Is It My PIckups?

I have active EMGs (81 and 85) and unless I have the gain on my lead channel cranked my sound is small and sterile. It has no body, it sounds weak. forget any sort of lead soloing sound or rock it just sounds crappy. now when I have the thing cranked it is another story it is much fuller and harmonics are much easier to hit ( can hit them without the gain but they sound tiny). Without massive amounts of gain though I can't eq a decent sound out of this thing.

I have a peavey vk112 btw. I am getting new speakers (eminence wizards by suggestion and the fact that I found two for a great price) and new pickups (dimarzio) So is it my amp, my pickups, or both? I am also gonna try and get new tubes cause the ones I have in there are the ones thta came in it and I have read repeatedly that they suck. So any help in fixing this problem with my gear would be a huge help thx. I also haven't changed my strings in well overa month going on two, could that make a difference?

Plus does anyone who has one f these and can help with some basic eq help that would be greatly appreciated. I know how to eq but my ear isn't amazing yet and maybe I have been doing it wrong all this time. but anyway.