EMG Pickups, Accessories, Wiring, Info and Help thread - post it here!!!

[veggie7sXe]

Do you think EMGs have a really scooped midrange? ive heard a few people make this complaint.

 

[The Reverend]

I think I saw somewhere in the vast interwebs an EMG diagram that sort of gave what each pickup model's preamp was EQ'd to. You may be able to find it with some advanced Googling.

 

[mot666]

would the 18v emg mod in a stock rg2228 have any adverse affect on a vetta2 head?

some people say the mod has hugely increased output others say its less. i dont know how the vetta handles increased input and havent found any info yet...
ta.

 

[Kamikaze7]

would the 18v emg mod in a stock rg2228 have any adverse affect on a vetta2 head?

some people say the mod has hugely increased output others say its less. i dont know how the vetta handles increased input and havent found any info yet...
ta.

From my experiences, I really don't think it makes any difference on a solid state amp like the Vetta... Even though the Vetta is a lot more technical and advanced than your normal solid state amp, I'm not too sure on that. But I do know that you'd notice a bit more of a difference on something like a tube amp in comparison... Then again, there's always one way to find out, right? If you try it, let us know how it works out and what the results yield.

 

[mot666]

works well. damn well i say!

 

[Kamikaze7]

sweet! I'll keep that in mind for trying out with my axes and my Vetta! Thanks!

 

[pearl_07]

I'm planning on 18 volt modding my Hellraiser C-7 soon, but i still want to use the battery clip that's already routed in the guitar which just a "slide" in clip. Is there any schematic that would allow me to use 1 battery in the clip and 1 battery in the cavity?

 

[mot666]

I'm planning on 18 volt modding my Hellraiser C-7 soon, but i still want to use the battery clip that's already routed in the guitar which just a "slide" in clip. Is there any schematic that would allow me to use 1 battery in the clip and 1 battery in the cavity?

'slide in' as in not your normal 9v bat connection? i didnt know there was an alternative.

 

[Kamikaze7]

I'm planning on 18 volt modding my Hellraiser C-7 soon, but i still want to use the battery clip that's already routed in the guitar which just a "slide" in clip. Is there any schematic that would allow me to use 1 battery in the clip and 1 battery in the cavity?

You can use the current battery box with the addition of the 2nd battery for the 18V mod being inside the control cavity. Use the "EMG Power Tips & Tricks" sheet available here. You'll cut the black battery wire inside your control cavity with enough room to be able to re-attach the red wire of the new battery clip. The red wire of the new battery clip will be soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing. Then the black wire from the new battery clip will go to the input jack. The red wire from the original battery compartment/box will go the the pickups like normal.

Always remember to leave enough room on any and all wires your going to work on - never cut them short as it makes it much more difficult to try and work on them. When you have plenty of wire to be able to work with, it will save you time and sanity while you actually do the work on them.

 

[Kamikaze7]

Hey everyone. I just recently acquired a set of the EMG 707TW's of a fellow ss.org member and got them into my Horizon 7. Well I thought I ran into an issue in wiring them up the other day. As most of you are familiar with the ESP LTD H207, it has 1 volume, 1 tone and the 3-way toggle. Well I had wanted this pickup set in this guitar for a while, and had inquired with Rick @ EMG about double-checking the connections to make sure they were correct.

So to make a long story short, it IS possible to have 2 TW series or 89's in a guitar with a single volume and tone and 3-way. I know I'm not the only one out there who wants this or wanted this in thier guitar, but was unsure as to how. It seemed complex and complicated, especially since there is no diagram for it on the diagram sheet that comes with the pickup, or online.

Here's how it's done (keep in mind this is all using the new solderless system...):

-Bridge pickup wires to push/pull pot 1.
-Set small blue jumper/shunt on pin set H5.
-Pickup output for push/pull pot 1 is pin set H4. Plug a 2-pin connector wire to H4 and plug opposite end into switch buss bridge pickup input
-Neck pickup wires to push/pull pot 2.
-Pickup output for push/pull pot 2 is pin set H4. Plug a 2-pin connector wire to H4, and the opposite end into switch buss neck pickup input. (No shunt used on the tone pot!!!)
-Switch buss output to Master Volume Input H1,
-Master Volume Output H2 to Master Tone Input H2,
-Master Tone Output H1 to the input jack.

This set-up was used following the diagram sheet that comes with the TW's and the 89. It's a variation of diagram #10 on the back page.If your gonna try and use the diagram sheet, use diagrams #'s 10, 4 & 6. Diagrams 4 & 6 show you how to set each pot for master volume and tone and also show you which pin sets are input and output...

I have a diagram completed for this set-up and will try and post it here tonite or sometime over the weekend. Thought this would help anybody looking to run dual 89's or dual TW's with a single volume and tone and still have everything work right. So now that all 6 of my guitars are EMG equipped, I am one step closer to being able to die a happy man! And as usual, any questions in regards to EMG stuff, feel free to ask!

 

[BabUShka]

Yesterday I tried to adjust the pickup high of my EMG707 in bridge pos a little bit.. Sounds great! Lowering or setting it higher really makes difference.. It sounds like a completely new pickup. High settings gives a reeeaaaly fat n punchy sound - great for one string action. Lower settings gives a thinner sound, yet still more agressive and tight as hell.

BUT.. Heres my problem.. It seems like my bridge pickup picks up the frequencies of the springs thats beeing used to adjust the pickup.. Anyone had that problem? It results in a slight, yet annoying feedback.. I', 99% sure its the springs causing that.. Bacause the feedback frequence change when I try to adjust the pickup.

Anyone got any smart solutions on how to fix that?

 

[Sephael]

get some polyethylene foam instead of a spring.

 

[BabUShka]

Ahh, sounds logical.. Thanks, I'll try it out

 

[Kamikaze7]

I agree. Try using foam under the pickups to adjust them and remove the springs. Also if it's a trem equipped guitar, try stuffing the entire cavity with cotton balls (under and between all the springs, under the claw, behind the block- side facing the claw, ect.)... I have seen some cases of the tremolo springs making noise and the pickups picking up that noise and feeding back, on both passive and active systems.

So try that and see what happens. Let us know if it does the trick or not.

 

[BabUShka]

I've done that to my trem.. God damn that noise was annoying.. Was like having a constant terrible, uncontrolled reverb all the time.
Ill try to that to the EMGs too. Damn annoying that they would pick up that kinda frequencies.. Ill come with an update later.

 

[Sephael]

personally I love the sound my springs add when they are at the high tensions I keep them at.


Had a broken wire to my pickup switch that was getting annoying so as a quick fix I ripped all my wiring out and did a simple a functional job until I could get new wiring and decide how exactly I want things set up now. While doing this I realized how easy the quick connect system makes adding 18v mod if you use the power split buss they include with the wiring. I like it but need to redial in some tones to truly love it, then will have to decide how I want to hand the limited cavity space I have, not sure what will have to go yet, independent volume/tone controls, pickup selector, pi2 or the 18v. Working on a harness to relocate the batteries to the guitar strap or something to help free up more of that room.

 

[Kamikaze7]

personally I love the sound my springs add when they are at the high tensions I keep them at.


Had a broken wire to my pickup switch that was getting annoying so as a quick fix I ripped all my wiring out and did a simple a functional job until I could get new wiring and decide how exactly I want things set up now. While doing this I realized how easy the quick connect system makes adding 18v mod if you use the power split buss they include with the wiring. I like it but need to redial in some tones to truly love it, then will have to decide how I want to hand the limited cavity space I have, not sure what will have to go yet, independent volume/tone controls, pickup selector, pi2 or the 18v. Working on a harness to relocate the batteries to the guitar strap or something to help free up more of that room.

I'd say get rid of the individual volume & tone or the pickup selector and use one of the concentric pots. The concentric pots can be quite versatile as you know... By setting it as a dual volume, you can take the selector switch out, OR by taking the master volume and tone out, replace it with a concentric with one as volume and the other s tone... But by doing either one it should gain you some room for the 2nd battery.

Also if you've got a dremel, sand out some of the cavity in the areas that can gain you some room... I have done this on many of my guitars and it does help in having that much more room to be able to work with. Hell, on the Horizon after I did it and installed the 707TW's, I had just enough room to get everything in there. I wouldn't have been able to if I didn't.

 

[IntoEternity22]

What is the cleanest way to route the pickup cavities for EMG 707's? I'm putting them in my RG7321 and I don't want to make it look horrible.

 

[Kamikaze7]

What is the cleanest way to route the pickup cavities for EMG 707's? I'm putting them in my RG7321 and I don't want to make it look horrible.

1.) I would first get one of these templates for the routing itself...
Pickup Cavity Routing Templates | eBay
For the $6, it's one of the best things to have if you plan on doing routing jobs yourself. The template you will want is the one for the "EMG 35", because the 707 is the same size as the 35.

2.) In addition to a dremel with the router attachment and router bit -OR- a router with the bit and the template, you will also need 1/2" wood dowels. depending on which ones you get, you may need to sand them smooth if they have grooved edges. Once you sand them smooth, you'll need to insert the dowel into the recessed part of the pickup cavity where the ears of the pickups tend to sit. Once the dowel is in the recess, take a pencil and mark where you'll need to cut the dowel to fill the recessed area. With the dowel piece cut, put a decent amount of wood glue in the recess and place cut dowel piece in the dead center of the recess.

***The reason for the dowel to level the recess is because this is where the 707's are going to screw into and be secured into the body. Without filling that recess, there's no way of mounting the pickup into the body. I do know that some guitars pickup cavities are flat and have no recessed pickup ear spots. If this is the case, just make sure you route deep enough for the pickup to go in yet still be able to be low enough to sit under the strings the right way, flush and level. If you measure the pickup height vs. the cavity depth, you'll know much much more you'll need to route. and always go a little at a time - you can always take more out if you need t, but you can't put more back in if you go too deep...

***Also, another note about routing the cavities for EMG's: before you place and mount the template to route, you'll want to have the sides (length wise...) even with the existing sides of the cavity routes. The EMGs are the same width as normal pickups. So with the sides flush and even with the existing routes, position the template so that the tops and bottoms will cut the ear sides of the template evenly on both top and bottom. For non-Ibanez owners: If your guitar has pickup rings, you may wind up catching the screw holes and leaving a little bit of the hole after you route. This is no big deal as long as the major part of the routing is cut evenly, cleanly and correctly. If your unsure about what I'm talking about, you'll see what I mean as soon as you put the routing template on the body over the existing pickup cavity. I personally will take a ultra-fine point Sharpie and draw the outline of the EMG /inside of the template on the face of the body so you can see where the route will cut the body. You'll wind up cutting just above and below each of the pickup ears route. Again, you'll see as soon as you lay the template on the top of the body and the existing pickup cavity...

3.) For pickup height, I use foam. If you can find a foam that when you squeeze it in and don't stay compressed very easily, is gonna be the kind you'll want to use. You'll want something that will constantly push back to it's initial size and push the pickup up to get the height. EMG's come with the needed screws, so you should be all set there.

4.) After you do the routing, you will want to take the pickup and trying to fit it in the body as a test fit. You will probably have to do a little sanding on the siaes and mainly the corners and the tops and bottoms where the old ears used to be and possibly some on the sides. Again, go slow and evenly, a little at a time. You can always take a little more out if you need to, but you can't add some to it if you go too much...

The key thing to doing the routing, is to go slow and take your time. As long as you place the template in the right spot, your cuts will be pretty clean and should be centered. If your gonna try and do it without the template - which I don't advise doing - then you can always get the EMG 707 pickup rings from Dave @ Frets On The Net to hide the horrendous cuts you made. Even if the cuts came out clean, these pickup rings do make the guitar look kinda sharp and gives these EMG's and the guitar a really unique look.

Good luck!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Is a 707 in the neck and an 81-7 a good combination?