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EMG Club!

I have two perfect basses. I mean perfect. The custom single-coils are the cat's meow just like the rest of these basses.

Why change at all? Because passive pups wired with the ground to the bridge to the strings almost killed me. My friends saved my life but if I'd been alone I'd I wouldn't be here to tell about it.

Back in the 80s I found myself in a house with bad wiring but didn't realize it until late. I grabbed a couple guitars and became part of the live circuit. As you know, this clenches all muscles and you can't let go. And nobody else can touch you. My bandmates started unplugging everything in sight and I came out of it.

I have 35 scars and 3 skin grafts on my hands to prove it.

Well, active EMGs are not grounded to the strings so this would not have happened. The memory passed over the years.

So recently I moved. The terrible wiring in my new house makes it sound like it's not grounded when it is. I also play alone a lot. If it happens again I'll be dead. All the memories came back.

My builder will put anything I want in there though EMG are not his first choice.

So all you EMG fans, if I switch for safety reasons, what tone can I expect?

I have 2 New York Bass Works ( NYBW ) basses that are basically boutique 'Jazz' basses. Both have amazing alder bodies and very rigid maple/graphite/rosewood necks. They have great single coils in them. I use both pups to cancel hum.

I HATE the idea of changing anything but the memories of the burns and the current bad wiring are very distracting.

I want myself out of the ground loop. Let a power mishap go into the earth = not into me!

So, tell me what I would gain and or lose tone-wise???

Thanks to all.

Tom Halversen
 
I'm in! I kind of like number 69 so, I'll take that!

Here's EMG selects installed in my Squier P bass.......

Stuff006.jpg


And stock actives in my '92 Guild Pilot.......

Stuff008.jpg
 
I want myself out of the ground loop. Let a power mishap go into the earth = not into me!

So, tell me what I would gain and or lose tone-wise???

Thanks to all.

Tom Halversen

Hiya Tom,

Peace of mind without altering your tone:
I'd say you should try simply removing the bridge wire that grounds the strings. If the noise level after doing this is unacceptable, then do a full shielding job on the bass's insides as described here. This will make the extra noise from ungrounded strings minimal, and you'll have no risk of being part of the live circuit. Plus, it requires no change to your pickups and tone. Cheaper too! Adhesive backed copper tape from Allparts and a little bit of solder here and there.

I did this for my Warmoth jazz over the summer and it was pretty fun! Shielding those jazz pickup cavities was the worst part... soapbars would have been so much easier! :crying:

$10 to peace of mind:
Pick up an full shielding job on the bass's insides at your neigborhood hardware store or Walmart. Then you can be assured that your wiring is good. Keep one in your gigbag/case and do a quick pre-gig check on the outlets that EVERYONE is using. If all check out, you're golden!
 
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$10 to peace of mind:
Pick up an Invalid Link Removed at your neigborhood hardware store or Walmart. Then you can be assured that your wiring is good. Keep one in your gigbag/case and do a quick pre-gig check on the outlets that EVERYONE is using. If all check out, you're golden!

Got this already. I believe in them firmly. When I tested the house the first time I expected no ground but it rang up perfectly. I remember a venue like this too. Outlets and extensions checked out. Noise everywhere. only solution was passive DI straight to board but the PA was noisy too!

TBL is the tester says it's OK but somethin aint right...

Anyway, I only do setups. No DIY on these babies... but THANKS - I'll check into the shielding but I have yet to find anything David Segal didn't do right in the first place.
 
I'll be getting some nicer pics soon, but I've got EMG's in both my basses:
-BC Rich Warbeast Trace w/ dual EMG-HZ MMCS pick-ups and (coming in the mail any day now), EMG BTC dual band active EQ

-Brice Fretless 6-string w/ EMG45DC bridge, and EMG45TW neck, and the BTS system (all @ 18volts)

On a side note...the BTC I'm putting in the BC Rich...since I'm usuing passive pick-ups, should I still run the BTC at 18volts, or will it not matter so much? It made a world of difference in the Brice though, no doubt
 
hi people

im going to by a set of emgs extended pickup series :a40j and a 40p5 to put on a peavy grind ntb five strings bass .the spacing between the strings is a little closer than the standard spacing is it a problem ?