Problems with ACTIVE EMG Pickups (P/J set)

[Tigerclaw_x]

Hello. I got myself a GTX53 bass on garage sale. I got it because it had EMG pickups. However, it sounds very very very dull. Both pickups work, both volume controls work. Tone barely works, only at the very end of the rotation you can notice the changes in the sound. Changing of the strings did not help. I strongly suspect it is a tone control. Does anyone know what kind of Potentiometer and what kind of Capacitor needs to be used with ACTIVE EMG pickups?
D

 

[Snert]

I would fault find by wiring each PU to the OP jack individually, then connect them to the V pots without the tone pot in to isolate the issues.

 

[roffe]

If the pickups are active, the pots should all be 25K, with a 0.1uF capacitor on the tone control.

 

[ctmullins]

The obvious first: Fresh battery?

 

[iiipopes]

After checking the battery and the pots as above, check the wiring. EMG's are wired to a "stereo" jack with the black negative wire going to the ring terminal. If the bass has the newer modular EMG setup, here is your wiring diagram: . If you have the older hard-wired version: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] .
pj_set_0230-0247rb_2.pdf
pj_set_0230-0247rb_2.pdf

 

[roller]

+1 on what @roffe wrote. Crucial to an active EMG setup.

If the pickups are active, the pots should all be 25K, with a 0.1uF capacitor on the tone control.

 

[rojo412]

I just installed a set of old EMG PJ pickups in a bass and the word that would NOT describe the sound is DULL. I just put it head-to-dead with 2 different high output MM style basses and it smoked them for output.

Yours definitely has an issue going on.

Do you have a shot of the wiring?
And newer systems have the option of the VLPF active tone. If that isn't getting power, you may have some issues as well. But a control shot would help immensely.

 

[Rib 13]

I just installed a set of old EMG PJ pickups in a bass and the word that would NOT describe the sound is DULL.

yup.....i put some in my Ibanez Destroyer....it puts it in Spector range
cued:

 

[logdrum]

If that is a an EMG tone control, it needs to be powered , otherwise it will sound dull, I had that experience, when I forgot the positive lead. The tone control is active. You should not have to put in a capacitor. Can you post some pictures?

 

[funkmaster p]

Does the word "Select" appear anywhere on the pickup?

 

[LHbassist]

If it's an older EMG solder in pot, it's a 25K, and you can use it with any standard bass type cap- like a .047, or .05. As far as I can tell, only the pickups are 'powered.' The volume and tone, if that's all there is, maybe two volumes- or a pan- do not actually require power, but the active, and newer tone circuits, like the BTC, or VMC, do. I've only seen one EMG pickup itself, with an issue- in the last 40 years of repairing. That's a damn good track record.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Hello. I got myself a GTX53 bass on garage sale. I got it because it had EMG pickups. However, it sounds very very very dull. Both pickups work, both volume controls work. Tone barely works, only at the very end of the rotation you can notice the changes in the sound. Changing of the strings did not help. I strongly suspect it is a tone control. Does anyone know what kind of Potentiometer and what kind of Capacitor needs to be used with ACTIVE EMG pickups?
D

Get a new wiring harness from emg. They use a proprietary solder less system, so you are going to need to get a pot setup from them specifically. Other wise, battery?

 

[AudioTaper]

Get a new wiring harness from emg. They use a proprietary solder less system, so you are going to need to get a pot setup from them specifically. Other wise, battery?

Looks like the GTX53 is an older bass, so it wouldn't have the solderless connectors (unless the pickups have been changed out on the past decade or so)

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Looks like the GTX53 is an older bass, so it wouldn't have the solderless connectors (unless the pickups have been changed out on the past decade or so)

Oh cool. Nm then.

In that case, I'd probably just update the pickups. Active pickups have come very very far in the last couple decades.