passive vs active pickups

[kirksflooring]

Has anyone had any experience with active pickups, specifically emgs? I'm considering getting one and was wondering about overall quality and tone difference from passive pickups.

 

[Platypus]

All depends on the music you're playing in my opinion.

I think actives are great for metal/hard rock but sound too sterile for good cleans and bluesy leads. I much prefer passives for everything except really heavy metal.

Others will disagree, I suggest playing a guitar with actives through your rig and make up your mind that way.

 

[Guitarzan]

If you must go active wait a few more months for the Seymour Duncan Blackouts. There is drastic difference between passive and actives, especially your pick attack. What do you play now?

 

[Russ]

All depends on the music you're playing in my opinion.

I think actives are great for metal/hard rock but sound too sterile for good cleans and bluesy leads. I much prefer passives for everything except really heavy metal.

Others will disagree, I suggest playing a guitar with actives through your rig and make up your mind that way.

+1

 

[kirksflooring]

i play a fender lead II through a mesa boogie studio, marshall 9100 monobloc, and celestion g12h30s

 

[Guitarzan]

i play a fender lead II through a mesa boogie studio, marshall 9100 monobloc, and celestion g12h30s

Specifically pickups...Are they stock?

 

[flieger67]

I used to have an EMG setup in my Valley Arts - an 89 with two SA's. I changed them out after a few years because I found the tone was a little too stiff and sterile. But there are plenty of people who like them and even get good clean or semi-dirty tones with them, like Steve Lukather.

I guess the most basic question to ask is what are you looking to achieve? Are you looking for some specific sound or do you want higher output, for instance. If you are seeking high power, there are plenty of passive pickups with high output. And if your Lead II has single coils, you can find a lot of choices for pretty hot pickups that will fit in a single-coil size route.

If you decide to switch over to EMG's, be aware that you'll have to make some changes to your instrument. In addition to pickups, you'll have to change the volume and tone control from high impedance to low impedance units. If you are planning to mix one EMG with one stock pickup, you'll have to make a compromise in tone and output because the volume and tone pots you use will affect the two pickups differently. Also, I don't know what a Lead II looks like under the pickguard, but you will need to find somewhere to place a 9V battery. That may mean that you'd have to get a small cavity routed into the body.

If you haven't already read it, here's the FAQ section at EMG pickups: http://www.emginc.com/text/faq.html

I'm not trying to scare you away from EMG but just trying to help you make an educated decision. Good luck.

 

[Guitarzan]

I love their FAQ section the answer to most every question posed to them is "NO"!!! Hate the pickups, hate the company. Can't wait for the Duncan Blackouts!

 

[ylo]

The common wisdom is wrong. Active pickups are not sterile. EMG actives -- that might be another story, depending on your ears of course. Personally, I love 'em.

Active pickups have lots of advantages, for example an ability to drive longer cable runs without treble rolloff.

For a couple of bucks, you can make any passive pickups active by putting a buffer amp in your guitar. This is what EMGs pickups are basically -- passives with buffers -- but they build buffer amps into the pickups themselves. Another advantage of adding a buffer to your guitar is that this approach does not change the inherent sound of your pickups.

If all you want is a hotter signal, buy a booster pedal, which is the same as putting the buffer on your pedalboard instead of in your guitar.

 

[shredtheater]

I have EMGs zakk wylde set in my ibanez. Basically, if you like heavy metal riffs and you detune (my ibanez is dropped down 2 steps) they are great but they sound pretty awful for leads, completely toneless fuzz. Just listen to Kirk Hammet or Zakk Wylde to see what i mean. Trust me Lukather is the complete exception regarding getting good tone out of these pickups. Out of interest i played a mates Musicman Luke through my amp and the sound was pretty awful compared to my Petrucci model Musicman with Dimarzio's in. Anyhow, other players that use them are all pretty much from a heavy metal/Shred background, you know, Rusty Cooley, Jeff Loomis etc etc and those guys all play a 7 string so you know, great for getting the low notes to cut through but too fuzzy and piercing for the higher stuff.

It depends what guitar players you like but personally id prefer a set of passive Dimarzio's or Duncans any day of the week. If you looking for a really hot sound your probably best using moderate to high output pickups and driving you amp harder like Slash does...however these duncan active pickups might be something to hang around and try.....

 

[overwater]

i think you could put emg pickups in any guitar and they would sound the same, i used them in a gibson sg and they had a good heavy metal type sound, i have used reflex reds another active pickup ,i prefered them to the emg ,but i think if if you have a good quality guitar and you want the guitars tone your betteroff with passive pickups i have heard alot of good reports about bareknuckle pickup but not tried them yet

 

[6L6C]

All depends on the music you're playing in my opinion.

I think actives are great for metal/hard rock but sound too sterile for good cleans and bluesy leads. I much prefer passives for everything except really heavy metal.

Others will disagree, I suggest playing a guitar with actives through your rig and make up your mind that way.

+1

ME TOO! Pretty much feel the same way

 

[ThunderMonkey]

I've used Seymour's religiously since the 80's and a few Dimarzio's.

Every time I tried to give EMG's another shot they always disappointed me, they're great for extreme metal rhythms exclusively and for one tone, IMO. I've really tried to like the lead tones but I can never get away from the fact that to me, they do ONE tone.

Passives have a much warmer analog spank, with more tone manipulation working with the tone pot and don't have a seemingly digital ceiling. If sterile is the word for the feel, then that fits.

Seymour's all the way or passives in general ! Can't go wrong.

 

[wildrat666]

I can recomend Emg 85. it is a little warmer than Emg 81. I like Emg 81 too , it is really heavy metal sounding on high gain settings

 

[ursinus]

I used to love EMG's They make great pups and they are a great company, but my taste has changed. I've tried out many other active set-pups and I just do not like them. I've gone from hot active pups to hot passive pups to now medium output pups with Alnico II mags. I love the SSV, V60, SSH+ and DSH+ pups from Suhr, the Alnico II and Custom 5 from Seymour Duncan and the Air Norton and Breed from DiMarzio.

When I use long cable runs, I use my HBE switcher with a buffer in the outputs so I don't get the high end roll off, but still have the dynamics of these pups.

It is all a matter of taste, not which is better IMO. Have fun experimenting... 8)