pick up upgrade

[Buslady]

What I want:

EMG 81/89 neck/bridge respectively... wouldn't I end up with 4 pots, and I only have a 3 places for pots.

Totally new at this as ya guy know. Talking with my brother made me want to upgrade to active, he went on & on about the 81/85s he had.....

Or should I just leave it passive and be happy with what I got? HAHA!!

Any advice is appreciated.

[Trussrod]

I don't like active pups. I've had EMG's and SD's--even had a Blackout with an 18 volt mod. They sound too sterile as far as I'm concerned and I dislike having to deal with batteries. Can you borrow/demo your brother's guitar for a day or two?

[Buslady]

The one he had with the 81/85s is long gone, cos yeah I would be borrowing it right now! I think the Schecter I'm borrowing is a passive, also double bucked with seymours...

Im still on the fence with keeping it passive, the only battery is for the gain boost...i don't worry about it much. I have no idea what HZs are in it either. Im afraid to remove the strings cos I have no idea how to restring with a floyd, my teacher put the new strings on and set it up for me.

Any comments about this set: http://www.emgpickups.com/products/category/149/1

Suggestions welcome, wanna keep it EMG though cos I think I can handle the easy install...I can solder and do wires, but I'm lazy hahaha

[DalyTek]

No, you don't have to put all 4 pots in. You can set it up with 2 volume/1 tone, or 2 tone/1 volume.
You can also do 1 volume/1 tone, or even just a volume...or no knobs at all. But you'd have to fill any unused holes with any of those options.

If you don't want to take off the strings and you are lazy then I would not swap out the pickups!

Seriously though...do you just want to swap out pickups because your brother likes EMGs or is there something you don't like about the pickups that are in there now?

[Tricky]

What kind of guitar is it?
Can you post pics?

[DonP]

The number or type of pickups has nothing to do with the number or type of pots you put in. You could put in 100 or none.

[Buslady]

It's about a 2002 Dinky, it has what I assume stock EMGHZ, Afterburner ...they're fine right now, it'll take awhile to save up - litterally extra change in the basket kind of thing - I checked the archived catalog on Jackson's site, to see what model they were but it don't say specifically.
I thought something better would help it sound better, but I dunno. I did like the idea of the 89, that I can split it. Give a little versatility.

The volume pot needs to go though, turn it it crackles and sometimes craps out.

Nah, my brother hasn't got anything to do with it. It's me wanting to make my baby the best it can be, which inspires me in turn to kick ass....eventually LOL...

[Grim]

Active pickups are a totally love/hate thing. I would put around 80% of guitarists in that "hate" category though. Lots of metal players like actives because they tend to be super tight, but there are passive pickups that are just as tight if you know where to look.

Demo a few guitars with actives to see if you like them. if you do, great, make the switch - but be a little wary as going passives to actives is not as simple as just swapping passives.

[Buslady]

Active pickups are a totally love/hate thing. I would put around 80% of guitarists in that "hate" category though. Lots of metal players like actives because they tend to be super tight, but there are passive pickups that are just as tight if you know where to look.

Demo a few guitars with actives to see if you like them. if you do, great, make the switch - but be a little wary as going passives to actives is not as simple as just swapping passives.

yeah i ya gotta take everything out and throw in new wires and thingys and whatnot to hook em all up. lol. i used to do electronic assembly so it's not impossible for me to do, otherwise I'd just have my teacher do it. i know i sound dumb, but i do know wires, connections and such...lol...

haven't made a 100% decision just to stic kwith the stock HZs or get a better pair....meanwhile im saving up for something anyways....there is a $1300 Fender Strat I'm dying for...

[warlok]

I'd definitely take your DKMG down and A-B it with some actives. Only you know if you'll like them.

Let me also throw this out there as it surprised the hell out of me. I kinda got away from EMG's for a while and had all SD or Dimarzio passives. With my Peavey Ultra Plus and my Blue Voodoo they just sounded more full, punchy, and not so (way too) tight as the EMG's did. Then I got my Randall RM100. I don't know the theory on why, or what is so different, but the EMG's are completely the opposite with this amp. I even used to like the 85 in the bridge as opposed to the 81. Now my favorite setup is my Soloist Pro with 81/no middle/S (going to try SA soon). Punchy, full, and in your face meaty.. So to make a long story short... (too late)... don't just try one amp either..

[MarkTheMuscleShark]

Just thought I'd chip in. First of all, What kind of sound are you after? Cutting, smooth, chunky, tight, warm, bright, what's your favorite flavor? IMO you should stay with passives, amps nowadays usually have more than enough gain, so you don't need a ton of output. You can't go wrong with a set of Duncans, specifically the JB/Jazz set. I play EVERYTHING, from fusion to jazz to thrash to djent, and they sound good doing anything. Hell, even country. If you MUST have actives, check out Bartolinis. They sound very natural and open, also very smooth, almost like passives. Of course they're very quiet and are very responsive like actives should be. IDK, it all depends on what music you play, what sound you prefer, the materials in your guitar, so many different factors.

[MarkTheMuscleShark]

Another thing, you really need to learn how to string up a floyd, lol. Everyone says it's a pain in the behind, but I can string a floyd just about as quick as a strat. Hell, it's harder to string a Bigsby than a floyd, trust me. Of course, I have a non-recessed Floyd, so that helps, but still, it's not that hard. Just make sure to always keep an allen wrench handy.

[Buslady]

I will eventually learn to string up a Floyd. I have to.
Talked to my brother and he thinks I should just leave it like it is. I may just for fun, buy guitar parts and make a project out of it, put what I want into it. Buy a body, a neck, etcetc....should be fun

[warlok]

I may just for fun, buy guitar parts and make a project out of it, put what I want into it. Buy a body, a neck, etcetc....should be fun

It is.. And it's also the best way for you to learn because your main guitar is still playable so no worries about trying something new. Look for a <$50 piece of crap to start with, and "adjust" from there..

[Newc]

If it's the Floyded D*MG model (X? K? friggen Jackson and their 1001 Dinky variants ) then you don't remove the strings to change pickups. You remove the springs, lift out the trem, swap the pickups, and put it all back together. Easy as falling down.

The HZs aren't bad. If they're the HZ3 (should be, as the HZ4 only came in one model, IIRC), then I'd say get the AfterBurner circuit. I had HZ3s and the AB in a guitar and with the AB set on about 3, it had just enough drive to keep it from sounding too weak but not so much that it was saturating the tone with gobs of distortion.


But yeah, buying necks and bodies and building your own mutts is a favorite hobby of mine - that's how this thing came about:



WRMG body (with the HZs and AB)
JTX maple/maple neck (modded to fit standard Jackson neck pockets)
OFR
140+ studs, spikes, and domes, and some Testors red paint

Of course, you can get a little too carried away