I have on occasion commented, be it here or verbally, that EMGs kind of suck. I put a set of PJs in my Fender and the tone was something I would liken to playing a wet cardboard box with a rotten fish. However, in a desperate attempt to keep from throwing the damned things away, I bought an EMG BQC preamp. A risky move seeing as I was not happy with the EMGs in the first place, and because I had to route out additional space in the electronics cavity to make the thing fit. But now that all is said and done, I am an avid EMG fan!
Whenever I had done anything to change my tone in the past, I would have the rest of the guys in my band listen to the difference. Typically the response was, similar to when our drummer asked us to listen for the difference in how he tuned his drums Sure we heard the difference, but did not really see how the change would be noticeable to anyone else, particularly when the whole band was playing. But when I showed the guys the tonal capabilities I now possessed, they were shocked. And the only tonal changes I showed them were accomplished by merely turning the mid sweep knob, and only on the bridge pickup! When we began playing, the whole band was ecstatic, they could hear me and without me having to be blaringly loud!
Some negative feedback I read regarding the BQC here on TalkBass was the bass control. Some people feel that it does not affect the LOW end of the tone enough. However, I personally think it is affected exactly where it needs to be. It increases the upper bass/low mid spectrum, which is highly audible. Anything lower, I can just crank up the bass knob on my amp and get BOOM. On other preamps I own, I have found that I typically will not crank the bass anyhow, as it ends up overdriving my amp resulting in mud.
The selectable treble frequency is also a great feature. I hate clack, and by selecting the lowest setting on the high-end frequency control I am able to eliminate it without totally eliminating clarity. If I were to make a design modification to the preamp, I would make the dipswitches as an exposed switch. It took quite a bit of testing to find which setting I liked the best. As I was doing this on a P-Bass, I had to keep taking the pick guard on and off. More so, to be able to modify this setting on the fly would be nice.
I think any negative feedback I have read on EMGs would have been eliminated if the company would just sell the sets including the BQC, or at least the separate Mid Control. It makes all of the difference in the world. Sure, it would cost more, but would do away with a lot of negative press in my opinion.
Whenever I had done anything to change my tone in the past, I would have the rest of the guys in my band listen to the difference. Typically the response was, similar to when our drummer asked us to listen for the difference in how he tuned his drums Sure we heard the difference, but did not really see how the change would be noticeable to anyone else, particularly when the whole band was playing. But when I showed the guys the tonal capabilities I now possessed, they were shocked. And the only tonal changes I showed them were accomplished by merely turning the mid sweep knob, and only on the bridge pickup! When we began playing, the whole band was ecstatic, they could hear me and without me having to be blaringly loud!
Some negative feedback I read regarding the BQC here on TalkBass was the bass control. Some people feel that it does not affect the LOW end of the tone enough. However, I personally think it is affected exactly where it needs to be. It increases the upper bass/low mid spectrum, which is highly audible. Anything lower, I can just crank up the bass knob on my amp and get BOOM. On other preamps I own, I have found that I typically will not crank the bass anyhow, as it ends up overdriving my amp resulting in mud.
The selectable treble frequency is also a great feature. I hate clack, and by selecting the lowest setting on the high-end frequency control I am able to eliminate it without totally eliminating clarity. If I were to make a design modification to the preamp, I would make the dipswitches as an exposed switch. It took quite a bit of testing to find which setting I liked the best. As I was doing this on a P-Bass, I had to keep taking the pick guard on and off. More so, to be able to modify this setting on the fly would be nice.
I think any negative feedback I have read on EMGs would have been eliminated if the company would just sell the sets including the BQC, or at least the separate Mid Control. It makes all of the difference in the world. Sure, it would cost more, but would do away with a lot of negative press in my opinion.
