8 String Guitars: Active to Passive conversion Megathread!
- Thread starter teqnick
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- rga8 rg2228 bkp
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Ben.Last
Formerly Lern2Swim
I doubt they could be dismantled without destroying them.
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Crap. Well, does anyone then know where some EMG style covers can be found that would fit such a pair? I've been searching for quite some time now. Would be amazing if some were available in white.
mnemonic
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The 5 string pickup covers fit (I think, check the measurements).
I got a few from the US, but be warned, shipping even within the US is extortionate, costing more than the actual pickup covers. IIRC shipping to Europe was stupid, and not worth it. If you know someone in the US, see if you can have them send you some.
Some modification will be required, the pickup rings are quite deep, so they need to be cut down to the thickness of a normal guitar pickup. A small hacksaw of some kind and a file and/or sandpaper to smooth the edges will work for this.
Also I can confirm you can't re-use the pickup covers on the existing pickups, the pickup is epoxied into the cover, you would end up shredding it trying to get it out.
Coming into this thread sort of late, seems like all the links are broken after the XenForo upgrade. Bummer!
FWIW, figured I'd share this. Lace offers their X-Bars with traditional covers now:
http://www.lacemusic.com/Stealth_8_XRange.php
I emailed Lace about a Deathbar with a cover, and they said it can be special ordered directly from them. And the covers are apparently not removable. Once you get the pickup like that, you're stuck with it.
Considering this style for down the road after I get my new Agile fanned fret 8. Covered 'bars would maintain a bit more of stock look to the guitar since it already has EMG 909s. Can't decide what I want to do about that, but I have time to figure it out. Who knows, maybe I'll actually like the 909s?
FWIW, figured I'd share this. Lace offers their X-Bars with traditional covers now:
http://www.lacemusic.com/Stealth_8_XRange.php
I emailed Lace about a Deathbar with a cover, and they said it can be special ordered directly from them. And the covers are apparently not removable. Once you get the pickup like that, you're stuck with it.
Considering this style for down the road after I get my new Agile fanned fret 8. Covered 'bars would maintain a bit more of stock look to the guitar since it already has EMG 909s. Can't decide what I want to do about that, but I have time to figure it out. Who knows, maybe I'll actually like the 909s?
EverDream
Well-Known Member
@Backsnack If you are going to be getting a guitar that comes with pickups you have never played on before, I would recommend (and always in such a scenario) holding off on buying any replacement pickups until after you've received the guitar and try it out with the pickups that come on it (unless you have some really good reason not to).
Yeah I'm going to give the 909s a good shake before upgrading them. Thanks for the advice.
EverDream
Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm going to give the 909s a good shake before upgrading them. Thanks for the advice.
No problem!
atom\anon
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I just put BKPs in my RG8 and needed something to cover the gap, so I drew up a pair of pickup rings in CAD and 3D printed them - 22 minutes and about 70 cents of material. The mounting holes are sized for #3 screws, but for now I left the pickups direct-mounted and slapped the rings on the body with double-sided tape.
It's not an absolute perfect fit but not bad at all - I might spend some time on the model making it really snug and pretty. If anyone wants the CAD file, just shoot me a PM. I'd also be happy to print and ship these to anyone for just the cost of shipping.
It's not an absolute perfect fit but not bad at all - I might spend some time on the model making it really snug and pretty. If anyone wants the CAD file, just shoot me a PM. I'd also be happy to print and ship these to anyone for just the cost of shipping.
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BetterOffShred
Well-Known Member
I've been enjoying my RG852 for a few months, but I've been planning on getting a X-bar and deathbar combo for it and I had a few questions if anyone has experience.. first do they fit in Ibanez pickup routes? It looks like it and there's a few videos of guitars with them in.. second, does anyone have any "holy balls don't do it!" Advice or otherwise? Everything I have read indicates they are really fantastic for just about everything. I don't play djent much but I do like to have that kind of clarity when necessary, and good clean tone is a must. Anyway thanks for reading
lewis
Well-Known Member
clean tone is where they shine tbh. 100% do coil tapping with them. I would actually advise x2 x bars rather than deathbar bridge. Its awful tbh. too compressed
KnightBrolaire
SSO's unofficial pickup tester
No idea if they fit in your guitar. x-bars are very versatile ime, though a little bit too rounded on the low end for that super stiff meshuggah vibe (at least that's how it was through my strandberg I had em in). Still more than capable of playing pretty much whatever you throw at em.
Some clips I made with the x-bars:
https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/strandberg-os8le-lace-x-bars-demo
The only pickups I've tried with relatively comparable clarity are the elysian modern winds.
BetterOffShred
Well-Known Member
Ok. I had actually heard that too, but I saw that some people liked the deathbar. I've been playing Dimarzios for years and they always sound good to me, the Dimarzios in the 852 aren't particularly amazing though. Thanks for weighing in
Thanks so much dawg! I appreciate your input and I'm definitely going to order some up. Honestly I play fuzz, clean or OD more than metal now, and usually I use my Universe for metal now anyway. I'd really like a pickup that sounds best "clean"
cardinal
Buys guitars, sometimes plays them
Not sure if anyone’s mentioned this elsewhere in the thread, but:
I just replaced some soapbar Blackouts with some BKP in the active housing. I had to use a clamp to squeeze/crush the BKP cover to make it as tight as possible along the sides of the pickups’ baseplates. Otherwise, they were too wide for the pickup routes. And even now it’s an extremely tight fit.
I just replaced some soapbar Blackouts with some BKP in the active housing. I had to use a clamp to squeeze/crush the BKP cover to make it as tight as possible along the sides of the pickups’ baseplates. Otherwise, they were too wide for the pickup routes. And even now it’s an extremely tight fit.
Acaciastrain360
Well-Known Member
Is there any talk in here of swapping out active for passive in agile 8 strings??
Would love some Lundgren to replace my blackouts
Would love some Lundgren to replace my blackouts
Acaciastrain360
Well-Known Member
I’ve noticed Lundgren do the M8C soapbar version, direct 808 replacement... I suppose that’s the same size as Blackout soapy??
Djentlover666
Forever tone questing
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I would like this answered as well. I'm talking to bareknuckle about getting some pickups made to replace my blackouts. I'm waiting on an answer. They needed pics of my guitar, and the dimensions of the blackouts.
cardinal
Buys guitars, sometimes plays them
I've since had EMGs and Fishman Moderns in the guitar, and they all fit easily. It was only the Bareknuckle soap-bar covered set that was very very tight. I'm not sure it matters, but this is a Custom-Built Schecter guitar from several years back, so it's possible that they routed the cavities very tight to the Blackouts because they thought it would look better to completely minimize any gap around the pickup (and they would be correct), but perhaps productions guitars would leave more wiggle room and allow the BKP soap-bars to fit better. I don't know.
