EMG Pickup alternatives?

[Indigo]

I am currently using the 81/85 combo in my ibanez s2020. i love the highoutput it gives for my metal tone.. but hate the crap clean tone it provides.... is there a pickup out there that can provide both? ive heard good things about apc pickups, but never tried them.

 

[Edroz]

running EMGs at 18v greatly improves the cleans

 

[Indigo]

how would i go about that?

 

[Edroz]

you basically add another 9 volt battery between the existing battery and the output jack. it's a very simple mod that takes about 10 minutes and will cost you roughly $7 in materials to do. it's also completely reversible too.

this links explains it really well...

http://home.comcast.net/~mgollihur/emgmod.html

 

[budda]

what's your EQ settings for your clean channel, and what amp? im hoping you're using the neck pickup for your clean work?

 

[Indigo]

thanks. ill have to check it out. will this have any affect on the power the piezo gets also? they share the same battery.


im on a a mesa roadster.. yes i do of course use the neck.

[Assuming the knobs go to 10]
Presence: 4.5
Bass:5
Mid:3
Treble: 5
Gain: 5

 

[budda]

try 7-7-7, either way dont cut the mids so much perhaps?

sits better in a band setting when the mids arent cut

 

[Indigo]

i could give it a shot. i dont know.. it just seems like my cleans are completely dead.. unless i turn the piezo on..
i should probably try beefing up the mids in every channel. i have a habit of lowering them.. especially in channel 4.. i use no mids at all. always gave me that low end sound i like.

 

[budda]

scooping the mids is only good for playing by yourself. the second you add another instrument, you will get levelled.

your clean channel shouldnt sound dead.. how old is the battery?

 

[bostjan]

Mids are your friends.

What kinds of pickups do you prefer the sound of/what artists' clean tones do you like?

 

[Indigo]

i am a fan of the emg pickups just because of the metal music i play. id love to get a jazzy allan holdsworth tone. ;] but of course thats far from possible because i dont have the gear or am allan holdsworth. but a john petrucci clean.. with some chorus.. would be nice. just a nice clear glassy clean tone. i will probably have to take some time to get the metal tone with some mids then. as right now i have bass on 6.. treble on 7.. mids on 1.. presence on 5 on my channel 4. 8-|

 

[JJ Rodriguez]

You could try SD Blackouts too.

 

[budda]

you're aware you can get killer metal tone with passives too right?

im pretty sure you could get a pickup that has the high gain metal tone similar to EMG's that you like, and then you could get a great neck pickup for clean.

 

[Indigo]

Recommendations?

 

[budda]

seymour duncan Custom in the bridge, Jazz in the neck.

raise them pickups!

 

[Indigo]

i may try to run the emg's on 18v first. if theres a huge difference.. maybe :/ but thanks for the recommendation

does pickup position from high to low make any difference?

 

[bostjan]

It makes a difference. EMG's should be up pretty high, since the magnets are very weak.

 

[budda]

for passives it does. im pretty sure with EMG's you're supposd to have them as close to the strings as possible.

my les paul drives the clean channel of my jsx, which isnt suppoesd to break up. im pretty sure its a combination of the pickup, the guitar, and the height of the pickup.

 

[Metal Ken]

There's also some EMG's that are more designed for cleaner sounds too. If i recall. Hell, David gilmour uses EMGs.

 

[Xtremevillan]

Wait, they're supposed to be close to the strings?

*gets screwdrivers* My Hellraiser6 's pickups are like the edge of a coin's from their rings!