How autonomous are EMGs?

[bunnykeeper]

So for lack of a better word, how autonomous would you say EMG pickups are? By that, I mean how much do they remove external factors from the equation of their end sound? One example would be that EMG-equipped instruments don't need shielding, if I understand correctly.

I guess what I'm getting at is whether I could put some EMGs on a plywood body and still get a decent sound. I've got this Aria Pro II bass that appears a plywood body that is comfortable yet mysteriously heavy. I'm wondering whether I should try to salvage it or just let it go.

 

[walterw]

plywood is usually heavy.

EMGs are famous for sounding like themselves on just about anything, including the proverbial "hunk of plywood".

 

[crguti]

put an EMG to a brick, and it will sound like an EMG.

 

[Matthijs]

Were those pro II Aria's plywood? I doubt that. They were very popular in the 80's and considered as very good value for the money. I even recall a lot of them being neck through.

 

[Mr. Foxen]

I had a plywood Aria ProII, the not made in Japan one, the name is pretty meaningless, as loads of places made them to various standards over 35 years or so (they still make stuff under the name.

EMGs do get a bit more transparent run at 18v (at least in the case of the EMG60 and 81 I had in my SG, and the set in my P bass).

 

[SGD Lutherie]

I had a plywood Hondo II P bass and it sounded great. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with plywood.

As others have said, EMGs sound like EMGs for the most part. So if the bass sounds OK acoustically it sound sound OK with the EMGs.

 

[allexcosta]

So if the bass sounds OK acoustically it sound sound OK with the EMGs.

And if it sounds like c*** acoustically it'll sound the same with EMG's.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

And if it sounds like c*** acoustically it'll sound the same with EMG's.

It will sound like crap with EMGs.

 

[capnsandwich]

IME, EMG's have a unique sound to them. They kind of brighten the original tone of the bass up a little. That can easily be controlled by either an onboard preamp or the preamp settings on your rig.

They get a lot of flack from guys saying they're too bright or sterile sounding. IME, they're a modern sounding pickup that adds punch and high end pop to a lot of instruments that wouldn't necessarily have that quality with a set of standard pups and passive electronics. Yes, I agree that a crappy bass will still sound crappy with EMG's or any pickup you stick in there, but if you like a modern slap tone then EMG's are good for that.

 

[allexcosta]

It will sound like crap with EMGs.

Alright, I own this bass:

It sounds like s*** acoustically, you barely can hear it in a acoustically treated room. It sounds worse than any plywood or any bass you've heard in your life...

Put some "autonomous" pickups (Dimarzio DP123) and voilá:

YouTube - ‪Baixo chupa-cabra‬‏

And 123's are not as "autonomous" as EMG's are...

 

[Von Felgenhauer]

Lol its those pills that make it sound decent

 

[capnsandwich]

Alright, I own this bass:

It sounds like s*** acoustically, you barely can hear it in a acoustically treated room. It sounds worse than any plywood or any bass you've heard in your life...

Put some "autonomous" pickups (Dimarzio DP123) and voilá:

YouTube - ‪Baixo chupa-cabra‬‏

And 123's are not as "autonomous" as EMG's are...

All I heard was BOOM in that clip.

 

[allexcosta]

All I heard was BOOM in that clip.

Oh, c'mon now... You can hear the tone in between the mic farts...

 

[Liam Wald]

I could never figure out why some people rag on EMGs.
I think that they are just fine... in fact I think they are more than just fine, they are really good.
I have EMGs in my Modulus Q4 and they sound great.
Good sound comes more from the touch and articulation of the player as well as the actual instrument itself than it does from the brand of pick-ups.
Just my humble opinion.

 

[capnsandwich]

Oh, c'mon now... You can hear the tone in between the mic farts...

I'll be honest. I do like the high end on that bass. Yes, the mic is farting out but it sounds nice and modern. Don't ever drop it, though. That lower horn would be gone.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

It sounds like s*** acoustically, you barely can hear it in a acoustically treated room. It sounds worse than any plywood or any bass you've heard in your life...

Damn, that's a funky looking thing! What kind of wood is that? Looks like pine.

When I said acoustically I didn't mean loud. But in a quiet room you can hear what the bass sounds like unamplified. Or put your ear on the body and play.

I used to spend a lot of time playing unplugged, so I realized that EMGs were making my bass sound like EMGs, and not what I was hearing from the bass.

I also spent a lot of time trying to EQ a bridge position DC pickup to get rid of the edgy top end and give it more lows, and even with extreme EQ it sounded pretty much the same!

That's what lead me to start making my own pickups.

 

[allexcosta]

I could never figure out why some people rag on EMGs.
I think that they are just fine... in fact I think they are more than just fine, they are really good.
I have EMGs in my Modulus Q4 and they sound great.
Good sound comes more from the touch and articulation of the player as well as the actual instrument itself than it does from the brand of pick-ups.
Just my humble opinion.

I respectfully disagree...

I'm a big EMG fan, used them for many years. They sound the same everywhere, are clean, well built and absolutely noiseless. And they don't even need grounding. They use great components (Noble pots and precision resistors) and last forever.

That said, EMG's have a particular voice that some people just don't like. The slap sounds almost like a synth slap and the overall tone is a bit too clinical or "digital". And very trebly too...

 

[allexcosta]

Damn, that's a funky looking thing! What kind of wood is that? Looks like pine.

When I said acoustically I didn't mean loud. But in a quiet room you can hear what the bass sounds like unamplified. Or put your ear on the body and play.

I used to spend a lot of time playing unplugged, so I realized that EMGs were making my bass sound like EMGs, and not what I was hearing from the bass.

I also spent a lot of time trying to EQ a bridge position DC pickup to get rid of the edgy top end and give it more lows, and even with extreme EQ it sounded pretty much the same!

That's what lead me to start making my own pickups.

One guy I know found some wood strips near a dumpster and decided to make a bass body, put an old Kramer neck on it and whatever pickups he had laying around.

Yeah, not just quiet sounding, but the tone acoustically is just plain terrible. Plug it in and it sounds like DP123's...

EMG does the same IME.

 

[bunnykeeper]

Thanks for all the input. There seem to be two distinct points of view here... will keep you posted on what I end up doing.

 

[Kwesi]

EMGs will do as much for a crappy bass as any other good after-market pickup. That isn't to say that they can make a piece of poo sound amazing but it likely be at least a decent improvement over whatever stock pickups were already in there. Put them in a good bass, and they'll sing. I would say that they definitely impose their tone upon the bass more so than other pickups but they also have their own tone going on so keep that in mind. The EMG DCs in particular have a VERY unique sound in comparison to other pickups.

I think you should just go for it. Couldn't hurt right?