though maybe not on the violin basses.

 

[PhatBasstard]

Forgot about this club.
Update: Spector 6. Was sporting 2 EMG 45DC's. Replaced the neck pickup with a 45P.
Really liking the 45P-45DC combination.
Also, all my Spectors are now sporting the BQC system. Very satisfied.

 

[GlassToMouth]

I should've been member of this club too... I forgot to post here while I actually have this...

The Ibanez SR Crossover SRC6 with stock EMG 35Hz pickups and Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ, swapped with EMG 35TWX pickups and EMG BQS Control pre:

View attachment 2892712

Stock EMG 35HZ and Ibanez Custom Pre was modified for coil splitting using 500k linear taper push-pull vol knob:
View attachment 2892766

Then swapped with 35TWX pickups with 2 push-pull vol knobs and BQS Control pre:
View attachment 2892771

Question for you folks who use EMG plastic knobs (I know, they look cheap):
how do you orientate the EMG logo on the knobs, in line with the EMG logo on the pickups (just as my 2 vol knobs in above last pic) or the opposite / upside down (like the pre knobs)?

I love EMG pups and pre's! Great call on the TWX set. I'm loving them on my Kiesel Vanquish multiscale. Especially on single coil mode after flipping the bridge pup. Gorgeous Ibanez btw.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I don't need a Club membership number, but I do own a few basses with EMG pickups:
- 1982 Steinberger L-2 with the original EMG humbuckers
- 1988 Modulus Quantum-6 SPX with EMG J-type pickups
- 1996 Modulus Quantum-6 TBX with EMG soapbars (and, at least for now, an EMG BTS preamp)
- 2007 Schecter Stiletto Studio-8 with EMG-Hz soapbars

 

[Snibborwocky]

I love EMG pups and pre's! Great call on the TWX set. I'm loving them on my Kiesel Vanquish multiscale. Especially on single coil mode after flipping the bridge pup. Gorgeous Ibanez btw.

View attachment 2893101

Just curious, is that bridge pickup purposely upside down?

 

[GlassToMouth]

Just curious, is that bridge pickup purposely upside down?

Yes. I played around with both directions. Reversing it puts the single coil setting closer to the neck. Both singles on is my favorite setting on this particular bass.

 

[Aidil]

I always put the knobs where the full-on position points the pointer or the Allen screw right at my face when I look down at them. Pretty sure I do that for every bass I have, though maybe not on the violin basses.

Yes, that would be ideal for basses with vol and tone knobs only. For those with pickup blend knob and active 2 or 3 band boost/cut EQ knobs, there's literately no full-on position. Center detent usually becomes the initial marking position.

Anyway thanks for the input sir Jimmy.

I love EMG pups and pre's! Great call on the TWX set. I'm loving them on my Kiesel Vanquish multiscale. Especially on single coil mode after flipping the bridge pup. Gorgeous Ibanez btw.

View attachment 2893101

thanks... that Kiesel of yours is the real gorgeous. Yeah, I had been wanting to own a bass with TWX set since I got my first bass with dual coil soap bar pickups years ago. I just love to have single coil mode on dual coil pickups since I was a jazz bass only guy for 22+ year.

Yes. I played around with both directions. Reversing it puts the single coil setting closer to the neck. Both singles on is my favorite setting on this particular bass.

wait... isn't it the other way around?

I read somewhere (but I couldn't find it and IIRC when tapping the pickup with screw driver) in the single coil mode, the functioning coil is under the EMG logo. So in yours, they are the ones closer to each other in the middle when single coil mode are engage in both pickups.

 

[GlassToMouth]

Yes, that would be ideal for basses with vol and tone knobs only. For those with pickup blend knob and active 2 or 3 band boost/cut EQ knobs, there's literately no full-on position. Center detent usually becomes the initial marking position.

Anyway thanks for the input sir Jimmy.



thanks... that Kiesel of yours is the real gorgeous. Yeah, I had been wanting to own a bass with TWX set since I got my first bass with dual coil soap bar pickups years ago. I just love to have single coil mode on dual coil pickups since I was a jazz bass only guy for 22+ year.



wait... isn't it the other way around?

I read somewhere (but I couldn't find it and IIRC when tapping the pickup with screw driver) in the single coil mode, the functioning coil is under the EMG logo. So in yours, they are the ones closer to each other in the middle when single coil mode are engage in both pickups.

Thank you Aidil. I think we're agreeing to agree, just perhaps a poor explanation on my part. As far as I know, with the bridge pick up flipped and the neck normal, it puts the single coil settings pushed close together. The bridge single favors the neck, the neck single not flipped favors the bridge. As you said, with the single under the logo. Also backing up this hypothesis is the following screen shot of EMG's own diagram. Tonally from what I hear from constant flippin' experiments (see what I did there ) this holds true from having previous multiple EMG single and dual coil equipped basses.

 

[JimmyM]

Yes, that would be ideal for basses with vol and tone knobs only. For those with pickup blend knob and active 2 or 3 band boost/cut EQ knobs, there's literately no full-on position. Center detent usually becomes the initial marking position.

Anyway thanks for the input sir Jimmy.

No problem. I still do it that way on my actives, too. Never been a problem for me.

 

[Todd GT5]

I love EMG pups and pre's! Great call on the TWX set. I'm loving them on my Kiesel Vanquish multiscale. Especially on single coil mode after flipping the bridge pup. Gorgeous Ibanez btw.

View attachment 2893101

I also put a set of TWX with the bridge pick-up flipped! I put them in my Brice HXB2-405 3235 RN Headless(multi Scale). I went with the stock supplied tone control. I am really happy with the tones I'm getting and how quiet these pick-ups are.

Todd

 

[GlassToMouth]

I also put a set of TWX with the bridge pick-up flipped! I put them in my Brice HXB2-405 3235 RN Headless(multi Scale). I went with the stock supplied tone control. I am really happy with the tones I'm getting and how quiet these pick-ups are.

Todd

How do you like that Brice Headless Multiscale? I'm really GASsing for a headless multiscale. I feel like I might be in a nursing home before Kiesel releases one. I'd love a headless Orisis multiscale, but straight frets are all they offer for their sexy headless basses.

Snappy tones and dead quiet electronics are why I always seem to install EMG systems and pups in all my basses after trying factory installed components for a little bit. The narrow EQ points on the EMG system really help me isolate wanted/unwanted frequencies. I haven't missed the tone control after switching to active EQ's using a combination of the upper mid and treble controls with the supplied dip switches help me tame (or spike) the tone knob type of frequencies.

My current EMG collection is as follows. 1996 (I think) Hamer Cruise 2TEK 4 string with EMG 40DC bridge/40J neck and BQS system. Brubaker Brute JJX-4 with a set of EMG JX pups and BQC system. Kiesel Vanquish VM49K Multiscale 4 string with 45TWX's, upside down bridge pup and BQC system. I used to have a Peavey Grind BXP with a set of 40DC's and BQC system, but sold that to fund the Brubaker Brute and aforementioned mods. I want a multiscale headless 4 string of some sort with a TWX bridge (flipped of course) reverse 45PX neck... which actually is a more traditional bar magnet location with the treble side towards the bridge and the bass side towards the neck.

 

[Todd GT5]

How do you like that Brice Headless Multiscale? I'm really GASsing for a headless multiscale. I feel like I might be in a nursing home before Kiesel releases one. I'd love a headless Orisis multiscale, but straight frets are all they offer for their sexy headless basses.

GlassToMouth,
I am very happy with the Brice Headless Multiscale! It's become my number one for now. It sounds great and ballances so well!
Todd

 

[Aidil]

I want a multiscale headless 4 string of some sort with a TWX bridge (flipped of course) reverse 45PX neck... which actually is a more traditional bar magnet location with the treble side towards the bridge and the bass side towards the neck.

the 45PX...

even if it was reversed, still the treble side would be toward the neck and the bass side toward the bridge.

 

[GlassToMouth]

the 45PX...

View attachment 2895776

even if it was reversed, still the treble side would be toward the neck and the bass side toward the bridge.

Ugghh..

Once again with my lack of verbal clarification. Copy/pasted from EMG site... "The EMG 45PX is our PX bass pickup in an Extended range housing with the treble magnet closer to the neck (like a Spector or Yamaha bass)." Then... "For players who want a "Fender" P alignment - with the treble side closer to the bridge - we offer this pickup in "reverse"."

Is my wording really that bad and misunderstood? I know a regular traditional P has the E/A string poles (or bar magnets in EMG's case) towards the neck, and the D/G string poles towards the bridge. EMG'S PX has the E/A string MAGNET favoring the bridge, and D/G string MAGNET favoring the neck. Their (EMG) "reverse" actually has the E/A string bar magnet favoring the neck and the D/G bar magnet favoring the bridge.

On my next bass, I would like to have a flipped TWX in the bridge position, thus having the single coil setting favoring the neck. I would like a PX reverse (not flipped) in the neck. This would be a split coil pickup with the E/A strings bar favoring the neck, and the D/G strings favoring the bridge.

I know what I want, but apparently my verbage has caused confusion and needs constant correction.

GlassToMouth Miriam Webster Talkbass as follows: "Flipped" means the EMG logo is upside down, thus flipping the magnet location. "Reversed EMG" means a traditional P split coil location without an upside down logo... which is the opposite of EMG'S stock offering.

Best wishes to all future grammar, carrots and tone. I look forward to elaborating further on any mistakes and hamfisted electronics configurations I have grammatically slaughtered.

 

[Aidil]

Ugghh..

Once again with my lack of verbal clarification. Copy/pasted from EMG site... "The EMG 45PX is our PX bass pickup in an Extended range housing with the treble magnet closer to the neck (like a Spector or Yamaha bass)." Then... "For players who want a "Fender" P alignment - with the treble side closer to the bridge - we offer this pickup in "reverse"."

Is my wording really that bad and misunderstood? I know a regular traditional P has the E/A string poles (or bar magnets in EMG's case) towards the neck, and the D/G string poles towards the bridge. EMG'S PX has the E/A string MAGNET favoring the bridge, and D/G string MAGNET favoring the neck. Their (EMG) "reverse" actually has the E/A string bar magnet favoring the neck and the D/G bar magnet favoring the bridge.

On my next bass, I would like to have a flipped TWX in the bridge position, thus having the single coil setting favoring the neck. I would like a PX reverse (not flipped) in the neck. This would be a split coil pickup with the E/A strings bar favoring the neck, and the D/G strings favoring the bridge.

I know what I want, but apparently my verbage has caused confusion and needs constant correction.

GlassToMouth Miriam Webster Talkbass as follows: "Flipped" means the EMG logo is upside down, thus flipping the magnet location. "Reversed EMG" means a traditional P split coil location without an upside down logo... which is the opposite of EMG'S stock offering.

Best wishes to all future grammar, carrots and tone. I look forward to elaborating further on any mistakes and hamfisted electronics configurations I have grammatically slaughtered.

Aahh... My bad. No idea that EMG offer 45PX pickup like that.

I've never read the full description of their P soapbar page until just now where they put the word "reverse" as an offering. I do know in the guitar realm they offer dual mode 89R, 89XR, 707TW-R, 707TWX-R, as the "reverse" version of their 89, 89X, 707TW, and 707TWX, in which single coil mode favors the neck.

Had they put something like 45PX-R naming on their website, I would have known they also offer P soapbars of which alignment is the opposite of their usual P.