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Author
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Topic: EMG Active pickup and tone controls
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Mike Perlowin
Member From: Los Angeles CA
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posted 04 August 2006 04:06 AM
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I just got an EMG active pickup and tone control system for my Millennium, and I'm totally blown away by it. It is louder, brighter, brassier, and adds an incredable amount of presence to the tone.It's not just a pickup, it's an entire system consisting of a pickup and three tone controls. It requires two 9 volt batteries. I had a box made that clips on the leg of the steel that houses the tone controls and batteriies. I have a short cord from the out[pot of the steel to the inpit of the box, and a small wire dangling from the pickup well to nox to power the pickup. Had I thought of this before the guitar was made, I could have had the line to power the pickup placed inside the guitar, but now it's too late, The guitar cannot be retrofitted, to accomodate this. Ironically, if the guitar didn't have interchangable pickups, it would have been very easy to retrofit it. EMG does not make steel pickups, but as it turns out, their 5 and 6 string bass pickups fit perfectly in 10 and 12 string steels respectively. In addition to the EMG, I also have the stock pickup, (a George L), and a truetone, and they both sound fine, but the EMG, with the active controls, is in another league altogether ------------------
Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it.
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My web site |
Stephen Gambrell
Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA
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posted 04 August 2006 05:54 AM
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So you've had that new MSA for what, a month, and you're changing pickups already? Might I ask where the dissatisfaction lay in the original pickup? |
Darvin Willhoite
Member From: Leander, Tx. USA
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posted 04 August 2006 07:25 AM
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I'm sure Mike will answer your question, but I have a set of Truetones, Lawrence XR16's, and George L's TW pickups for my MSA's. Even though they all sound pretty close, sometimes I'll change them just to get a little different sound. Harmonics sound cleaner with the Truetones, so if I play a song where I use harmonics, I'll pop in the Truetone. The George L's sound a little brighter than the BL's, so on country stuff, I usually use them. It takes about 5 seconds to change them, so I can even do it during a song if I want. ------------------
Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording
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Mike Perlowin
Member From: Los Angeles CA
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posted 04 August 2006 07:46 AM
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Stephen. I have an ative EMG system in ne of my 6 strings, and thought (correctly) that the increasd volume and presence it has would be a good thing for the steel. why do you think I was dissastified wit the stock pickup? ------------------
Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it.
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My web site |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 04 August 2006 08:30 AM
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quote:
It is louder, brighter, brassier, and adds an incredable amount of presence to the tone.
Duh? Yeah, I guess it does!?  (Sigh) |
Pete Burak
Member From: Portland, OR USA
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posted 04 August 2006 09:29 AM
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Mike, Please post a pic when you get a chance.
Curious to see how it all lays out on the steel.
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Stephen Gambrell
Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA
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posted 04 August 2006 09:54 AM
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"why do you think I was dissastified wit the stock pickup?" Uh, because you changed it??? |
Pete Burak
Member From: Portland, OR USA
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posted 04 August 2006 10:43 AM
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As a fellow compulsive experimentor, I think Mike only said what any steel picker who knows what EMG pickups are would say... Hmmm wonder what these would sound like on steel... followed by, hey it worked!... and, It's cool!
Funn Stuff!
It's the Steel Player way, ever since the first tye-dye, uh... I mean "rail-tye", layed across a set of strangs!
Mike, like Jerry Garcia himself, is simply breakin' trail in ways most have never even thought before!
Kudos!
[This message was edited by Pete Burak on 05 August 2006 at 08:41 AM.] |
Mike Perlowin
Member From: Los Angeles CA
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posted 05 August 2006 01:24 PM
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Here are the pictures.This system may look a little funky, but it sounds incredible. On a scale of 1 to 10, with the George l and TT are tied for 9, and this would have to rank about a 75.       
[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 06 August 2006 at 02:52 PM.] |
Mike Perlowin
Member From: Los Angeles CA
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posted 06 August 2006 02:57 PM
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I'm bumping this because I'm so impressed with this system, I want to tell the whole world.I think it has the potential to revolutionize the steel guitar industry. I'll be playing at the Mesa AZ show next January. I expect that a lot of players there will want to install this system in their guitars after they hear how it sounds. ------------------
Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it.
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My web site |
Bob Hoffnar
Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 06 August 2006 04:14 PM
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Mike,
Those pickups have been around for a long time. I remember when they were all the rage with bass players until people found that the main thing about them was that they were louder which only seems better at first. A few guys still use them but the active electronics thing blew over a while back. I'm glad you like them and I look forward to checking them out at some point. In the bass and guitar world most all we have to show for the active electronics thing is thousands of gutted out vintage instruments.------------------
Bob
upcoming gigs
My Website  |
Klaus Caprani
Member From: Copenhagen, Denmark
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posted 08 August 2006 10:38 PM
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Impressive system. Good work  Having said that I must say, that personally my viewpoint towards EMG's constitutes something like the "perceived loudness issue" in the production realm (The CD that play the loudest is perceived as the better sounding CD - Unfortunately the impression wears off quite quickly). Anyway it looks good, and if you like it, use it.
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Klaus Caprani MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com
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John Groover McDuffie
Member From: California, USA
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posted 09 August 2006 10:03 AM
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I see one key benefit of using an active pickup on a PSG - it would be largely immune to tone loss through the volume pedal - and the need for a "matchbox" type is eliminated.(Of course I use passive pu's straight into a passive pedal, so what do I know) 8~) |
basilh
Member From: United Kingdom
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posted 09 August 2006 10:54 AM
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Mike, what PARTICULAR model did you use ?
Basil |
Mike Perlowin
Member From: Los Angeles CA
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posted 09 August 2006 02:13 PM
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Basil, first, I'm using a 6 string bass pickup, which is the perfect size and shape for a 12 strng steel. Likewise, their 5 string bass pickups fit a 10 string. I bought their DC model, because was told that it was very bright sounding and emphasised the highs more, which I felt would be an advantage for the steel. But I subsequently learned that another steel player, Bruce KapHan, also uses an EMG system, and he uses the CS model, which according to the techs at EMG has a warmer sound. At some time in the near future I'll get one of those too, so I'll have 2 different pickups with 2 different sounds. (Having an interchangable pickup system on your guitar is so cool....) ------------------
Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it.
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My web site |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 09 August 2006 02:14 PM
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I had an EMG active pickup on a Sho~Bud LDG guitar many years ago and really liked it. I mounted the battery underneath the guitar. I traded the guitar to Bobbe so don't know what became of it. |
John Walden
Member From: Camarillo, California, USA
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posted 09 August 2006 03:16 PM
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And yet another reason to buy stock in the Duracell Co. I have EMGs in my strat. Love'em !  ------------------
Emmons LeGrande III, D-10
Rains, SD-10
"69 Fender Twin, W/JBLs
Mesa Boogie Mark IV, X2
Peavey 112, X2
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David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
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posted 10 August 2006 03:16 AM
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EMG also makes one called the TW series, which has both a single coil and humbucking pickup in the same housing, with stereo output. If you're not opposed to a little wiring complexity, this could be really useful - use one output for your effects and one straight through, have more tonal variety etc. I'll probably be putting one in soon enough, just to have volume and tone controls right on the steel with no line loading is worth it to me. |
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