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



## Acatalepsy

Hi guys,

I'm considering switching the bridge pickup in my ltd sc-607b from a emg81-7 to a 707. Does anyone have any experience with this? My principal criticism of the 81-7 is that is gives too much grind and that obscures the notes a little. I also find it isn't as chunky as I'd like for slow crushing riffs. I play pretty brutal stuff - think Suffocation, Ulcerate, Defeated Sanity, Gorguts, Decapitated etc...

My full rig is:

ltd sc-607b -> ISP Decimator G string (both in front of amp and in effects loop) -> Randall V2 w/ matching randall cab

thanks!


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## eaeolian

Let's use this thread to collect 707/81-7 discussion, since there's lots of posts in individual threads.


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## Emperoff

And why not use is as a discussion for 7-string EMG pickups in general? I mean, when there was only those two pickups would have made clear sense, but now we have the 707TW, the 60-7, and the whole new X-series to talk about and complaininig about their housing size as well 

To the OP, IIRC the Carpenters were all maple (at least the old one), so the 81-7 can be bright as hell on those. I'm happy with the EMG 707 in my maple neckthrough Agile, so If you're looking for mod low-mid chunk, it may be a good option to swap it. Another option would be trying the Blackout neck model on it.

Or if you like passives, there's a site who sells EMG housings for passive pickups for 2$ and apparently they work pretty well.


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## Racerdeth

The 707 is chunkier and a little edgier, I like the 81's aggression and the trebly sheen but the 707 has more of a lower midrange peak (which, IMO with an 81 in the bridge makes it a shoddy neck pickup but with another 707 is fine).


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## Acatalepsy

Thanks guys! My ltd is mahogany, although with actives the wood does not really affect the character of the tone too much, I think. I do need that chunk, so I think I may go for it!

@racerdeth: when you say edgier, do you mean more grind?

edit: also, I see EMG have a 707X out as well. Anyone have any thoughts on them?


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## eaeolian

Emperoff said:


> And why not use is as a discussion for 7-string EMG pickups in general? I mean, when there was only those two pickups would have made clear sense, but now we have the 707TW, the 60-7, and the whole new X-series to talk about and complaininig about their housing size as well



Better?


Oh, and fuck EMG for the oversized housings.


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## Metalus

Acatalepsy said:


> Thanks guys! My ltd is mahogany, although with actives the wood does not really affect the character of the tone too much, I think. I do need that chunk, so I think I may go for it!
> 
> @racerdeth: when you say edgier, do you mean more grind?
> 
> edit: also, I see EMG have a 707X out as well. Anyone have any thoughts on them?



From what ive heard, the 707X is the same thing as the regular 707 if you were to do the 18 volt mod 

Personally, id put a blackout in there


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## Acatalepsy

Cheers Metalus, what is the blackout like?


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## Emperoff

eaeolian said:


> Better?
> 
> 
> Oh, and fuck EMG for the oversized housings.


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## eaeolian

You think we can, you know, stay on the EMG 7 string topic?


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## MorbidTravis

i like my emg 707s in my rc7x. heavy as balls sounds, and nice sound when doing arps too.


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## Acatalepsy

I just snagged a 707 on ebay for £50- pretty good! What do people think of the 18V mod on EMG's?


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## eaeolian

I used it on the 6 string PUs in one guitar I had, and it helped the clean tones a tad, but didn't seem to make a lot of difference when I was playing with distortion. YMMV, though, and it's pretty easy to try...


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## Quick_Safo

I put a set of 707's in my ESP LTD M107 about six months ago. They sound awesome!


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## GoreNotCore

does anyone have 1st hand experience with an emg 60-7? ive heard 60's are badass rythym pickups, but i havent had the chance to hear one yet, and im not gonna order it without hearing it. im looking for a compressed, sharp tone with alot of scoop.


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## cow 7 sig

i swapped the 81-7 and 707 around in my steff7s.i HATE the 81-7.much prefer the 707.
the only exception to that is my viper7.the 81-7 really works well in that axe in the bridge.


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## cow 7 sig

Acatalepsy said:


> I just snagged a 707 on ebay for £50- pretty good! What do people think of the 18V mod on EMG's?


i 18V all my emgs,6 and 7s.i can here the difference in MY sound with MY rig.


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## deathsguitarist

I recently decided to swap out my passive pickups in my Ibanez RG7620 for an EMG 707. I used a hammer and chisel to route out the cavity (yes, possibly the dumbest thing I've done to a guitar yet) But, Im going to be repainting and using it for touring in the future so I'm not concerned about the looks. 

I also had to route the cavity downward a little so I could fit the wiring underneath. 

Ok, so now to my last issue. The input jack. Are the stock jacks on the Ibanez stereo? tip, ring, sleeve? Because the jack that came with the EMG is too big to fit. What should I do about this?


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## Spondus

Yes, the ibanez jack is stereo. Also because it's a barrel jack it's infinitely superior to the one EMG gives you (the signal pin is unlikely to bend)


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## deathsguitarist

Thanks! 

I should have taken some pictures and posted a how to for this thread. Maybe when I route the neck pickup for EMG


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## Acatalepsy

So, I finally got around to swapping out my 81-7 for a 707, and it's pretty much exactly the change in tone I was looking for. The 81-7 just wasn't built for the job, no matter how I EQ'd my amp. Sure, I could just add gain on the amp to make up for the comparatively low output of the pickup, but that just made my tone fuzzy and ill-defined. What I was looking for was more chunk, and the 707 delivered that. There's also a lot less high end rasp to it, which I'm quite happy about. Thanks to everyone for their feedback on this!


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## Key_Maker

Well, i got a couple of EMG-X for my demon (81-7, 60-7) and they fell kinda weird at the begining but you realize that's a completely different beast than the others. More open and bigger tone, less compressed (a lot of headroom) but also less gain, if you like the others, you'll miss the hi-fi high end, but if you like the passive style of sound, you should try'em. Crunchy tone, but without that massive attack that i love from the originals, i like the ultra defined open chords, but sometimes i miss the attack.

I recorded a shitty demo: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1057412/demos/EMGx_mezcla.mp3 (i know, some DFH from hell drums)

cya.


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## sevenstringj

^That actually sounds great! But... no chugging!? 

I'mma have to ask you to redo that with some chuggy/djenty riffs--aka, palm muted power chords and inversions.  Some fast palm muted thrash-type stuff would be great, too. 

I'm putting together a Warmoth 7-string and this is precisely my dilemma: 81-7 + 60-7, or 81-7x + 60-7x. The tone in your clip sounds great, but I wanna hear how it handles djent, too.

I wouldn't care if EMG had a satisfaction guarantee like EVERY OTHER PICKUP MANUFACTURER. Maybe they do, but I sure can't find it anywhere. I called and emailed about it, still waiting to hear back.


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## stevo1

my experiences with the new emg-xs are good ones, but they are different pickups! i mean, they still sound similiar, because i have an 81-7 now in the neck position, with a new 81-7x in the bridge, and i switch them whenever. its easy to do, so i do. yes, they do have slightly less gain, but they also have more clarity, its awesome! but for me ill probably just keep the reg. 81-7 in the bridge perminately. but they are still awesome, definitely a good buy! oh and they work ok for the chugging, but you have to mess with your amp settings and your picking technique.


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## MaxOfMetal

Spondus said:


> Also because it's a barrel jack it's infinitely superior to the one EMG gives you (the signal pin is unlikely to bend)



Not really. 

With open style jacks, when one of the pins wears outward, you can just bend it back, and it'll be good as new. With barrel jacks, your only option is to replace it. 

Look at it this way, the barrel jack will last longer until one of the pins bends out, then you'll need to replace it. An open jack, which _may_ be more susceptible to bending out, can easily be fixed without a replacement. Of course, it'll eventually need replacement.


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## sevenstringj

stevo1 said:


> my experiences with the new emg-xs are good ones, but they are different pickups! i mean, they still sound similiar, because i have an 81-7 now in the neck position, with a new 81-7x in the bridge, and i switch them whenever. its easy to do, so i do. yes, they do have slightly less gain, but they also have more clarity, its awesome! but for me ill probably just keep the reg. 81-7 in the bridge perminately. but they are still awesome, definitely a good buy! oh and they work ok for the chugging, but you have to mess with your amp settings and your picking technique.



Thanks for the input.  Question though...

If you adjust your setup so that either pickup gives the same volume and distortion (or as close as possible), do you notice any more dynamics in response to picking with the new X-series? For example, on most passive pickups, I can go from clean to solid rock crunch (not quite brutal metal chug) just on picking.

Of course, if anyone else can chime in on this question, it'd be just as much appreciated!


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## Leonhart231

Fail post. Sorry.


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## Key_Maker

^Start asking in a non-emg post.

Thanks for the input. Question though...



sevenstringj said:


> If you adjust your setup so that either pickup gives the same volume and distortion (or as close as possible), do you notice any more dynamics in response to picking with the new X-series? For example, on most passive pickups, I can go from clean to solid rock crunch (not quite brutal metal chug) just on picking.
> 
> Of course, if anyone else can chime in on this question, it'd be just as much appreciated!



Yes, they have a little more headroom, but it is an active pickup, i don't really understand why look for something, like pasive dinamic, in a thing design for the ultimate monster chug with a lot of definition.

Also, the obviously sound thinner than a pasive, but they cut through the mix like normals EMG.


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## Leonhart231

Thanks Key Maker. Methinks I clicked the wrong thread. XD


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## Mattayus

GoreNotCore said:


> does anyone have 1st hand experience with an emg 60-7? ive heard 60's are badass rythym pickups, but i havent had the chance to hear one yet, and im not gonna order it without hearing it. im looking for a compressed, sharp tone with alot of scoop.



This is a clip of a 60-7 in the neck position of my M-307, but you still get a rough idea. There's some clean first, then some lead. 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4128689/60-7.mp3

It's a fantastic neck pickup, but i get the impression I wouldn't like it in the bridge.


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## hed5789

hey there which is better 81-7 or 707? as i've a custom viper 407 that needs a new pick up please help cheers


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## Sebastian

hed5789 said:


> hey there which is better 81-7 or 707? as i've a custom viper 407 that needs a new pick up please help cheers



each to their own I guess 

I tried the 81-7 and 707 and I prefer the 707. Better low... and well overall better tone. 
the 81-7 had awful low's - it was so weak.. a joke indeed.


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## eyebanez333

eaeolian said:


> Oh, and fuck EMG for the oversized housings.


 
It makes it a pain to do a clean install 

I like the 81-7 in the bridge and 707 in the neck


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## hed5789

cheers guys will have a blast on both then lol


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## Key_Maker

Ultimate Metal Forum - View Single Post - EMG 81-x and 85-x experiences?

Some DI clips comparison between X series an normal EMG.


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## sevenstringj

^At first I thought, WTF??? But then I realized, those clips are actually cool because you can "reamp" them with your own settings.


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## Acatalepsy

hed5789 said:


> cheers guys will have a blast on both then lol



Don't forget to try the 18V mod on them too  I find the 707 running at 18V is ideal for my purposes


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## Mattayus

hed5789 said:


> hey there which is better 81-7 or 707? as i've a custom viper 407 that needs a new pick up please help cheers



To put it simply; 707 = wet, 81-7 = dry.

707 is really saturated and has an enormous output, and a really unbiased frequency response, hence why some people think it has a better low end. The 81-7 is really crisp, dry, tight and focused, which is why I much prefer it. It's certainly more of a lead player's pickup IMO, or someone who wants a more aggressive attack


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## evil toki

I was thinking about that new ESP LTD MH-417 7 with Blackouts in the bridge, if I got the Phase 2 I could just swap'em like nothing with the quick connects right?


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## Key_Maker

^Just unplug, plug new ones and say good bye to this thread 

Yesterday receive my Parker with 85 in bridge position and a 60A at the neck and i'm in love with the smooth, rounded, mid-richness of the 60A, reminds me a lot the tone and the compression of a nice Paf but with the clarity and definition of EMG. The 60 has a harsh high end imo, this doesn't. is like a 85 with less gain and there's no volume change between the 85 and 60a, very balanced tone also. 

i hope to record something one of this days.


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## Metalguy

Acatalepsy said:


> So, I finally got around to swapping out my 81-7 for a 707, and it's pretty much exactly the change in tone I was looking for. The 81-7 just wasn't built for the job, no matter how I EQ'd my amp. Sure, I could just add gain on the amp to make up for the comparatively low output of the pickup, but that just made my tone fuzzy and ill-defined. What I was looking for was more chunk, and the 707 delivered that. There's also a lot less high end rasp to it, which I'm quite happy about. Thanks to everyone for their feedback on this!



What your hearing is the difference between Alnico magnets (707) and ceramic (81-7). I bought a set of 81/85 for my 6 string Ibanez, and put the 81 in the bridge slot just because everyone else did. I hated it. So I switched the 85 to the bridge and holy shit what a world of difference. 

I just snagged a set of 707's for my S7320, and I cant wait to install them. 

I do have to say EMG going to a solderless system was both a great Idea and a horrible one, in the sense that it makes it difficult to mix and match older EMG stuff.

Im also trying to find a wiring schematic for 81/85, single volume, 3 way blade and an EMG PA-2. Anyone know where to find that? EMG doesnt have it anywhere..


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## nojyeloot

Key_Maker said:


> Well, i got a couple of EMG-X for my demon (81-7, 60-7) and they fell kinda weird at the begining but you realize that's a completely different beast than the others. More open and bigger tone, less compressed (a lot of headroom) but also less gain, if you like the others, you'll miss the hi-fi high end, but if you like the passive style of sound, you should try'em. Crunchy tone, but without that massive attack that i love from the originals, i like the ultra defined open chords, but sometimes i miss the attack.
> 
> I recorded a shitty demo: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1057412/demos/EMGx_mezcla.mp3 (i know, some DFH from hell drums)
> 
> cya.


 
FYI, I have 2 707s in my S. I pulled out the bridge 707 and replaced it with an 81-7X last night. I dare say that my 707 was hotter than the 81-7X. Though the 81-7X had a cool tone to it, I was looking for something more aggressive than the 707, and the 81-7X didn't cut it. In another 7, I have previously had an 81-7/707 setup and liked how the regular 81-7 cut, so, I'll definately be looking to trade this X for a regular one. Pretty big dissapointment.


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## Purelojik

GoreNotCore said:


> does anyone have 1st hand experience with an emg 60-7? ive heard 60's are badass rythym pickups, but i havent had the chance to hear one yet, and im not gonna order it without hearing it. im looking for a compressed, sharp tone with alot of scoop.



The EMG 60x-7 is an amazing pickup..
i just built a seven string with this as the only pickup in the bridge position. Before i thought that it was required to have a bridge and neck but the cost of buying a neck pup was too much and i love the look of a single pickup. Anyhow this pup has a great attack, very similar to the 81 but with a rounder and fuller sound of an 707. i really wish they make a coil tapped version cause man this thing has an awesome response. 

My guitar is Ash and with this pickup on clean you get a really nice sparkling clean. if you really dig into the guitar you can even get that strat/tele twang and spank. 

Under high gain settings this pickup really shines. through a peavey 6505+ combo and also tried on a Line 6 spider III 30 watter, a laney 15watt and a randall 15watt. the guitar pup sounds like a monster through the peavey and the line 6. Its got that thick chug on the low B but doesnt get muddy at all. i tune half standard seven string tuning. 

the problem with EMGS i've had in the past seem to have been resolved with this pup. i owned the 85 and 81 on my other guitars and always had some problem, either the 85 getting too muddy in the bridge or the 81 just not having enough balls. 

In summary i was pleasantly surprised with this pickup choice and i'd use it in another build. if i get around to making a sound clip i'll post it here. 

I hope this was helpful. i know i bought the pickup on a whim because there wasnt enough literature on this model. If there are any questions then feel free to message me.


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## jaredmauck

For me, the Blackouts were the way to go. But then again I'm a midrange guy who doesn't scoop the mids very often. In my last band I had to and the 707's were really good for that, but now I'm back in a rock band and out of the black metal phase. Blackouts Rule! Got mine at guitarpartsdepot.com...


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## alvaro

hi, anyone knows what does "BK" stand for on the new EMG models?

Resultados de bsqueda - pgina 1 - Thomann Cyberstore Español


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## Emperoff

alvaro said:


> hi, anyone knows what does "BK" stand for on the new EMG models?
> 
> Resultados de bsqueda - pgina 1 - Thomann Cyberstore Español



Black?


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## Kamikaze7

Metalguy said:


> What your hearing is the difference between Alnico magnets (707) and ceramic (81-7). I bought a set of 81/85 for my 6 string Ibanez, and put the 81 in the bridge slot just because everyone else did. I hated it. So I switched the 85 to the bridge and holy shit what a world of difference.
> 
> I just snagged a set of 707's for my S7320, and I cant wait to install them.
> 
> I do have to say EMG going to a solderless system was both a great Idea and a horrible one, in the sense that it makes it difficult to mix and match older EMG stuff.
> 
> Im also trying to find a wiring schematic for 81/85, single volume, 3 way blade and an EMG PA-2. Anyone know where to find that? EMG doesnt have it anywhere..



As for your question about the wiring for your EMG's to a single volume, 3-way blade and a PA-2. Are you using the new plug and play wiring or the older solder-style connections?

In the new plug and play stuff, you are gonna take the bridge and neck leads from the switch and connect those to the bus board for each spot. The pickups connect to the designated spot on the board (b & n...), the output cable from the bus will go to the volume input, output from the volume pot (in order on the PA-2 harness, white & black) to the input of the PA-2. The PA-2 output (black & green) will go to the input jack. Picture 1 shows the switch and the buss connections, Picture 2 shows the whole wiring job. I used the connector ends from the connecting wires to splice on to the PA-2 harness, so everything stays easy with the plug and play (Picture 3 - showing input side of PA-2...). If you do this, you'll need to cut the connector wire far back enough to work with, splice and solder both the connector clip and the PA-2 wires together. Be sure to use heat-shrink tubing to cover the solder joints where you splice them together!!! You'll nee to do this for the PA-2 input and output wires from the volume pot and to the input jack. The battery lead can get soldered to the bus board. 

Not to disrespect the post, but I've attached a pic of this with the new wiring system on my "Nemesis". It has the Blackouts Phase 1's, but has the PA-2 and all the new EMG wiring system...

If your using the old style soldered connections, you'll need to solder the braided outer wire to the volume pot casing, then the inner wire to the appropriate spot on the switch. Your volume pot output will go the the PA-2 input, the PA-2 output wires will get connected to the jack. For the INPUT GROUND on the PA-2, solder this wire to the volume pot casing to ground everything off. The battery +'s get connected to each other. If you still need help, send an email to Rick @ EMG, [email protected]. He helped me with a specific wiring job I did on my Carpenter using the 707TW's, 2 mini-toggles for the coil tap and a concenrtic for a dual volume and was a really big help with everything.

Good luck and feel free to email or PM me if you still need more help with it!!!


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## Kamikaze7

And to those of you who have tried the new X series, thanks for your advice and input in advanced! I was considering getting a set of the 707X's for my green Kamikaze, and the 707TW-X's for my Carpenter. But after reading that they are slightly less powerful than the normal 707's, I think I'll just stick with what I've got in them already!!! I had asked James @ EMG about the older DC707 (Dino Cazarez 707's...) and he told me that in his opinion they sound identical to the DC707's in addition to having more headroom and whatnot.

As for further expanding thought on the 81-7 vs. the 707 and the 60-7... The 707 is supposed to be wound , toned and powered more towards the 85- which I would say is about accurate. The 81-7 I was not happy with at all, and had used them in an ESP LTD M307 neck-thru. Despite having supposed to be brighter than the 707, I still found I had a really deep and muddy tone with them. So my thought on the 81-7 is a NO. The 60-7 is supposed to be more vintage and classic sounding than the 85, especially for a neck position because of how warm it's supposed to sound. I have always run the 707's in most of the 7-strings I've had and owned, and will continue to swear and live by the EMG stuff as the day is long. 

And without getting in trouble with the mod's for posting this here, but I give the Blackouts a NEY opinion as well and found them to be really noisy, especially when using things like the PA-2 or SPC/EXG. For passives, I rate the DiMarzio D-Activator 7's & the Tone Zone 7 the best for a really god and versatile passive 7 direct replacement pickup. But so far from MY personal trails and tribulations have proven to me, that EMG's are the way to go - even if you DO have to re-route the body to put them in the guitar. There is NOTHING else like them!!!

Oh and BIG NEWS guys - within the next few months EMG WILL be coming out with a 7-string single coil pickup!!! So far, the only one that's out right now is the prototype that is on the Devin Townsend Sig. Peavey V 7-string. James from EMG has told me that the official EMG 7-string Single Coil will be coming out in the next few months, so to keep an eye out for them!!! Thought everyone reading this would like t know!!!


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## WFD

Metalguy said:


> What your hearing is the difference between Alnico magnets (707) and ceramic (81-7). I bought a set of 81/85 for my 6 string Ibanez, and put the 81 in the bridge slot just because everyone else did. I hated it. So I switched the 85 to the bridge and holy shit what a world of difference.
> 
> I just snagged a set of 707's for my S7320, and I cant wait to install them.
> 
> I do have to say EMG going to a solderless system was both a great Idea and a horrible one, in the sense that it makes it difficult to mix and match older EMG stuff.
> 
> Im also trying to find a wiring schematic for 81/85, single volume, 3 way blade and an EMG PA-2. Anyone know where to find that? EMG doesnt have it anywhere..




Hellow Man
i have a fender , 6 strings with the 81-60 set and a pa-2 but im having problems with the pa 2
first i didnt see a difference between it turned on or off
then, its too much to the point of getting glassy and giving me some annoying feedback.
can you gimme a light on how could be wrong with the pa 2 instalation?
the other question is a request
ill be getting the sameguitar as yours
so i would love to see how the emgs souind in that guitar
do you have some clips?
hails and thanks
JP


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## djpharoah

My buddy tried them through his dual recto and was apparently blown away and said they sounded like better blackouts but not as insanely high output - more passive like. He said they also cleaned up like passives and had amazing cleans, and heavy leads and rhythm.

Anyone else try them/own them?


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## C-PIG

i haven't tried the 7 but ihave 81x's in my 6 and they slay. Thicker, and cleaner than the regular emgs, tell your friend to wire them to 18v the difference is HUGE , much more apparent than the 18v mod on the regurlar emgs.


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## Jontain

Hey guys

Managed to pick up a pair of 707s, going to be installing them soon but as this is my first pup swap I wanna make sure i know whats what when I install them. However I looked on the EMG site which had some useful diagrams but advised to go back to their website for diagrams with more than one pickup, which then seemed to lead to a dead end.

Anyone got any good instructions for this? I have:-

2 x 707 pickup
2 x 25k pots
2 x Pickup cables
1 x 3 way blade switch
1 x 104 .1uf (little green guy, lol)

I know that i need a stereo jack and a 9v battery clip to complete the circuit, but not 100% on the wiring, I can work out using their diagrams, just cant find one with 2 pups in. Their quick connect system looks like a cool idea but seems impossible to find them in a uk shop.


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## Jontain

Think I may have found the answer to my own question :-







Is this the appropriate wiring diagram?


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## djpharoah




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## TXDeathMetal

I haven't tried it, however I do have the 81-7 in my 7321 (what the guy who owned it before me had in along with a 60-7) and I have to say that I'm not too crazy about it and much prefer the regular 81 in my 6'er over it.


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## Rob_NL

Hi Jon! 

Yes, that is the correct wiring diagram. 

Have fun with these pickups .


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## sevenstringj

Uhhh, I believe folks have been reporting on them in the ummm... uhhh... what's it called... you know... that ummm... *EMG 7-string pickup sticky thread at the top*? 

(I sold mine to cyril v. Maybe you can nudge him to chime in. I didn't get to use them because Warmoth fucked up the routing.)


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## djpharoah

Guys I'm really curious about the new X-series as my buddy said they are better for passive players in terms of feel/tone than the blackouts which are way too hot for me.

So I'm thinking of getting a 707TWX-R / 60-7X for the neck and an 81-7X for the bridge. The guitar in question is white/black limba (close enough to mahogany).

How's the 707TW compare to the stock 60-7? I had a 60-7 many moons ago and don't remember it. With the 707TW the idea of having a single coil in the neck excites me especially since you can run it in single coil mode all the time and it's alnico 5 based. Which would make a better neck pup?

I'm pretty sure the 81-7X is the bridge pup for me as I love a pickup with tight and aggressive attack and punch. The 707 I found had too much bass and was too wooly for me in the bridge.

Any advice?

Hit me up with the advice.


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## Kamikaze7

Yes guys, I too would like more input on the X-series EMG 7's as well.. So far I have been hearing a lot of mixed reviews and hearing that they are not as aggressive and more passive - like as compared to the normal ones...

For those that have them - What are they like tone-wise? How much of a difference is there when they are run at an 18V as compared to the std. 9V? Any and as much info as I can get would be appreciated as I am considering the 707X's for one guitar and the 707TW-X's for another and want to see if they will be what I want or just stick with the normal EMG's... Love the EMG tone and sound, but looking for more diversity between the 4 7-s I have now and more distinctive tones all around to have fun with and explore.

Also, will update as soon as I hear the official news of the *official* EMG 7-string single coil release. So far, it's STILL slated to be the pickups that WILL be coming in the new Peavey Devin Townsend Signature V 7, and that the 7-string single coil will be released and unveiled at the NAMM show early next year. Again, will keep everyone updated as soon as I hear the actual news...

Thanks everyone!


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## djpharoah

Just got the 81-7x installed in my Jackson and wow it's fucking amazing. Way better to my passive oriented ears. It's thicker and tighter yet it cleans up like a good passive would with the tone and volume.

Will try to record some stuff with the GSP this weekend.


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## TheDeltaOrionis

Guys I need help, I don't know what to do >_< !!
I have a Schecter Hellraiser C7 and it has two EMGs 707 both in neck in bridge.
Well... I don't like the EMG 707 in the bridge: where's the attack? Where's the chunkyness? Where's the "djentleness" !?! 
I want a defined and tight pickup, with a powerful attack.
I'm familiar with EMGs 81 in 6 strings (I have an Ibanez RGT6EXFX) and I love them, that's the kind of tone I'm looking for: really aggressive, really tight. 
But, from what I read here, many people prefer the EMG 707 to the 81-7! What's wrong with it? Is it really different from an 81 (6 string)? 
I find my EMG 707 really muddy and, moreover, it's really noisy (is that normal?)...
So what do you think about 81-7 in bridge and 707 in neck position compared to 707 and 707? Should I buy an EMG 81-7 or something different for tightness, brightness and attack?

Please help and share your opinions!!


----------



## Racerdeth

MoRioR said:


> Guys I need help, I don't know what to do >_< !!
> I have a Schecter Hellraiser C7 and it has two EMGs 707 both in neck in bridge.
> Well... I don't like the EMG 707 in the bridge: where's the attack? Where's the chunkyness? Where's the "djentleness" !?!
> I want a defined and tight pickup, with a powerful attack.
> I'm familiar with EMGs 81 in 6 strings (I have an Ibanez RGT6EXFX) and I love them, that's the kind of tone I'm looking for: really aggressive, really tight.
> But, from what I read here, many people prefer the EMG 707 to the 81-7! What's wrong with it? Is it really different from an 81 (6 string)?
> I find my EMG 707 really muddy and, moreover, it's really noisy (is that normal?)...
> So what do you think about 81-7 in bridge and 707 in neck position compared to 707 and 707? Should I buy an EMG 81-7 or something different for tightness, brightness and attack?
> 
> Please help and share your opinions!!



Personally I hated the 707 in the neck. It was too full on and overly middy paired with an 81-7 in the bridge (it sounded like a bridge pickup had been put in the neck slot oddly  ), so I swapped them around. Better, but I miss the 81-7 in the bridge now! It's just a matter of time before I get round to actually buying a 60-7 and going for the 81/60 pairing.


----------



## djpharoah

MoRioR said:


> Guys I need help, I don't know what to do >_< !!
> I have a Schecter Hellraiser C7 and it has two EMGs 707 both in neck in bridge.
> Well... I don't like the EMG 707 in the bridge: where's the attack? Where's the chunkyness? Where's the "djentleness" !?!
> I want a defined and tight pickup, with a powerful attack.
> I'm familiar with EMGs 81 in 6 strings (I have an Ibanez RGT6EXFX) and I love them, that's the kind of tone I'm looking for: really aggressive, really tight.
> But, from what I read here, many people prefer the EMG 707 to the 81-7! What's wrong with it? Is it really different from an 81 (6 string)?
> I find my EMG 707 really muddy and, moreover, it's really noisy (is that normal?)...
> So what do you think about 81-7 in bridge and 707 in neck position compared to 707 and 707? Should I buy an EMG 81-7 or something different for tightness, brightness and attack?
> 
> Please help and share your opinions!!



Same sentiment here - the 707 had like zero attack for me and I was always left wanting more aggressive cut and attack. Swapped to an 81-7 and now an 81-7x and voila win. In dark guitars (mahogany based) I'd say an 81-7 is a better bridge pickup than a 707


----------



## JamesM

^In Swamp Ash like my Loomis, the 707 is _marvelous._ That said, Ash is considerably brighter.


----------



## Kamikaze7

DJ, glad to hear that the 81-7X is what you were looking for tone-wise. How is the X series compared to the normal 81-7? And have you tested it with the 18V upgrade yet? I know a few guys have mentioned that they are better than the normal EMG 7's at a regular 9V and am curious to know if that's true, and what the difference between the normal and the X tone-wise and if they'd be worth getting.


----------



## Kamikaze7

The Armada said:


> ^In Swamp Ash like my Loomis, the 707 is _marvelous._ That said, Ash is considerably brighter.



Well that, and the maple fingerboard on that Loomis will have a huge difference as well in getting that tone too! I use the 707's with a rosewood board and basswood bodied guitars and love the sound as well. But it's funny how differnet woods give different tones and sounds.


----------



## TheDeltaOrionis

Kamikaze7 said:


> DJ, glad to hear that the 81-7X is what you were looking for tone-wise. How is the X series compared to the normal 81-7? And have you tested it with the 18V upgrade yet? I know a few guys have mentioned that they are better than the normal EMG 7's at a regular 9V and am curious to know if that's true, and what the difference between the normal and the X tone-wise and if they'd be worth getting.



Yeah, I'm really interested too! 
Which should I go for? 81-7 or 81-7X? That's the question


----------



## djpharoah

Kamikaze7 said:


> DJ, glad to hear that the 81-7X is what you were looking for tone-wise.
> 1) How is the X series compared to the normal 81-7?
> 2) And have you tested it with the 18V upgrade yet? I know a few guys have mentioned that they are better than the normal EMG 7's at a regular 9V and am curious to know if that's true.
> 3) what the difference between the normal and the X tone-wise and if they'd be worth getting.


Here's what I think of the 81-7x with like 8 hours on it through my rig this past week. Still in the honeymoon stage.

1) The 81-7x sounds to my ears and through my rig like a passive with the clarity and thickness of actives. I honestly love the sound so far (honeymoon period). I had passives in my jackson and they sounded nice but they were to thin and didn't sustain long enough for me. One try of the 81-7x through my rig and it was heavy, thick and tight. It wasn't insanely sensitive like blackouts nor was the output over the top. It was hot but less than an 81-7. How much less output - I can't say since I don't have an 81-7 in my possession. 

The cleans are also decent and much better sounding than the 81-7. The new preamp is definitely way better than the old one even with the 18V mod. Different preamp with newer circuitry makes it a different animal tone wise. It's definitely more dynamic with respect to picking and has less of that high pitch cut/attack the stock 81-7 has. So if you like the stock 81-7 and it's insane cut you might find the 81-7X to be somewhat more subdued. I love it since I'm going from passives to actives.

2) Have not done the 18V mod yet as I'm fairly satisfied with the stock sounds... that and I'd have to find/create space in my control cavity for another 9V 

3) See #1.



MoRioR said:


> Yeah, I'm really interested too!
> Which should I go for? 81-7 or 81-7X? That's the question


 Read all the stuff I wrote above 

Hope this helps. I am going to soon get a 707-TW-X-R for the neck and run it as a true single coil all the time for cleans and those single coil leads


----------



## kris_jammage

Hey lads, anybody here have experience with fitting an EMG, preferably a 707, to an Rg1527? I imagin i would have to route out the guitar for it to fit? Would it be much and in what way? Depth, height or width?

Cheers for any info ya's might have!


----------



## JamesM

My buddy, if I remember correctly, only had to rout for width, and pretty minor at that. He just used a dremel and some sandpaper, looked very clean.


----------



## kris_jammage

Cheers mate, i suppose ill have to route it anyway, just kinda wanted to know what to expect!


----------



## TheDeltaOrionis

Guys, I want to swap my EMG707 in the bridge position in my Schecter Hellraiser C7 with a better pickup with more attack, brightness, clarity and "djentyness"  (I don't really like the EMG707 in bridge position, mahogany + EMG 707 =  muddy and "bassy" as hell)
But I don't know which pickup I should choose!!
EMG 81-7 or Seymour Duncan Blackout Phase II? 
Which is better in your opinion and why? 
They both seem really good... 
And what about two Blackouts Phase II for both bridge and neck? I can put it also in neck position or it's a pickup specifically designed for the bridge? Or maybe there are two different versions for neck and bridge?

Please help!!


----------



## djpharoah

I'd say the 81-7 is a better bridge pickup than the BO bridge. The BO bridge is too hot for me and not very tight or aggressive enough attack. It gets it's attack from just being too hot and not from how it's eq'd imo. The 81-7 is a great pickup in mahogany since it's eq is designed to cut and be aggressive. In mahogany I'd probably go EMG 81-7.


----------



## Krankguitarist

It's all going to be subjective, of course...

Though I think either would be an improvement in the bridge over the 707. I never liked that pickup very much.

I'm partial to the blackout bridge, but if I ever had an axe with an 81-7 in the bridge I wouldn't swap it out.

I wouldn't recommend putting the blackout bridge in the neck though. It's just too damn hot.


----------



## TheDeltaOrionis

Sadly there aren't many videos or audio clip that shows the sound of the EMG 81-7 
But there's a *great* clip of Dino Cazares playing a Seymour Duncan Blackout Phase II in the bridge, that's why I don't know which is better actually...
From this video the Seymour Duncan doesn't seem hot like you said, but really tight, bright and with a great attack:



I can't find any video about the EMG 81-7, but I know that the good thing about Blackouts is that they have a great hum reduction compared to EMGs .
But that doesn't really matter actually... I previously said what I'm looking for: razor sharp attack, clarity and djentyness  Hum is a minor problem (that can be avoided with Noise Reduction pedals like the ISP Decimator or Boss NS-2)

So, do you guys have more opinions and experiences about the EMG 81-7 compared to Blackouts? Or maybe are there some audio clips of this pickup I can listen to? Some guys complained EMGs saying that the 81-7 is too "thin", like this review: Review: Blackout Phase II 7-String Set - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums
The problem is that I have no idea of how the EMG 81-7 sounds, while, from Dino Cazare's video, I can say that the tone of Blackouts is pretty good.
I have like 20 days to replace that fu**in' 707 in the bridge, because I have a gig on november 20th at my school and I want to blow away all the other bands ahaha


----------



## Azwethinkwedo

hey, this is my first post on the forums.. But here's something i'm very excited about, if it hasn't yet been brought up.

EMG User Forum &bull; View topic - White 7-string pickups?

White 7 string pickups!

If they do a white 707 I'm totally gunna put some of them on the rga7 I'm saving for. Black guitar w/ white binding + white pickups = sex.


----------



## Netherhound

O for the love of god, let this happen.

Even better, give some of the other 7 seven string pickups (81-7, 707tw, "the x series" etc.) the option as well.

Unless they want to go all out like DiMarzio and start moving away from the "monochrome" motif


----------



## Kamikaze7

MoRioR said:


> Sadly there aren't many videos or audio clip that shows the sound of the EMG 81-7
> But there's a *great* clip of Dino Cazares playing a Seymour Duncan Blackout Phase II in the bridge, that's why I don't know which is better actually...
> From this video the Seymour Duncan doesn't seem hot like you said, but really tight, bright and with a great attack:
> 
> 
> 
> I can't find any video about the EMG 81-7, but I know that the good thing about Blackouts is that they have a great hum reduction compared to EMGs .
> But that doesn't really matter actually... I previously said what I'm looking for: razor sharp attack, clarity and djentyness  Hum is a minor problem (that can be avoided with Noise Reduction pedals like the ISP Decimator or Boss NS-2)
> 
> So, do you guys have more opinions and experiences about the EMG 81-7 compared to Blackouts? Or maybe are there some audio clips of this pickup I can listen to? Some guys complained EMGs saying that the 81-7 is too "thin", like this review: Review: Blackout Phase II 7-String Set - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums
> The problem is that I have no idea of how the EMG 81-7 sounds, while, from Dino Cazare's video, I can say that the tone of Blackouts is pretty good.
> I have like 20 days to replace that fu**in' 707 in the bridge, because I have a gig on november 20th at my school and I want to blow away all the other bands ahaha




One thing to keep in mind is that Dino is running from his Ibby's to a Line 6 Vetta 2 head... I asked him personally when I saw FF in Worcester Ma. You can actually see the Vetta 2 in the back.



Netherhound said:


> O for the love of god, let this happen.
> 
> Even better, give some of the other 7 seven string pickups (81-7, 707tw, "the x series" etc.) the option as well.
> 
> Unless they want to go all out like DiMarzio and start moving away from the "monochrome" motif



I agree... EMG does need to offer other colored housings for thier 7-string pickups besides black... I would definitely put a set of the white 707TW's in my Carpenter!!!  

And it'd also be cool if they did them in the chrome and gold like they are the 6's... Guess we just have to keep waiting and hoping that one of these days it'll finally happen. Hell, it only took them over a decade to finally come up with a 7-string single coil other than the TW's... Still anxiously awaiting news about it, as I'm planning on being one of the first to have one.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

I'm trying to look at my options for switching pickups, and EMGs are some of what I'm considering. If I do get them, what do you think would be a good combination? Would 707TW in the bridge and 707TWX in the neck be a good combo?


----------



## Kamikaze7

dragonblade629 said:


> I'm trying to look at my options for switching pickups, and EMGs are some of what I'm considering. If I do get them, what do you think would be a good combination? Would 707TW in the bridge and 707TWX in the neck be a good combo?



The answer to your question would be yes. I have a 707Tw's in my ESP Stephen Carpenter and have a really cool wiring configuration done with it. Instead of having the push/pulls pots that come with the pickups for the coil-tap, I used a mini 2-way toggle switch (DPDT) for each one. Using these with the 3-way blade selector is currently giving me 8 different configurations to play with. The set-up is as follows:

-Bridge/Both/Neck in Humbucker mode
-Bridge/Both/Neck in Single Coil mode
-Bridge as single coil & Neck as Humbucker
-Bridge as Humbucker & Neck as Single Coil

Also on my Carpenter, I am using an EMG Concentric pot for a dual volume. The top knob is for neck volume and the bottom knob is for bridge volume. Granted, you can set it up the other way, OR set it so that one is volume and the other is tone...

So I think that if you went with the 707TW & 707TWX combo, you'd be really pleased with the amount of tonal possibilities you'll be able to have. Good luck and let us know what you think!


----------



## tacotiklah

Hey I have a question. Not a 7 stringer, but I have a Jackson that has stock passive HZs in and I have to say that I absolutely LOATHE the sound of. Way too muddy and flabby for my tastes. (I have to max out the treble of my B-52 LS-100 to get a decent tone)

I wanna know if possible, if I can throw at least an 81x in there. But I'm not sure where to put the battery, and/or how to install them. Any advice for me?


----------



## Kamikaze7

ghstofperdition said:


> Hey I have a question. Not a 7 stringer, but I have a Jackson that has stock passive HZs in and I have to say that I absolutely LOATHE the sound of. Way too muddy and flabby for my tastes. (I have to max out the treble of my B-52 LS-100 to get a decent tone)
> 
> I wanna know if possible, if I can throw at least an 81x in there. But I'm not sure where to put the battery, and/or how to install them. Any advice for me?



I agree with you and how the HZ's are absolutely horrific sounding. I have yet to experience the X-series myself but can say that even a normal 81 would do wonders for your tone. Normally, there's enough room to be able to put a battery in the control cavity once all the controls and everything's in. But it does matter what you have for a control set-up as well... Iwill send you a PM and will try to help you best I can.


----------



## djpharoah

I'm working on clips for the 707TW-X and 81-7x. I hope to also do them in HD Video so that it's a better experience than just listening to clips


----------



## djpharoah

Here's a very rough track that I just put together featuring the 707TW-X-R neck pickup in single coil mode both on the cleans and leads. Excuse my shitty phrasing in some parts - haven't really played in a while 

djpharoah - Light Lead - EMG SA7 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## Randy

Thanks for the GAS, damn you.


----------



## OBSERVER

MoRioR said:


> Sadly there aren't many videos or audio clip that shows the sound of the EMG 81-7
> But there's a *great* clip of Dino Cazares playing a Seymour Duncan Blackout Phase II in the bridge, that's why I don't know which is better actually...
> From this video the Seymour Duncan doesn't seem hot like you said, but really tight, bright and with a great attack:
> 
> 
> 
> I can't find any video about the EMG 81-7, but I know that the good thing about Blackouts is that they have a great hum reduction compared to EMGs .
> But that doesn't really matter actually... I previously said what I'm looking for: razor sharp attack, clarity and djentyness  Hum is a minor problem (that can be avoided with Noise Reduction pedals like the ISP Decimator or Boss NS-2)
> 
> So, do you guys have more opinions and experiences about the EMG 81-7 compared to Blackouts? Or maybe are there some audio clips of this pickup I can listen to? Some guys complained EMGs saying that the 81-7 is too "thin", like this review: Review: Blackout Phase II 7-String Set - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums
> The problem is that I have no idea of how the EMG 81-7 sounds, while, from Dino Cazare's video, I can say that the tone of Blackouts is pretty good.
> I have like 20 days to replace that fu**in' 707 in the bridge, because I have a gig on november 20th at my school and I want to blow away all the other bands ahaha




Dino still uses a tubescreamer for tightening up removing a little bottom end. The pedal does these things automatically.

If your guitar is mahogany definitely go with an 81-7.
707 and Blackouts are too brown sounding for me.


----------



## The Necrotizer

I looking to maybe switch out one of my 81-7's in my ESP 607B (mahog. body) for a 707, I run the axe through a bugera 6262 with randall 2 X 12" cab. Currently the 81-7 in the bridge is a bit lacking in bottom end and also the guitars sound through the bugera is too bright. So i figured that I would leave the 81-7 in the middle position, so i can still get killer attack and produce those real smooth Vai-esque legato overkill lead tones, and then put a 707 in the bridge to get improved bass response and clarity for nice and brutal rhythm sections. I mainly play death metal, so I want a devastating think chunky tone that makes your balls bounce around whenever I unleash a chug fest, but i don't want it too bright, which it currently it is. 
Is there anything flawed with this logic? Ive seen real mixed opinions about which positions 81-7's and 707's work best in.
Also, can anyone shed a bit of light on what to expect sonically if i do the 18v mod on my 607B ? If it's not to my liking is it easily undo able?


----------



## OBSERVER

The 707 will _not_ add clarity. It sounds like what you need is a graphic eq in the effects loop. This is the best place to add desirable bass to your tone, and you can also change the amp's brightness to your liking.


----------



## The Necrotizer

OBSERVER said:


> The 707 will _not_ add clarity. It sounds like what you need is a graphic eq in the effects loop. This is the best place to add desirable bass to your tone, and you can also change the amp's brightness to your liking.



You mean like a full on xx-band rack eq? or can I get away with a pedal unit like the boss EQ-7 etc ? I'm going to get the amp re-tubed and biased asap as well to see if that effects the brightness.


----------



## OBSERVER

Either rack (15-band would be great), or something like an MXR 10-band pedal. That is what you want in an effects loop.

The boss is best going into an amp input.




This is what I'll be getting. Dual channel for both of my amps.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-341-Dual-Channel-15Band-Equalizer?sku=180587


----------



## aerhjaerj

Hi guys

So, I bought emg 707 and 817 pickups for my guitar but realized that they don't work with a 5 way switch. So I have a spare 3 way switch ( which looks almost like this http://site.guitarfetish.com/F24.jpg ) but can't figure out how to wire it. 
Of course I have the emg wiring diagram but I just don't get this switch part. 

Is it even possible with this type of switch? Should I buy a new switch?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. 
And yes, it's my first time, never changed pickups before. ( Or posted here, been lurking for a while )


----------



## SJT2

I'm looking to install an EMG 81-7/707 setup in my Ibanez S7320 but I can't find any pics of the routing needed. Can someone help me out? I was also wondering if the control cavity needs routed for the batteries to fit (I would like to 18v. mod them). Thanks.


----------



## SJT2

aerhjaerj said:


> Hi guys
> 
> So, I bought emg 707 and 817 pickups for my guitar but realized that they don't work with a 5 way switch. So I have a spare 3 way switch ( which looks almost like this http://site.guitarfetish.com/F24.jpg ) but can't figure out how to wire it.
> Of course I have the emg wiring diagram but I just don't get this switch part.
> 
> Is it even possible with this type of switch? Should I buy a new switch?
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> And yes, it's my first time, never changed pickups before. ( Or posted here, been lurking for a while )


 Run a simple 3 way switch and refer to the wiring diagram for the switch. You just hook them up to the switch like a pair of normal humbuckers. I used the DiMarzio 3 way switch in all of my guitars with EMG's and they all work perfect with no noise. PM me if you need any more info. I can take pics of my wiring if you really need it.


----------



## aerhjaerj

SJT2 said:


> Run a simple 3 way switch and refer to the wiring diagram for the switch. You just hook them up to the switch like a pair of normal humbuckers. I used the DiMarzio 3 way switch in all of my guitars with EMG's and they all work perfect with no noise. PM me if you need any more info. I can take pics of my wiring if you really need it.



The diagram shows a completely different switch. Or I just don't get it. 
But basically I could use my other guitar with a pair of humbuckers and a 3 way switch as an example?


----------



## The Necrotizer

OBSERVER said:


> Either rack (15-band would be great), or something like an MXR 10-band pedal. That is what you want in an effects loop.
> 
> The boss is best going into an amp input.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is what I'll be getting. Dual channel for both of my amps.
> 
> Buy ART 341 Dual Channel 15-Band Equalizer | Equalizers | Musician's Friend



Thanks dude, with have look into it a bit more, I played both a boss 7 band and mxr 10 band pedal straight into a marshall yesterday, both gave great control over the scope of my tone, will have to compare this to running a rack in the loop. I figure as I found my tone too bright on both my clean and lead channels on my bugera, i would probably benefit more from having an pedal EQ before my amp input rather than in the loop ? does that logic hold? are there major sonic difference in running an EQ before the amp versus in a loop?


----------



## OBSERVER

The Necrotizer said:


> are there major sonic difference in running an EQ before the amp versus in a loop?


Yeah, the difference is big. Running an EQ in the loop is much more powerful.

Also, there are things that work in the loop that wouldn't work in front of the amp at all. 
It's too easy to make your tone muddy or harsh if you're adding frequencies in front of the amp. 

Removing highs or lows, or boosting mids or gain works well at the input. This is a good place to 
remove ice-picky tones that originate at the pickups. That may be enough for your situation.

In the loop, the possibilities are unlimited, yet different.
Here you can boost or cut any frequency with pleasing results. You can really dial in your low-end 
to make it tight and big. This also allows you to turn down the Bass tone control lower on your amp 
to remove any muddiness at the preamp section. This is the place to bring in the clarity. This is 
where you make your tone focused and stand out in the mix. An EQ here is a tone monster.


----------



## BrainArt

aerhjaerj said:


> The diagram shows a completely different switch. Or I just don't get it.
> But basically I could use my other guitar with a pair of humbuckers and a 3 way switch as an example?



Are you using the solderless diagram, or the hardwired diagram?

If the former, you'll need to purchase a new switch from EMG. If the latter, I would still suggest buying a new switch, just to be safe.


----------



## Treeunit212

OBSERVER said:


> The 707 will _not_ add clarity. It sounds like what you need is a graphic eq in the effects loop. This is the best place to add desirable bass to your tone, and you can also change the amp's brightness to your liking.



That's exactly what I use my MXR 10 band for. Works great.

Anyways, the 707's in my Hellraiser are unbelievable. My tone has become so much warmer, and I don't need near as much gain as I do with passive pickups (dialed it back to six, which completes my JFAC 666 EQ structure). 

Also, white pickups on a white guitar?


----------



## aerhjaerj

BrainArt said:


> Are you using the solderless diagram, or the hardwired diagram?
> 
> If the former, you'll need to purchase a new switch from EMG. If the latter, I would still suggest buying a new switch, just to be safe.



I ended up using my other guitar as an example and got it working without problems. Sounds is better than I excepted and I learned something about soldering and changing pickups in general.

Thank you everyone for your advices.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Hello all, and Merry Christmas. Hope everyone is having or had a good holiday this year. I know santa was good to me this year - I got my 8-string (back), got a new Dremel w/ the router attachment, an accessory kit, router bit (for doing the EMG installs!!!) and a small set of drill bits. Plus clothes and other cool stuff... and now on to the EMG question I have...

I just recently installed a 9 - 18V system on the 8-string. The question I have is for anyone currently using & running the 18V system on their guitars. When using the 18V system, is it normal for one of the batteries to get really warm??? I am familiar with electronics and basic electrical knowledge, and know that if you cross polarity (positive of one to the negative of the other...) across the two power sources, one of them will get warm... But is it normal for one of them to get and stay warm when using a constant 18V system? And I have the second battery inside the control cavity, wrapped with electrical tape now - with that battery getting warm like that, is there anything I should do as far as keeping the heat isolated to the battery and NOT melting the insulation of other wires in the cavity??? 

Anyone using the 18V systems please comment on this, as it's got me a little concerned.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Hey guys, 

I have the OFFICIAL news from Jim @ EMG. There is now an ACTUAL 7-string SINGLE COIL from EMG!!! 

Here is what Jim had to say about it: "SA-7 -- It's available for order. Same specs as our standard SA singlecoil, now in a seven string housing!" - James Kearney, EMG Sales
PRICING:
Reatil: $129.99
MAP (street price): $89.99!!!

I don't know about you guys, but I am eccentric about this, and now can have my long-awaited SRC 2000 7-string Replica!!! And also, no more having to route a humbucker spot for a 707TW for that single coil tone! 

I'll be ordering one in the next few weeks and will let everyone know updates as they happen!!!


----------



## Emperoff

Kamikaze7 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I have the OFFICIAL news from Jim @ EMG. There is now an ACTUAL 7-string SINGLE COIL from EMG!!!
> 
> Here is what Jim had to say about it: "SA-7 -- It's available for order. Same specs as our standard SA singlecoil, now in a seven string housing!" - James Kearney, EMG Sales
> PRICING:
> Reatil: $129.99
> MAP (street price): $89.99!!!
> 
> I don't know about you guys, but I am eccentric about this, and now can have my long-awaited SRC 2000 7-string Replica!!! And also, no more having to route a humbucker spot for a 707TW for that single coil tone!
> 
> I'll be ordering one in the next few weeks and will let everyone know updates as they happen!!!



Will they be stupidly oversized as their 7 string humbuckers as well?


----------



## Kamikaze7

Emperoff said:


> Will they be stupidly oversized as their 7 string humbuckers as well?



No! If you have seen the Peavey Devin Townsend Signature model 7-string, then you'll know exactly what it's going to be like. This is an actual 7-string single coil in a normal single coil housing - just a tad bigger width-wise for the 7-string. Will be placing my order this week for it as soon as I get my paycheck!!!


----------



## rob_707

hears a question guys, if you have a guitar thats routed out for a emg 707, will a regular pickup say a dimarzio or even a seymore fit the same screw spaceings>?? im just curious cause im thinking of gettin a guitar that has emgs in it but i dont want to keep the emgs.


----------



## Kamikaze7

rob_707 said:


> hears a question guys, if you have a guitar thats routed out for a emg 707, will a regular pickup say a dimarzio or even a seymore fit the same screw spaceings>?? im just curious cause im thinking of gettin a guitar that has emgs in it but i dont want to keep the emgs.



Yes it is possible to do, but you'll more than likely need to drill the spot where the screws go into the body deeper in order to accomodate the ears on the pickups (mounting tabs) and also to allow for the height adjustment screws to not dig into the wood.

You may also need a set of pickup rings to adapt the normal pickups to the EMG routing... For this, I recommend visiting this site:

Frets On The Net 

He's got the rings and all kinds of other cool stuff to do the swap your looking to do. In fact, I believe the page your gonna wanna see is here:

Pickup Rings

I'd research a little more on doing this, but I'm pretty sure you'll need to do the above mentioned in order to do it. And Dave at Frets On The Net is really reasonable with his prices too, so it'd be well worth getting what you'll need from him parts-wise.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.


----------



## heilarkyguitar

anyone used the 81-7 i n neck i got the 707 there just seems like to much bass for lead. its a ltd h307 mahgony body


----------



## Kamikaze7

heilarkyguitar said:


> anyone used the 81-7 i n neck i got the 707 there just seems like to much bass for lead. its a ltd h307 mahgony body



You might wanna consider the 81-7 just because... Being a mahogany body AND a neck-thru, it's easy to see why your finding the 707 to be too warm and bassy for your liking. I think the 81-7 should be the answer as it's a little brighter tone-wise.


----------



## rob_707

Kamikaze7 said:


> Yes it is possible to do, but you'll more than likely need to drill the spot where the screws go into the body deeper in order to accomodate the ears on the pickups (mounting tabs) and also to allow for the height adjustment screws to not dig into the wood.
> 
> You may also need a set of pickup rings to adapt the normal pickups to the EMG routing... For this, I recommend visiting this site:
> 
> Frets On The Net
> 
> He's got the rings and all kinds of other cool stuff to do the swap your looking to do. In fact, I believe the page your gonna wanna see is here:
> 
> Pickup Rings
> 
> I'd research a little more on doing this, but I'm pretty sure you'll need to do the above mentioned in order to do it. And Dave at Frets On The Net is really reasonable with his prices too, so it'd be well worth getting what you'll need from him parts-wise.
> 
> Good luck and let us know how you make out.


sweet man thanks alot, im gonna probly use this for sure, i will also put a review up of the guitar when i get it, its the new cort 7 string!


----------



## heilarkyguitar

yeah really the 707 in the bridge is brutal but got to roll back the gain or not then is pure death metal imo


----------



## DropTheSun

i have a question about EMG PA-2 Boostswitch. 

I'm going to put it in my Rg7321, when i get my new Bare knuckle PU's. So theres going to be lot of soldering when that day comes.  But my problem is, that i can't find PA-2 Wiring Diagram for passive pickups.

Can anyone help me, how should i solder this thing in my Iba? My guitar specs are:
- 1 volume
- PA-2 boostswitch
- 2 Humbuckers
- 3-way PU-switch (fender style)


----------



## Kamikaze7

kake said:


> i have a question about EMG PA-2 Boostswitch.
> 
> I'm going to put it in my Rg7321, when i get my new Bare knuckle PU's. So theres going to be lot of soldering when that day comes.  But my problem is, that i can't find PA-2 Wiring Diagram for passive pickups.
> 
> Can anyone help me, how should i solder this thing in my Iba? My guitar specs are:
> - 1 volume
> - PA-2 boostswitch
> - 2 Humbuckers
> - 3-way PU-switch (fender style)



it'll go like this in the signal chain:
Pickups - Switch - Volume pot - PA-2 - Input jack

You can also follow this diagram - http://www.emgpickups.com/content/wiringdiagrams/EMG-PA-2_r0230-0016D.pdf. Follow Diagram #1, just bypassing the tone pot. The connections to the switch from the pickups will be the same, and the output wire from the switch to the volume will be the same as you currently have it. Your output wire from the volume to the tone will now be the input to the PA-2. 

Hope this helps...


----------



## Lives Once Abstract

I have an 81-7 bridge, and a 707 x for neck, best combo for seven string ever. :]

On my 8 i have two 808 x's (same thing as a 707 x, but an 8 string) and it sounds absolutely perfect.


----------



## DropTheSun

Kamikaze7 said:


> it'll go like this in the signal chain:
> Pickups - Switch - Volume pot - PA-2 - Input jack
> 
> You can also follow this diagram - http://www.emgpickups.com/content/wiringdiagrams/EMG-PA-2_r0230-0016D.pdf. Follow Diagram #1, just bypassing the tone pot. The connections to the switch from the pickups will be the same, and the output wire from the switch to the volume will be the same as you currently have it. Your output wire from the volume to the tone will now be the input to the PA-2.
> 
> Hope this helps...



Thanks! 
I thought it would go like that, so I already soldered all the wires as you said. But haven't tested it yet (I'm waiting my new pu's to arrive) . Good to know that it's done right.


----------



## Kamikaze7

kake said:


> Thanks!
> I thought it would go like that, so I already soldered all the wires as you said. But haven't tested it yet. Good to know that it's done right.



No problem!!! Good luck and keeping fingers crossed for ya! You shouldn't have any issues with it.


----------



## flv75

Hi guys , I'm reading your impressions about the EMG 707 and I see that your experience with this pups is good ... 
For me is really different , I have a Schecter Loomis with 707 on both bridge and neck ,I've no problem with their sound (maybe clean tones are not so good ...), the thing that I don't understant is the incredible squealing at medium high volume in every position of the picks : I have a 6505 but it's not a gain problem (generally 4,5 for me) ... When I open the volume pot without playing there is a massive feddback/squeal that I can stop only with a noise suppressor ... I've played with a Jackson 7 with a 707 and the problema is the same ... i've played with and old Ibanez modded with a 707 and the shit was the same ... What is you experience with the EMG 707 ? Some guys say that the pups are really quite , other have my problem ... and you ?

ps:sorry for my repulsive english


----------



## Kamikaze7

flv75 said:


> Hi guys , I'm reading your impressions about the EMG 707 and I see that your experience with this pups is good ...
> For me is really different , I have a Schecter Loomis with 707 on both bridge and neck ,I've no problem with their sound (maybe clean tones are not so good ...), the thing that I don't understant is the incredible squealing at medium high volume in every position of the picks : I have a 6505 but it's not a gain problem (generally 4,5 for me) ... When I open the volume pot without playing there is a massive feddback/squeal that I can stop only with a noise suppressor ... I've played with a Jackson 7 with a 707 and the problema is the same ... i've played with and old Ibanez modded with a 707 and the shit was the same ... What is you experience with the EMG 707 ? Some guys say that the pups are really quite , other have my problem ... and you ?
> 
> ps:sorry for my repulsive english



In response to this, it could be likely that the pickups are microphonic, causing all the excess noise your experiencing and describing. Though an issue of a pickup being microphonic is usually found on passive pickups, it can, does and has happened to EMG/active pickups as well.

I experienced this same issue on one of my guitars, but I only noticed it being really bad once I had the EMG SPC and EXG controls put in it. I kept the pickups and wound up using them in another guitar, and they sound fine on thier own... My experiences with the 707's is a good one, and I have sets of them in several of my guitars.

Do you get the same noise when using another guitar - say another 7 w/o EMG's, with say DiMarzio's or Duncan's? Or like a 6-string with anything in it for pickups? Reason I ask is it may also be a wiring, cord, voltage or electrical issue somewhere other than the guitar. It's something else to try and pin-point to see if it IS the pickups or something else causing the noise. I'd also check all the connections in the guitar's control cavity as well, as it might be in there if not the amp or anything else... 

Just a few ideas to start with and look at. Hope this helps and good luck!


----------



## Schmeer

flv75 said:


> Hi guys , I'm reading your impressions about the EMG 707 and I see that your experience with this pups is good ...
> For me is really different , I have a Schecter Loomis with 707 on both bridge and neck ,I've no problem with their sound (maybe clean tones are not so good ...), the thing that I don't understant is the incredible squealing at medium high volume in every position of the picks : I have a 6505 but it's not a gain problem (generally 4,5 for me) ... When I open the volume pot without playing there is a massive feddback/squeal that I can stop only with a noise suppressor ... I've played with a Jackson 7 with a 707 and the problema is the same ... i've played with and old Ibanez modded with a 707 and the shit was the same ... What is you experience with the EMG 707 ? Some guys say that the pups are really quite , other have my problem ... and you ?
> 
> ps:sorry for my repulsive english



You don't have to use a ton of gain for a pickup to feedback. I usually play with the gain set about half way up, and all of my guitars will feed back if the volume on the amp is loud enough.
If you experience squealing when you turn up the guitars volume (while not playing), I'd say that's pretty normal. On the other hand, if it continues to squeal while you are playing there's probably something wrong.


----------



## flv75

Thank you very much guys !
In my experience I can say that this is a controversial aspect of the EMG , 
people has different opinion about the squeal problem of this pups ... 
I've controlled the cablation of my Loomis many times , all is ok : generally 
I don't use a tons of gain for my distortion cause I love a tight sound for
the best definition of my playing style . The thing I would to understand is 
only one : in a live situation with a high volume and a ponderate amount of 
gain , what is the general working of the EMG 707 ? Are Them silent like a 
tomb or the bastards squeal like a pig ? I'm talking about when you stop to play , when the volume is open without playing ...
Cheers !


----------



## heilarkyguitar

flv75 said:


> Thank you very much guys !
> In my experience I can say that this is a controversial aspect of the EMG ,
> people has different opinion about the squeal problem of this pups ...
> I've controlled the cablation of my Loomis many times , all is ok : generally
> I don't use a tons of gain for my distortion cause I love a tight sound for
> the best definition of my playing style . The thing I would to understand is
> only one : in a live situation with a high volume and a ponderate amount of
> gain , what is the general working of the EMG 707 ? Are Them silent like a
> tomb or the bastards squeal like a pig ? I'm talking about when you stop to play , when the volume is open without playing ...
> Cheers !


 A hush pedal or 2 wld fix that unless i just misunderstood you


----------



## The Necrotizer

Anyone here experimented with a 707 in a SC607B (All Mahog. Body) ??? I wouldn't mind trying one out, but not sure whether to put it in the bridge or middle, Im leaning towards the bridge, I love the 81-7 lead tones I can get when using the middle pick up, its freaking fluid legato central , but when I use the 81-7 in the bridge, I find I can either set my EQ so my Low B is nice but the other strings lack balls, and if I EQ the top six strings nicely, the low B is a touch muddy and loses clarity. Same problem when I use both pup's together, I have to EQ out a fair bit of bass and boost the mids, which results in the treble strings sounding far too tinny. 
Will a 707 in the bridge help add clarity and bring out my harmonics more when using the bridge or both pickups simultaneously?


----------



## SenorDingDong

The Necrotizer said:


> Anyone here experimented with a 707 in a SC607B (All Mahog. Body) ??? I wouldn't mind trying one out, but not sure whether to put it in the bridge or middle, Im leaning towards the bridge, I love the 81-7 lead tones I can get when using the middle pick up, its freaking fluid legato central , but when I use the 81-7 in the bridge, I find I can either set my EQ so my Low B is nice but the other strings lack balls, and if I EQ the top six strings nicely, the low B is a touch muddy and loses clarity. Same problem when I use both pup's together, I have to EQ out a fair bit of bass and boost the mids, which results in the treble strings sounding far too tinny.
> Will a 707 in the bridge help add clarity and bring out my harmonics more when using the bridge or both pickups simultaneously?



I have them in a hellraiser c-7 which is all mahogany, and its sounds AMAZING... nice clarity, not too bright, and great tone


----------



## The Necrotizer

Jstring said:


> I have them in a hellraiser c-7 which is all mahogany, and its sounds AMAZING... nice clarity, not too bright, and great tone



Thanks man!!! What is the pick-up config??? neck and bridge??? are they both 707s ???


----------



## SenorDingDong

The Necrotizer said:


> Thanks man!!! What is the pick-up config??? neck and bridge??? are they both 707s ???



no problem man... neck and bridge, both 707's... they sound amazing, got cleans, and they don't color your sound too much like other EMG's... you should also check out the 707tw's if you want a more versatile tone, as they have coil taps and can do single coil or humbucker on both pickups, i'm actually considering switching


----------



## SenorDingDong

AND i might add, i have no issues whatsoever cutting through


----------



## Moolaka

Buy EMG 81-7X 7-String Active Guitar Pickup | 7 String Pickups | Musician's Friend

"The 81-7X and other EMG pickups from the X-Series provide increased headroom, giving the voicing an organic and open tone while still maintaining the clarity and response that EMGs are renowned for. The EMG 81-7Xs are best described as bridging the gap between passive and active tone."

Just ordered me one to go in my MH 417 so my regular 81-7 can move to the neck position. If these claims are true I expect to be profoundly impressed.


----------



## Gamba

don't the X series pickups have a different output than the regular ones?


----------



## Moolaka

Unsure, I suspect they might have to reaching for those claims though.


----------



## 1b4n3z

The bad news about the X series is that you need to use the active tone, regular 25k just doesn't work (well it does something but not what it's supposed to). Also, the VLPF consumes battery like a SOB - the EMG specs claim the battery life is reduced to something like 250 hours, which is over ten times less than that of an active pickup. One would guess running two pickups with one (or two) active tones will drain the battery rather quickly. Somehow I feel the technology underlying these pickups is lacking and the compromises EMG made to achieve a tone close to that of Blackouts are hasty and perhaps even transitory. I for one am not very impressed. 

(However I'd like to run the 81/85 X set in my LP, due to the lower output and the aforementioned clean sound, but the active tone pots cost $41 each...)


----------



## Moolaka

Awesome.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Gamba said:


> don't the X series pickups have a different output than the regular ones?





Moolaka said:


> Unsure, I suspect they might have to reaching for those claims though.



To clarify, yes the X-series are less output in comparison to the normal EMG's. However, I can say from experience - as I have an 808X in the bridge of my ESP FM-8 - that the amount of headroom and clarity are phenomenal! Especially in the case of the 8-string, the tone is extremely balanced. And for the low F# being so deep, the normal 808's tended to sound muddy in comparison to the 808X. The 808X has brightened up some of the low end on the F# very nicely, and the B and the rest of the strings are even better sounding than before. By far, the best pickups I've used yet! 



1b4n3z said:


> The bad news about the X series is that you need to use the active tone, regular 25k just doesn't work (well it does something but not what it's supposed to). Also, the VLPF consumes battery like a SOB - the EMG specs claim the battery life is reduced to something like 250 hours, which is over ten times less than that of an active pickup. One would guess running two pickups with one (or two) active tones will drain the battery rather quickly. Somehow I feel the technology underlying these pickups is lacking and the compromises EMG made to achieve a tone close to that of Blackouts are hasty and perhaps even transitory. I for one am not very impressed.
> 
> (However I'd like to run the 81/85 X set in my LP, due to the lower output and the aforementioned clean sound, but the active tone pots cost $41 each...)



As for the use of the active tone pot, yes it will drain your battery that much quicker. But the same would apply if you were using the SPC, EXG, RPC, or any combination of the two. While it is a downfall, if you love the tone, you'll deal with swapping the battery a little more often which isn't really a big deal. And when you buy each X-seies pickup, it comes with the active tone control - like the normal EMG's come with the volume, wires and everything you need.

I've yet to order a set of 707X's for my green Kamikaze 7 which has the SPC and EXG controls in it (same as the David Gilmour pickguard...)


----------



## 1b4n3z

Kamikaze7 said:


> And when you buy each X-seies pickup, it comes with the active tone control - like the normal EMG's come with the volume, wires and everything you need.



Yeah it does, I just need the long versions to fit an LP - I'd need to order them straight from EMG. Then I'd be required to remove the previous setup (regular ls 25k pots with .47 caps) and install the crappy solderless system since the active tones do not seem to allow for soldering onto them. $100+ for two tone pots is a bit steep, especially since they don't do all that much. The 25k's I have in right now actually work with the Blackouts - the active tones functioned in par with the green .1 cap EMG provides, in a word not much. They don't do much to the X series either, IMO. 

The another annoying bit is the wiring. I couldn't set up my ESP M-II (one vol, 3-way) for the solderless kit because the volume pot was too far away from the output jack. I also needed to drill the pickup wire cavities to allow for the wires to come through - for nothing of course, once I noticed I can't set the system up for solderless function, I pulled a standard 25k pot and soldered the wires on in a few minutes. The wires the solderless kit provides are either too long (they fill up the control cavity and risk bending the thin connectors) or too short. In the end having to splice and cut the wires just prolongs the installation and one has to solder anyway.
I suppose it's good for beginners, but I'd rather use the Duncan solderless system, this one is way too limiting. 

The tone is subjective of course, I found my 81X & 85X set to sound a bit like running a bright, passive medium-output humbucker through a 250k pot.

EDIT: It doesn't sound this muddy in another guitar, perhaps it's just the shoddy solderless system losing the signal. I already dumped the tone pots though so the signal path should be clear. Weird..


----------



## Kamikaze7

1b4n3z said:


> Yeah it does, I just need the long versions to fit an LP - I'd need to order them straight from EMG. Then I'd be required to remove the previous setup (regular ls 25k pots with .47 caps) and install the crappy solderless system since the active tones do not seem to allow for soldering onto them. $100+ for two tone pots is a bit steep, especially since they don't do all that much. The 25k's I have in right now actually work with the Blackouts - the active tones functioned in par with the green .1 cap EMG provides, in a word not much. They don't do much to the X series either, IMO.
> 
> The another annoying bit is the wiring. I couldn't set up my ESP M-II (one vol, 3-way) for the solderless kit because the volume pot was too far away from the output jack. I also needed to drill the pickup wire cavities to allow for the wires to come through - for nothing of course, once I noticed I can't set the system up for solderless function, I pulled a standard 25k pot and soldered the wires on in a few minutes. The wires the solderless kit provides are either too long (they fill up the control cavity and risk bending the thin connectors) or too short. In the end having to splice and cut the wires just prolongs the installation and one has to solder anyway.
> I suppose it's good for beginners, but I'd rather use the Duncan solderless system, this one is way too limiting.
> 
> The tone is subjective of course, I found my 81X & 85X set to sound a bit like running a bright, passive medium-output humbucker through a 250k pot.
> 
> EDIT: It doesn't sound this muddy in another guitar, perhaps it's just the shoddy solderless system losing the signal. I already dumped the tone pots though so the signal path should be clear. Weird..



I don't think the sloderless system is giving/causing the muddy sound... If it was a bad connection due to something pushin down on the cables or connectors somewhere, you'd have a weak signal not a muddy one. And as for the longer shafts needed, I forgot that LP's need longer shafts... My bad... And I've had to make my own solderless cables using 2 cables to make one before. Plus I have also made my own wiring system to accomodate the EMG Concentric (Dual) volume in my SRC 7, and the coil-taps on the mini-toggle swiches for the 707TW's... I don't have any issue with the new solderless system, but I know others have and don't like them... I myself love the new solderless system. To each his own with this system...

And now for the main reason on this post/reply - I have ordered and have received the new EMG SA-7 7-string Single Coil!!! I've made a new post for the NPD with pics of the new pickup. For under $100, I'm glad I spent the money and bought this after a long 10+ year wait. The wait for an EMG 7-string single coil AND to have an ESP SRC 7 replica I've been dying to have!!! EMG has not made it official on thier website yet, but it is officially out and available for sale and order. 

So for those of you who are looking for a REAL active 7-string single coil, your wait is over!!!


----------



## Coobanez

I've got some questions to what the best EMG's would be for an RGA7. Right now, I've got a S7320 with a Bareknuckle Miracleman in the neck and a Painkiller in the bridge. I'd like to look for EMG's that work best in an RGA7 to sound similar (for the most part, I know there are no other pickups that will sound the same, but similar).
I'm looking for a _very_ clear neck pickup that can handle leads and produce the best clean tones an active can offer in a mahogany bodied guitar. I'm looking for a very tight, mid-powered bridge pickup (should I look into blackouts?). As the RGA7 is mahogany bodied, I've read that the 707 is just a bit too bassy and that the 81-7's are the best remedy EMG has to offer for this.
I'm not a huge fan of single coil clean tones, as I really like the power of a clear neck humbucker, but is the TW series the best thing for cleans in an active pickup? I really just want to make this RGA7 as versatile as my S7320 with BKP's.
Can you guys point me in the best direction for my active pickup needs?

p.s. I use a Peavey 6505+, and as I know the cleans aren't great, I can manage some with a good enough neck pickup. I also boost the lead channel for my heavy tone, so a bit of low end will be shaved off and mids pronounced, etc.


----------



## Kamikaze7

To answer your question(s): I so far have used the 707's in all of my guitars (except one, which has DiMarzio's in it...). I had bought and used a set of 81-7's in an ESP M307 mahogany neck thru and found the tone was still way too muddy. I am willing to bet the 707's would have been a better choice for that guitar.



Coobanez said:


> I'm looking for a _very_ clear neck pickup that can handle leads and produce the best clean tones an active can offer in a mahogany bodied guitar. I'm looking for a very tight, mid-powered bridge pickup (should I look into blackouts?). As the RGA7 is mahogany bodied, I've read that the 707 is just a bit too bassy and that the 81-7's are the best remedy EMG has to offer for this...



I would say for a neck position, to go with either the 707 or the 60-7. The 707 as most know is basically the 85 but for the 7-string. It is warmer than the 81 to be a really good neck pickup when used with the 81. The 60(-7) is even warmer and more vintage sounding than the 85/707. It was built for those looking for a more cleaner yet refined neck pickup tone. There really isn't a mid-powered EMG 7-string pickup, and the Blackouts are even hotter than the EMG's are. So if your looking for something close to a mid-powered bridge position pickup, go with the 707 and for the neck go with the 60-7. If you wann try something even better, get the 707X and (if they have it...) the 60-7X. The X-series have a lot more clarity, a little less output than the normal EMG's, but a tone that is unlike anything else!!! So with the 707X & 60-7X, it's as close to a mid-powered EMG as you can get.  I also know that djpharoh (one of the site's mods...) has the 81-7X and he loves it. I wasn't impressed with the normal 81-7 and have loved the tone and raw aggressive power of the 707's myself...



Coobanez said:


> ...I'm not a huge fan of single coil clean tones, as I really like the power of a clear neck humbucker, but is the TW series the best thing for cleans in an active pickup?
> I really just want to make this RGA7 as versatile as my S7320 with BKP's.
> Can you guys point me in the best direction for my active pickup needs?



To answer your question about the TW series, they are really cool and extremely versatile. I have a set in my ESP SC-207 and love the amount of diversity I get out of them. In regular humbucker mode, they are the 707 in all it's glory. But activate the coil tap and the single coil tones are just as clean and clear without the 60-cycle hum in most single coils. In both distorted and clean, notes stay clear, very pronounced and again versatility is paramount with these pickups. The TW's are also available in the X-series as well, so you've got plenty of choices to choose from and play with.



Coobanez said:


> ... p.s. I use a Peavey 6505+, and as I know the cleans aren't great, I can manage some with a good enough neck pickup. I also boost the lead channel for my heavy tone, so a bit of low end will be shaved off and mids pronounced, etc.



Especially if your running into that amp, you'll love the 707(X) alone with it and the amount of tone you can really dial in thru the amp with these. I have tested my ESP 7's thru that amp and I am in love with the tones and sound I get from both. I hope this helps in your decision process... Let me/us know how you make out and what you decide upon!


----------



## AntaresX9

Just installed the 81-7 to the bridge position on my Schecter Demon 7 and I love the tone. It's crushing and aggresive yet really defined. And it has a ridiculous amount of mids which i like for chugs and as it is quite know they help the guitar get through the mix. The only thing I wonder is what i should get as a neck pickup?


----------



## Kamikaze7

AntaresX9 said:


> Just installed the 81-7 to the bridge position on my Schecter Demon 7 and I love the tone. It's crushing and aggresive yet really defined. And it has a ridiculous amount of mids which i like for chugs and as it is quite know they help the guitar get through the mix. The only thing I wonder is what i should get as a neck pickup?



For a neck pickup, that depends on how modern or vintage toned your looking for... You can always go with another 81-7 as EMG's are not position specific in 98% of the time... However if you want something slightly warmer, go with the 707 which is basically an 85. If you want and are looking for more warmer and traditional/vintage sounding, then try the 60-7. This is what I've been told by many who compared the 60 to the 85 and use it in the neck position...


----------



## svartablixten

Hey!

On some riffs I really like to use the egg-position on my 6-string charvel with SD's in it. Now I have a Dean rc7x with EMG's and I was wondering if it's possible to split those pickups so that I get that kind of egg position singelcoilish sound? When I use the middle position as it is now it just sounds muddy. Can you get that egg position sound with EMG's? (I'm not talkin about just using my Dean, it could be any guitar)


----------



## The Reverend

svartablixten said:


> Hey!
> 
> On some riffs I really like to use the egg-position on my 6-string charvel with SD's in it. Now I have a Dean rc7x with EMG's and I was wondering if it's possible to split those pickups so that I get that kind of egg position singelcoilish sound? When I use the middle position as it is now it just sounds muddy. Can you get that egg position sound with EMG's? (I'm not talkin about just using my Dean, it could be any guitar)



If you mean like a coil tap, no, I don't believe you can get that with EMG's. They do make a pickup series that actually has three magnets inside, allowing you to get that single coil sound. I could be mistaken about that though.


----------



## BabUShka

Recently put EMG707 in my S7320, and WOW.. Blown away! 
Greeeeat cleans, singing leads and tight riffing. I even like them better than my EMG 60/81 combo. 

But one little problem though.. 
Seems like the bridge pickup works well. But some times they suddenly start to make this tickle/sparkle sound. Anyone know what It could be? Tried to look over the connections and grounding, everything seems just fine. 
This sound last for minutes, and then disappear. 
The funny thing is that i get it only with the bridge pickup and in middle position. The neck is comepletely quiet. 

Both pickups share everything as I use 1 volume and 1 tonepot. The only thing that seperate the pickup connection is the 3way level switch. 

Any thoughts?
Tried the guitar with different amps, cables. Even tried it at my parrents house and then back at mine. 
Still. Eveything works perfect, but the suddenly the sound appears..

Btw.. I hated my Ibanez with the stock pickups. I was soo disappointed and even considered to sell it. 
Sounded muddy, loose and boring even in standard tuning. But with the EMG's in it, I just fell in love with it again!
Tried to tune it in drop G# with thin gauge. Still, clear, tight and punchy sound!


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## Kamikaze7

BabUShka said:


> Recently put EMG707 in my S7320, and WOW.. Blown away!
> Greeeeat cleans, singing leads and tight riffing. I even like them better than my EMG 60/81 combo.
> 
> But one little problem though..
> Seems like the bridge pickup works well. But some times they suddenly start to make this tickle/sparkle sound. Anyone know what It could be? Tried to look over the connections and grounding, everything seems just fine.
> This sound last for minutes, and then disappear.
> The funny thing is that i get it only with the bridge pickup and in middle position. The neck is comepletely quiet.
> 
> Both pickups share everything as I use 1 volume and 1 tonepot. The only thing that seperate the pickup connection is the 3way level switch.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> Tried the guitar with different amps, cables. Even tried it at my parrents house and then back at mine.
> Still. Eveything works perfect, but the suddenly the sound appears..
> 
> Btw.. I hated my Ibanez with the stock pickups. I was soo disappointed and even considered to sell it.
> Sounded muddy, loose and boring even in standard tuning. But with the EMG's in it, I just fell in love with it again!
> Tried to tune it in drop G# with thin gauge. Still, clear, tight and punchy sound!



Sounds to me that something is contacting one of the wires on the bridge pickup, causing the noise - could be the battery pushing one of the wires making contact on something... 

Are you using the new solderless system or is everything soldered? I would check to make sure nothing is pushing down too much on the connectors on the solderless system, and make sure nothing is pushing any bare/exposed wires against any bare metal parts or the battery on the soldered system. If everything looks good, then the only thing I could say is contact EMG and explain the problem. If you bought it new, you've got a 2 year warranty on it so they may just give you another one...

I'm kinda at a loss as to what it is specifically, but this is usually what to look for. Hope this helps and good luck!

P.S., it could also be the input jack as well... I've had it make this kind of noise and found it to be the input jack on both normal passive and EMG systems. Something else to check out...


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## Kamikaze7

svartablixten said:


> Hey!
> 
> On some riffs I really like to use the egg-position on my 6-string charvel with SD's in it. Now I have a Dean rc7x with EMG's and I was wondering if it's possible to split those pickups so that I get that kind of egg position singelcoilish sound? When I use the middle position as it is now it just sounds muddy. Can you get that egg position sound with EMG's? (I'm not talkin about just using my Dean, it could be any guitar)





The Reverend said:


> If you mean like a coil tap, no, I don't believe you can get that with EMG's. They do make a pickup series that actually has three magnets inside, allowing you to get that single coil sound. I could be mistaken about that though.




You CAN get that with EMG's, but you'd need to swap one or both pickups with the TW series pickups. The TW's are the one's that are coil tap-able so you can get those single coil tones. And if you swap to the TW's, the TW has a 7-pin wiring lead that allows for the coil-tap, and comes with a push/pull pot so you can wire it with either the humbucker OR the single-coil position when the pot is (pushed) down to give you the tone your looking for.

Hope this helps and good luck!!!


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## BabUShka

Thanks for the input man.. 
I also thought it's the inpout jack, but the weird thing is that this problem only happens with the bridge pickup. 
It's a soldering system. Right now it works well. But if the problem appers again i'll try to rewire and switch the bridge pickup and cables with the neck and see what happens. 
Soldering looks ok, and I always use isolation tape. 
Weeird  

Btw, bought them 2nd hand a while ago, just hassitated a while before I started routing my guitar


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## skeeballcore

I've got an issue with an EMG, first time I've ever used EMG's. Just got a used SC-607b with 81-7's in it. 

When I palm mute and play anything on the low B I get a weird noise or squeal. This isn't going on with anything but the lowest string. If need be, I can record it to see if that would give you guys an idea as to how it sounds. It's also only on the bridge pickup, mid/neck pickup doesn't have the issue at all. 

Any thoughts? Maybe some foam under the pickup or something?


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## buffa d

Has anyone tried a 60-7/60-7 combo?
Or a blackout neck in the bridge?


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## Kamikaze7

skeeballcore said:


> I've got an issue with an EMG, first time I've ever used EMG's. Just got a used SC-607b with 81-7's in it.
> 
> When I palm mute and play anything on the low B I get a weird noise or squeal. This isn't going on with anything but the lowest string. If need be, I can record it to see if that would give you guys an idea as to how it sounds. It's also only on the bridge pickup, mid/neck pickup doesn't have the issue at all.
> 
> Any thoughts? Maybe some foam under the pickup or something?



Could try the foam under it... But describing it it sounds like it could be an internal issue or it's gone microphonic... I know it's a rare occurrance for an EMG to go microphonic, but it does happen. When you pull the pickup out of the body, you'll notice that one side will have a small spring inside a piece of foam for the height adjust. I would try a newer, thicker piece of foam first just to see if that helps or not...

Wish I could say or suggest more, but that's my thoughts on it. Good luck and let us know how you make out.


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## Kamikaze7

buffa d said:


> Has anyone tried a 60-7/60-7 combo?
> Or a blackout neck in the bridge?



I know the Blackout neck in the bridge has been done and from what I've heard, the results were pleasant. Now the thought of dual 60-7's is interesting...  Just gave me something to think about...


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## The Reverend

I just finished installing EMG 707s in my Schecter Damien 7. I used the solderless wiring kit they came with, and aside from some minor routing issues, the install went smoothly. I go to plug it in, and the bridge pickup is working fine. Tight, smooth tone, warm and snarly (thank you, basswood) with a punchy mid. I switch over to the neck, and immediately I was assaulted with a horrible hissing and popping. I've checked and double-checked the connections, and I've looked over the solders on the three way switch, and everything seems solid and correct. I'm fairly new to doing this stuff myself, and was wondering if any of you more experienced guys could help me find what the cause is?

If it helps, my lackluster rig is as follows: Damien 7 > PodXT Live > Marshall 100HDFX preamp > Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> I just finished installing EMG 707s in my Schecter Damien 7. I used the solderless wiring kit they came with, and aside from some minor routing issues, the install went smoothly. I go to plug it in, and the bridge pickup is working fine. Tight, smooth tone, warm and snarly (thank you, basswood) with a punchy mid. I switch over to the neck, and immediately I was assaulted with a horrible hissing and popping. I've checked and double-checked the connections, and I've looked over the solders on the three way switch, and everything seems solid and correct. I'm fairly new to doing this stuff myself, and was wondering if any of you more experienced guys could help me find what the cause is?
> 
> If it helps, my lackluster rig is as follows: Damien 7 > PodXT Live > Marshall 100HDFX preamp > Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet



From what it sounds like, the connector from the neck pickup is backwards either going into the switch buss itself, or the cable is on backwards on the back side of the pickup. But if those connections are right, then it could just be a bad switch buss. it'd be worth checking those connections again to make sure. And if it came to it, I could send you a new switch buss if you need one...


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## The Reverend

It turns out the neck pickup cable wasn't securely connected when I put the pups back in. . I like to think that we all make stupid mistakes while we're still learning, right? Right?


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> It turns out the neck pickup cable wasn't securely connected when I put the pups back in. . I like to think that we all make stupid mistakes while we're still learning, right? Right?



so true... but is all good! glad you got it figured out!!!


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## areyna21

In my experience i hate 707's in mahogany guitars it's to muddy and bassy. I have one in the bridge of my rg7620 which is basswood and it sounds way better IMHO. The 81-7 is a brighter pickup and does well in mahogany guitar. I haven't tried the 707x but i think i might throw one in my neck to get better clean tones. What do you guys think of the 707x as a neck pickup that is mostly going to be used for cleans?


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## Sephael

Wanting to change out the HZs on my Schecter Damien 7 (basswood body) with some actives, thinking (at the moment) that a 81-7 in the bridge and for the neck I'm not certain, probably a 707 or 707X. Any thoughts?

Thing is I am wanting separate tone and volume for each pickup without having to ruin the finish and look by drilling more holes (plus extra routing). I figure I could use two duel concentric pots to achieve this but I'm not sure if it is possible and wouldn't know which pots I'd need/want. Any advice on this matter?


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## Konfyouzd

eaeolian said:


> Oh, and fuck EMG for the oversized housings.


 

 @ EMG

I like modding and everything... But no...


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## Kamikaze7

Sephael said:


> Wanting to change out the HZs on my Schecter Damien 7 (basswood body) with some actives, thinking (at the moment) that a 81-7 in the bridge and for the neck I'm not certain, probably a 707 or 707X. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thing is I am wanting separate tone and volume for each pickup without having to ruin the finish and look by drilling more holes (plus extra routing). I figure I could use two duel concentric pots to achieve this but I'm not sure if it is possible and wouldn't know which pots I'd need/want. Any advice on this matter?



As for pickups, I would go with the 707 in both positions. The 707 seems to have a really good growl and clean in basswood. I myself have found the 81-7 to be not bright enough, but that was in an ESP M307 neck-thru also... I am still wanting a set of the 707X's for my green Kamikaze 7, as I love the sound and tone from the 808X in my 8-string. So I'd say either the 707, or the 707X if you want a little more headroom, a little less output power and a lot of clarity. 

As for the use of the concentric for the twin volume & tone on each pickup, it IS possible. All you'd need is the EMG A25KX2 concentric pot. As for how you'd wire it, send me a PM with you email address and I'll send you the EMG concentric wiring diagram.


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## The Reverend

Sephael said:


> Wanting to change out the HZs on my Schecter Damien 7 (basswood body) with some actives, thinking (at the moment) that a 81-7 in the bridge and for the neck I'm not certain, probably a 707 or 707X. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thing is I am wanting separate tone and volume for each pickup without having to ruin the finish and look by drilling more holes (plus extra routing). I figure I could use two duel concentric pots to achieve this but I'm not sure if it is possible and wouldn't know which pots I'd need/want. Any advice on this matter?



You'll have to drill out the holes already in place to fit the pots and their knobs in. I just recently made the switch from Hz's to 707's, and it was fairly easy while also being extremely annoying. I know nothing of concentric pots, but if they are what I think they are, you may have a problem in that the control cavity is barely enough to fit the EMG pickup buss, the battery, switch and pots. I think you may need to rout anyways...


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> You'll have to drill out the holes already in place to fit the pots and their knobs in. I just recently made the switch from Hz's to 707's, and it was fairly easy while also being extremely annoying. I know nothing of concentric pots, but if they are what I think they are, you may have a problem in that the control cavity is barely enough to fit the EMG pickup buss, the battery, switch and pots. I think you may need to rout anyways...



No he won't... He may have to take a very little wood out from inside the cavity to be able to get the nut on the concentric by sanding that spot a little bit, but I doubt it... The concentric is basically 2 seperate pots that are stacked - 2 knobs on 1. They are a little bit bigger on the back (inside the cavity) than normal pots, but not enough to be a serious issue. And from knowing how much room is in most control cavities, he'll have plenty of room for both concentric pots, the buss, battery and the switch.

I had the concentric in my ESP SC-207 with an Aftreburner when it was a 2-pickup guitar. Granted it was a little tight with everything in there - including the 2 mini-toggles for the coil-taps - everything fit in without an issue. The ONLY issue he'll have is with the quick-connect wires. He'll need to cut the connector piece itself off one side and strip both the black and white wires going to and from the concentric. But even that's not really an issue either. 

I'll make sure he's all set. I'll be hooking him up with the concentric wiring diagram and will help clarify any other issue he has with the wiring if it arises.


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## Sephael

realizing I'd be able to do without the pickup selector because of the duel volumes I'm entertaining the thought of putting a pi2 in as well (taxes are evil for more than one reason)


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## The Reverend

Kamikaze7 said:


> No he won't... He may have to take a very little wood out from inside the cavity to be able to get the nut on the concentric by sanding that spot a little bit, but I doubt it... The concentric is basically 2 seperate pots that are stacked - 2 knobs on 1. They are a little bit bigger on the back (inside the cavity) than normal pots, but not enough to be a serious issue. And from knowing how much room is in most control cavities, he'll have plenty of room for both concentric pots, the buss, battery and the switch.
> 
> I had the concentric in my ESP SC-207 with an Aftreburner when it was a 2-pickup guitar. Granted it was a little tight with everything in there - including the 2 mini-toggles for the coil-taps - everything fit in without an issue. The ONLY issue he'll have is with the quick-connect wires. He'll need to cut the connector piece itself off one side and strip both the black and white wires going to and from the concentric. But even that's not really an issue either.
> 
> I'll make sure he's all set. I'll be hooking him up with the concentric wiring diagram and will help clarify any other issue he has with the wiring if it arises.



And this is why this forum is so damn amazing. Kamikaze knows what he's talking about


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> And this is why this forum is so damn amazing. Kamikaze knows what he's talking about



I should hope so... I've had enough guitars with EMG's, routed and put EMG's in enough of my guitars and wired enough EMG pickups, active tone controls and custom wirings to be able to !!!

Thanks bro!!!


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## The Reverend

Hey Kami, I was wondering about a new wiring scheme simlar to Sephael's. If I had both pickups wired to a volume pot, would I be able to bypass the switch and just mute one pup or the other?

I think it would be like NP > Volume > Output Jack
BP > Volume > Output Jack
And then the battery, of course.


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> Hey Kami, I was wondering about a new wiring scheme simlar to Sephael's. If I had both pickups wired to a volume pot, would I be able to bypass the switch and just mute one pup or the other?
> 
> I think it would be like NP > Volume > Output Jack
> BP > Volume > Output Jack
> And then the battery, of course.




Brotha Reverend. The answer is yes. By using the EMG Concentric pot you can do that. It's a stacked volume pot, so you set one as bridge and the other as neck - in whichever way you want (bridge top - neck bottom, or vice-versa...). I have this in my Kamikaze-1 7-string, but I am still using the 3-way switch. As soon as I get the wiring diagram scanned for Sephael, I'll PM you for your email and send it to you as well with instructions how to wire the output. Are you using the new plug & play system, or soldering it old-school style???


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## The Reverend

Kamikaze7 said:


> Brotha Reverend. The answer is yes. By using the EMG Concentric pot you can do that. It's a stacked volume pot, so you set one as bridge and the other as neck - in whichever way you want (bridge top - neck bottom, or vice-versa...). I have this in my Kamikaze-1 7-string, but I am still using the 3-way switch. As soon as I get the wiring diagram scanned for Sephael, I'll PM you for your email and send it to you as well with instructions how to wire the output. Are you using the new plug & play system, or soldering it old-school style???



I'm using the plug & play system. Soldering tends to not work out too well for me


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> I'm using the plug & play system. Soldering tends to not work out too well for me



No problem... Let's see what you have for extra connector wires when your ready to do the control swap. You'll need to cut the connector end off one side of one of the wires to solder to the concentric pot for the output. You may be able to use the input jack connector wire to the concentric output, but you may need to extend it if the concentric is going to be placed further in the cavity away from the input jack... Unfortunately, the concentric pot is NOT plug and play compatible and still needs to be soldered for all the connections.

You will also need to cut the connector ends off the pickup wires to solder on to the input pins of the concentric pot also. Since soldering is not a strong point for you, I could do it... Granted you'd have to send me everything so I can solder it and I'd send you the completed assembly back ready to install and wire to the rest of your system...

I take it your using a single volume and tone with a 3-way at the moment???


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## The Reverend

Kamikaze7 said:


> No problem... Let's see what you have for extra connector wires when your ready to do the control swap. You'll need to cut the connector end off one side of one of the wires to solder to the concentric pot for the output. You may be able to use the input jack connector wire to the concentric output, but you may need to extend it if the concentric is going to be placed further in the cavity away from the input jack... Unfortunately, the concentric pot is NOT plug and play compatible and still needs to be soldered for all the connections.
> 
> You will also need to cut the connector ends off the pickup wires to solder on to the input pins of the concentric pot also. Since soldering is not a strong point for you, I could do it... Granted you'd have to send me everything so I can solder it and I'd send you the completed assembly back ready to install and wire to the rest of your system...
> 
> I take it your using a single volume and tone with a 3-way at the moment???



I have three connector wires left over from previous setups that I can use, so I think I would be okay. Also your assumption was correct, I have a three-way switch with one volume and one tone. If I scrapped the tone pot, and put in another volume pot, and just bypassed the switch, would that accomplish the same thing as the concentric pot? I'm worried about how much space I'll have in my control cavity. With just the battery, pots etc, I'm having a very tight squeeze.

Also, thanks for being so helpful!


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> I have three connector wires left over from previous setups that I can use, so I think I would be okay. Also your assumption was correct, I have a three-way switch with one volume and one tone. If I scrapped the tone pot, and put in another volume pot, and just bypassed the switch, would that accomplish the same thing as the concentric pot? I'm worried about how much space I'll have in my control cavity. With just the battery, pots etc, I'm having a very tight squeeze.
> 
> Also, thanks for being so helpful!



I think it would, but you'd have to wire it so each pickup wire go to the volume pots first, then out from the volume pot to the switch buss. Output from the switch buss would go right to your input jack. This would eliminate any and all contacts going to the switch section of the buss, and making it so that each pickup is controlled and blended by each volume pot, then going strait to the input jack. 

Take a look at the wiring diagram that came with the pickups. On the very last page - page 4 - you will take a look at "diagram #7"... Just follow that, with the output of the buss going right to the input jack and ignoring all the switch connections on the buss. The only thing with this, is that you'll still be kinda tight in that cavity even with the switch taken out. Now if you went with the concentric as a dual volume, you can pull the tone pot out and move the switch buss or battery to that area, still leaving the 3-way for all 3 positions and allowing you to blend the volume/signal of both pickups on the middle position and still freeing up some room in the cavity...

I'd say try diagram #7 bypassing the tone and all the switch connections first and see how that works out for ya first. If it don't, then consider the concentric.

No problem again, and your welcome!!


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## The Reverend

Kamikaze7 said:


> I think it would, but you'd have to wire it so each pickup wire go to the volume pots first, then out from the volume pot to the switch buss. Output from the switch buss would go right to your input jack. This would eliminate any and all contacts going to the switch section of the buss, and making it so that each pickup is controlled and blended by each volume pot, then going strait to the input jack.
> 
> Take a look at the wiring diagram that came with the pickups. On the very last page - page 4 - you will take a look at "diagram #7"... Just follow that, with the output of the buss going right to the input jack and ignoring all the switch connections on the buss. The only thing with this, is that you'll still be kinda tight in that cavity even with the switch taken out. Now if you went with the concentric as a dual volume, you can pull the tone pot out and move the switch buss or battery to that area, still leaving the 3-way for all 3 positions and allowing you to blend the volume/signal of both pickups on the middle position and still freeing up some room in the cavity...
> 
> I'd say try diagram #7 bypassing the tone and all the switch connections first and see how that works out for ya first. If it don't, then consider the concentric.
> 
> No problem again, and your welcome!!



I'm going to try the switchless method, and I'll let you know if it works. I'll be sure to let you know if I'll need further help from you, Kami .


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> I'm going to try the switchless method, and I'll let you know if it works. I'll be sure to let you know if I'll need further help from you, Kami .



Glad I can be of service. Hell, at least someone is and can help right???


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## The Reverend

Well it worked, and better than I thought it would. I removed my switch, and took out the buss that came with my EMG wiring kit, and wired each pickup to a volume, and then went out to the output jack. Since I don't do any live playing, switching between pickups quickly isn't that much of a priority to me. I've also got a lot more selection for lead tones. I can put a bit of my bridge pup in there for just a tad more attack, and a plethora of other possibilities are now available.

Also, without the switch and the pickup buss, I've ample room for the battery. I'm thinking about maybe acquiring some of the aftermarket EMG things. Just need to decide if I could use them. 

My thanks go out to Kamikaze7 for being the EMG encyclopedia.


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## Kamikaze7

The Reverend said:


> Well it worked, and better than I thought it would. I removed my switch, and took out the buss that came with my EMG wiring kit, and wired each pickup to a volume, and then went out to the output jack. Since I don't do any live playing, switching between pickups quickly isn't that much of a priority to me. I've also got a lot more selection for lead tones. I can put a bit of my bridge pup in there for just a tad more attack, and a plethora of other possibilities are now available.
> 
> Also, without the switch and the pickup buss, I've ample room for the battery. I'm thinking about maybe acquiring some of the aftermarket EMG things. Just need to decide if I could use them.
> 
> My thanks go out to Kamikaze7 for being the EMG encyclopedia.



No problem bro, glad I could help!!! 

For an update for ANYONE who is curious about or plans on using the EMG concentric pot as a dual volume or as a volume and tone on one pot, here is the wiring diagram for it. I've gotten many requests for this, and I'm posting it here for anyone interested. If anyone has any questions about wiring, installing or trouble-shooting thier EMG systems, please feel free to post your reply here, or PM me here. I'll help you the best I can.

Thanks everyone in advanced, and your welcome to anyone I've helped or in the process of helping with their EMG systems!!!


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## Sephael

That little diagram cleared a lot of things up, quick question though, as shown in the volume/tone setup sketch (either of them), is the volume wired for the inner or outer ring? Curious so I can reverse them if needed (easy enough now), not certain which way I want them to be, though I'm leaning towards volume on the outside for easier "panning"


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## Kamikaze7

Sephael said:


> That little diagram cleared a lot of things up, quick question though, as shown in the volume/tone setup sketch (either of them), is the volume wired for the inner or outer ring? Curious so I can reverse them if needed (easy enough now), not certain which way I want them to be, though I'm leaning towards volume on the outside for easier "panning"



It's showing the volume on the bottom and the tone on the top in the diagram. However, you can wire the pickup connections in reverse order so that the volume is on top and the tone is on the bottom.

Just a few quick notes about using this with the new solderless system...

-When making connections from the quick connect pickup wires, you'll need to cut the black connector piece off, and cut the little white rubber piece back far enough to give you enough wire to strip and work with to solder to the pins on the concentric. Once you have the white rubber cut and the connector piece cut off, you'll actually have enough room to be able to solder them to where you need them on the concentric pot.

-In the diagram for the volume and tone set-up: Be sure to make a small jumper connection to BOTH the top and middle pins on the left side, and solder them to the middle, bottom pin which is your ground. In a volume & tone configuration, your output wire will be the same was as the pickup wire going to the concentric pot (cut the white rubber to just before both wires become the bigger main wire, cut the connector piece off and strip both wires enough to solder them to the pot...) 

So Sephael - if your volume is going to be on the top, your white wire will get solder to the top right pin, the black wire is going to the center bottom pin as ground. Your pickup INPUT wires will go the black to center bottom as ground, and the white is going to the middle pin, top row for the volume. Then for the tone, solder the capacitor to both the middle pins on the top and middle row, and the ground going to both left side pins, the to the bottom center pin for ground.

One more quick note: Using the concentric as a dual volume WITH the new soldeless system, using a 3-way toggle OR lever/blade switch and the 2-pickup switch buss:

-You will need to cut and prep the pickup wires as described above cut the white rubber far enough back, cut the connector piece off, strip both wires to be able to solder...), solder the white wires from the quick connect wires to the middle pins as shown (depending on which knob you want for which pickup volume...) and both black wires will go to the bottom center pin for ground. 

-Your output wires will be the same way as the input wires coming to the concentric, so prep one side of the output wires as you did for the input side. Then you'll take the white output wires and solder them to the right side of the top and middle row of pins, while the black goes to the bottom center as ground. For example: If you want you bridge pickup as the top volume and neck as lower volume, you'll solder the white input wire to the top row - middle pin, and your output white wire will be on the top row - right side pin (both black wires to ground...) Your neck pickup will be the same as the bridge, just on the row of pins below it. The Diagram I posted is only showing you a one-wire output for say going to the input jack. you will obviously need 2 output wires - one for each pickup - to go to the switch buss for the switch to work.

Again if anyone has any questions, feel free to reply here or PM me here. I'll help you out the best I can. 

Thanks again everyone!!!


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## Sephael

Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it.


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## Kamikaze7

Sephael said:


> Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it.



No problem, anytime. Glad I CAN help!!!


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## Horvatinz

Haha, i have a 707 in the bridge of my 107. its great. now to deal with the 707x's in my 7321


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## pearl_07

I have dual 707TW's in my C-7 Hellraiser. Would I be able to use the stock coil tap pots if I wanted to try out an 81-7 in the bridge or would I have to get a different volume pot for it?


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## stetsonshort13

Hey guys yea i dont post much on this but fuck whatever I may be getting EMG 707 for my ibanez apex 2 replacing my PAF 7's I want them bad my jackson dinky plays them beautifully i love the tone the djent chugs are perfect but the paf has too much distinct tinnymetal sound i have a line 6 spider 3 amp i know thats an older model it still does the ears sex though for sure.....and hopefully a sm57 mic to that amp will do me good...any replys or feedback plz post.


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## stetsonshort13

and im also wondering i wont need to cut open any area of the pickups to fit the 707s on the apex 2 do I? Another curious question out there..


----------



## pearl_07

stetsonshort13 said:


> and im also wondering i wont need to cut open any area of the pickups to fit the 707s on the apex 2 do I? Another curious question out there..



Unfortunately, all EMG 7 string pickups are "oversized" compared to passive 7's, so you will have to route the pickup cavity on the edges for the EMG to fit. If you don't want to do that, I suggest looking at a passive sized Duncan Blackout, or another passive pickup. There's a crap ton of threads on here about "djenty" passive pickups. Search function is your friend.


----------



## Kamikaze7

pearl_07 said:


> I have dual 707TW's in my C-7 Hellraiser. Would I be able to use the stock coil tap pots if I wanted to try out an 81-7 in the bridge or would I have to get a different volume pot for it?



To quickly an easily answer this, No. You will need a normal EMG volume pot for the 81-7 because the push/pull pots are specifically for the TW series pickups.


----------



## Legion

In the LTD MH417 that has a maple neckthrough. I suspect the stock 81-7 will sound SCREEEEECHY. Is the 81-7x/60-7x a recommended combination if you want a guitar that can do balls out metal as well as some nice mid/low gain tones?


----------



## Kamikaze7

Legion said:


> In the LTD MH417 that has a maple neckthrough. I suspect the stock 81-7 will sound SCREEEEECHY. Is the 81-7x/60-7x a recommended combination if you want a guitar that can do balls out metal as well as some nice mid/low gain tones?



I myself have never cared for the 81-7. I used those in an ESP LTD M307 I had years ago and still had a really muddy tone to them. The 81-7X/60-7X would sound more suitable, or even the 707/60-7 or both in the X-series. I myself find the 707's to be very well rounded for everything and anything you'll play, but the X-series has slightly lower output and lots more headroom as compared to the normal EMG's even with an 18V mod. So I would say the 707 over the 81-7 and X-series if you want a more passive feeling and sounding tone. Of course there are others here who love the 81-7, but I didn't care for them...

Hope this helps...


----------



## Legion

This is taking into account the maple neckthrough? That shit sounds BRIGHT, man haha


----------



## Kamikaze7

yes I know that maple sounds bright. This is why I recommend the 707 or the 707X for the bridge as it's a little darker/warmer sounding in comparison to the 81-7 or 81-7X. If you run the 81-7(X) then I think it'd be too bright like your thinking...


----------



## eaeolian

Kamikaze7 said:


> I myself have never cared for the 81-7. I used those in an ESP LTD M307 I had years ago and still had a really muddy tone to them. The 81-7X/60-7X would sound more suitable, or even the 707/60-7 or both in the X-series. I myself find the 707's to be very well rounded for everything and anything you'll play, but the X-series has slightly lower output and lots more headroom as compared to the normal EMG's even with an 18V mod. So I would say the 707 over the 81-7 and X-series if you want a more passive feeling and sounding tone. Of course there are others here who love the 81-7, but I didn't care for them...
> 
> Hope this helps...



I would agree with this - I flipped the 81-7 and 707 in my SLAT3-7 so I could stand to use it until my covers to mount the passives show up.  The 707 is much more "passive feeling" than the very spiky 81-7 - and my guitar is maple/alder, so it's about the same as the MH.


----------



## Legion

I see, and this has given rise to another question in my mind: Does EMG not have different bridge and neck models for their pups? Like 707(bridge model) and 707(neck model)?

If it's the exact same pup being used for the 2 positions, it would be a wise thing to flip. Else, using a neck pup in the bridge MAY or MAY NOT yield good results...


----------



## Kamikaze7

Unlike most other pickups and Blackouts, 98% of EMG's are NOT position specific. As my luthier told me years ago regarding this, EMG 's will naturally take on the characteristics of the position they are mounted in. Hence why you can use 2 of the same pickup in either position, or swap one for the other. The ones that ARE position specific are the 707TW's. The 707TW is the bridge model, and the 707TW-R is the neck position. If you look in the EMG catalog it will tell you which is which. Also, the 81TW and 81TW-R are position specific.

Page 8 of the catalog will tell you which is which...


----------



## Legion

Thank you for clearing that up!
You are officially my active pickup guru. 

Cheers! 

Edit: Just repped ya for that.


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## Kamikaze7

Thanks man! I'm the official for many individuals here on the forum, but that's why I put "un" official for here in general. But again, thanks!!!


----------



## sell2792

Hypothetically if I was to return my Jh tomorrow eveing and place an order for a MH417, would it be feasible to swap to Blackouts in the near future?

I know it's maple neck thru, but it also has a mahogony body. So would swapping the 707 and 81-7 suffice in the meantime? I've swapped the 81-85 in two of my guitars recently and liked the results (one was all mahogony and set neck, the other a maple neck thru alder). I just don't wanna get a new guitar and be disappointed.

When will they make an EMTY for sevens?!


----------



## Key_Maker

Kamikaze7 said:


> Unlike most other pickups and Blackouts, 98% of EMG's are NOT position specific. As my luthier told me years ago regarding this, EMG 's will naturally take on the characteristics of the position they are mounted in. Hence why you can use 2 of the same pickup in either position, or swap one for the other. The ones that ARE position specific are the 707TW's. The 707TW is the bridge model, and the 707TW-R is the neck position. If you look in the EMG catalog it will tell you which is which. Also, the 81TW and 81TW-R are position specific.
> 
> Page 8 of the catalog will tell you which is which...



Altough you still can use the "R" version as neck PU, with that, the Single mode sounds bit fuller and rounder than the non-r version, that's because the R version use the upper coil for the coil tap.

Y use an 89r in bridge and 89X-R in neck.


----------



## Kamikaze7

sell2792 said:


> Hypothetically if I was to return my Jh tomorrow eveing and place an order for a MH417, would it be feasible to swap to Blackouts in the near future?
> 
> I know it's maple neck thru, but it also has a mahogony body. So would swapping the 707 and 81-7 suffice in the meantime? I've swapped the 81-85 in two of my guitars recently and liked the results (one was all mahogony and set neck, the other a maple neck thru alder). I just don't wanna get a new guitar and be disappointed.
> 
> When will they make an EMTY for sevens?!



Yes, it would be feasible to swap to Blackouts with the MH417, as the wiring is the same and the pickup routes are the same, just make sure you get the Phase II's. As for the wiring being the same, just pull the EMG's out, disconnect them from the back of the pickup and reconnect the Blackouts the same way.

I think the tone you will get by swapping the Blackouts in the MH417 will be similar to that of the guitar you already swapped that's a maple neck-thru w/ alder body sides. Because the maple is the main wood running the entire length of the guitar, it's naturally gonna have more tonal characteristics of the maple than the alder so the tone will be a little bit brighter. Same will go for the MH417.

And Duncan I'm sure could make the EMTY Blackouts in a seven, as long as your willing to pay close to that for a set of BKP's...



Key_Maker said:


> Altough you still can use the "R" version as neck PU, with that, the Single mode sounds bit fuller and rounder than the non-r version, that's because the R version use the upper coil for the coil tap.
> 
> Y use an 89r in bridge and 89X-R in neck.



This is true, and hence why those pickups are pretty much the only EMG's that are position specific. 

However, I am a little unsure about your post of "Y use an 89R in the bridge and 89X-R in the neck"... is that what your using now, or are you asking about using those in something? I don't see why you can't use those 2 together, but I would honestly feel that you'd want something a little brighter sounding as a bridge pickup though. However, I do see how your saying the use of them for the single coil arrangement would work though...


----------



## Key_Maker

Kamikaze7 said:


> However, I am a little unsure about your post of "Y use an 89R in the bridge and 89X-R in the neck"... is that what your using now, or are you asking about using those in something? I don't see why you can't use those 2 together, but I would honestly feel that you'd want something a little brighter sounding as a bridge pickup though. However, I do see how your saying the use of them for the single coil arrangement would work though...


 
My principal language isn't English so i just commit a mistake with the "Y" (I is "yo" in spanish).

In this moment i'm using that configuration of pickups and i haven't changed in 2 years.

BTW anyone one have seen this?


----------



## Kamikaze7

Key_Maker said:


> My principal language isn't English so i just commit a mistake with the "Y" (I is "yo" in spanish).
> 
> In this moment i'm using that configuration of pickups and i haven't changed in 2 years.
> 
> BTW anyone one have seen this?




Ah okay. How's the tone on those work out for ya? That's an interesting combo your using, is why I ask.

And the JH series has got to be a mod-ed set of the 81/60 combo... Kinda like the Duncan Dave Mustaine Live Wire set is a tweaked and active version of the JB & '59 set. Would be interesting to see how those sound as well.


----------



## Wyldefan916

Hey guys, I just picked up an RG7321 the other day in a straight trade for my Epi LP. It has EMG-81/7 (bridge), and EMG-60/7(neck) in her, but I want the 707's in her. Upon further investigation, the p'ups are the old solder versions, NOT the solder-less versions. Does anyone know though if they still used the quick connect on the actual p'ups themselves? The guitar is an 05 built, so the p'ups are no older then that.


----------



## TRENCHLORD

I watched the JH-series video on EMG's websight, and to me they just sounded like they're modeled after the X-series because James talks about bridging the gap between active and passive. Plus cool covers and adjustable poles.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Wyldefan916 said:


> Hey guys, I just picked up an RG7321 the other day in a straight trade for my Epi LP. It has EMG-81/7 (bridge), and EMG-60/7(neck) in her, but I want the 707's in her. Upon further investigation, the p'ups are the old solder versions, NOT the solder-less versions. Does anyone know though if they still used the quick connect on the actual p'ups themselves? The guitar is an 05 built, so the p'ups are no older then that.



The answer is YES - Both pickups should have the quick connect on the backs of the pickups themselves. EMG started doing this back in 2000 for all of thier pickups. Just remember to re-connect the pickups the right way when you put the 707's in there, red wire to the left side.



TRENCHLORD said:


> I watched the JH-series video on EMG's websight, and to me they just sounded like they're modeled after the X-series because James talks about bridging the gap between active and passive. Plus cool covers and adjustable poles.



I agree, I would have thought it sounds a lot like the X-series also. And unfortunately, those aren't adjustable pole pieces on those... those are flat pole pieces and no flat-head slots or allen key holes to adjust them...


----------



## Purelojik

Ok so i love the EMG 60x and decided to make my own reversible harness for an 18v mod to see how it'd sound. 

The 60x has a great punch for riffs and has some of the best cleans EMG can offer. after trying the 81 and 85 both and not feeling being totally satisfied this was refreshing. But as all of us who are on these forums, we're constantly looking to tweak our sound. 

So i fixed up the harnesses i got from radioshack. and plugged it in.

immediately i noticed two things. (keep in mind this is in the bridge position)

1. There was a noticeable improvement in clarity in distorted chords
2. while riffing with distortion the bass frequencies were more robust which was great for lower tunings. 

As far as cleans go the 60x already does extremely well but with the 18v mod the highs and lows are more pronounced. 

overall the 18v mod improves what i perceive as the Quality of the sound. 

I used it through a POD xt using a variety of metal and clean as well as overdriven sounds. and the above mentioned changes can be appreciated on all of them

i also use a Peavey 6505+ combo. and it sounds amazing. 

I recommend the 18v mod to anyone who uses EMG. Hell emg also recommends it (says so in the instructions). I have two EMG 707twx's which i'll be doing the same to in my next build but that will be for another time. I hope this helps. 


Alex Myla


----------



## Kamikaze7

Purelojik said:


> Ok so i love the EMG 60x and decided to make my own reversible harness for an 18v mod to see how it'd sound.
> 
> The 60x has a great punch for riffs and has some of the best cleans EMG can offer. after trying the 81 and 85 both and not feeling being totally satisfied this was refreshing. But as all of us who are on these forums, we're constantly looking to tweak our sound.
> 
> So i fixed up the harnesses i got from radioshack. and plugged it in.
> 
> immediately i noticed two things. (keep in mind this is in the bridge position)
> 
> 1. There was a noticeable improvement in clarity in distorted chords
> 2. while riffing with distortion the bass frequencies were more robust which was great for lower tunings.
> 
> As far as cleans go the 60x already does extremely well but with the 18v mod the highs and lows are more pronounced.
> 
> overall the 18v mod improves what i perceive as the Quality of the sound.
> 
> I used it through a POD xt using a variety of metal and clean as well as overdriven sounds. and the above mentioned changes can be appreciated on all of them
> 
> i also use a Peavey 6505+ combo. and it sounds amazing.
> 
> I recommend the 18v mod to anyone who uses EMG. Hell emg also recommends it (says so in the instructions). I have two EMG 707twx's which i'll be doing the same to in my next build but that will be for another time. I hope this helps.
> 
> 
> Alex Myla



Alex, thanks for the very detailed and informative post! I know that there's quite a few guys here that have done and still use the 18V mod for their EMG systems, but I know that there's a lot of guys who haven't either, myself being one of them.

I also recall someone postin in this thread the idea or thought of using 60's in both bridge and neck positions (7-string version though...) I'm sure that by you doing this review and post has answered a lot of those questions that myself and others have been curious about for using the 60 in the bridge position. Thanks!!!

I myself would be curious to hear you review of the 707TW-X's both at the 9 & 18V mod when you get them. I'm considering a set of those for one of my guitars and have the 707TW's in one of them already, as well as the 808X in the bridge of my 8-string. So am really curious to hear about the 707TW -X's when you get 'em. Keep us informed on that!!!

Thanks again, and very well written and described!!!


----------



## King Crimson

What's your preference on active pickups between these two and why?

USA Made Seymour Duncan Blackout Pickup (AH1-b) 
*and*
USA Made EMG 707 Pickup


----------



## Kamikaze7

King Crimson said:


> What's your preference on active pickups between these two and why?
> 
> USA Made Seymour Duncan Blackout Pickup (AH1-b)
> *and*
> USA Made EMG 707 Pickup



for me, the differences and my preference is as follows...

I have been using the EMG stuff for years, and have become quite fond of the tone I get from them. They've always seemed to pack that extra punch I have always been looking for in my tone that I couldn't get out of any other pickup. When i started using the 707's, I had fallen in love with the overall dynamics, clarity and diversity of them. I have never had an issue of noise with the EMG pickups and have yet to find something that comes anywhere close to them.

As for the Blackouts when I used and tried them, I was very unsatisfied with them. Aside from being too shrill and bite-y on the high-end, I wound up having a bad noise issue with them as well. No matter what I plugged them into amp/effects wise, they were still noisy - which is not like what Duncan claims them to be like. I know others that have them and use them and they have no issues with them and they like them better than the EMG's. But I feel that the EMG's are more versatile, well, rounded and have a sound unlike any other pickup out there. And now with the addition of the X-Series, the EMG stuff has gotten a lot better with slightly less output than a normal EMG, but has a lot more headroom, clarity and diversity. 

I prefer the EMG's over almost everything else out there, and choose the EMG's over the Blackouts anyday.


----------



## 1b4n3z

You did connect the string ground when trying the Blackouts, did ya?  

My preference is quite the opposite: Blackouts are way ahead of EMGs technically - quieter, more responsive and higher in output. I do like the tone of a 81 (or 81X) more due to its stronger focus and that lovely grind, but the Blackouts are more hi-fi and full in tone (perhaps a bit too full for serious downtuning). The EMG X series was a big disappointment to me - the tone is there, but the tradeoff is low output, weak sustain and artificial-sounding dynamics. The traditional line of EMGs is better IMO, especially at 18v.


----------



## Kamikaze7

1b4n3z said:


> You did connect the string ground when trying the Blackouts, did ya?
> 
> My preference is quite the opposite: Blackouts are way ahead of EMGs technically - quieter, more responsive and higher in output. I do like the tone of a 81 (or 81X) more due to its stronger focus and that lovely grind, but the Blackouts are more hi-fi and full in tone (perhaps a bit too full for serious downtuning). The EMG X series was a big disappointment to me - the tone is there, but the tradeoff is low output, weak sustain and artificial-sounding dynamics. The traditional line of EMGs is better IMO, especially at 18v.



Yes I did attach the string ground - I used the entire EMG solderless system when I installed them. I know that some prefer the Blackouts over the EMG's, but from what I tried of them they didn't work out as everyone claimed them to be, and the EMG's are still the best thing I've used yet. I love the new X-series 808 and am dying to try the 707X's in my green Kamikaze with the SPC & EXG.

To each his own with gear and parts - that's why there's soooo many combinations and options out there because what one guy likes another won't. It's all personal preference and the EMG's are mine.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Hello everyone.

After viewing the boards and seeing how everyone always makes a new post asking for help with thier EMG systems, I've decided to make a thread SPECIFICALLY for this. Now for anyone who has questions about wiring their EMG's, questions about EMG pickups, or anything EMG related, this would be the place to post it. Plus I'm sure this would save some space on the board for other technical issues others may have and keep all the EMG/active pickups & wiring stuff in one section.

So if there's anyone who has an issue with the EMG systems they've got, or would like more info about the EMG wiring or pickup and accessory info, ask it here. Since I've been the un-official EMG tech and wizard of SS.org, why not get it all bundled up into one place???

Thanks everyone, mods included!


----------



## Ricky Roro

My first question is, since active pickups use weaker magnets that are boosted with a preamp, does that mean you can mute notes easier? I sometimes will want to cut off a note/chord, but it ends up hanging over a second afterwards (especially on higher gain).

Second, there any downside to using Lithium 9V batteries instead of Alkaline? (other than cost)

And thirdly, could you have a push/pull tone knob--if such a thing exists--with the push/pull part switching between 9v (parallel) and 18v (series)?


----------



## Rook

1. The hanging-over you describe comes from the string having momentum due to it's mass, and because you are trying to damp it from a point near the end of the string. As you move your hand further away from the middle, more force is needed to influence the string (think about trying to close a door from the hinges instead of the handle, if the door is moving, it's difficult to stop from the hinges, see 'moments of a force') because the middle moves the most and hence has the most momentum. There is therefore an amount of time after you damp the strings that your hand takes to absorb all the left over energy from the string and that is the hanging over you describe and it's nothing to do with pickups. The only ways to get rid of this are using lighter strings (less momentum means they stop quicker) or the traditional compressor-gate setup, whereby sounds quieter than a certain level are cut off altogether and don't sound through the amp.

2. Lithium batteries can draw current more quickly than your standard alkaline battery, hence why they are recommended in camera flashes. Audio equipment and amplification does not draw a constant current, every time you hit the string or made a loud noise, you effectively switch on a transistor which starts sucking all it's power out of the battery proportionally to the sound wave (louder sound, more current). In theory this would mean the pickup would have a faster response, however EMG's are so low current it probably won't make any audible difference, and it's harmless.

3. I don't know why you'd want to switch two batteries to parallel... Are you referring to 18V mods? Putting two power supplies in parallel is used as a current adder, however in this instance it won't have any effect, because the current is drawn, and V=IR. V is the same regardless of how many batteries there are and R is the same because it's fixed in the pickup. Two batteries in parallel would just mean they share the load and hence last longer than one on it's own, it won't affect the sound. As for switching the 18V mod in and out, this is very simple. There should be a red cable coming from the EMG's that connects to the battery then to a second ring on the stereo jack (so the power switches on when you put the jack in). You simply disconnect the battery from the jack and tie it to the upper of the three pins of your push pull. You connect the lower pin in parallel with your battery bypassing it and the middle pin connects to a second battery then to the jack. When the switch is down, you're running at 9V and the second battery is open circuit, when you pull the switch up, the second battery is put in series with the first doubling the voltage.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Thanks Fun111 for answering this for me.  But yes Ricky he is right about the string issue and the battery issue. I am not sure about using the push/pull pot for the 9-18V switch though... Last time I did something like this, I fried the pickups and Rick Hunt (Tech @ EMG...) said he dis-approves of trying to use a 9-18V switch as well for just the same reason. If your trying to get more headroom and are bored with the normal 9V signal and sound, I would either wire your system for the 18V mod, OR look at a set of the X-series EMG's. 

You can also send Rick an email and inquire with him directly about using the push/pull for the 9-18V mod and see what he says. If it can be done successfully, please post his reply up here so we can see it as I'm sure others would like to try it as well.


----------



## Ricky Roro

Heh, yeah, I do use pretty huge strings. I'll have to experiment with ways to stop it better. But thanks

I was thinking that if you could switch between series and parallel you could keep the batteries at about the same life, so you could always change them at the same time. Though, it would probably be a complicated piece of circuitry since it would require adding gates and such. I would rather have to go back and forth the old fashioned way than fry pickups that cost $100 a piece!


----------



## Kamikaze7

I agree with ya. But keep in mind that you can wire your system w/ the 18V system, and run it with a single 9V if you had to or wanted to, or didn't wanna use the 18V all the time. 

I bought and tried to use a wiring mod with a 2-way mini-toggle switch for a 9-19V mod for one of my systems. And since none of the connections were labeled as to what went where, I fried both pickups as a result. This is where and why I can see why Rick don't advise doing such a thing, because it is easy to fry your pickups if it's not done right by placing wires in the wrong spots. But I would wire it for the 18V, and just pop the 2nd battery out when you want the different tone - much safer and easier.


----------



## Ricky Roro

Wouldn't this work? Since the only real difference between series and parallel is you 'reverse' the current from one battery?


----------



## Kamikaze7

It might... But remeber that we're dealing with voltage and current here unlike a normal signal voltage and current from after the pickups... As we're dealing with the actual voltage source, you may wanna contact Rick @ EMG about this. The last thing you wanna do is wire the Push/Pull wrong and fry the pickups like I did...

I still think the safer and easier bet would be to wire the 18V mod like previously mentioned and add in/take out the 2nd battery when you want or need to. Again, I'm NOT saying that the push/pull for the series/parallel for the batteries won't work, but I don't want you to go ahead with it and wind up frying your pickups like I did because it was wired backwards or something that shouldn't have been... 

Better safe than sorry...


----------



## Ricky Roro

Sorry, I'll stop asking dumb questions now


----------



## Rook

Ricky Roro said:


> Wouldn't this work? Since the only real difference between series and parallel is you 'reverse' the current from one battery?



The difference between series and parallel has nothing to do with reversing anything.

Imagine current as water flowing in a pipe. Voltage is how fast it flows, Current is how fat the pipe is (more like an amount of weight per unit length of pipe, but the two are mutually exclusive).

In series, you add voltages, so a battery is an accelerator. Current going through one battery comes out at speed x, then if it goes through another it'll come out at 2x - provided the batteries are the same. 

In parallel you add currents. A current is drawn from either battery when you apply a voltage to a resistance. In this case, if the pipe taking the water from each battery is y cm wide, then when you add them you end up with a pipe twice as wide.

Reversing one battery results in zero voltage which results in zero current (v = ir, 0 = ir, so either i and/or r is zero, r is fixed by design). If you want to stop a battery from having in impact you have to leave it open circuit.


----------



## Ricky Roro

I was talking about the battery itself. In parallel all of the same terminals are chained together, but in series you wire the middle positive and negative together and use the ends.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

I don't use EMGs, but here's a little about batteries I know. Different batteries create a tonal difference when used in effects, at least that's what Eric Johnson says, and he is OCD about tone, so he probably knows his shit. I assume that the same would be true of active pickups.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Ricky Roro said:


> Sorry, I'll stop asking dumb questions now



No such thing as a stupid question... The only stupid question is the one that don't get asked (and you fry electronics in the process...).



Fun111 said:


> The difference between series and parallel has nothing to do with reversing anything.
> 
> Imagine current as water flowing in a pipe. Voltage is how fast it flows, Current is how fat the pipe is (more like an amount of weight per unit length of pipe, but the two are mutually exclusive).
> 
> In series, you add voltages, so a battery is an accelerator. Current going through one battery comes out at speed x, then if it goes through another it'll come out at 2x - provided the batteries are the same.
> 
> In parallel you add currents. A current is drawn from either battery when you apply a voltage to a resistance. In this case, if the pipe taking the water from each battery is y cm wide, then when you add them you end up with a pipe twice as wide.
> 
> Reversing one battery results in zero voltage which results in zero current (v = ir, 0 = ir, so either i and/or r is zero, r is fixed by design). If you want to stop a battery from having in impact you have to leave it open circuit.



Very well put again!!! Good to see someone else took electronics and retained it for future use!!!



Ricky Roro said:


> I was talking about the battery itself. In parallel all of the same terminals are chained together, but in series you wire the middle positive and negative together and use the ends.



Yes, because what your looking to do is wire in the 2nd 9V differently than a normal 18V mod which would be in series. What Fun111 described above is right, as it's how electricity and electronics work.



dragonblade629 said:


> I don't use EMGs, but here's a little about batteries I know. Different batteries create a tonal difference when used in effects, at least that's what Eric Johnson says, and he is OCD about tone, so he probably knows his shit. I assume that the same would be true of active pickups.



Yes it would. That is why it's ideal to use 2 of the same battery in a system if your running an 18V mod. For example, use either 2 alkaline or 2 lithium batteries at the same time. By using one of each (1 alkaline and 1 lithium) will cause it to react differently which in turn causes the difference in tone.


----------



## Rook

Kamikaze7 said:


> Very well put again!!! Good to see someone else took electronics and retained it for future use!!!



Thanks, check my signature


----------



## MistaSnowman

I'm impressed with the 707X, thus I'm looking into upgrade my RGA7 pickups to the 707X's. However, I'm wondering how easy (or difficult) installing these pickups would be, given that a) the battery compartment on the RGA7 are designed for AA's, and b) my desire to keep the EQ switch (I'm probably one of the very few that does not care for the standard tone knob.).


----------



## Kamikaze7

MistaSnowman said:


> I'm impressed with the 707X, thus I'm looking into upgrade my RGA7 pickups to the 707X's. However, I'm wondering how easy (or difficult) installing these pickups would be, given that a) the battery compartment on the RGA7 are designed for AA's, and b) my desire to keep the EQ switch (I'm probably one of the very few that does not care for the standard tone knob.).



The pickup swap should be fairly easy, as the pickups themselves are the same size. As for wiring and the battery, you may wind up putting the 9V in the normal control cavity or you could make the AA cavity a little bigger to put the 9V in there. 

The factory EQ switch you may not be able to wire to the EMG's. So if you were looking to have an EQ circuit in there, you may wanna consider something like the PA-2 Preamp booster or the PI-2 Phase inverter if you wanna keep the same size switch, or for an actual tone EQ circuit, you can run the EXG, SPC or RPC controls, but you'd need to make the 2nd hole bigger to fit a normal sized pot in there.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Just a reminder to everyone to use this thread for any questions about anything EMG related... This is also a bump to push this thread to the top of the list...

If any of the mods are viewing this, can someone please move this thread to the very top of the list with the EMG 7-string pickup thread please??? Thanks in advanced!


----------



## Kamikaze7

Thanks DJ!!!


----------



## 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

mot666 said:


> 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!


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## 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

pearl_07 said:


> 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

pearl_07 said:


> 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.


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## 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

Sephael said:


> 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

IntoEternity22 said:


> 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?


----------



## Kamikaze7

BlastFurnace said:


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



The 81-7 and 707 would make a good combination. I personally would prefer 2 707's as I had a not so good experience with the 81-7's myself. However, you won't know the true tonality of the guitar unless they're in and wired and ready to go. So with that being said, give it a go. If you find you don't like the tone of the 81-7 in the bridge, then try the 707 in the bridge. If it works out better tone-wise with the 707 than the 81-7, sell or trade the 81-7 for another 707.

Also, if you find you want something warmer and more vintage-toned in the neck position, try the 60-7 with ether the 707 or the 81-7. And the X-Series are a sure-fire bet with any of the models as well. 

Good luck, and let us know which you decide upon and how you make out!!!


----------



## BabUShka

The good thing about that combo is that you can switch from 81 to 707 in bridge every time you restring your guitar and see what you like best.. =p


----------



## pearl_07

I finally 18v modded my 707TW's. For clip comparison, would I be able to remove one of the 9v's to run it back to 9v or would I have to resolder it back the way it originally was?


----------



## Kamikaze7

pearl_07 said:


> I finally 18v modded my 707TW's. For clip comparison, would I be able to remove one of the 9v's to run it back to 9v or would I have to resolder it back the way it originally was?



You'll be able to just pull one of the batteries out. Just be sure to unplug the guitar before you pull one of the batteries out - just in case. Better safe than sorry.


----------



## Sephael

you will probably have to make some kind of jumper to replace the removed battery to complete the circuit.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Sephael said:


> you will probably have to make some kind of jumper to replace the removed battery to complete the circuit.



That's right! Good thinking and glad you mentioned that!!! Thanks!


----------



## BabUShka

If you have one more of those battery-cables, then just solder the two cables together (red and black) and just use it instead of a battery, as a jumper.


----------



## Kamikaze7

BabUShka said:


> If you have one more of those battery-cables, then just solder the two cables together (red and black) and just use it instead of a battery, as a jumper.



Yes! the quick and easy way to make that jumper!!! Awesome thinking!!


----------



## BabUShka

hehe  
Btw, i removed the springs and put some swamp instead, and that solved my uncontrolled feedback-problem! Great stuff. 
Also shielded the pickup cavity with aluminium foil and it actually made the pickup even more noisless


----------



## Kamikaze7

Hey everyone,

I wound up coming across the 9-18V switch mod wiring diagram, incase anyone is interested in it for thier EMG or active systems... I have one in my Kamikaze 1 7-string and the second I'm building is gonna go in the 8-string w/ the 808X! Am thrilled I got it to work without frying my pickups again!!! 

Here's the link for the diagram... Thanks Darren for having this!!!
EMG/active 9-18V switch mod:






I'll scan and post the diagram for the 2X TW or 89 pickups with 2 push/pulls for volume and tone tonite or tomorrow... Been a crazy last few weeks...


----------



## BabUShka

Yeah, simple set up with a toggle switch. 
Im not too thrilled to route my Ibanez for one more battery though =p 
Whats so nice about that switch diagram, is that in 9V mode the second battery is completly off. So you dont drain current from it.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Alright my new schecter has a battery box that flips open, which contains contact points instead of an actual harness for the battery. How the hell do i do the 18v mod with that? haha


----------



## Sephael

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Alright my new schecter has a battery box that flips open, which contains contact points instead of an actual harness for the battery. How the hell do i do the 18v mod with that?


pop it out so you can get access to the wiring, you can splice in-line so you can put the second battery in the control cavity.


@BabUShka, you can make a little external harness that disconnects and hangs from your guitar strap.


----------



## Kamikaze7

BabUShka said:


> Yeah, simple set up with a toggle switch.
> Im not too thrilled to route my Ibanez for one more battery though =p
> Whats so nice about that switch diagram, is that in 9V mode the second battery is completly off. So you dont drain current from it.



In the case of what I did, The 7-string I have this in is using a concentric pot as a dual volume and a 3-way blade switch, so I have room in the cavity. However, to give myself more room, I sanded out the large rounded bump sections in the cavity to give myself more room to make sure everything gets in there. I've attached a pic showing the areas I sanded, for more room...

With the switch in 9V position, yes the other battery is off and does not drain.


----------



## Kamikaze7

UPDATE:

To those who are looking for EMG 707's and 808's in something other than black, stop by the EMG website. When the page loads, scroll down the menu on the left and click on "STORE". Once that sub-menu opens, click on "CUSTOM SHOP". They now offer the 707 AND the 808 in white, both are selling for $135 each and they have them in stock. 

Here is the link... http://www.emgpickups.com/products/category/263/101

Thought some of you would like to hear and know this...


----------



## Tranquilliser

I might seem like a dud for asking this, but lately I've been considering new pickups for my RG7321, I can't say I'm too satisfied with the DiMarzios that are in there, they don't have the right bite for me (especially, and surprisingly, the x2n7). 
I've played the 81-7 on two guitars: basswood, and alder, which are the same and similar enough to the basswood RG. I know the 81-7 is my bridge pup choice, and I'm really keen on the idea of a H/S setup, so I would like an SA-7 for the neck. My questions are: is the SA-7 actually available (If it helps I'm in Australia) and will it fit in the neck route ok? 
I think if I get new pickups, I will also refinish the guitar from its boring black to something more exciting, like a metallic purple, as well as fill in the neck cavity and route it properly 
Cheers in advance


----------



## Kamikaze7

Tranquilliser said:


> I might seem like a dud for asking this, but lately I've been considering new pickups for my RG7321, I can't say I'm too satisfied with the DiMarzios that are in there, they don't have the right bite for me (especially, and surprisingly, the x2n7).
> I've played the 81-7 on two guitars: basswood, and alder, which are the same and similar enough to the basswood RG. I know the 81-7 is my bridge pup choice, and I'm really keen on the idea of a H/S setup, so I would like an SA-7 for the neck. My questions are: is the SA-7 actually available (If it helps I'm in Australia) and will it fit in the neck route ok?
> I think if I get new pickups, I will also refinish the guitar from its boring black to something more exciting, like a metallic purple, as well as fill in the neck cavity and route it properly
> Cheers in advance



I think an RG7 with an H-S set-up would be pretty interesting. I believe the SA-7 should be available just about everywhere by now.I got mine in January just after they announced it available, so you should have no trouble finding it. If not, you could always have someone like me order it and have it shipped to you... If you can't find it for sale, let me know and we'll work out something...

As for fitment, yes It should fit in the normal neck pickup route with no problem. I wound up routing the SC neck spot on my guitar to get it in, but I CAN say that it has the same sizing as an ordinary 7-string single coil. Any other questions, feel free to ask!


----------



## Tranquilliser

Just a thought - is it possible to fit an EMG 7 string pickup (the actual pickup components) inside the Phase 1 Housing for Seymour Duncan Blackouts?
Like,
could I rip out the actual EMG pickup and put it in a smaller housing?


----------



## Kamikaze7

Tranquilliser said:


> Just a thought - is it possible to fit an EMG 7 string pickup (the actual pickup components) inside the Phase 1 Housing for Seymour Duncan Blackouts?
> Like,
> could I rip out the actual EMG pickup and put it in a smaller housing?



 Wishful thinking, but no you can't. Not without destroying the pickup just to get the epoxy they use to seal it off... If that was the case, I'm sure some of the guys here would have done it already. But like I said, no, not without destroying the pickup itself.

IMHO, your just better off routing the body yourself or paying a tech to do it and installing the EMG's. I've been using them since '05, so I'm used to it now...


----------



## MistaSnowman

Kamikaze7 said:


> UPDATE:
> 
> To those who are looking for EMG 707's and 808's in something other than black, stop by the EMG website. When the page loads, scroll down the menu on the left and click on "STORE". Once that sub-menu opens, click on "CUSTOM SHOP". They now offer the 707 AND the 808 in white, both are selling for $135 each and they have them in stock.
> 
> Here is the link... 707 WHITE | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups
> 
> Thought some of you would like to hear and know this...


 
The 707X and 808X are now available in white also.

http://www.emgpickups.com/products/index/360/263/101


----------



## Kamikaze7

MistaSnowman said:


> The 707X and 808X are now available in white also.
> 
> 808X WHITE | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups



Son of a bitch!!! It figures NOW they go and decide to do these in white... Where were these when I bought mine months ago???

No matter, I'm probably gonna get a white 808X for the 8, and put the black one in the neck position...


----------



## AcousticMinja

Hey, I want to install an EMG 85 in the bridge of my guitar, while retaining my 2 passive single coils in the neck and middle. These are going to a 5 way switch. Obviously I'll be using a 500k pot to control the volume of the neck and mid passives, and a 25k to control my 85 in the bridge. Basically, 2 volume (1 active 1 passive), 5 way switch, no tone, stereo jack. 
I've searched a bit online and I can't seem to find what I should do.

People are posting mixed things on forums and other sites, saying it's either too complicated, it can't be done, or it totally works...

How do I go about doing this? I'd like to do this without buying anything else, going strictly all actives or all passives, getting preamps, etc


----------



## Kamikaze7

AcousticMinja said:


> Hey, I want to install an EMG 85 in the bridge of my guitar, while retaining my 2 passive single coils in the neck and middle. These are going to a 5 way switch. Obviously I'll be using a 500k pot to control the volume of the neck and mid passives, and a 25k to control my 85 in the bridge. Basically, 2 volume (1 active 1 passive), 5 way switch, no tone, stereo jack.
> I've searched a bit online and I can't seem to find what I should do.
> 
> People are posting mixed things on forums and other sites, saying it's either too complicated, it can't be done, or it totally works...
> 
> How do I go about doing this? I'd like to do this without buying anything else, going strictly all actives or all passives, getting preamps, etc



You see, it can be done, BUT there is a significant volume level difference between the active versus the passive when using the 2 together. I'm not sure how it'd be done, but I would think that you wire it the same way you would the rest of the pickups - bridge pickup signal wire going from the volume to the switch, and the same for the passives... I'm not sure on this like I mentioned, but you can always ask Rick @ EMG for more help with this... Rick is the Tech at EMG and can be reached by phone or email from the EMG website.

IMHO, I would break down and spend the $50 for the Blackouts Modular Preamp for your 2 passive single coils... Your still gonna have to deal with a battery anyway for the 85 in the bridge, so why not just make the rest of it active? All you'd have to do is screw the wires from the single coils into the preamp, and wire the rest of it up as needed for the 2 passives and just tie it in to the 5-way switch...

I myself am one who either does strait passive, or strait active. And with all 6 (soon to be 7...) all active, it's just easier for me and what I prefer.


----------



## awesomeaustin

Do you have to use the active tone with the X-Series pickups, or can you use the regular 25k tone pot that comes standard with regular EMG's?


----------



## leonardo7

awesomeaustin said:


> Do you have to use the active tone with the X-Series pickups, or can you use the regular 25k tone pot that comes standard with regular EMG's?



You only have to use it if you want use of your tone pot


----------



## awesomeaustin

leonardo7 said:


> You only have to use it if you want use of your tone pot



Interesting...


----------



## Kamikaze7

I forget why, but you need the active tone pot with the X-series... I'm not sure if it's due to the difference in output or tonality, but there's a reason as to why the X's use the active tone control. 

I think it states somewhere on the EMG site as to why. If not, you can always ask Rick (EMG's Tech support...) as to why and if you can use the normal tone pot with the X's...


----------



## 1b4n3z

EMG says it's due a much lower impedance the X series has compared to the 'traditional' EMG actives. Because of it a much bigger capacitor is needed. The regular .1 uf just doesn't really do anything. Duncan equips the Blackouts with .47 uf caps probably because of similar reasons (Blackouts have even lower impedance) and it works fine with them. I tend to wire EMG X series with those .47's if I need a tone control as I'm not very thrilled about the added battery consumption those active tone pots bring about.


----------



## 9voltchicken

I recently purchased a (used) Hellraiser c7 equipped with 707tws. My first impression was, 'wow, these pickups have no balls'. Second impression was, 'wow, these pickups are bassy as hell'. I did an 18v mod and so far I'm digging the tonal differences. Next, I did an output test vs my two other guitars, which are equipped with blackouts and stock bronze series bc rich pickups. Compared to both the other pickups, the 707tws had less output than the stock bc rich pickups. Is this normal? I've checked the connections and haven't found anything amiss. Also replaced the battery with a fresh one.

loose comparison of gain settings for similar sound:
707s = 10 (most feedback as well)
bc rich = 7
blackouts = 2

As it stands I'm more than likely going to swap out both the 707tws and the blackouts. The blackouts I feel are too sensitive and a bit too hot for my tastes. I'm considering switching to passives but doing a complete rewire is a turn off for me. The bottom line for the hellraiser is more output and less bass. Preferably another active pup. I'm mostly into doing covers of Cloudkicker, Soilwork, Gojira, and Scarpoint. 

What are my options?


----------



## Kamikaze7

9voltchicken said:


> I recently purchased a (used) Hellraiser c7 equipped with 707tws. My first impression was, 'wow, these pickups have no balls'. Second impression was, 'wow, these pickups are bassy as hell'. I did an 18v mod and so far I'm digging the tonal differences. Next, I did an output test vs my two other guitars, which are equipped with blackouts and stock bronze series bc rich pickups. Compared to both the other pickups, the 707tws had less output than the stock bc rich pickups. Is this normal? I've checked the connections and haven't found anything amiss. Also replaced the battery with a fresh one.
> 
> loose comparison of gain settings for similar sound:
> 707s = 10 (most feedback as well)
> bc rich = 7
> blackouts = 2
> 
> As it stands I'm more than likely going to swap out both the 707tws and the blackouts. The blackouts I feel are too sensitive and a bit too hot for my tastes. I'm considering switching to passives but doing a complete rewire is a turn off for me. The bottom line for the hellraiser is more output and less bass. Preferably another active pup. I'm mostly into doing covers of Cloudkicker, Soilwork, Gojira, and Scarpoint.
> 
> What are my options?



It's possible that whoever had the Hellraiser last swapped the connections on the push/pull pots so that the single coil mode is down and humbucker is up. Your not the only one who feels that the Blackouts are way too hot for thier liking. The main thing you really need to keep in mind between the 3 guitars is not only the gain/distortion setting, but the overall EQ settings as well between the 3 of them... Differences in construction, body and neck materials and everything else is going to make a HUGE difference in your tone. So I'd say try tweaking you EQ some and see if you are better able to dial in the tone your looking to get.

As for replacing the TW's with another active, you'r still gonna need to re-wire the guitar anyway... You won't be able to use the TW wiring harnesses as they are a 7-wire harness compared to a normal 3-wire harness for a regular active pickup. That, and you'll also need to swap out the 2 volume pots as well - leaving the push/pull pots in there with normal humbuckers is pointless. Not only that, you'll have no need for the push/pull pots with normal active humbuckers. 

When you buy new EMG's, they come with everything new to re-wire them - new pots, jack, wires and all. So if you think that the 707TW's are too bass-y in the Hellraiser, I'd try something like the 81-7's in both positions. It's a lot brighter in comparison and should help break up some of the dark tone of the mahogany and the neck-thru construction. So trying a new, normal set of EMG's might be a better bet, and getting the guitar re-wired will be quick and easy. You can do it yourself in about a half an hour tops with the new solderless system.

Good luck and feel free to contact me if you need any other help or questions...


----------



## 9voltchicken

Kamikaze7 said:


> It's possible that whoever had the Hellraiser last swapped the connections on the push/pull pots so that the single coil mode is down and humbucker is up. Your not the only one who feels that the Blackouts are way too hot for thier liking. The main thing you really need to keep in mind between the 3 guitars is not only the gain/distortion setting, but the overall EQ settings as well between the 3 of them... Differences in construction, body and neck materials and everything else is going to make a HUGE difference in your tone. So I'd say try tweaking you EQ some and see if you are better able to dial in the tone your looking to get.
> 
> As for replacing the TW's with another active, you'r still gonna need to re-wire the guitar anyway... You won't be able to use the TW wiring harnesses as they are a 7-wire harness compared to a normal 3-wire harness for a regular active pickup. That, and you'll also need to swap out the 2 volume pots as well - leaving the push/pull pots in there with normal humbuckers is pointless. Not only that, you'll have no need for the push/pull pots with normal active humbuckers.
> 
> When you buy new EMG's, they come with everything new to re-wire them - new pots, jack, wires and all. So if you think that the 707TW's are too bass-y in the Hellraiser, I'd try something like the 81-7's in both positions. It's a lot brighter in comparison and should help break up some of the dark tone of the mahogany and the neck-thru construction. So trying a new, normal set of EMG's might be a better bet, and getting the guitar re-wired will be quick and easy. You can do it yourself in about a half an hour tops with the new solderless system.
> 
> Good luck and feel free to contact me if you need any other help or questions...



Hmm... They are definitely not coil tapped in the bottom position. I'm also aware of the eq tweaking, I was just comparing how much I had to bump up the gain to get a similar amount of distortion and wondering if it's normal for this pickup to have that low of output when compared to bottom of the barrel stock pickups. Maybe I'm just used to blackouts? I'll see about re-soldering the connections.

Oh. On a side note I also checked the connectors on the back of the pickups, they are indeed in the correct position.

In either case I'll probably swap them out for a set of passives later down the road when tax returns are in.


----------



## BabUShka

I just adjusted the pickup height of my EMG707's just a tiny bit, yet it resulted in much bigger output. Gave the sound more punchy bass, more gain and balls. Im also going to change the tone cap to a higher value, cause they sound a little bit dark in mahogany body.. 
But damn, i live the cleans of the EMG707 in neck pos. Its sooo clean!


----------



## Oneironaut

I need help finding a wiring diagram for 2 EMG 808s, 1 tone, one volume and a 3 way switch. I tried looking on the EMG site but all i can find is diagrams for the solder-less system. Also i need to replace the volume pot and I'm wondering if I would need a 500k or 250k.


----------



## 9voltchicken

I believe EMGs use 25k pots. 

Their site has their pots, although they are a bit pricey imo...

25k SPLIT VOLUME | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups


----------



## Kamikaze7

Oneironaut said:


> I need help finding a wiring diagram for 2 EMG 808s, 1 tone, one volume and a 3 way switch. I tried looking on the EMG site but all i can find is diagrams for the solder-less system. Also i need to replace the volume pot and I'm wondering if I would need a 500k or 250k.



The diagram is easy to come across for the older soldered style systems... If you send me a PM with your email address, I will send you a copy of the diagram.

In the meantime, here's how to re-wire the older style EMG's:
-The Bare, braided outer wire from each pickups get soldered to the volume pot casing.
-The smaller white inner wires get soldered to the 3-way switch.
-Output wire of 3-way switch (middle wire) is soldered to the first pin of the volume pot, along with one of the capacitor pins. The other pin of the capacitor is connected to the middle pin of the tone pot.
-Grounds: Ground wire from switch to the very last pin of the volume pot (right side, bent back and soldered to pot casing.) Also ground the tone pot (last pin, right side, same as volume pot - bent back and soldered to pot casing...) to the volume pot.
-Jack wiring: With the 3 pins on the left (staring at the back of the jack...), 1) the bottom pin is the white output from the volume pot middle pin.
2) the middle pin is the ground from the switch, volume and tone pots
3) the top pin is the battery negative wire.

The 808's are wired the same as any of the other 2/3-wire EMG pickups (81, 85, S/SA, 707, ect...) And I would also say it's woth it to give the new solderless system a shot, as it is quicker and easier to wire and install. And yes, the pots for EMG's ARE 25K ohm. 250K and 500K are for passive systems.

EDIT: Also, the wiring diagrams for the Duncan Blackouts are the same as the old soldered style EMG's, in case you still can't find the EMG diagram... HERE is the Blackouts diagram...


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## Oneironaut

Thx everyone for the help it is much appreciated.


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## Kamikaze7

No problem, and will email you the diagram today. Sorry it's not sooner, I've been having serious connectivity issues lately...


----------



## Oneironaut

> No problem, and will email you the diagram today. Sorry it's not sooner, I've been having serious connectivity issues lately...


Its cool. Thanks a ton! 

I have another question, so those 808s are actually going in my friends guitar. In my guitar I recently got an 808x in the bridge position with the solderless system. I took before and after samples and in my opinion they sound exactly the same as the 808s. So I'm thinking about putting the 808x in the neck position and if possible using another brand of pickup in the bridge. So my question is, are there any non-EMG pickups that I can use with the EMG solder-less system?


----------



## Kamikaze7

Oneironaut said:


> Its cool. Thanks a ton!
> 
> I have another question, so those 808s are actually going in my friends guitar. In my guitar I recently got an 808x in the bridge position with the solderless system. I took before and after samples and in my opinion they sound exactly the same as the 808s. So I'm thinking about putting the 808x in the neck position and if possible using another brand of pickup in the bridge. So my question is, are there any non-EMG pickups that I can use with the EMG solder-less system?



Hmmm... Funny you say that you find the 808 and the 808X to sound the same... I noticed a huge difference between the two, and found the X to be a lot clearer and more refined than the normal 808 which was muddy to me..

But as far as any other pickups that you could use that work with the EMG solderless system - as well as being a direct-sized replacement - would be the Duncan Blackouts 8-string. The pickup would connect the same way as the EMG's do, with the red power wire on the left side. I don't have experience with the 8-string Blackouts, so I can't speak on behalf of those compared to the 808 and the 808X... But I know another forum member has a Blackout 8 & EMG 8 in the same guitar - would be wrth looking at his post and see what he says and thinks about the mix-matched pairing.


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## Purelojik

i have an 8 string blackout in my homemade fanned 7 baritone. its a great pup. everything rings clear. one thing that i really thought was great about it was that it was a thick tone but not flubby or muddy. its articulate but not as much as say an aftermath or something. (i figure those to be the higher end of the spectrum of being articulate). clean aint bad but dont start crying as to why you dont have Bell like tones cause its def not a pup made for that lol.


----------



## Kamikaze7

Purelojik said:


> i have an 8 string blackout in my homemade fanned 7 baritone. its a great pup. everything rings clear. one thing that i really thought was great about it was that it was a thick tone but not flubby or muddy. its articulate but not as much as say an aftermath or something. (i figure those to be the higher end of the spectrum of being articulate). clean aint bad but dont start crying as to why you dont have Bell like tones cause its def not a pup made for that lol.



Am really looking forward to the Custom Shop set I'm scoring soon... With a different preamp and lower gain, it's gonna be really interesting to hear and try out. After all, I do have 4 guitars I will be able to test them on... Pretty much Duncan's version of an 81-7X and 707X but in the Blackouts. Hoping for promising results... Really looking forward to these!


----------



## Oneironaut

Ok so I've got those pickups installed but the bridge pickup is being really quiet. It sounds clean even when there is distortion on. What would cause this?


----------



## Kamikaze7

the only things that come to mind that would cause that would be:
-a bad solder joint/connection
-If using the older style wiring (...with the smaller white wire inside the braided bare wire), it's possible the bare braided wire was heated up too much and melted the insulation on the inner wire, causing it to short out
-Connector on the back of the pickup is on backwards or not on fully/all the way.

Did you have plenty of wire from the pickup to the pots & switch? If you cut everything short and had to pull the wire a little bit, you may have pulled the connector off the back of the pickup just enough to cause a weak connection. I'd check the connector on the pickup itself and make sure it's on all the way and not on backwards (which CAN fry your pickup...). 

I'd also make sure that the soldered connection of the bare braided wire is good and not weak. If you blew on the solder after you made the connection, you just made a big soldering no-no . Blowing on the solder is the worst thing to do. Blowing on it creates an internal air pocket inside the solder, which in turn creates moisture, and causes the connection to erode from the inside out. I'd also make sure that you didn't heat up the inner wire's insulation when you soldered it to the volume pot casing. I'd done it before and does happen. You may need to re-solder the connection on the volume pot again and to the switch again if that is the case.

If worse comes to worse, it's well worth it for you (or your buddy) to spend the $35 and get the solderless kit. If you try correcting the soldered connections & checking the connector on the pickup and still find the one pickup has a weak signal, I'd take both pickups and swap positions - bridge to neck and neck to bridge. If you find that it's still got a weak signal in the original spot, it may be something in the wiring or the pots. If that's the case, it'd be well worth it to re-do it all with the solderless kit. If you put the new kit in and find it's still the same situation, even with the pickups position swapped, it may be a bad pickup. I had this happen with the 808's in my 8-string after trying to add a 9-18V switch and fried both pickups as a result...

Try the above mentioned first and see if that does the trick. Let me know how you make out.


----------



## Oneironaut

Can you send me a link to the solder-less kit I didn't see it on the emg site.
Can the inner white wire shorting with the outer braid fry the pickup? The first time around I did melt through the inner wire couple times. I had to trim it like three times before I gave up. This time around i replaced it with 2 separate wires and finally got the neck pickup to work.


----------



## Kamikaze7

The bare braided coming in contact with the inner wire won't fry the pickup, but it's possible if you put the connector on the back of the pickup on backwards. The trick to doing the older soldered style EMG connections is to have the iron good and hot and pre-melt some solder to the braided wire, then solder it to the pot. It can be tricky as you found out...

But HERE is the link to the solderless kit. When using this system, a few things you'll want to remember when installing it:
-The wires coming from the selector switch you'll want to cut as far away from the switch as possible. This will allow you to have plenty of room and wire to work with when attaching them to the switch buss.
-Also, make sure the buss, and the connector wires aren't bent excessively or anything pushing against the black ends of the connectors as this will cause a weak connection. For example, don't put the battery on top of the switch buss and all the wires going in and out of it. 

Also another thing I just thought of while you wait for the solderless kit - try checking the soldered connection for the bridge pickup on the switch itself and where it connects to the pot. If all your connections are good, then it's probably because you wound up melting the insulation on the inner wire like you had previously.


----------



## Oneironaut

The plug on the back of the pickup was on backwards. Everything works now. Thanks so much for all your help!


----------



## Kamikaze7

Oneironaut said:


> The plug on the back of the pickup was on backwards. Everything works now. Thanks so much for all your help!



 no problem. glad you got it okay!!! Anytime!


----------



## BabUShka

So.. I've had my Schecter for a few months now, and I've always been skeptical to the high and kinda scooped output of the SD blackouts.. 
Today I traded the blackouts away for an EMG 85/81 combo and guess what.. IM SO FUCKING HAPPY!! The guitar sounds just perfect now.. 
Crystal cleans, reaally clear and punchy high gain in Drop C# and lots of dynamics and clearance in the high gain part. 

So I finally confirmed to myself that I liek EMG's better. Now i own 3 guitars with different EMG's and they all sound great. Blackouts, never again..


----------



## freshassbrennan

I'm having some problems with the 707s. My bridge pickup works perfectly fine, but the middle setting and neck pickup don't correspond to the volume knob and is always on full blast?  Can anybody please help me out? One volume pot, two actice emg 707s and a three way selector switch. The model is a dean rc7x. Please help.


----------



## AliceLG

Hey what's up? I have an LTD EC-401FM with 81/60 that sounds just glorious, like I expected. Then I decided to take the stock pickups out of my Ibanez ART120 and put the same EMGs in. If with actives the tonewood has less influence in the tone, and both guitars are mahogany, why would the 60 on the neck of the Ibanez suck ass? For cleans it quite OK, but for leads it just fails. At full volume and full gain on my HT-5 I get a lead that is lacking sustain, and worst of all the tone itself is so weak, not in volume but in punch, it sounds as if I was on a crancked fender (no offense, that's a great tone for blues/rock, just not what I'm after). Since I have 2 guitars with 60s on the neck I will switch them up the next time I change strings on both. What could be causing such a big difference? The Ibanez is slighty more resonant than the LTD, but the bridge sounds pretty much the same on both guitars.


----------



## The Reverend

AliceLG said:


> Hey what's up? I have an LTD EC-401FM with 81/60 that sounds just glorious, like I expected. Then I decided to take the stock pickups out of my Ibanez ART120 and put the same EMGs in. If with actives the tonewood has less influence in the tone, and both guitars are mahogany, why would the 60 on the neck of the Ibanez suck ass? For cleans it quite OK, but for leads it just fails. At full volume and full gain on my HT-5 I get a lead that is lacking sustain, and worst of all the tone itself is so weak, not in volume but in punch, it sounds as if I was on a crancked fender (no offense, that's a great tone for blues/rock, just not what I'm after). Since I have 2 guitars with 60s on the neck I will switch them up the next time I change strings on both. What could be causing such a big difference? The Ibanez is slighty more resonant than the LTD, but the bridge sounds pretty much the same on both guitars.



I'd check your connections, first. Check the wires going from the pickup to whatever pots you have, and then from the pots to the output jack. Make sure everything is solid there, even if you're using EMG's quick connect system. I'm not sure about the Ibanez layout, but if you have a tone pot for just the neck pickup, you may want to make sure it's working. 

Other than that, it may be the the 60 in your Ibby is just a dud. I haven't seen very many cases here on SSO where that was actually the case with any brand of pickup, but it's always a possibility. Let us know what happens when you switch them out!


----------



## AliceLG

Quick update, connections have been checked, unplugged, replugged and retested (multimeter and everything), tone still sucks ass. I have the quick connect system on both guitars, and the same layout: 2 vol 1 ton and toggle switch. Everything checks out in both guitars but still one sounds excellent and the other I want smash to a wall 

Pickup swap is next, but I haven't read about many 60 duds, or EMG duds in general. I wish it actually is a faulty pickup, that cheaper and easier to fix than a fucked up guitar.

Thanks for the recommendations Reverend, you have been rep'd.


----------



## metale

Hi guys. Just to gather some opinions about something that happened 

I have a LP with EMG 60n + 81b. 3 way switch, 2 volumes + 2 tones, 18v mod.

One of these days, I plugged in, and the pots were acting very strange:

- Both tone pots would do nothing to the tone.

- Volume on 8-10 would be very quiet, very weak. Once it reached 7 it would kick in, and as I turned it down it would increase (at 0 the volume would be full blast). 


I suspected some electrical/impedance problem (I'm not an electronics guy), so I disconnected the cable and connected the guitar directly to one of the amps (bypassing the pedals) and it was ok. But then I connected it as before (with all the pedals) and it was still ok.

I am really confused, and would like to find out so I can fix it if it happens again.

Cheers


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

An interesting development in the EMG world - external power supplies! Both in 9 and 18 volt models. Unfortunately, you have to buy a special cable to go between your instrument and the power supply, but I'd say this is pretty cool!

ES-9 | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups

My apologies if this is a re-post, I searched and found nothing, so, yeah/


----------



## Rojne

EDIT: Never mind haha, going with DiMarzios instead!


----------



## jymellis

im having a problem wiring them into a 3 way blade switch. all the diagrams i have are with the poles on 2 sides

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/MetalMGH/EMG-wiring-3way-ibanez.jpg

but my switch has the poles all on one side 

(3 way economy)

Pickup Selector & Mini Switch Terminal Connections

which lugs to i solder together? where do the wires from the pups go?


----------



## Vostre Roy

jymellis said:


> im having a problem wiring them into a 3 way blade switch. all the diagrams i have are with the poles on 2 sides
> 
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v86/MetalMGH/EMG-wiring-3way-ibanez.jpg
> 
> but my switch has the poles all on one side
> 
> (3 way economy)
> 
> Pickup Selector & Mini Switch Terminal Connections
> 
> which lugs to i solder together? where do the wires from the pups go?


 
Not an expert, but if you go down the page, you'll see each switch with each lugs given a name (A0, A1, B0, B1, ect). Look at the diagram you have with pole on each side, note the lugs as they are named in the list and solder everything to the lugs named the same in the economy switch.

Hope you get what I'm trying to explain...

Edit: Just found that. Posting it here for future reference (not for you Jym, its a 5-way lol)


----------



## TheEntheogenEgoKiller

Ibanez RG7321 with EMG 81-7 in the bridge

5150 II TS-9 Boosted Gain:0 Tone:5 Level:5
gain 5
bass 5
mid 7
treble 4
res 5
pres 5

I need an EMG pickup that can give me more clarity and rawness. The 81-7 plus the amp and the boost makes the distortion too liquid-y and not clear.

any help is appreciated!


----------



## The Reverend

Perhaps the X series might suit you better? 



TheEntheogenEgoKiller said:


> Ibanez RG7321 with EMG 81-7 in the bridge
> 
> 5150 II TS-9 Boosted Gain:0 Tone:5 Level:5
> gain 5
> bass 5
> mid 7
> treble 4
> res 5
> pres 5
> 
> I need an EMG pickup that can give me more clarity and rawness. The 81-7 plus the amp and the boost makes the distortion too liquid-y and not clear.
> 
> any help is appreciated!


----------



## Pav

TheEntheogenEgoKiller said:


> Ibanez RG7321 with EMG 81-7 in the bridge
> 
> 5150 II TS-9 Boosted Gain:0 Tone:5 Level:5
> gain 5
> bass 5
> mid 7
> treble 4
> res 5
> pres 5
> 
> I need an EMG pickup that can give me more clarity and rawness. The 81-7 plus the amp and the boost makes the distortion too liquid-y and not clear.
> 
> any help is appreciated!



Tried running in 18v? It will really open up your headroom compared to 9v.


----------



## MetalThrasher

I want to try EMG's in my new Carvin DC700. I believe the EMG's will be a direct fit. Is it hard to swap an active for an active pickup? I have never changed pickups in a guitar and I want to do this myself. I need opinions on what I should get. I am going to get an 60x in the neck and was leaning towards getting a 707x in the bridge. Is that a good fit or should I get an 81x in the bridge? This guitar is basically all walnut and I have this setup one whole step down. I have a walnut body, 5 piece walnut neck with 2 maple stripes and a tom bridge which I have a band over the nut to kill the ringing. I play a lot of tight metal riffing through my axe fx.


----------



## The Reverend

MetalThrasher said:


> I want to try EMG's in my new Carvin DC700. I believe the EMG's will be a direct fit. Is it hard to swap an active for an active pickup? I have never changed pickups in a guitar and I want to do this myself. I need opinions on what I should get. I am going to get an 60x in the neck and was leaning towards getting a 707x in the bridge. Is that a good fit or should I get an 81x in the bridge? This guitar is basically all walnut and I have this setup one whole step down. I have a walnut body, 5 piece walnut neck with 2 maple stripes and a tom bridge which I have a band over the nut to kill the ringing. I play a lot of tight metal riffing through my axe fx.



Depends on whether or not the pups you have now have the Quick Connect system EMG uses now. If you buy them new, you'll get everything you need in the box, as in tone pots, volume pots, battery wiring, etc. You'll probably only have to solder your switch in, which isn't too hard. 

I personally wouldn't get the X-series in the bridge. I bought a set of 707-X pups for my ATX C-7, and while I loved how open and free the neck was for leads and clean playing, it didn't have enough balls in the bridge for any tight riffing.


----------



## Purelojik

The Reverend said:


> Depends on whether or not the pups you have now have the Quick Connect system EMG uses now. If you buy them new, you'll get everything you need in the box, as in tone pots, volume pots, battery wiring, etc. You'll probably only have to solder your switch in, which isn't too hard.
> 
> I personally wouldn't get the X-series in the bridge. I bought a set of 707-X pups for my ATX C-7, and while I loved how open and free the neck was for leads and clean playing, it didn't have enough balls in the bridge for any tight riffing.



get the 60x-7 for the bridge and thats a shit ton of balls and pretty awesome cleans


----------



## MetalThrasher

Purelojik said:


> get the 60x-7 for the bridge and thats a shit ton of balls and pretty awesome cleans



I am thinking of trying that. How does a 60x-7 in the bridge with an 81x-7 in the neck sound? I figure if I don't like the 60-7x in the bridge I could always change the position with the 81x-7. Also, this is going into a walnut body guitar with a 5 piece walnut neck with 2 maple stripes setup one whole step down tuning across the board? Will this work? I really want to try different pickups in the Carvin. I posted a question on Carvin's website asking if doing this pickup swap is easy and if it would require any mods to the guitar. I also asked if Carvin uses 25k pots. If all seems good I am about to order a set tomorrow. Opinions please.


----------



## The Only Factor

MetalThrasher said:


> I am thinking of trying that. How does a 60x-7 in the bridge with an 81x-7 in the neck sound? I figure if I don't like the 60-7x in the bridge I could always change the position with the 81x-7. Also, this is going into a walnut body guitar with a 5 piece walnut neck with 2 maple stripes setup one whole step down tuning across the board? Will this work? I really want to try different pickups in the Carvin. I posted a question on Carvin's website asking if doing this pickup swap is easy and if it would require any mods to the guitar. I also asked if Carvin uses 25k pots. If all seems good I am about to order a set tomorrow. Opinions please.



Okay. First off, you ARE aware that EMG 7-string pickups are NOT a direct replacement compared to all other 7-string pickups, right? You will need to have the body routed to get them in the guitar first and foremost. 

Once the guitar has been routed for the EMG transplant, then swapping positions is easy if you don't like the tone of the 60-7X in the bridge and 81-7X in the neck. If you don't have a Dremel with the router bit and router attachment and the pickup routing template, or if you don't feel confident in doing it yourself, then I would bring it to a shop you trust to have them do it. If your buying the pickups and are doing the work yourself, you will only need the shop to do the routing only.

Everything you need will come with the pickups - pickup connector wire, several inter-connector wires, battery clip, stereo jack, volume and tone pots and a switch buss. You will need to use your existing 3-way switch, so be sure to cut the wires from the switch _as far away from the switch as you possibly can!!!_ This will allow you to keep and use the wires from the switch to switch buss screw-in terminals. Everything else is plug and play basically. 

Just be sure of the following things when you are connecting, installing and are about to put the control cavity cover back on:
-That the pickup connector wires are connected on the back of the pickup with the RED wire on the left (when looking at the harness end and the pins on the back of the pickup...)
-That none of the inter-connector wires are at a really sharp angle or are being pushed against anything. This will cause a weak connection and will be a short in the circuit. Basically, make sure that the wires are not tight against the cavity walls, that pots and the battery isn't pushing down on any of the connectors, ect and you will be fine.
-Battery should be wrapped with a thin foam or with electrical tape before putting and leaving it in the control cavity. What ever you use to wrap the battery, make sure you go high enough to cover the terminals on the battery and the battery clip. The last thing you want is these terminals making contact with anything in the cavity and creating a short or potentially frying your pickups.

Any other questions, feel free to ask!


----------



## nothingleft09

I'm thinking about dotching my 707's and 81-7's for passives. Anyone know where I can get the larger housings to drop passives in my sc607b and Hellraiser?


----------



## Djenty

How do I latch my DA8 in my Schecter Omen 8? Because of the wire they sit in the spot weird.


----------



## The Only Factor

Djenty said:


> How do I latch my DA8 in my Schecter Omen 8? Because of the wire they sit in the spot weird.



I think this got posted in the wrong spot... This is supposed to be for EMG wiring and stuff...

But to I believe answer your question... I would say you may need to use some foam to place under the pickup to act as your height adjust and to have the pickup sit the correct way. 

Like the Schecter C-series and the ESP Horizon/SC/MH body styles being an arched top, you'll need to have a little more foam on both pickups on the side closest to the bridge to get the pickups to sit strait under the strings, and not have one coil closer to the strings than the other. I had to do the same with my EC407 when I transplanted the 707TW's in it.

Also, the foam should allow a little more room for the cable and not sit in the pickup route all kinds of cock-eyed and crooked.

Hope this helps...


----------



## SrDeMaFp

Ugh...I lost a bunch of my old files so, I'm in need of a wiring diagram for EMG's. Apparently now on their site they only have a handful of diagrams for their "solder-less" crap that they're doing now. Anybody got one for 2 pups - 1V/1T/3-way toggle?


----------



## The Reverend

SrDeMaFp said:


> Ugh...I lost a bunch of my old files so, I'm in need of a wiring diagram for EMG's. Apparently now on their site they only have a handful of diagrams for their "solder-less" crap that they're doing now. Anybody got one for 2 pups - 1V/1T/3-way toggle?



You may want to try emailing EMG. There was a guy here who was like the encyclopedia of EMG wiring named Kamikaze, but he got banned a while back, but I know that he used to email someone there to get old diagrams. I hope it works out for you, man.


----------



## The Only Factor

SrDeMaFp said:


> Ugh...I lost a bunch of my old files so, I'm in need of a wiring diagram for EMG's. Apparently now on their site they only have a handful of diagrams for their "solder-less" crap that they're doing now. Anybody got one for 2 pups - 1V/1T/3-way toggle?



I know they used to have the diagrams for the older hardwired stuff as well, but I guess they wound up taking them down... 

I've attached a copy of that specific diagram here so you can have it. Also, it just dawned on me that Seymour Duncan has these diagrams too. They're all for the Blackouts, but how the Blackouts get wired is the same exact way as the EMG's. HERE is the one from Duncan, which is the same as the older EMG one attached...


----------



## SrDeMaFp

The Only Factor said:


> I know they used to have the diagrams for the older hardwired stuff as well, but I guess they wound up taking them down...
> 
> I've attached a copy of that specific diagram here so you can have it. Also, it just dawned on me that Seymour Duncan has these diagrams too. They're all for the Blackouts, but how the Blackouts get wired is the same exact way as the EMG's. HERE is the one from Duncan, which is the same as the older EMG one attached...



I didn't even think of going to Duncan's diagrams...
Good shit on the diagram!


----------



## Winspear

Where the hell do you find pots and stuff? I'm replacing a bass preamp for passive pups (HZs) and need these two parts I believe
EMG BQC Control BQC Control | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups
EMG ABC Blend ABC | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups

Can't find em! If anyone can confirm my choice as correct that would be good too


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

So, my main worry about using EMG's is the batteries, because I often leave my guitars plugged in doing nothing. However, I came up with an idea - if I wire in a 2 way switch between the jack and the battery (or whatever turns the whole system on and off,) would that work as a way that I could keep my guitar plugged in while not sucking up battery power?


----------



## SrDeMaFp

Zeno said:


> So, my main worry about using EMG's is the batteries, because I often leave my guitars plugged in doing nothing. However, I came up with an idea - if I wire in a 2 way switch between the jack and the battery (or whatever turns the whole system on and off,) would that work as a way that I could keep my guitar plugged in while not sucking up battery power?



Why not just unplug 'em? Not seeing the big issue here...


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

SrDeMaFp said:


> Why not just unplug 'em? Not seeing the big issue here...



It's because I'll often play for a bit, then sit there and browse the web with my guitar in my hands, and then start playing again. A lot of my jamming is in fits and starts, and I figured leaving it plugged in while not playing not gonna help the battery life, so I figured a switch to turn them on and off would help. Plus I often have to quickly put down my guitar, and may forget to unplug it. Although, I was thinking of looking into EMG's power supply for when I'm at home. Anybody tried one of those yet to see how it works?

tl;dr - a switch is a more convenient alternative.

EDIT: Plus, I figured that if I wired it properly, I could also use it as a killswitch, instead of doing the "mute the neck pickup and quickly switch pickups" thing.


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## The Only Factor

Zeno said:


> It's because I'll often play for a bit, then sit there and browse the web with my guitar in my hands, and then start playing again. A lot of my jamming is in fits and starts, and I figured leaving it plugged in while not playing not gonna help the battery life, so I figured a switch to turn them on and off would help. Plus I often have to quickly put down my guitar, and may forget to unplug it. Although, I was thinking of looking into EMG's power supply for when I'm at home. Anybody tried one of those yet to see how it works?
> 
> tl;dr - a switch is a more convenient alternative.
> 
> EDIT: Plus, I figured that if I wired it properly, I could also use it as a killswitch, instead of doing the "mute the neck pickup and quickly switch pickups" thing.



I'm sure it could be done - using a mini-toggle for an on/off switch for the 9V for the EMG's... But it just makes more sense to unplug the thing when your done playing it. If you put it down and run off to do something else and forget to unplug it, then perhaps having to put a new battery in it will be that reminder to unplug it. 

If you really want to try and do an on/off mini toggle switch for this, I'd say scroll thru the posts in this specific thread and look for the 9-18V mod diagram. How you'd wire it for an on/off would be different, but I don't see it being that difficult to do. 

If you have a volt/multimeter, use it to test the 3 contacts on the back of the switch once you have the battery on one side and a piece of test wire on the other. ***_*Use a test wire first BEFORE wiring your pickups to it. In the unlikely event should something happen, you won't fry your pickups if you use a test wire on the switch to test which would be what first!!!*_***

Once you have figured out which pin to connect the pickup battery wires to for the ON position, then go ahead and connect your pickup power wires to that pin. Out of the 3 pins, the jack wire (battery -) will get connected to one, and the battery (battery +) will get connected to one of the other two pins, leaving one out of the 3 pins/contacts unused. Again, I'm not 100% as to how this would go, but if you use a multimeter and a few pieces of test wire with the ends bare to use the test leads on, it'll be easy to figure out which is which and what will go to where. 

As for a killswitch, I recommend checking out THIS... I know a few people that have them and they are really cool. Not to mention, makes the guitar still look like a sleeper until you hit that pot and ala Buckethead! And worth the average $30 for one too!!

If I can manage to get the time to test this, I will post complete instructions as to how to wire an on/off power switch for EMG's/active systems and if it actually works with the guitar still plugged in. Something tells me that there is still going to be some kind of current drain somewhere, but then again we won't know until we test and find out right??? 

Stay tuned for more details on this...


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Thanks man. I figured it was possible somehow, I just wanted to know if it was feasible. And I was thinking one could wire it to be both an on-off switch for both the battery, and the whole guitar. Essentially, cutting off signal from the jack entirely, so that I could quickly mute the guitar during or in between songs without messing with the volume control, as there are some portions of songs where I have to mute my guitar and mess with some pedals, and using the volume control takes too much time,

basically, this will end up being a massive short-cut in the long run, even if there is a lot of work to get it there hahaha


----------



## The Only Factor

Zeno said:


> Thanks man. I figured it was possible somehow, I just wanted to know if it was feasible. And I was thinking one could wire it to be both an on-off switch for both the battery, and the whole guitar. Essentially, cutting off signal from the jack entirely, so that I could quickly mute the guitar during or in between songs without messing with the volume control, as there are some portions of songs where I have to mute my guitar and mess with some pedals, and using the volume control takes too much time,
> 
> basically, this will end up being a massive short-cut in the long run, even if there is a lot of work to get it there hahaha



If you ideally want a kill switch, that would actually be wired to the signal wire on the jack... I don't think it'd work the way your thinking as for cutting the power to the pickups. It could, but I don't see it. You'd be better off using the same 2-way mini toggle wired to the signal line from the controls to the jack as an actual kill switch. Using this switch to cut the power to the pickups will only shut them off, your NOT cutting the signal itself from the electronics to the jack as the kill switch is for the signal itself. So if your looking to kill signal, you'd need to wire it in differently. There is and will still be a signal coming from the pickups and electronics going to the jack even if you kill the power to the pickups...

And if you mute the guitar during or in between songs, you're also better off using a volume pedal so you won't have to roll the volume back on the guitar. And really, taking a mere second takes too long to roll your volume control on the guitar up and down???  Unless you use nothing but a thick distortion all the time, then I could see it. But if your using a tube amp, or using certain effects, the volume control is and can be a very cool and crutial part of the guitar capable of doing and getting some great sounds and tones from the guitar...

Ideally, the specific solutions to your situations would be:
-Kill switch wired to signal wire from controls to the jack, with the kill switch being the LAST thing in the signal chain before the jack...
-Volume pedal so you don't have to touch the volume on the guitar itself...
-And just unplug the thing when your done or when you put it down. If you forget and have to change the battery, then maybe it should be the reminder to you to unplug your guitar in the first place! Unplugging the guitar - like rolling the volume control up or down on the guitar - takes at most 2 seconds.

And lastly, it's really NOT a short cut if you have to do a lot of work to get the end result. It's shorter and easier to do things the normal way to begin with. 

EDIT: IMHO if your main concern is the batteries of the active system and can't remember or don't want to unplug your guitar, the ONLY other solution would be to get a hot set of passives. Sorry, but either deal with the increased cost of constantly changing batteries for not unplugging it, or get a good set of passives and not have to deal with the battery at all.


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## The Only Factor

EtherealEntity said:


> Where the hell do you find pots and stuff? I'm replacing a bass preamp for passive pups (HZs) and need these two parts I believe
> EMG BQC Control BQC Control | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups
> EMG ABC Blend ABC | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups
> 
> Can't find em! If anyone can confirm my choice as correct that would be good too



Sorry for missing your post man, I meant to reply to it sooner. D'oh!!!

As for where to find them, any local retailer should either have them or can order them for you. There's also places like Ebay or online retailers who usually have them in stock. Also, you can get them right from EMG on the website. Just go to the tab that says "STORE" on the left hand side, scroll down the menu to the "Parts" section, then click on "Accessories" and you'll find them there.

And as for as which ones specifically to use, that depends on what you're looking to do with it and the sounds you want to get out of it... There's a lot of options with EMG's accessories to get some really cool sounds and tones, so that would be entirely on you man...

But either way, good luck and hope this helps


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Yeah, I realized the whole thing is just me over complicating things, I figured the easiest route is to just not get something with active pickups! But thanks for dealing with my crap, man hahaha.


----------



## The Only Factor

Zeno said:


> Yeah, I realized the whole thing is just me over complicating things, I figured the easiest route is to just not get something with active pickups! But thanks for dealing with my crap, man hahaha.



Nah man. It's no big deal. You can go ahead and try it, I'm not saying not to. But if your biggest issue with actives is the battery, then I'd say try the new EMG power supply -which you'd still have to unplug like you would the guitar, try the on/off switch idea for the battery power (but keep in mind it's NOT going to kill the signal from the guitar despite the pickups not having power, you'll still have a signal but it'll be very weak at best with no power...), or just redo the guitar with a good set of passives. This way it'll take the hassle of the battery out of the equation for you.

Making things harder and doing more work than really needed to be easier don't make sense... Just doing things right the first time and the easy way makes the most sense.

In the end though, the choice is yours and yours alone.


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## MaxOfMetal

Hey, Het Set owners, do they come with regular or long shaft pots? Thinking of throwing a set in my LP and just need to know if I'll have to buy the pots separate from the kit.


----------



## fonz518

> Hey, Het Set owners, do they come with regular or long shaft pots? Thinking of throwing a set in my LP and just need to know if I'll have to buy the pots separate from the kit./QUOTE] They should come with both style pots.


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## fonz518

Hi guys i just bought a set of 707s off craigslist for $50, they came with all the components needed for installing them. The guy bought blackouts so the components r brand new. I routed my rgd2127, did a fair job but anyways thats not my concern. I followed a similar diagram that i got from Rick @EMG a few years back which almost matched the rgd control layout except that it has the regular emg jack instead of the Ibanez stereo lipstick jack in the picture. I dont know if I wired the lipstick jack correctly but the pickups sound brittle on the high strings almost lifeless and a lil hint of static in there too. Its been a while since I used EMG but I dont remember them sounding like that, also when I turn the volume up and down theres a static noise, is there a problem here? Faulty pups, connection? I had alot of experience installing EMGs in the past but without the lipstick style jack but I like said i dont remember them sounding like that.


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## MaxOfMetal

fonz518 said:


> Hey, Het Set owners, do they come with regular or long shaft pots? Thinking of throwing a set in my LP and just need to know if I'll have to buy the pots separate from the kit[./QUOTE] They should come with both style pots.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the reply. It looks like the folks at EMG, AMS, and MF don't work on Sundays. Go figure.
> 
> 
> 
> fonz518 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi guys i just bought a set of 707s off craigslist for $50, they came with all the components needed for installing them. The guy bought blackouts so the components r brand new. I routed my rgd2127, did a fair job but anyways thats not my concern. I followed a similar diagram that i got from Rick @EMG a few years back which almost matched the rgd control layout except that it has the regular emg jack instead of the Ibanez stereo lipstick jack in the picture. I dont know if I wired the lipstick jack correctly but the pickups sound brittle on the high strings almost lifeless and a lil hint of static in there too. Its been a while since I used EMG but I dont remember them sounding like that, also when I turn the volume up and down theres a static noise, is there a problem here? Faulty pups, connection? I had alot of experience installing EMGs in the past but without the lipstick style jack but I like said i dont remember them sounding like that.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> The crackly pot makes me think that it's either damaged/a dud, or that it's really dirty. Hit it with some contact cleaner, spraying a little inside the pot, and see if that helps. If not, just replace the pot.
> 
> The jack shouldn't be an issue. If there is a jack issue it would be either no sound or intermittent sound/distortion.
Click to expand...


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## fonz518

thanks for your reply aswell Max, I really hope I didnt buy faulty pups but I guess $50 ant much of a loss if they are.


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## MaxOfMetal

Be sure to check the connector on the bottom of the pickup if they're not the older "hardwired" type.


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## fonz518

I finally got it, I did have Stereo jack wired incorrectly and was causing the problems I mentioned earlier. Im so pleased now for the past 2 days I was kicking myself in the ass cuz I thought maybe EMGs just dont go well with Ibbys but I got it fixed now and shredding on the highend is orgasmic to my ears haha. Im bout to do the 18v mod and see what it has to offer.


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## killmyass

Hi there! I picked up this set a couple of days ago to change my duncans on my Horizon to EMG's, however, how the fuck am I gonna connect the pickup switch with the quick connection? I don't get it...... Anybody here who knows how it should be done?? I post some pics! Hope they will help..


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## The Only Factor

killmyass said:


> Hi there! I picked up this set a couple of days ago to change my duncans on my Horizon to EMG's, however, how the fuck am I gonna connect the pickup switch with the quick connection? I don't get it...... Anybody here who knows how it should be done?? I post some pics! Hope they will help..



Your post has been replied to with the specific info you need... If you need further help, feel free to ask or PM me!


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## tekkadon d

today im gonna hopefully install some 707's into my ibby but i will need a new pick up selector switch from 5 way to 3way?


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## hellraizer84

ill put this here also to maybe help my chances,hope mods dont mind

hi guys i had a search around and spotted a few instances of this but no clear solution...

have a hellraizer c-7 with the split coil EMG 707 and im getting a very annoying microphonic type squeal on the low A when i do staccato type muting its very present and VERY annoying

iv tried the obvious stuff like changing the battery and lowering the pickups and rolling off the gain and id like to point out i play with very little gain most the time

at first i thought it was my h+k triamp but using an axefx2 and its the same

can this problem be fixed or is it a complete pickup change?cheers 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=3156105


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## The Only Factor

tekkadon d said:


> today im gonna hopefully install some 707's into my ibby but i will need a new pick up selector switch from 5 way to 3way?



The answer is Yes. Even if you were using the TW series or the 89's, there really isn't a way to use the 5-way with a 2 pickup EMG system for the coil splits. Give it time, I'm sure someone will come up with the way to do it.

But on normal EMG's, your narrowed down to a 3-way due to them being a basic humbucker.



hellraizer84 said:


> ill put this here also to maybe help my chances,hope mods dont mind
> 
> hi guys i had a search around and spotted a few instances of this but no clear solution...
> 
> have a hellraizer c-7 with the split coil EMG 707 and im getting a very annoying microphonic type squeal on the low A when i do staccato type muting its very present and VERY annoying
> 
> iv tried the obvious stuff like changing the battery and lowering the pickups and rolling off the gain and id like to point out i play with very little gain most the time
> 
> at first i thought it was my h+k triamp but using an axefx2 and its the same
> 
> can this problem be fixed or is it a complete pickup change?cheers
> 
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=3156105



I replied to your initial post about this and what to try first before having to go out and get new pickups. Let me know how you make out with the second ground jumping everything together and putting some foam under the strings behind the nut and if those solved the issue or not.


----------



## michael777

I posted this question on another thread before I saw this one, maybe one of you EMG gurus can answer this....

Hey I'm looking for an EMG expert to tell me what this switch is for. I got it in a guitar I was planning on customizing and forgot to test it before taking the guitar apart. 

I would know what it was had I remembered but now have no idea and can't find anything on it on EMG's website. The closest thing was a Pi2 phaser, but they're not the same. Any help would be most appreciated!


----------



## The Only Factor

michael777 said:


> I posted this question on another thread before I saw this one, maybe one of you EMG gurus can answer this....
> 
> Hey I'm looking for an EMG expert to tell me what this switch is for. I got it in a guitar I was planning on customizing and forgot to test it before taking the guitar apart.
> 
> I would know what it was had I remembered but now have no idea and can't find anything on it on EMG's website. The closest thing was a Pi2 phaser, but they're not the same. Any help would be most appreciated!



As replied in your other thread, this is a PA2 preamp booster. The little blue box on the back is where you adjust the amount of boost.


----------



## beheading

Hey, I don't know if this has been asked before but I'm new to changing guitar parts around and wanted to know if it's possible to change from an emg 81 to a bkp? I'd be fine with changing the pot because I already want to do that. Would I have to basically start from scratch? It's a Jackson COW by the way so it only has a bridge pickup. (sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, I thought it'd be suitable since it's about emg's)


----------



## The Only Factor

beheading said:


> Hey, I don't know if this has been asked before but I'm new to changing guitar parts around and wanted to know if it's possible to change from an emg 81 to a bkp? I'd be fine with changing the pot because I already want to do that. Would I have to basically start from scratch? It's a Jackson COW by the way so it only has a bridge pickup. (sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, I thought it'd be suitable since it's about emg's)



As long as it's the 6-string, you should only have to replace the pickup and pot, with one less wire going to the jack. The 7-string would require a little more work as you'd either have to shave the ears/tabs on the pickup to fit in the EMG route, route the cavity the tiniest bit for the ears/tabs to fit without modding the pickup, or use one of the mounting rings from Dave @ Frets On The Net to fit a passive into an active spot. Other than that, it's a pretty easy and strait forward job, just the 7 takes a little more work than the 6 for obvious reason...


----------



## beheading

Thank you very much! I'll get to it as soon as I get my bkp's


----------



## Charlez

Hey, soon I'll be installing an EMG 81/85 set in a guitar with 2 pickups and only 1 volume knob. I've never changed any kinds of pickups before, I'm a total noob. But since it's solderless I thought I could do it.

The thing is that the EMG site doesn't provide this diagram so I'm thinking it would be using this one:






completely ignoring the tone pot and connecting the output cable in the middle two pins of the volume pot?

Please correct me if I'm wrong.


----------



## Charlez

anyone?


----------



## The Only Factor

Charlez said:


> Hey, soon I'll be installing an EMG 81/85 set in a guitar with 2 pickups and only 1 volume knob. I've never changed any kinds of pickups before, I'm a total noob. But since it's solderless I thought I could do it.
> 
> The thing is that the EMG site doesn't provide this diagram so I'm thinking it would be using this one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> completely ignoring the tone pot and connecting the output cable in the middle two pins of the volume pot?
> 
> Please correct me if I'm wrong.





Charlez said:


> anyone?



Sorry for the later reply, but yes. Just connect the jack wire to the middle set of pins on the volume pot to bypass the tone pot.


----------



## Charlez

I'm still having some trouble with this. First, the output cable is too short and won't reach the volume pot, but I've already contacted EMG support and they said they would send me a longer cable... I'm still waiting for that.

But I made all the connections to test the pickups. I connected the guitar and gave some taps on the pickups with the screwdriver but no sound was coming out of them. Here's a picture of what I did. 

*



*

Have I done something terribly wrong? ...please help.


----------



## Charlez

.


----------



## The Only Factor

First off, you can make the jack connector wire longer by using another one of the regular connector wires to make the jack wire longer. You'll need to cut the black connector pieces off the end of your jack cable and one end of the ends of the connector cable. Strip enough of the ends of the black and white inner wires together and cover each connection with heat shrink tubing. 

The other things it could be is I notice that your red wire from the switch to the switch buss X I can see the insulated white inner wire that makes contact on the switch, but where is the bare wire part of that wire? Do you have both the inner insulated and outer bare wire connected in the switch buss terminal? Where is the bare wire from that red one on the switch end?

Is your swich grounded? The switch should be, and the bridge ground should NOT be connected to the ground terminal of the switch buss.

If you can, please post another few pics at different angle so I can see what wires are clearly going to and from where in order for me to properly diagnose it.

Also, the switch is a 3-way correct and not a 5-way? Just asking and making sure on that. But otherwise, the only other thing I could say it is would be a bad switch buss. These switch busses are known to be problematic, and I instead prefer the solderless 3-way and 5-way switches. They work better than the switch buss does, and it keeps everything solderless unless you want something custom wired with an EMG/active system...

But definitely post a few more pics if you can. After trying to diagnose that the wiring is correct, then I would try another switch buss.

EDIT: Here is the link to another thread that explains in-depth as to how to extend your jack wire and still keep it solderless...

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/pi...h/211116-need-help-emg-solderless-wiring.html

Scroll down to reply #15, as it has the in-depth details you need to do this and pics for this process as well. If you don't feel like soldering it or can't/don't know how to solder, then either have a friend who can solder do it for you, or just wait for the new cable to show up.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Hey guys, just bought a 707x and 81-7x to replace the 707 and 81-7 in my LTD H-1007 guitar. And so am I reading this right, I need to replace my existing tone pot with the one that came with these pickups? I don't have my guitar with me to open it up and take a look, but how difficult is that? Do I need to do any sodering at all? Thanks!


----------



## The Only Factor

TheShreddinHand said:


> Hey guys, just bought a 707x and 81-7x to replace the 707 and 81-7 in my LTD H-1007 guitar. And so am I reading this right, I need to replace my existing tone pot with the one that came with these pickups? I don't have my guitar with me to open it up and take a look, but how difficult is that? Do I need to do any sodering at all? Thanks!



Nah, you won't need to solder anything, especially since both pickups came with all new parts. You'll wire everything as described for the 2 humbucker, 1 volume, 1 tone set-up. To wire the active tone control, you'll wire the input connector cable with the connector reversed - arrow on the bottom instead of on top. Whe you look at the wires, they should be : white-black-black-white-red. This particular active tone control is wired with the input and output grounds side by side, with the signal input and output wires on the outside of them. The red wire which is your power wire will plug into the switch buss's power section where the pickups power wires plug into.

A friend of mine has an 808X in his 8-string with just a single volume, a 9-18V switch and the volume going right to the jack. So while it's recommended that you use the active tone control with the X-series, you can get away with not using it as well, especially if you wire your guitar with the 2 volumes - 1 for each pickup which is nice for getting that sweet spot in the middle position using both pickups...

I replied using my phone, but as long as you got the pickups new, they should come with everything and the diagram sheet. Just follow it as it shows - which is very easy - you'll have no issue wiring it. But if you need any other help, just ask!!!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

The Only Factor said:


> Nah, you won't need to solder anything, especially since both pickups came with all new parts. You'll wire everything as described for the 2 humbucker, 1 volume, 1 tone set-up. To wire the active tone control, you'll wire the input connector cable with the connector reversed - arrow on the bottom instead of on top. Whe you look at the wires, they should be : white-black-black-white-red. This particular active tone control is wired with the input and output grounds side by side, with the signal input and output wires on the outside of them. The red wire which is your power wire will plug into the switch buss's power section where the pickups power wires plug into.
> 
> A friend of mine has an 808X in his 8-string with just a single volume, a 9-18V switch and the volume going right to the jack. So while it's recommended that you use the active tone control with the X-series, you can get away with not using it as well, especially if you wire your guitar with the 2 volumes - 1 for each pickup which is nice for getting that sweet spot in the middle position using both pickups...
> 
> I replied using my phone, but as long as you got the pickups new, they should come with everything and the diagram sheet. Just follow it as it shows - which is very easy - you'll have no issue wiring it. But if you need any other help, just ask!!!



Thanks for the quick response! Took a look in the guitar cavity though and everything in there was soldered so looks like I need to take everything out except pickup selector switch and at a minimum will need to solder that. Take a look below.

Does the active tone make that big of a difference? I'm really just feeling lazy and wanted to do the quick connect on the pickup but if it makes that much of a difference tonally than I probably need to do everything.


----------



## 1b4n3z

TheShreddinHand said:


> Does the active tone make that big of a difference? I'm really just feeling lazy and wanted to do the quick connect on the pickup but if it makes that much of a difference tonally than I probably need to do everything.



I say it doesn't make much of a difference (and if you keep it on full all the time, it doesn't make any difference). If you're feeling handy some day, you might want to try to solder a larger capacitor (as in larger value) in place of the stock green one, to obtain some tone control. I use a .47 uF found in Duncan's Blackouts sets, it's ok.

What the active tone does well, is drain the battery. One active tone has the battery life of 250h, whereas one EMG pickup rocks on for approx 3000h.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

1b4n3z said:


> I say it doesn't make much of a difference (and if you keep it on full all the time, it doesn't make any difference). If you're feeling handy some day, you might want to try to solder a larger capacitor (as in larger value) in place of the stock green one, to obtain some tone control. I use a .47 uF found in Duncan's Blackouts sets, it's ok.
> 
> What the active tone does well, is drain the battery. One active tone has the battery life of 250h, whereas one EMG pickup rocks on for approx 3000h.



Yeah, I absolutely never touch the tone knob on my guitars. It's always at full. Thanks for the info.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Straight from Rick at EMG:

Hello;

You can use the passive tone pot if you like, but the VLPF will have a little more of an effect. But if it were me, I&#8217;d be lazy too! 

Hope this helps. 

Best Regards, 

R.Hunt


----------



## The Only Factor

TheShreddinHand said:


> Yeah, I absolutely never touch the tone knob on my guitars. It's always at full. Thanks for the info.





1b4n3z said:


> I say it doesn't make much of a difference (and if you keep it on full all the time, it doesn't make any difference). If you're feeling handy some day, you might want to try to solder a larger capacitor (as in larger value) in place of the stock green one, to obtain some tone control. I use a .47 uF found in Duncan's Blackouts sets, it's ok.
> 
> What the active tone does well, is drain the battery. One active tone has the battery life of 250h, whereas one EMG pickup rocks on for approx 3000h.





TheShreddinHand said:


> Straight from Rick at EMG:
> 
> Hello;
> 
> You can use the passive tone pot if you like, but the VLPF will have a little more of an effect. But if it were me, Id be lazy too!
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> R.Hunt



It is true that the active tone control does consume more battery power, you can just swap the pickups themselves and leave everything else alone wiring and components wise. The other thing I was gonna say/suggest was gonna be that you can wire the new solderless pots as independent volume controls. This way, you can have a volume for each pickup, allowing you to blend both pickups together in the middle position for that "sweet spot" of tone with both pickups... This has become a new favorite control set-up for me, especially since I hardly ever use the neck pickup. But by doing this, I am starting to use the neck pickup a lot more often.

Just some food for thought...


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Put the X's in this weekend without changing anything else out and the tonal difference is subtle but definitely noticeable. I really like the way they sound. I still like to roll the volume knob back to 8 or 9 when playing clean on the neck pickup, but overall, they definitely sound better to me.


----------



## Itchyman

Does anyone have idea's to mount 707's without using foam behind the pickup? I thought of stealing the 3rd piece of foam from my NT-7s pickups, but decided against it.


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Finally got around to doing the 18v mod on my Schecter Hellraiser C-8 - holy shit! Why did it take me so long to get around to doing this?! 

I simply snipped the -ve wire coming out of the battery cavity and spliced in another 9v clip with the -ve to the guitar and +ve towards the original battery clip, covered the joins in heatshrink and the second battery just fit right into that control cavity with no problems. 

Everyone with EMG 808s should be doing this mod - it makes a big difference. The sound is much more open and dynamic than previously. It no longer sounds like it's been run through a compressor. Highly recommended!


----------



## bluntmasta

lace deathbar or 808x need help


----------



## maxoom

Has anybody had a EMG just die on them? I have a 81 from a old ZW set in a single pickup guitar.It`s been in there for years and just acted funny last time I played it like a dead battery then just died completely now.I changed and checked battery voltage, checked wiring to see if something had come loose.If I run the cord jack in only partially I get a faint clean signal only on a high gain setting clean channel signal is not audible. Installed the 85 from the same set and boom works like a champ.The pickup acts like something internal shorted or went wrong? I`m running it 9V only. Just curious if this has happened to anyone else or if it`s known to happen?


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Dodgy wire or wired the wrong way? 

Use a multimeter to check for continuity and take a dc resistance reading. That should give you something to go on. I'm not sure what kind of resistance actives usually run, but I'm sure someone else around here will know.


----------



## maxoom

Go To Bed Jessica said:


> Dodgy wire or wired the wrong way?
> 
> If that were the case the 85 I put in would not have worked?
> 
> I`m getting another 81 and doing the 9v-18v switch mod.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Did the 9V-18V mod and love the 9V for tight punchy rhythms and the 18V for leads.
> 
> Ordered a chrome top 81 today, really glad I did this mod.


----------



## peldikuneptun

maxoom said:


> Did the 9V-18V mod and love the 9V for tight punchy rhythms and the 18V for leads.
> 
> Ordered a chrome top 81 today, really glad I did this mod.



damn, would do a switchable 9-18 mod if there was enough room in the control cavity...hmm, wait a second, whoever uses a tone pot anyway, right? 

edit: would you be kind enough to point me to a schematic for wiring the switch?


----------



## maxoom

peldikuneptun said:


> damn, would do a switchable 9-18 mod if there was enough room in the control cavity...hmm, wait a second, whoever uses a tone pot anyway, right?
> 
> edit: would you be kind enough to point me to a schematic for wiring the switch?









I used this.





New Chrome 81 installed Rawk!


----------



## SDSM

Super dumb question coming up but please bare with me as I have never attempted to switch EMG pickups before.....

I have a LTD SC-607B with the stock 81-7 pick ups, but I am considering picking up a 707 for the Neck pu. Now....With this 'quick connect' system...All I have to do is take out and unhook the old pick up and simply plug the new one in?

Sorry for being dumb but I just want to know before I try something hat I have never done before and mess everything up haha


----------



## kn1feparty

So I recently bought two 808Xs and was super excited about this solderless connect system, since I've never soldered anything in my life, let alone changed out a pickup. Come to find out the only way you really don't have to solder anything is by paying EMG another $45 for the pup selector switch?

I discovered I was also going to have to solder my output jack since the RG8 has a barrel style jack, so I actually went out and bought a soldering iron and some solder to do it myself. How hard can it be right? Then I discovered the switch issue and just too frustrated to even mess with it. Pay EMG to send me a switch and then still need to solder the jack, or pay someone else about the same money to do all of this shit for me? I'd kinda like to learn how to do it, but I'd also like a working instrument lol.


----------



## wormTGE

I just picked up an LTD EC-407 with the 707 81-7 combo and thought about ditching the 81 and replacing it with the 707 in the bridge position as well


----------



## AliceLG

Anyone noticed the EMG web site is downright unusable today? Is it just me?


----------



## Seventary

Anyone here installed the Ernie ball 3-way blade pickup-switch with 808's ?? Can't find a wiring diagram for the 3-way. So if anyone has done this and would like to share with me a picture of the wiring i would be happy as a really happy thing.


----------



## yellow

*THE EMG 808 FIX*

To me, this is the most important innovation and discovery for the ERG/8 string guitar with active pickups. I read and researched all over on how to solve the muddiness of the EMG 808. It is not very clear with high gain as many say. The bass is very promiment and drowns out the high end, the low end is too bassy and boomy. Simply put, there is not enough clarity in the high end, and it lacks definition in the treble area, so I am the first to have pioneered and discovered THE EMG 808 FIX and I wish to share it with all of you, free of charge lol!!! Its quite simple:

*EMG Resonant Peak Control*

The RPC is a variable active control that boosts the high frequency response up to 6 dB at 4000 Hz, while simultaneously reducing low frequency response. Its potentiometer controlled circuitry allows you to sweep from natural sound to accentuated highs typical of single-coil pickups. Like the EMG-SPC, it can be wired to one pickup or at the output of the guitar. 

so there you have it. Anyone with the emg 808's in their 8 string who want more clarity, brightness, and high end in their tone, and/or want to cut out the boomy, bassy, low end a bit, you now have your fix. forget the 18v mod, forget wasting money on another pickup, whether active or passive, this little knob is the answer to your problems.

best part is: there is no routing required, no big adjustements, and no big cost whatsoever. its only $50 bucks. you simply replace the tone knob (which will be set at 10 when you remove it) with the RPC knob. done. The pickup game has now changed and its very affordable


----------



## Jenric777

Just a question about the white EMG 808x guys..

I just bought a white EMG 808x but the product inside does not have the "X" on the logo of the cover, it's just indicated as "EMG", but in the tags, serial numbers, sticker tags behind the pickup itself says it's EMG 808x..

Here's the pics:





Clearly indicated only "EMG" without the "X"





Here's the box with tags clearly stating it's an EMG 808x White

Is it a misbranding? or it's the fault of EMG? I'm guessing that it's only a white EMG 808 not an 808x and it just slipped through the quality control of EMG's factory..

When I contacted the distributor here, they stated that the new EMG X series designs for 808x does not have the "X" mark now, they said that the ones with the "EMG X" on the cover are the old design..

Is this true guys? please help me =(

By the way guys, I'm from the Philippines..


----------



## AliceLG

Hello there guys, has anyone seen a frequency response graph for EMGs?

I did a google search, but couldn't find any after 3 results pages, so they don't exist apparently.

I'm trying to get a better idea of how an 57/66 Combo would compare to a Häussel Tozz B XL / VIN+ N A2. I played a guitar with the Tozz and I didn't like it at all, but the wood combination in that one was way off of what my future custom will have. I keep reading that they are the shit, but I don't get it, and the engineer in me is looking for a theoretical comparison


----------



## javimm

Jenric777 said:


> Just a question about the white EMG 808x guys..
> 
> I just bought a white EMG 808x but the product inside does not have the "X" on the logo of the cover, it's just indicated as "EMG", but in the tags, serial numbers, sticker tags behind the pickup itself says it's EMG 808x..
> 
> Here's the pics:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Clearly indicated only "EMG" without the "X"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the box with tags clearly stating it's an EMG 808x White
> 
> Is it a misbranding? or it's the fault of EMG? I'm guessing that it's only a white EMG 808 not an 808x and it just slipped through the quality control of EMG's factory..
> 
> When I contacted the distributor here, they stated that the new EMG X series designs for 808x does not have the "X" mark now, they said that the ones with the "EMG X" on the cover are the old design..
> 
> Is this true guys? please help me =(
> 
> By the way guys, I'm from the Philippines..


I think every X EMG has the X in the logo. A simple search in the EMG webpage and you can see that the 808X has the X indeed.
808X in EMG webpage
If you look for Tosin Abasi EMG in youtube, you can clearly see the X in the logo of his pickups.
Maybe your dealer is correct and the new ones doesn't have the X, but seems quite strange to me.
Did the packaging arrived opened?. Was it shrinkwrapped?
Try sending an email to EMG. They tend to answer and are great at customer support.


----------



## Yo_Wattup

I made a thread without seeing this sticky.. so I'll just paste the OP here. Sorry guyzzzzz... 

So, right now I have an LTD JM-500. Yeah, its a bass. Currently all the electronics are stock; 2x EMG 40HZ pickups, one master vol, one pickup blend, and the B-64 3 band EQ, so five knobs total. 

What I want to do first and foremost is swap the pickups, but I would also like to change the pickup blend to a 3 way toggle switch (like a guitar), god knows why basses have blend knobs and guitars have switches...  but anyway... also, the bridge pickup will be a 40*TW* which means a push/pull volume pot for coil tapping and more wires. 

I drew up a diagram (MS paint yeeeeaahhh) to what I think the wiring should be. Ive done 2 emg pickup system swaps before, including a TW system, but never anything quite this complex, so I need a pro to check over the image just to confirm its correct... 

here it is.. 






Notes: That long thing all the way over the right is the EQ system,  (really sorry for the horrendous drawing ) and from what I can see on the bass, apart from the output and power, it only needs a + and - input for the signal, so i thought that should go last. 


Here's the bass in question and what the controls will be:






Thanks to anyone who takes the time to help me out.


----------



## Missmachine85

Hey guys. I just purchased me some new pups for my Schecter Omen 7 Extreme. I went for a 707TWX (as I love using the coiltap function) in the bridge, and 81-7X in the neck. I've heard different things about these pickups i.e orientation an wiring etc, but still interested to hear more views on it.

Basically I'm looking for some advice and help on installing these. Wiring is no problem thanks to EMGs solderless connectivity. My main issue is rerouting the existing pickup cavity. Not really a problem either as such, but mainly because the pickup cavity is deep and I'll need to now how to get as close to my strings as possible.

Any help would be appreciate guys.

Much love x


----------



## Suitable

Missmachine85 said:


> Hey guys. I just purchased me some new pups for my Schecter Omen 7 Extreme. I went for a 707TWX (as I love using the coiltap function) in the bridge, and 81-7X in the neck. I've heard different things about these pickups i.e orientation an wiring etc, but still interested to hear more views on it.
> 
> Basically I'm looking for some advice and help on installing these. Wiring is no problem thanks to EMGs solderless connectivity. My main issue is rerouting the existing pickup cavity. Not really a problem either as such, but mainly because the pickup cavity is deep and I'll need to now how to get as close to my strings as possible.
> 
> Any help would be appreciate guys.
> 
> Much love x



I take it that you haven't done anything to the guitar yet? Ie strings still on and set up as normal with the pickup etc? If so, if you action is set then get a metal ruler and measure from the top of the body to the bottom of the string as close to the bridge pick up as possible, measure the new pup for its height (dont worry about the wiring yet, eg the prongs under the emg pup) then add the distance you want the emg pup off the string (say 2-3mm), minus the first string height (from body to string) from your pup and space measurment and that will give you the depth you have to route it too, do the same for the neck and bingo. Thats how much you have to take out to get the right height. Route to that depth then make a channel for the wiring. Hope that makes sense


----------



## Suitable

Hi all,

I have a 707 and a 81-7 in my rg7620, I added tone and vol pots for each in the body (4 pots all up), im wondering when you take the tone pots out so its only volume is it like having the tone set to full (10)? If that makes sense? Im thinking of pulling the tone pots out and adding a PA-2 switch for boost in one of the spots and a 9V to 18V DPDT switch in the other. Then try and source 2 push pull pots for the vols so I have pull for tone and push for vol if that makes sense but this might not be worth it...? 

Any help will be great! PM if you can as it will be easier to track down rather that in this massive thread 

Cheers


----------



## 1b4n3z

Suitable said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a 707 and a 81-7 in my rg7620, I added tone and vol pots for each in the body (4 pots all up), im wondering when you take the tone pots out so its only volume is it like having the tone set to full (10)? If that makes sense? Im thinking of pulling the tone pots out and adding a PA-2 switch for boost in one of the spots and a 9V to 18V DPDT switch in the other. Then try and source 2 push pull pots for the vols so I have pull for tone and push for vol if that makes sense but this might not be worth it...?




I'll keep this here anyway, it might be of information for someone.. 

Yeah removing the tone from the circuit should result in "tone on full" effect, and with passives it brightens up the tone just a tiny bit as the tone creates a bit of load on the pickup.

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve with the "pull for tone, push for vol" configuration. The pot taper and the switch underneath are completely separate devices unless one connects the switch prongs and the pot legs, but even then it would not be like using a concentric pot with two separate tapers. I'd suggest you drop the DPDT switch for 9v/18v operation and use a push-pull instead, as it's the same thing really, and leave one hole for a single master tone control. I suppose just one push-pull is needed


----------



## Suitable

So I can't get vol and tone out of a 25k push pull pot? The reason for this setup is that I like having the 81-7's tone pot rolled back a bit for everything, say to around 7-8 to take out that mid spike the EMG 81-7 has. I don't really need it for the 707 in the neck as its dark enough on full tone. So what I need is a concentric pot that has 2 tapers for the 81-7B? Im not the best with electronics, I can wire/solder to a diagram no dramas, but the rest I'm still learning.


----------



## yellow

EMG RPC would give much more clarity and brightness to cut through any muddiness over the 18v mod


----------



## DURBANS

Hey guys!

Just got my brand new ESP Horizon FR7... and I also bought an EMG Afterburner to install (replacing the tone pot) on the guitar. 

Well, turns out the whole electronics inside the guitar are soldered (weird? I thought everyone was using solderless), and the Afterburner is all "solderless-ready". How do I make this work?


----------



## AliceLG

DURBANS said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> Just got my brand new ESP Horizon FR7... and I also bought an EMG Afterburner to install (replacing the tone pot) on the guitar.
> 
> Well, turns out the whole electronics inside the guitar are soldered (weird? I thought everyone was using solderless), and the Afterburner is all "solderless-ready". How do I make this work?



Congrats on the Horizon, that is one sweet guitar. All my LTDs also came with soldered EMGs, which I found really weird but I'd say is a stock issue for ESP. If they started stocking solderless EMGs it would probably drive the prices up and create an overstock of tone pots, as pretty much none of their guitars have 2 tone pots. The solderless bus also takes space in the cavity, and I'm guessing they don't like that as well.

To your question: the AB should have some soldering pads you should be able to use. it'd be a matter of soldering 4 cables, namely the battery, output of volume pot, output to jack and ground. If it doesn't have soldering pads you could try finding a 4-wire Molex conector.


----------



## DURBANS

AliceLG said:


> Congrats on the Horizon, that is one sweet guitar. All my LTDs also came with soldered EMGs, which I found really weird but I'd say is a stock issue for ESP. If they started stocking solderless EMGs it would probably drive the prices up and create an overstock of tone pots, as pretty much none of their guitars have 2 tone pots. The solderless bus also takes space in the cavity, and I'm guessing they don't like that as well.
> 
> To your question: the AB should have some soldering pads you should be able to use. it'd be a matter of soldering 4 cables, namely the battery, output of volume pot, output to jack and ground. If it doesn't have soldering pads you could try finding a 4-wire Molex conector.



Thanks! Yeah, it's a sweet guitar, for sure, I can't deny it, it just plays like butter, and it feels a lot better than my Jackson USA Select KV-2.

I was thinking... I've set the AB with the solderless plugs all along, and I was thinking maybe I could cut the ends that will be soldered to the "old school" volume pot, and do the same for everything. I can actually connect the jack and ground to the output jack since the jack will accept the connectors. It's a matter of chopping the solderless ends that will be soldered into the previous stuff. Will that work?


----------



## oversteve

yep, it will work that way without issues


----------



## djeff

Hi everybody, i guess this is the right place to ask that, i've done tons of research but nothing seems to fit with my problem,I have 2 Emg808 that i want to put on an ibanez rga8, i don't have the quick plug thing, because someone gave them to me.
If some of you know, that guitar has a serial 3 position switch, a volume, and a shitty eqalizer.
I bought the right switch,volume, and tone (instead of the eq) but now i don't really know, what to solder and where..
The diagrams on emg's official pdf only shows the "plug and play" way.
If anyone have a clear picture or diagram of the thing, that´d make my day!!
Merci d'avance!!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Just an FYI for all you guys. I got an email from James at EMG that the soapbar 7 string 57/66 should _hopefully_ be arriving by mid October.


----------



## thijs

is it possible to take the caps off of an EMG-like pickup? I have a Jackson JS32trr and I want to take the ugly caps off


----------



## Mechanized

If one, were to install 808's into an RG8. Just how 'solderless' will the whole process be?

also, will the replacement jack fit?


----------



## Preacher

I recently got an Intrepid 828 pro with an 808 in the bridge. I want to do the 18v mod to it, as I understand it this should improve the "oomph" of the B & F#, will I need to mess with anything else like pots when I do it, or will I be ok to leave them?


----------



## Thyber

I have an ESP LTD (well, Grassroots) Forest bass-guitar model, with 5 pots/active EQ and ESP 4-SB pups if I recall correctly.

I was thinking of switching them out with EMG 35DC active pick ups.

As they come with 2 volume / tone pots (and jack and batteryclip) each... I'd have 4 out of 5 pot-holes filled. So I was thinking about adding e.g. the EMG EXB Expander to it to fill the holes and give it an active EQ "boost" kind-off feel. 

Will it be hard to "wire" the quick connects ? I am deviating from an original schematic...

Basicly I want to have both pups-signals as my output, but with the seperate vol.& tone controls. I want the output signal to be controlled with the EXB.

Can I easily wire this to 18v?


----------



## astm

Hi! I'm looking to build a single humbucker 7 string guitar and use the neck of my ibanez RG1527 on it. Will an 81-7 or a 707 work okay in a poplar body?


----------



## ShreddyKrueger19

Hey fellow 7 stringers,
I have a minor conflict. For the last 4 years or so I have strictly played 707's in my 7 strings. Recently I've been reading reviews of the 57/66 sets (for both 6s and 7s) and I'm debating it. Now I haven't had a chance to play a guitar with the 57/66 installed, so I'm gonna try and find one at a shop and mess around on it a bit before I make my ultimate decision. But you guys got any feedback? It would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## thefyn

I ordered some used parts to put together an EMG metal/shred type of guitar:

1: EMG PA2 on guitar preamp switch which boosts the output. 
2: EMG 60 (I presume quick connect)

And I want to use both using the 18 volt mod. I have good quality stereo output jack. What will I need in the way of harnesses? Does anyone know of a wiring diagram for this with one vol knob? The guitar has one pickup.


----------



## JoshhMoynihan

ShreddyKrueger19 said:


> Hey fellow 7 stringers,
> I have a minor conflict. For the last 4 years or so I have strictly played 707's in my 7 strings. Recently I've been reading reviews of the 57/66 sets (for both 6s and 7s) and I'm debating it. Now I haven't had a chance to play a guitar with the 57/66 installed, so I'm gonna try and find one at a shop and mess around on it a bit before I make my ultimate decision. But you guys got any feedback? It would be greatly appreciated.



I'm kind of the same, just with a 81/7 and I'm intrigued by the 57/66 sets. Some feedback would be lovely. Anyone... Please....


----------



## antonkotmusic

Hey Everyone

Anyone here have any experience putting EMGs into an Ibanez S Series? I've heard it's really difficult, but not impossible...

I'm looking to install a 57-7 and 66-7 into my S7521, 3-way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone. Looking at the space in the cavity, I'm guessing it will need some extra routing to fit everything in, or lose the tone knob? Losing the tone knob will not be a problem for me at all, just looking at different options...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Anton


----------



## dedsouth333

This is the wiring for the EMGs in my LTD MH-400NT. Is it just me or is something missing?

Edit: For the record, I mean the preamp. This is my first rodeo with swapping EMGs and have always heard about a preamp. Mine doesn't have the little "buss" thing that came with my 57. Is that what they're talking about (according to the paper that came with it, I'm guessing no). The pickups themselves are quick connect, while everything else is hard-wired. Can I just plug my 57 up and go? My guitar had dual 81s and was made in 2004, btw.


----------



## frahmans

dedsouth333 said:


> This is the wiring for the EMGs in my LTD MH-400NT. Is it just me or is something missing?
> 
> Edit: For the record, I mean the preamp. This is my first rodeo with swapping EMGs and have always heard about a preamp. Mine doesn't have the little "buss" thing that came with my 57. Is that what they're talking about (according to the paper that came with it, I'm guessing no). The pickups themselves are quick connect, while everything else is hard-wired. Can I just plug my 57 up and go? My guitar had dual 81s and was made in 2004, btw.



The emg preamp is built into the pickup housing. The pickup buss is for a central point to manage the signal flow and power in one central device. 

For your pic, it looks like they hardwired everything cause quickconnect only came into being in 2010. Have you checked the pickup? Does it have the quickconnect socket onnthe underneath of the pickup?


----------



## frahmans

Copied from NGD for those who need more info - used on an 8 strong walnut guitar.

The RPC helps to tame the boomy-ness and clears the mud of the neck pickups and bridge pickup esp at gain. Again, it is a treble boost and bass cut so that's how it helps to clear things up. 

The EXG is really not something you should use at gain because it can get muddy due to the bass boost and mid cut it imparts. Don't use it when playing gain-y stuff. If your guitar is not bright, it's mud city. It made my sound muddy when I was playing with the neck pickup on an 5153 model in BIAS and my blackstar with cranked gain. But, for cleans, it's perfect.. It can accentuate the lows and highs, while letting the guitar sing. Just perfect for clean passages.

The AB2 is like having a built in gain boost. Activating it is like stepping on an EHS soul food - it makes it loud. I love it on clean and mid gain tones. At high gain tones, not so much at the moment - could be my amp model on bias is over saturated with gain.


----------



## frahmans

GreatWhiteYeti said:


> HNGD dude. I actually really like the guitar after I turned my head around  I love the neck joint.
> 
> I'd love to hear clips of the difference between the RPC at 0 vs 10 in high gain, along with the EXG for your clean stuff.



Hi Yeti here are quick tracks recorded into GarageBand on my iPad. The order in each track:
1. Strum no rpc and exg on 0
2. Rpc on 10 and eXG on 0
3. EXG on 10 and rpc on 0

Done quickly but hope this helps . Recorded with jamup Jeff loomis clean amp with everything at noon

Neck and bridge
https://soundcloud.com/frahmans/neck-and-bridge

Bridge
https://soundcloud.com/frahmans/bridge

Neck
https://soundcloud.com/frahmans/neck

Here's a noodle on the bridge using jamup and marrow 5153 model with everything at noon.

1. Single note example on 7th and 8th string - RPC comes in after the pause in the middle
https://soundcloud.com/frahmans/rpc-gain

2. Chord examples - RPC comes in after the pause in the middle
https://soundcloud.com/frahmans/rpc-gain-2


----------



## SnowfaLL

ugh, I just spent a ton of money on a new set of 57/66 in brushed gold (6 string) and I'm not exactly enjoying it unfortunately. For metal/gain, it is probably the best 6 string tone I've ever had, but it really isn't working for cleans for me. Since what I play is 80% clean, especially on this guitar, the set may have to go but that means losing out on significant cash. Serves me right for going new! damn allure of brushed gold..

I also seem to have some grounding issues, the typical when I touch the knobs on the front, I get feedback. The inside of the cavity is all shielded already, is that a no-no for EMG's?? Cause touching the shielding also induces that feedback. 

Looking like I'm gonna attempt to find a set of gold BKP's in the future for this guitar, its unfortunate.


----------



## Mott Power

Having issues with a 707 I installed this past week and haven't been able to pin-point the problem. I have looked all over forums but there is no clear solution so any help would be appreciated. I am doing a single neck solderless setup with a volume and tone but after everything is hooked up it has a very low output (low volume, low to no gain). Volume and tone knobs seem to work fine and I am getting voltage to the pickup (8.25V) and to the stereo jack (9.1V) from the battery when tested with a multimeter (battery is new) so the buss seems to be functioning fine and the output jack seems grounded. 

It just sounds like the pickup is rejecting the battery and taking it out provides no difference in sound. My thoughts are a faulty pickup (manufactured 09/2006); I purchased the kit on eBay as an open box item but brand new, only missing the foam and screws which I purchased separately. All connections have been dozen-checked, arrows facing up (especially on pickup), etc. Raising and lowering the pickup provides essentially no difference. Deleted the tone knob, only volume, and still no difference. I'll try to grab pictures later but it really is exactly as instructed by EMG and the exact same I've seen on other guitars which leads me to believe a faulty component. 

Is there any way of testing the pickup or volume for a fault? This is my first experience with active pickups but now I'm thinking maybe this music store on eBay gave me a crap product. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Edit: Upon looking at some photos of the current solderless system they sell, the battery connection appears to be a different one than I received. Maybe it's a faulty battery holder from an older design? It looks to be the exact same connection that they sell at Radioshack...

UPDATE: ended up being just what I suspected - faulty ground on the battery terminal. The wiring looks good on the solderless female connector for the output jack so it must have been a bad assembly job for the negative on the connector for the battery, underneath the plastic snap cover.


----------



## slythy

is this what i want to use for my 57/66 set? i have 1 volume and 1 tone

also 57 is bridge correct? sorry first time swapping out pickups.


----------



## JD27

slythy said:


> is this what i want to use for my 57/66 set? i have 1 volume and 1 tone
> 
> also 57 is bridge correct? sorry first time swapping out pickups.



That should do it for you and the 57 is the bridge pickup in the set.


----------



## Techdeath

So I know if I wire up my emg 707x and 81-7 to my ibanez 5 way I will have dead spots on 2 and 4 but I want to do it anyway until I buy a 3 way switch. Can anyone advise me on which pins to connect which wires to or give me a quick diagram?


----------



## RLG167

hey guys,
so a few days ago I got my Dean custom shop Vendetta. Neck-thru, trans blue/purple burst, tribal inlays, and a set of some sweet EMG 81 & 85 active pickups. This is my first guitar with active pickups, so I have a question. How long does the 9V battery last? I thought it was around 6 hrs, but I'm only getting about 2, maybe 3. I'm spending a ton of money on 9V batteries. I'm wondering if its a soldering problem? But I took it to a tech at GC, and he said the wiring looks fine. If 2 hours is normal, is there any alternative to a 9V I can use? Don't get me wrong, I'm a serious shredder and the active pickups are changing my perspective of the instrument, but do you guys all just get a lot of batteries? If that's the case, I may go back to passive just because they're cheaper.
Thanks for any responses, RG.
PS, sorry if this has already been asked, I just didn't want to look through every page for an answer.


----------



## TRENCHLORD

RLG167 said:


> hey guys,
> so a few days ago I got my Dean custom shop Vendetta. Neck-thru, trans blue/purple burst, tribal inlays, and a set of some sweet EMG 81 & 85 active pickups. This is my first guitar with active pickups, so I have a question. How long does the 9V battery last? I thought it was around 6 hrs, but I'm only getting about 2, maybe 3. I'm spending a ton of money on 9V batteries. I'm wondering if its a soldering problem? But I took it to a tech at GC, and he said the wiring looks fine. If 2 hours is normal, is there any alternative to a 9V I can use? Don't get me wrong, I'm a serious shredder and the active pickups are changing my perspective of the instrument, but do you guys all just get a lot of batteries? If that's the case, I may go back to passive just because they're cheaper.
> Thanks for any responses, RG.
> PS, sorry if this has already been asked, I just didn't want to look through every page for an answer.




Are you leaving the guitar plugged-in when you quit playing? You must unplug the guitar when you're done (or done with amping the guitar at least).

You should be getting months of daily playing from each 9v.

http://www.emgpickups.com/faq


----------



## RLG167

the guy at Guitar Center said 3 hours was considered a lot. I am unplugging it, by the way. So what can I do to get more time out of it?


----------



## Noxon

Shit, I have a guitar with actives and it has been over a year and it's still going. On average an Energizer 9v will last me six months or so. That is playing a lot. Like Trenchlord said, unplug when not playing. It's just like a pedal on battery power. If you're unplugging and it still lasts only a few hours, something's wrong...


----------



## RLG167

I am unplugging it, I have a few pedals and I only have to replace the batteries in those every couple months or so. So what is it about my guitar? Every time I'm done playing it I unplug it and lock it back up in the case. So does anyone have any plausible causes for this?


----------



## TRENCHLORD

RLG167 said:


> the guy at Guitar Center said 3 hours was considered a lot. I am unplugging it, by the way. So what can I do to get more time out of it?




@the guy from GC ; 

I'd check the wiring yourself (because the guy from GC isn't very up on things obviously), making sure it matches exactly with EMG website diagram. 
Make sure it has the proper volume/tone/outputs (25k + 3-lead output).
Make sure to use a quality 9v. (copper-top, energizer, even the more expensive Rayovac is fine, just don't go for the $1 cheapo shwaagg-weed batteries)


----------



## RLG167

I contacted the people over at EMG last week, and they said to wrap the battery in electrical tape. I'm already noticing a difference  Thanls for your help guys


----------



## MASS DEFECT

I'm a passive guy for most of my gigging days, I have a Jackson COW7 which has a stock 707 and it has buzz on the high gain ch. of my 6505+. My gain is just at 5. And there is this gain hiss. I though maybe it is the nature of the beast. My other Jackson with Invaders don't have that problem. 

Recently scored a DKMG with stock 81/85s and they also have that buzz. Do EMGs really have that buzz in high gain? Wiring looks good. My gain is set fairly low. No TVs, screens or fluorescent light in my room.

How do I remedy this problem? I thought EMGs are ultra low noise pickups.


----------



## Tj_saxon

Hi guys, just curious is there any difference in tone between the emg metalworks vs. Just the normal plastic covered emgs? I only have experience with the plastic cover but I feel like the chrome ones would look better in my PRS. Any and all answers will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Geysd

Hey guys,

I'm about to pretty up my old LTD MH-400 STB Trem.

I don't have the money to buy new pickups and the old EMGs (85 and 81) are starting to bore me,
so I thought about changing the cap. First of all, does anyone know if it's possible to change them?
And second question would be, if you know if the Schaller 162B and 162N would fit?
I like look of the new EMGs with the six pins on each.

Thanks for help so far!

edit:

Don't have to google, here are the new caps:

Schaller 162N @ Thomann
Schaller 162B @ Thomann


----------



## NikoBaza

I have bought this couple of pickups, they are not new, so they are not the solderless version. I want to set up the 60 in the neck and 89 in the bridge, but I'm having problems to find a proper wiring diagram. I have the 60, the 89, one V pot and one T pot. Does somebody know how the wiring is? I will thank you so much.


----------



## JD27

NikoBaza said:


> I have bought this couple of pickups, they are not new, so they are not the solderless version. I want to set up the 60 in the neck and 89 in the bridge, but I'm having problems to find a proper wiring diagram. I have the 60, the 89, one V pot and one T pot. Does somebody know how the wiring is? I will thank you so much.



Yes, but need to know what you are using for a switch. 3 or 5 way blade? 3 way toggle?


----------



## NikoBaza

JD27 said:


> Yes, but need to know what you are using for a switch. 3 or 5 way blade? 3 way toggle?



Thanks for answering. It's a 3 way blade


----------



## JD27

NikoBaza said:


> Thanks for answering. It's a 3 way blade



This should work for 1 EMG (neck), 1 89 (bridge), 1 volume, 1 tone, and 3 way blade switch.







89 Wiring Color Code


----------



## Jujex

I swapped the Duncans with the Zakk Wylde set on my Jackson KE2 as soon as I got them, I never had any issues with buzzing, but I did have issues with a metal bridge on an SG before, it buzzed when I put my hand on it, could be that.


----------



## Carl Kolchak

How hard a process is it to replace a passive EMG or an active one?


----------



## Carcaridon

Carl Kolchak said:


> How hard a process is it to replace a passive EMG or an active one?



The new solderless process looks pretty simple and straight forward. I'm about to do this with a JH Set soon. It looks like hooking up a computer. Just plug things in and follow the wiring diagram.


----------



## JTL

Hey guys i just got a new gtr. Its an Ibanez S7721pb. Question...


Ive got a good EMG 81-7 laying around. Is it easy to add it in the neck and use both a passive and active pickup at the same time?


----------



## GuitarBizarre

Curious question if anyone knows - Do any present EMG pickups offer an option for Parallel and Series, or is the 89 still the only EMG pickup that offers a choice of wiring (In this case, a split sound)?


----------



## Mprinsje

GuitarBizarre said:


> Curious question if anyone knows - Do any present EMG pickups offer an option for Parallel and Series, or is the 89 still the only EMG pickup that offers a choice of wiring (In this case, a split sound)?



There's also the 81 TW. which also splits.


----------



## GuitarBizarre

Mprinsje said:


> There's also the 81 TW. which also splits.



But no options for Series/Parallel wiring? I tend to prefer it because of it having less volume drop than a simple split.


----------



## Mprinsje

GuitarBizarre said:


> But no options for Series/Parallel wiring? I tend to prefer it because of it having less volume drop than a simple split.



As far as i know the active EMG's can't be wired like that. Passive pickups probably would as they are passive pickups.


----------



## ML7

Hey yall,
First for everything but I have a problem so far.
I bought a recent solderless kit with the B245 pickup buss. I have one very old emg 85 and was wondering how can I use it with a 2-pickup switch set-up with my modern 81. I can't solder onto the bus like the older one used to if I'm correct. What are my options? Thanks


----------



## allthegoatsaregone

So stoked I found this thread, and hoping you guys can help me. I put an 81 set in one or my guitars, and I'm not getting as much output as I did before. I already changed the battery, and the wiring job is correct, but I'm thinking it might be that I extended the red battery wire by splicing it and adding a length to the middle so I could store it in the trem claw rout around back of the guitar. I ran it through the same path as the previous ground wire, but needed a couple inches of extra length to make it work. So my question is this - did extending the battery wire cause some sort of loss in output? If so, is it because of the wire gauge (22g)? Help is appreciated, and thanks in advance.


----------



## jmanncorrea

Hey guys, 
I just bought the het set and i put them into 
My ltd ec401 that already had emgs in it. I 
Plugged them in I didn't swap out the 
Harness and the bridge pick up works 
Great but the neck pick up hardly gets any 
Sound out.. Do I have to swap out the harness
Or can I just plug them in and they should work?


----------



## Noxon

If they're the quick connect, they should just plug right in.


----------



## MrYakob

Have you checked to make sure the quick connector is seated all the way on the pickup?

I know when I swapped my 81/60 for the het set in my ec-100 the connector was oriented the opposite way on the het set, so make sure you've got the connector on the right way


----------



## Blkls

I just got a 66 and an 89r from a member on here both came with what looks like everything they would come with if the where fresh out of the box. Now I've been looking for a wiring diagram to drop them in with out a three way switch like my passive set up has. 
I was thinking of wiring them like I believe some gibsons are or even like a fender bass, two volume, one tone. If anyone could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. 
I'm also trying to decide if I should put them in my Dean blackbolt or my dean endgame vmnt.....


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

I wish their single coils came with the Metalworks finish.
I'm gassing for a 57/SA combo, but I want both pickups in brushed gold.


----------



## JD27

Blkls said:


> I just got a 66 and an 89r from a member on here both came with what looks like everything they would come with if the where fresh out of the box. Now I've been looking for a wiring diagram to drop them in with out a three way switch like my passive set up has.
> I was thinking of wiring them like I believe some gibsons are or even like a fender bass, two volume, one tone. If anyone could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.
> I'm also trying to decide if I should put them in my Dean blackbolt or my dean endgame vmnt.....



Might be some wiring diagrams listed here. 
Wiring Book


----------



## JeremyRodriguez5544998

Great thread for me to research up on. Thanks for posting. The only thing I know is that I love EMG pick ups haha. Looks like it's time to start learning.


----------



## zilla

hey all,

I have an axe with an 81/85 combo and a 3-way blade switch.

I'm thinking of swapping out the pups with an 81TW/89XR and was wondering if I can use a 5-way blade switch instead of push/pull pots? i hate push/pull pots.


----------



## Pinthar

Hello friends. Age old question. I've been all over the internet and cannot for the life of me find any of the old schematics for EMG Zakk set (81/85) with afterburner. I have installed the set with one volume, one tone, and one after burner with a three way switch and a barrel jack. I have most of the wiring complete, but am confused for a few wires still unattached. Can anyone post a diagram using colored wired codes or perhaps even a detailed picture of what the set-up should look like. Even a hand drawn pic would be great.

Thanks so much


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

Pinthar said:


> Hello friends. Age old question. I've been all over the internet and cannot for the life of me find any of the old schematics for EMG Zakk set (81/85) with afterburner. I have installed the set with one volume, one tone, and one after burner with a three way switch and a barrel jack. I have most of the wiring complete, but am confused for a few wires still unattached. Can anyone post a diagram using colored wired codes or perhaps even a detailed picture of what the set-up should look like. Even a hand drawn pic would be great.
> 
> Thanks so much



Email EMG. Seriously, they're the most accessible folks out there, they'll get back within a few days and should steer you well. I've had very good interactions with them.


----------



## caspian

Anyone here have any experience with the afterburner boost thingy? Considering getting one for my explorer- looks a lot of fun. Not entirely sure how I'd go installing it myself but it can't be that hard to figure out.


----------



## Pav

caspian said:


> Anyone here have any experience with the afterburner boost thingy? Considering getting one for my explorer- looks a lot of fun. Not entirely sure how I'd go installing it myself but it can't be that hard to figure out.



I used to use one in my Jackson Dinky, I still have it stashed away with all of my pickup stuff. What would you like to know about it? It's a Quick Connect component and comes with its own schematic so it can be installed in a matter of seconds, assuming your guitar is already wired up with modern EMG Quick Connect.


----------



## caspian

It's not. I'm thinking of doing up an old epiphone explorer I have w/an afterburner and some super metal pickups, try to make it a purpose built metal guitar. Does it effect the tone, is it easy to install (I'm guessing it might be a pain considering the guitar just has the stock passives in it), is 20db just way too much gain, etc etc.


----------



## Pav

It's plenty easy to install, nothing crazy. It has five pins to connect: two input, two output and one for power. It may be trickier for you without Quick Connect wiring inside your guitar already but EMG customer support is great. If you run into any problems, email them and they'll walk you right through it.

I never noticed it affect my tone at all. I wouldn't be surprised if it had the typical drawbacks of using any tone pot, but when you turn it on it's just a massive clean boost. However, 20dB really is more gain than is practical for an on-board boost like that. Lower output passive pickups would be the best situation to use it because with EMG's hot active pickups, the AB very quickly turns your tone into a hot screaming mess. If I had to do it again I would probably try the PA2 switch that comes with the KFK set since flipping one switch is way more practical than the super-sensitive push-pull pot of the afterburner. Hope this helps.


----------



## Andromalia

I have one in a Jackson CS soloist, didn't install it myself, bought it second hand with it already installed. 
I'd say it's mostly overkill, I could see it being useful if you don't have a high gain amp but otherwise it's just goes into the "too much gain" territory. Possibly if you want to play old school DM but otherwise not very useful.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

hey guys. 

I just recently started playing my guitars with EMGs again since we moved house. I noticed that my EMGs (Stock DKMG with 81/86. DXMG with JH. Stock COW with 707.) all pick up a LOT of interference compared to my guitars with Duncan Invaders. The Invaders are just much more silent. I know it's interference since moving around causes the hum to change. The Duncans don't have this problem. 

Is this normal? I thought EMGs are quieter and less susceptible to interference. Any solutions that I can do with the guitar/pickups?


----------



## sleepy502

Recently installed the EMG 57/66 set with the whole solderless deal, including the 3way switch.

Biggest issue is the mad hum/buzz I get. I tried lots of stuff, I did some random reading about this set and apparently sometimes the volume/tone pots might not be grounded properly?


----------



## MASS DEFECT

I don't think you have to ground anything. i also got the 3 way solderless switch-buss which is cool, because i didn't need to re-solder the pickup switch wire.


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

Just installed my 89 & S (Old school hardwire solder versions), I like it for the most part, love the S in the neck.
In looking at the wire diagrams, and after playing it, with the switch down, it's definitely hum bucking, with it up, it's definitely single coil voiced, but when the switch is right dadgumm in the middle, it's pure sweetness, brighter, more output.

I presume because it's using both pre-amps (the humbucker preamp and the single coil preamp) simultaneously, so I'm thinking, why not just wire it up that way. Forget the split, wire it up like the Humbucker only schematic suggests, only instead of sending only the green to hot as it suggests, send the white also.

Anyone else experimented with this? 

Thoughts?


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

I found a helpful diagram.






I think I figured it out from the above diagram.

So, Orange is the primary coil. It feeds both voices.

The switch, as we know, switches between those voices.

Humbucker = Orange --> Blue--> Green
Single Coil = Orange -->Yellow--> White

So, to activate both preamp with all coils active, I just do a "Y" off of the Orange, connected to both Blue and Yellow, Blue goes off to Green, Yellow goes off to White, both Green and White are "Y-d" at either the hot, or the bridge pin of the toggle.

Simple Version, take this wire scheme, http://www.sonic.net/~emgman/pdf/89 as humbucker only 1v 1t.pdf 
twist blue & Yellow together, connect them to the Orange.
Twist the green & white together, connect them to the Hot or Toggle.

I'll test this with some test leads first.

I think this will be idea if it can be accomplished because the S is louder than the 89 in its humbucker mode using factory wiring. When I had the switch right in the middle selecting both modes simultaneously, it was balanced across both pickups, both individually and jointly.nd jointly.


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

TonyFlyingSquirrel said:


> I found a helpful diagram.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I figured it out from the above diagram.
> 
> So, Orange is the primary coil. It feeds both voices.
> 
> The switch, as we know, switches between those voices.
> 
> Humbucker = Orange --> Blue--> Green
> Single Coil = Orange -->Yellow--> White
> 
> So, to activate both preamp with all coils active, I just do a "Y" off of the Orange, connected to both Blue and Yellow, Blue goes off to Green, Yellow goes off to White, both Green and White are "Y-d" at either the hot, or the bridge pin of the toggle.
> 
> Simple Version, take this wire scheme, http://www.sonic.net/~emgman/pdf/89 as humbucker only 1v 1t.pdf
> twist blue & Yellow together, connect them to the Orange.
> Twist the green & white together, connect them to the Hot or Toggle.
> 
> I'll test this with some test leads first.
> 
> I think this will be idea if it can be accomplished because the S is louder than the 89 in its humbucker mode using factory wiring. When I had the switch right in the middle selecting both modes simultaneously, it was balanced across both pickups, both individually and jointly.nd jointly.




Tried my theory and is debunked.

A call to EMG yielded the recommendation that my push/pull pot is likely faulty.

I wired up the 25k NON push/pull pot, went through my scenarios using test leads.

No perceived difference or benefit in trying to activate both preamps simultaneously.

Wiring up each respective voicing individually yielded very distinctive humbucker and single coil voicing, respectively.

With that being said, I am using the Humbucker Only wire scheme successfully.


----------



## markdminer

I have a BRAND NEW UNUSED SET of EMG 57/66 for 7 string in black. $119 each/street. Far less compressed sounding. They seem to be much more open and responsive than anything else they have ever made. Based on Alnico rather than Ceramic. See links for specs. First $175 takes em.
Email me at [email protected] if interested!
http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/7-and-8-and-9-string/seven-string/57-7.html#info
http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/7-and-8-and-9-string/seven-string/66-7.html


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

markdminer said:


> I have a BRAND NEW UNUSED SET of EMG 57/66 for 7 string in black. $119 each/street. Far less compressed sounding. They seem to be much more open and responsive than anything else they have ever made. Based on Alnico rather than Ceramic. See links for specs. First $175 takes em.
> Email me at [email protected] if interested!
> http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/7-and-8-and-9-string/seven-string/57-7.html#info
> http://www.emgpickups.com/guitar/7-and-8-and-9-string/seven-string/66-7.html



You may be served best by deleting this post from this section, and re-posting it in the following section: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=50


----------



## Xk6m6m5X

Hello all,

i have my ibanez arz400 wired up with the solder less system, i have the stock neck pickup that came it(some hz, im not sure which now) and the alexi lahio sig passive with the abq eq?boost in the bridge, now because that is active circuitry and has a battery in theory i could just swap the current pickups to any of their active pickups with no issue correct?


----------



## bandit614

Hi all -- I recently purchased a used Schecter with Duncan Design passive humbuckers, and didn't like them. I installed a set of EMG 81/85s with the solderless install kit, and everything went fine other than having to solder my 3 way switch to the "hub" they provide.. took me a bit, but it sounds great!

I followed this wiring diagram exactly: https://www.emgpickups.com/skin/frontend/emg-interface/emg/pdfs/zw-set.pdf 
Pg. 2, Diagram 3

However, I will never be using the "tone knob", and I am tempted to remove it and replace it with a simple on off switch -- I will be using this as a actual on/off switch and not for stuttering effects (a la Buckethead).

What is the best way to do this? I see many different switches with different acronyms, and I am confused. Can someone provide me with a link to the right part I will need, and a simple wiring diagram in relation to what I already have installed? I've googled and found guides and discussions, but not for this exact scenario and I don't want to mess anything up. I'd really really appreciate it!

Thanks!


----------



## SplinteredSoul

.


----------



## lewis

anyone got any experience with the Emg H and HX series? (active single coil and humbucker housing) for the bridge position for metal?.

Ive read the X is supposed to be the 18volt mod sound? is that true etc


----------



## buriedoutback

I can't find any reviews on the EMG 85-8 pickup... Do these just suck or am I missing something? I love the regular EMG 85 so I wonder if the 8 string version is any good... There's a red one on ebay that is calling to me, but I'm not gonna spend the money without reading some decent reviews first. Anyone try it??


----------



## gitarre-mann

Hello there...Don't know if it is ok to post here, since my question is about a 6 string pickup, but, if it's not just signal me...

Either way, my problem is i bought a guitar, and it came with a fernandes sustainer and an emg 81 on the bridge...BUUUT, the high e string is sounding much lower in volume, specially with any tone that is less than extreme high gain...And, on the fernandes sustainer, it sounds even weaker...On extreme high-gain it sounds ok, specially on the 81 but, still weaker...

Do you guys know what may be the cause of the problem? I also changed the guitar battery one time without disconnecting the guitar from the amp, and suspected this could be the cause (it was on the same day i bought, and i don't remember if it was ok before) but, i asked a luthier and he said he used to do that with his, and it never caused any problems...

I already contacted the guarantee service, but, i wanted to ask people first if they ever had this problem, since i don't really know if the luthier they will indicate really knows about this kind of circuit...

Guitar is fairly well tuned, and it sounds weak specially with the open string, so, i'm guessing it has something to do with the electronics...

Thanks in advance


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

What's the string alignment look like in relation to the pickup?
Does it seem centered well enough?
If memory serves, the 81 is a bar magnet, but if the pickup is not centered, the far end of that bar can be to the inside favor of the strings and not getting enough sensing area of the high E string.
Got a pic?


----------



## gitarre-mann

I don't got one right now but, i checked and, it's exacty under the third trace of the M letter of EMG, just like other guitar pics with emg's i checked online...

I contacted emg ever since this post, and they told me they think it could be something in the Fernandes system, like some capacitor that reproduces higher frequencies has been "burnt", but, i don't know, if under high gain it sounds almost perfect...

Either way, I'm searching for a luthier to take care of this but, so far, i didn't have the luck to find anyone...Hope i find it soon, thanks!


----------



## lewis

contemplating getting the 81TW or 85tw in at least 1 guitar.

Can anyone tell me if it comes with the push/pull pot?

I want my old yamaha 22 fret strat to be my "clean" guitar for recording so need that nice single coil twang but it would be cool if it wasnt limited to just single coil tones.


----------



## FireInside

Not sure if this has been posted in this thread yet but here is a useful link for old school EMG wiring diagrams (not the newer solder less connections).

http://www.sonic.net/~emgman/wiringbook.html


----------



## lewis

got a fanned fret baritone guitar on the way.

Thinking of trying something cool with it.

i.e something like 81 bridge + 81tw neck then use the push/pull knob that comes with the TW as the master volume obviously, then get an RPC knob for the tone.

Neck pickup will then be able to give me coil tapped solo/clean tones and I can tighten the hell out of the bridge 81 using the RPC knob.
I might rename that the "djent knob" because thats basically what its going to be haha. 
Tuning is Drop G# open (G#, D#, G#, C#, G#, C#) with the odd song having a low F instead.


----------



## Zok

Anyone tried a 66 in the bridge?


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## Don Tonberry

Looks like James has the 18v mod installed in his latest KL explorer. He takes the back cover off and shows the control cavity. What are the noticeable differences using the 18v mod?? I'm considering if I should do it on my Het Set. I would try with my 81/60 but the control cavity is too small in that guitar to fit another battery


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## KnightBrolaire

Don Tonberry said:


> Looks like James has the 18v mod installed in his latest KL explorer. He takes the back cover off and shows the control cavity. What are the noticeable differences using the 18v mod?? I'm considering if I should do it on my Het Set. I would try with my 81/60 but the control cavity is too small in that guitar to fit another battery



it gives you a bit more headroom, though it depends on the pickup. the non-x series benefit more from it ime.


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## gunch

Alright I can't find crap about the VMC circuit that's in the new Masvidalien. What does it to exactly? Is it just a TS type boost or can it actually alter the EQ/voicing of a bridge pickup to make it sound like a neck pickup?


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## takotakumi

Anyone know if it's possible to alter the Tone Sweep range from the EMG tone pot? Installed one and it barely changed the sound


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## groverj3

What are people's thoughts on the 57-7 (bridge) 66-7 (neck) set vs 81-7 (bridge) 707 (neck)? I'm not loving the 81-7, and it seems kind of muddy on the low B. Already replaced the battery, so that's not the issue. I'm stumped because I've found the 6 string 81 to be great for low tunings.


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## KnightBrolaire

groverj3 said:


> What are people's thoughts on the 57-7 (bridge) 66-7 (neck) set vs 81-7 (bridge) 707 (neck)? I'm not loving the 81-7, and it seems kind of muddy on the low B. Already replaced the battery, so that's not the issue. I'm stumped because I've found the 6 string 81 to be great for low tunings.


The 57/66 is less compressed than the 707 or 81 sets iirc. I found the 57 to be flubbier on the low end than the 808x set I had before it, but that was really my only issue with the 57. The 57 was definitely a bit clearer from what I remember. 
The X series are generally an improvement over the terrible 707/808 pickups- the x series essentially sound like they have a permanent 18v mod done to them and have more headroom/clarity. 
I would guess that the 81x would give you more clarity than the 81 in the same way, unless you're already doing the 18v mod. I'm sure people that have used them more extensively can chime in, I've only messed around with some 81 loaded 7 strings at my buddy's house.


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## groverj3

KnightBrolaire said:


> The 57/66 is less compressed than the 707 or 81 sets iirc. I found the 57 to be flubbier on the low end than the 808x set I had before it, but that was really my only issue with the 57. The 57 was definitely a bit clearer from what I remember.
> The X series are generally an improvement over the terrible 707/808 pickups- the x series essentially sound like they have a permanent 18v mod done to them and have more headroom/clarity.
> I would guess that the 81x would give you more clarity than the 81 in the same way, unless you're already doing the 18v mod. I'm sure people that have used them more extensively can chime in, I've only messed around with some 81 loaded 7 strings at my buddy's house.


Essentially, if I'm looking for more clarity/less mud on the low end then I shouldn't look to the 57-7, is how I take this. I either want to 18v my 81-7 or look at an 81-7x then?


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel

I'm a 57/66 user in both 6-er & 7 formats. These are PAF-ish voiced pickups with active output. The best of the EMG lineup in my opinion, clear, articulate, full, very well balanced. If you want to boost this, I'd recommend the PA2 over the Afterburner. PA2 is more of an onboard clean boost, Afterburner gets too thick/muddy in my opinion.


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## KnightBrolaire

groverj3 said:


> Essentially, if I'm looking for more clarity/less mud on the low end then I shouldn't look to the 57-7, is how I take this. I either want to 18v my 81-7 or look at an 81-7x then?


yeah easiest path would probably be 18v mod or the 81-7x. The 57 has good clarity on the low end, but it was a bit less tight/responsive on the low end compared to the 808x I had. You can kind of mitigate the slightly looser feeling with a good tight overdrive or a 10 band eq/compressor set up.


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## groverj3

TonyFlyingSquirrel said:


> I'm a 57/66 user in both 6-er & 7 formats. These are PAF-ish voiced pickups with active output. The best of the EMG lineup in my opinion, clear, articulate, full, very well balanced. If you want to boost this, I'd recommend the PA2 over the Afterburner. PA2 is more of an onboard clean boost, Afterburner gets too thick/muddy in my opinion.





KnightBrolaire said:


> yeah easiest path would probably be 18v mod or the 81-7x. The 57 has good clarity on the low end, but it was a bit less tight/responsive on the low end compared to the 808x I had. You can kind of mitigate the slightly looser feeling with a good tight overdrive or a 10 band eq/compressor set up.



Interesting. It just seems odd to me that the 81-7 seems muddy. It could just be that my amp settings are crap for 7-string as a recent convert.

18v mod is probably the easiest thing to do. I'm intrigued by the 57/66 set, but maybe it'd be better suited to 6 strings/standard tuning?


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel

I have it in my RG7620 also, low B is clear, articulate. Not saggy at all.


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## buriedoutback

buriedoutback said:


> I can't find any reviews on the EMG 85-8 pickup... Do these just suck or am I missing something? I love the regular EMG 85 so I wonder if the 8 string version is any good... There's a red one on ebay that is calling to me, but I'm not gonna spend the money without reading some decent reviews first. Anyone try it??



I'm bored as fuck at work and eyeballing the red 85-8s again... anyone have any thoughts on these?

edit: We play metal like Kataklysm, OLD Whitechapel, Amon Amarth, etc


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## Matt08642

Hey everyone,

I have a PRS Torero that came with EMG 81/85s, but the original owner swapped them for SD AHB1 blackouts. Yesterday I got some EMGs (81 and 85 again) and they seem weirdly noisy.

Here's 2 clips showing the noise difference just sitting on my 5150 patch with nothing being played. When the noise stops, it's me engaging my noise gate. The noise is not a grounding issue, since I can touch anything metal on the guitar and the noise does not change.

Is it normal for EMGs to be this noisy? I've re-done the wiring, changed batteries, and swapped the blackouts back in and they're for sure quieter, the only difference is which pickup is in the guitar.

My stock RG7620 pickups are also way quieter.

is it at all possible to actually fuck up an EMG and break it?


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## buriedoutback

Matt08642 said:


> Is it normal for EMGs to be this noisy?


In my experience, emgs are dead quiet. I run an 85 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck of my ltd explorer . Sorry I can't be of much help with respect to the noise/wiring. You've done everything I would have done.
Out of curiosity and separate from the noise issue, are you running the 85 in the bridge or the 81? I know tons of people run the 81 in the bridge, but I like the 85 a lot more. Seems much thicker/beefier to me.


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## Matt08642

buriedoutback said:


> In my experience, emgs are dead quiet. I run an 85 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck of my ltd explorer . Sorry I can't be of much help with respect to the noise/wiring. You've done everything I would have done.
> Out of curiosity and separate from the noise issue, are you running the 85 in the bridge or the 81? I know tons of people run the 81 in the bridge, but I like the 85 a lot more. Seems much thicker/beefier to me.



I switched them up and the 81 is noisy in the neck, and the 85 is dead silent in the bridge. Guess the dude sold me a bum 81.


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## buriedoutback

Matt08642 said:


> I switched them up and the 81 is noisy in the neck, and the 85 is dead silent in the bridge. Guess the dude sold me a bum 81.


shitty man


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## Kobalt

Here's a question I've been wondering...

What would be the closest EMG equivalent to an SD '59 for neck position? 60A, perhaps?


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## MaxOfMetal

Kobalt said:


> Here's a question I've been wondering...
> 
> What would be the closest EMG equivalent to an SD '59 for neck position? 60A, perhaps?



The Fat 55 for sure, but if you want a more traditional EMG the 60AX.

The 59 is a simple PAF, which means you want medium output and alnico magnets. Stick to that and you ll get close enough with just about anything.


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## slayer6699

Guitar is Ibanez art 120 wh with emg 81x.The stock active neck pickup is connected but i don't use it so i have the 3 way switch as a killswitch.
Now i want to remove the 3 way switch and the 2 tone knobs so i can leave only one volume knob and the emg.
How to do that?


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## Grooven

So I've always wanted a pair of EMG pups since seeing them in my fav guitarist sig model Stef Carpenter of Deftones years ago.I think I'm pulling the trigger on the H4 passives they are goin in my Ltd mh100qmnt. But my question is Im new to this and not sure but on the site it says shaft Les Paul or strat. I'm assuming since my Ltd body build is similar to the strat I should go for that?


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## lewis

Grooven said:


> So I've always wanted a pair of EMG pups since seeing them in my fav guitarist sig model Stef Carpenter of Deftones years ago.I think I'm pulling the trigger on the H4 passives they are goin in my Ltd mh100qmnt. But my question is Im new to this and not sure but on the site it says shaft Les Paul or strat. I'm assuming since my Ltd body build is similar to the strat I should go for that?


It basically means for body depth/shape.
If your guitar has a flat top get the strat type. If it has a carved top get the Les paul type (because they are longer to compensate for the bodies thickness)


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## MrWulf

Anyone got any wiring diagram for 2 humbuckers, 1 volume? Im about to replace all of my wiring with EMG solderless but theres no 2 humbuckers 1 volume diagram


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## Xk6m6m5X

I got the solderless system and the alexi laiho set with active boost switch. Can i just swap the neck and bridge for and 81/60? There is already a battery in the system even though the pickup is passive. Will it make the actives work?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kornfann1024 said:


> I got the solderless system and the alexi laiho set with active boost switch. Can i just swap the neck and bridge for and 81/60? There is already a battery in the system even though the pickup is passive. Will it make the actives work?


Need to swap the electronics for 25k pots


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## Xk6m6m5X

Also....can you reverse the push/pull? Like right now pushed down is the boost, can i make it so pulled out is the boost?


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## hensh!n

I recently purchased an ESP E-II FR-7 in Black Turquoise Burst. It comes stock with the 57/66-7 set. For this guitar (Mahogony body), it sounded a bit dull (though the 57/66 sounded great in my Edwards Horizon). I swapped the 57/66 for EMG Fat 55’s, but these were too bass heavy for my tastes (though I dig the attack on the RA’s). Will either be trying out the Super 77-7 set or the 81X-7H/60X-7H combo. Tonewood is certainly a thing.


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## Xk6m6m5X

So i have hz'z i cant seem to find the difference between them and the h's? Anybody know?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kornfann1024 said:


> So i have hz'z i cant seem to find the difference between them and the h's? Anybody know?


The H's are active single coil pickups (S, SA, etc) in humbucker housing. 
The HZ is EMG's passive line.


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## Xk6m6m5X

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The H's are active single coil pickups (S, SA, etc) in humbucker housing.
> The HZ is EMG's passive line.



So they dont have any hz on their website anymore, maybe they changed something?

They do have the singles in hum housing but the rest say "coils" i ask because i want something hotter than the alexi lahio bridge....its very....meh.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kornfann1024 said:


> So they dont have any hz on their website anymore, maybe they changed something?
> 
> They do have the singles in hum housing but the rest say "coils" i ask because i want something hotter than the alexi lahio bridge....its very....meh.
> View attachment 75708
> View attachment 75709



Oh yeah, a few years ago they ditched the HZ name. 

It's a fucking clusterfuck.  All I can say is that if it's H followed by a number (H1, H2, etc), it's a passive bucker. If it's H by itself or followed by a letter (H, HX, HA) it's an active single coil.


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## lewis

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Oh yeah, a few years ago they ditched the HZ name.
> 
> It's a fucking clusterfuck.  All I can say is that if it's H followed by a number (H1, H2, etc), it's a passive bucker. If it's H by itself or followed by a letter (H, HX, HA) it's an active single coil.



"Z" is so 2008.
"X" is wheres it at now

Lol


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## Xk6m6m5X

So i should email them and find out lol


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kornfann1024 said:


> So i should email them and find out lol



The model name/number should be on the back of the pickup.


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## klinic

So! Just picked up an ESP Alexi Laiho "Blacky" sig. Came with an 81 installed (original HZ H2 included too) and the mm-04 preamp ripped out. Wire were cut down VERY short for some reason. Do you reckon it's worth buying some new hookup wire and trying to salvage it and put it back in? I'm really digging the 81 sound at the moment (this is my first EMG in 13 years of playing!), but would love to hear what the guitar was originally meant to sound like. Alternatively, MM-04 PLUS 81?


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## hensh!n

Interesting. I was just looking into EMG Passive's since I have a Steinberger that can't fit a battery in the cavity (without routing the body). Does anyone have experience with them? I'm in Japan where pickups are a bit hard to come by, but so far I've found the H2/A,H3/A, and H4/A pickups here. I'd prefer to get the setup done while I'm in Japan since it's much cheaper and takes only an hour for them to do.


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## klinic

hensh!n said:


> Interesting. I was just looking into EMG Passive's since I have a Steinberger that can't fit a battery in the cavity (without routing the body). Does anyone have experience with them? I'm in Japan where pickups are a bit hard to come by, but so far I've found the H2/A,H3/A, and H4/A pickups here. I'd prefer to get the setup done while I'm in Japan since it's much cheaper and takes only an hour for them to do.


There is also a way to feed power to the pickup via a pedal rather than a battery, for cases where you can't fit a battery.

https://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/power-supplies/es-918.html


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## Isurez

Hello Dear sevenstring.org folks!
My good buddy Franq had some free time over the last 2-3 weeks so he did a few videos with EMG equipped Skervesen guitars.

Some quick notes:
Black burst graphite Raptor has the same spec as the purple one but has different pickups: 57/66 set vs 81/60.
Black burst red has different spec than the two mentioned above but has the same pickups as the Black burst graphite so you can compare 57/66 set in slightly different guitars.

Psst - this Vintage V4 bass sounds like a beast, doesn't he?


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## Edika

Hey guys after my last failed effort to put EMG's in my LP (they went to my Jackson SL2 and sound awesome) I decided to try again. So I got a set of 57/66 and proceeded to install the quick connect system and pickups. I tripled checked everything was connected correctly and had sound this time, yipii. But with that came horrible noise that went away when I touched the metal jack plate or the pickup screws. Nowhere else. There was a bare cable that wasn't connected to anything in the 3 way switch wire that I removed and the noise is better. However still the same thing.

The electronics cavity and pickup cavities are not shielded, just wood, and I'm starting to think that this is to blame. However any insight you might have would be greatly appreciated. The bridge grounding is taped with electrical tape and I even tried connecting just the 57 to the jack in case something in the circuit was creating the problem.


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## Edika

^ Nobody?


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## Edika

Finally found the problem. I was suspecting it was the cable running from the switch to the bus as the guitar was buzzing when I was touching it. I had some braided single core wire and so I removed the shitty cable and put the braided wire. However, being a noob with braided wire and this being the first time using it, I didn't pull the metal braiding back. That was touching the switch and creating ground issues. I pulled the metal braiding back and no more noise. Fuck this was annoying I have to say.


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## Seabeast2000

Thought I'd ask here, I'm fixing to get a 3 pup set for a rear routed control cavity. 1 Vol, 1 Tone. 
Not clear why I'd want one of these vs. the other outside of the consideration of the plug-in angle differences. I'd default to the Tele version but anyone know any other considerations?


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## MaxOfMetal

Seabeast2000 said:


> Thought I'd ask here, I'm fixing to get a 3 pup set for a rear routed control cavity. 1 Vol, 1 Tone.
> Not clear why I'd want one of these vs. the other outside of the consideration of the plug-in angle differences. I'd default to the Tele version but anyone know any other considerations?
> 
> View attachment 82610



Different blade size and the Tele can be used on passive guitars as well.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel

The 5 pos Strat is configured for the classic Strat VVT config, so you will want the 5pos Tele to have the simpler master vol, master tone.


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## Seabeast2000

Thanks @MaxOfMetal and @TonyFlyingSquirrel . Tele switch option it is.


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## Frey

Hello wonderful people. It's been awhile! I've been basking in the joys of parenting but am finally getting back into playing more.

I'm currently installing some EMGs into an LTD EC1008 and have come to a road block. It had aftermarket Duncans in it before but they were barely rigged into the pickup rings (not the right size) and unable to make adjustments. I called SD this week and they are unable to sell me the pickup rings I would have needed.

To get to my point: I'm wondering how I'm supposed to utilize the 3 way pickup selector wires.

Firstly there is only a bridge, neck, and what I assume is the output cable despite all of EMGs diagrams and videos showing a fourth ground wire from the switch. There is an additional black wire that looks like it is probably soldered somewhere in the Evertune cavity that I assume is a ground. Picture attached. It was also my understanding that actives (besides Fishman) don't need any kind of grounding.

Second, the switch cables all contain 'two' cables inside, exposed wire and one shielded with white. Do I need to strip the white, splice them together and put both in the bus? Picture will be attached.

As of now I seem to have both of the pickups themselves wired properly but both are on at all times so clearly I've botched the switch wiring. I've only ever done basic swaps. Never had to mess with the pots or selectors in the past/gone from passive to active.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated


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## Seabeast2000

Quick question, I have a routed top. EMG's quick plugs won't fit through the wire holes. What has anyone done here to resolve? Was thinking cut, with butt splices as a possibility. Will crowd up the control cavity, which was never meant for EMGs. Could remove and replace switch end plugs but I'd have to find those I guess first.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Seabeast2000 said:


> Quick question, I have a routed top. EMG's quick plugs won't fit through the wire holes. What has anyone done here to resolve? Was thinking cut, with butt splices as a possibility. Will crowd up the control cavity, which was never meant for EMGs. Could remove and replace switch end plugs but I'd have to find those I guess first.



Not sure how well it would work, but 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FSGGJLY/?tag=sevenstringorg-20

Use the male/male wires in this set and thread them through the guitar individually.


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## Spaced Out Ace

You can gently press in the holes on the top where you'll see a small tab. Then pull them out. Don't yank. After you feed through, pull the tabs up a smidge, and then put back into the hole where you found them. (ProTip: This is where a cell phone comes in handy.)

https://imgur.com/a/vbFqb0B

EDIT: @Seabeast2000 -- A thumb tack (these kind) works well if you're not twitchy.


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## Seabeast2000

Spaced Out Ace said:


> You can gently press in the holes on the top where you'll see a small tab. Then pull them out. Don't yank. After you feed through, pull the tabs up a smidge, and then put back into the hole where you found them. (ProTip: This is where a cell phone comes in handy.)



Ahh, well that's good news. I will try this first.


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## Spaced Out Ace

Seabeast2000 said:


> Ahh, well that's good news. I will try this first.


After you pull the tabs up and push them back into their respective slot, make sure you test by giving them a gentle pull.


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## Seabeast2000

Spaced Out Ace said:


> After you pull the tabs up and push them back into their respective slot, make sure you test by giving them a gentle pull.



Finally onto this project. Got one disengaged and through the hole to the pickup route. What do you mean by "pull up" the tabs? You mean the metal locking inserts I pushed down on to release the wires? Not sure how to pull them up.

I get it, these are bendy tabs on the plug itself. Was thinking the connector had detente built into it.


----------



## Seabeast2000

Going to order some longer pickup cables, middle and neck are SHORT.


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## Spaced Out Ace

There is a metal piece you push down to remove the connector. You need to pull it up a bit so it'll catch when you push the connector back on. Make sure it's connected by giving it a gentle tug once you put it back on. Also, make sure you put the wires back on in the correct order.


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## Seabeast2000

Shout out to EMG customer service. They've been top notch . Do not hesitate to call for assistance.


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## Spaced Out Ace

Seabeast2000 said:


> Shout out to EMG customer service. They've been top notch . Do not hesitate to call for assistance.


Rob's daughter (at least I think it is his daughter) is pretty helpful.


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## lewis

Seabeast2000 said:


> Going to order some longer pickup cables, middle and neck are SHORT.



https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40pcs-Du...-For-Arduino-UK/113798126900?var=413973135459


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## Seabeast2000

lewis said:


> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40pcs-Du...-For-Arduino-UK/113798126900?var=413973135459



You know, this is what I need more or less. I have singles coming from EMG and suprisingly USPS either has them or doesn't , still in SF, last I checked. Its been 8 days from the neighboring state. 

I'll get these from Amazon assuming there are various lengths to choose.


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## lewis

Seabeast2000 said:


> You know, this is what I need more or less. I have singles coming from EMG and suprisingly USPS either has them or doesn't , still in SF, last I checked. Its been 8 days from the neighboring state.
> 
> I'll get these from Amazon assuming there are various lengths to choose.


its what Im going to start using too for EMG extensions.
Way way cheaper and longer. 

happy to help


----------

