Pickups- What do you use?

[Schecter_dude]

Hey all, just wondering what kinda pickups everyone uses. On my main guitar (C-1) I have a pair of Seymour-Duncan "Duncan Distortion" Humbuckers, and on my Jerry Horton sig I have a "Duncan Distortion" and a "Jazz".

Plus... could someone please explain what EMGs are?

[ESP_Viper]

I use a Seymour Duncan SH-5 Custom at the bridge and at the moment I have the stock EMG-HZ in the neck. The HZ is a really good pickup, as stock pickups go. I don't use the neck p/u that much. I am planning on changing it to a Duncan Alnico II Pro Humbucker.

[Levinson Blade]

Just wondering about your thoughts on the Jerry Horton I saw one in my local store it looks a nice piece of kit.

Anyway my PU's are on my Fender strat stock in the neck and middle SD hot rail at the bridge, Levinson Blade has Cool rail neck, cool rail middle, hot rail at the bridge

[Schecter_dude]

The Jerry Horton is a nice piece of kit indeed. It's a 25 1/2" scale, which is fine for me, don't have to stretch as far on some of those more obscure chords :D

As for the sound... wow doesn't begin to describe it. The Bridge pickup has a real raw sound to it, and the neck p/u (although I hardly use it) has a kinda mellower vibe. If you like the look of it and like playing rock/metal, buy one!

PS: I have the gloss white version

[ESP_Viper]

Hey again, sorry schecter, I didn't see your EMG question.

The standard EMG line of pickups are active pickups. Active pickups are very low output pickups with a built-in preamp that requires a battery to operate. Actives have many advantages over traditional passive pickups. They also have their disadvantages. The biggest advantages are that they are very silent (they don't feedback as easy, and have a lot less noise and hum) and they are generally higher output than passives. Though, that degree of silence is only achieved when the guitar is properly shielded. Shielding can be pretty hard to do correctly, if it isn't perfect, the work you did will be useless. I played a guitar w/ EMGs in it and I immediately could tell it wasn't shielded at all or at least not properly because my cell phone was buzzing pretty badly through it (this was w/ the phone in standby. when calling you will hear the buzz in passives, but I am not sure about shielded actives). I don't get this buzz in standby w/ my passives. Other disadvantages are that they require a battery, but they last for a very long time. Under common playing conditions, the battery should last easily for 6 months. Actives are also low impedance, so the volume and tone knobs are different than what you would have in a passive guitar. That means you can't mix active and passive pickups in the same guitar, unless you have an impedance matcher (which also runs off the battery).

Active pickups are also a lot less dynamic than passives. Some people like this, some don't. EMGs sound the same in any guitar as well. They don't react to the wood at all. A guitar with EMGs sounds like any other guitar w/ the same model EMGs.

EMG also makes passive pickups, the HZ line for ESP: LTD, a slightly different HZ for Jackson, and the EMG Select line. I haven't ever played EMG selects, but everyone I know that has played them and has owned them says they really suck. The HZs are very good, as stock pickups go. I can concievably see someone leaving them in the guitar and not changing them.

www.emginc.com

Hope this helps!

[Levinson Blade]

ESP a question on battery life .... If you leave your cable pluged in to your guitar when not in use does that use your battery life up?



The jerry Horton I was looking at was also white The Black roach was what caught my eye it looks quite cool against the white guitar the one I saw was for sale at £650 UKP I guess thats about $1200 USD

[ESP_Viper]

Yeah, if you unplug the guitar it is off, if you leave it plugged in it is on. So when you are done it is important you remember to unplug it. That way you keep your battery life!

[Schecter_dude]

Levinson,

I take it you saw it in Sound Control? Yeah, that's where I got mine (I'm from Scotland). And it cost me £649. Trust me, it's worth it.

[Levinson Blade]

Yeah Sound control Manchester, I got the catalogue for Schecter I also like the look of the Scorpion Tribal but the store has not got one to look at and play It's a seven string sub sonic,
I had not been aware of Schecter until recently

[fizz]

i have a BCrich NJ warlock, and i wanna upgrade my pick-ups from stock bcrich pickups to EMG 81 and 85s, i asked the guitar shop And they said that i would not be able to use as much dynamics and that ill have to change the volume tone knobs as was said already, how much would that roughly cost, and what is meant by the dynamics,
cheers.

[Schecter_dude]

off on a tangent... the Tribal's really good. I played that in Sound Control (Dundee) on Saturday... really growly! A sierra hotel guitar!

[ESP_Viper]

Dynamics are changes in volume that comes from your picking style. The tone and volume knobs are included w/ the pickups. So no worries there.

[fizz]

so do you recommend my going for those pickups?
will the strings i use affect the new sound?
any buzzing etc?

[ESP_Viper]

Yeah those pickups will be great. I am not sure what you mean by the strings affecting the new sound... but new strings always make a guitar sound "shiny" and bright. Brand of strings doesn't really matter... just get the gauge you want for the price you are willing to pay. I would change strings every week or even every day if I had a roadie and the money. I also am not sure what you mean by buzzing... fret buzzing? noise buzzing in the pickups? If your guitar is adjusted properly fret buzzing shouldn't be too much of a problem. A little fret buzz is tolerable, it's just when you hear it through your amp is when it's bad. Buzzing in the pickups (noise, hum, etc etc) shouldn't be a problem with EMGs... IF IT IS SHIELDED. I highly recommend you pay a tech to properly shield the guitar, if it isn't already. EMGs are very prone to transmitter and electromagnetic field noise (cell phones, pagers, tvs, amp transformers, florescent lights, computer monitors, etc.) This can be a problem with live shows if someone's on their phone or you're near a cell tower... shielding is a must if noise is a problem for you.

[Schecter_dude]

What I don't like the sound of is the fact that EMGs aren't affected by the guitar's body wood. That's what makes a guitar sound unique- the body wood, combined with the pickups and the strings... and obviously the player :D

[fizz]

so, sorry to carry this on - going off the topic an things..
but how much would EMG 81 + 85's cost, to be fitted with all this shielding?
in £'s if possible?
cheers.

[ESP_Viper]

Hmm, well EMGs are roughly 70 bucks a piece. I am pretty sure they include the jack (it's stereo so when it is plugged in the system is on, when it is unplugged the system is off. It is essentially your on/off switch to save the battery) and the low impedance potentiometers. If not they aren't very expensive to buy.

Shielding, I am not sure what it will cost. If it is a lot, install them and see if you notice excessive noise from appliances 'n' such. I don't know what the exact exchange rate is for dollars to pounds.

[Schecter_dude]

$70 is (at the current exchange rate) £49.10 exactly. If you wanna get the exact exchange rate, go to http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Mike

[fizz]

Thanks a lot guys.
really helped :)
Jus to be an annoyance,
would DiMarzio Van Halens, go with EMG 85s?
What your reckon?:confused:

[ESP_Viper]

Well, I'd go w/ the dimarzios because they are so much less work that needs to go into the guitar's electronics. W/ emgs you have to replace all the electronics in it.