Thanks
EMG active pickups: how sensitive?
Hey guys, I've been hearing stuff about Dimarzio Tone-Zone pickups, and how it's hard to play them because they pick up even the slightest touch of the player's hand. Well I was thinking of buying some EMG-81s till this issue was brought to my consideration. So, exactly how hard are active EMGs to controll? I'm using stock EMG-HZs in my jackson right now, and I'm using that as a referance point.
Thanks
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# 1
The whole point of having an active pick up IS sensitivity,
it's sensitive enough to give you a big overdrive from an average note, sensitive enough to reproduce the difference between a quiet note and a LOUD one. If you want an insensitive pick up buy something passive and cheaper!
I use an EMG 89 on my bridge, it's splitable and active. I haven't tried my guitar with Di Marzios but I hope that mine's just as sensitive cause it cost me £70. It sounds great clean but can't comment on how it sounds with distortion (my pedal's buggered, but, when it's fixed shrapnel's gonna fly!). I expect it'll kick ass but much of a guitar's tone lives in the amp anyway. Cheap guitars can sound glorious with the right amp and effects. If you don't have a good amp you might be wasting money on a great pick up but if you want, eventually, to have a top out-lay anyway though you've got to start somewhere and starting with a pick up's cheaper than starting with the amp! Besides, it'll benefit your sound whoever's amp you use.
Other than cleaning up your technique (and for all I know you might be a hugely radical player already) here are some suggestions for changing the sensitivity of your equipment.
SPLIT YOUR PICKUP
When my pickup is split it's also passive so the volume's much less giving me some control over its sensitivity. This reduces the volume and gain so in effect it's like having a lead and rhythm setting. This uses something which I'm told is called a "coil-tap", on my guitar you pull the volume knob up a bit and it goes single-coiled.
It's possible to buy extra boosters which puts up the output of the single-coil setting but I'm not sure what the point is, I like the versatillity.
USE A GATE THRESHOLD
My pedal includes a noise gate with different threshold levels. When the note falls below a certain volume it cuts out ENTIRELY. This is potentially very useful for playing crazy tapping stuff where you don't have the chance to dampen every string. It also cuts out some pick attack noise. On the other hand it's a pain in the arse if you want to sustain a note and let it die naturally and it just cuts out on you, also it rules out volume swells which are a big part of my style. Bear in mind that buying a separate gate threshold pedal would introduce extra wires and contacts and add his to your tone, it's best to use one built into a multi-fx pedal or amp.
CUT YOUR COMPRESSION
I like compression myself but if you've got tons of pick attack noise you might want to ditch it.
STRING DAMPENERS
It might be worth getting a string dampener, it's like a capo that doesn't work properly! It's nothing to be ashamed of (even the great Jennifer Batten uses one). Failing that tie a sock or bandana round your fretboard, might be useful for tapping but it's sad to loose the option of open strings.
ONE OTHER THING
You might consider is getting a guitar tech to stick an on off switch on your pick up. I did for mine, so now I can get these cool stuttering effects and switch squeals and bends on and off so you only have to strike the string once and get less pick attack noise. It cost me but man is it cool!
it's sensitive enough to give you a big overdrive from an average note, sensitive enough to reproduce the difference between a quiet note and a LOUD one. If you want an insensitive pick up buy something passive and cheaper!
I use an EMG 89 on my bridge, it's splitable and active. I haven't tried my guitar with Di Marzios but I hope that mine's just as sensitive cause it cost me £70. It sounds great clean but can't comment on how it sounds with distortion (my pedal's buggered, but, when it's fixed shrapnel's gonna fly!). I expect it'll kick ass but much of a guitar's tone lives in the amp anyway. Cheap guitars can sound glorious with the right amp and effects. If you don't have a good amp you might be wasting money on a great pick up but if you want, eventually, to have a top out-lay anyway though you've got to start somewhere and starting with a pick up's cheaper than starting with the amp! Besides, it'll benefit your sound whoever's amp you use.
Other than cleaning up your technique (and for all I know you might be a hugely radical player already) here are some suggestions for changing the sensitivity of your equipment.
SPLIT YOUR PICKUP
When my pickup is split it's also passive so the volume's much less giving me some control over its sensitivity. This reduces the volume and gain so in effect it's like having a lead and rhythm setting. This uses something which I'm told is called a "coil-tap", on my guitar you pull the volume knob up a bit and it goes single-coiled.
It's possible to buy extra boosters which puts up the output of the single-coil setting but I'm not sure what the point is, I like the versatillity.
USE A GATE THRESHOLD
My pedal includes a noise gate with different threshold levels. When the note falls below a certain volume it cuts out ENTIRELY. This is potentially very useful for playing crazy tapping stuff where you don't have the chance to dampen every string. It also cuts out some pick attack noise. On the other hand it's a pain in the arse if you want to sustain a note and let it die naturally and it just cuts out on you, also it rules out volume swells which are a big part of my style. Bear in mind that buying a separate gate threshold pedal would introduce extra wires and contacts and add his to your tone, it's best to use one built into a multi-fx pedal or amp.
CUT YOUR COMPRESSION
I like compression myself but if you've got tons of pick attack noise you might want to ditch it.
STRING DAMPENERS
It might be worth getting a string dampener, it's like a capo that doesn't work properly! It's nothing to be ashamed of (even the great Jennifer Batten uses one). Failing that tie a sock or bandana round your fretboard, might be useful for tapping but it's sad to loose the option of open strings.
ONE OTHER THING
You might consider is getting a guitar tech to stick an on off switch on your pick up. I did for mine, so now I can get these cool stuttering effects and switch squeals and bends on and off so you only have to strike the string once and get less pick attack noise. It cost me but man is it cool!
If I couldn't laugh at myself how could I laugh at someone less ridiculous?
# 2
I've just got my pedal fixed so now I can hear the serious biting overdrive my pickup can give me, EMG 89s, great hardware!
If I couldn't laugh at myself how could I laugh at someone less ridiculous?
# 3
i'm no fan of active pickups.. they sense too much.. i would rather have a high output passive pickup.. like Seymour Duncan Invader, Dimebucker etc... Dimarzio X2N, ToneZone etc... i got a Duncan Invader in my bridge and a ToneZone in my neck.. works perfectly.. dosen't pickup too much.. got the sound i've been looking for a long time..
i'm no fan of stringdampers... it's CHEATING!!!(even if some say it's not.. guitarplayers lose their respect to the ones who's using stringdampers..) Michael Angelo uses stringdampers.. but only when he's playing on two guitars at the same time..
noise gate.. ahh.. well.. they kinda destroy the sound.. but if u find a really good one.. it might be worth buying.. Boss's noisegate sux.. but i like the sound as natural as possible.. got a digital fx.. but only using it for reverb and delay.. for distortion i use a tubefactor with my marshall head.. ahh u'll figure it out...
i'm no fan of stringdampers... it's CHEATING!!!(even if some say it's not.. guitarplayers lose their respect to the ones who's using stringdampers..) Michael Angelo uses stringdampers.. but only when he's playing on two guitars at the same time..
noise gate.. ahh.. well.. they kinda destroy the sound.. but if u find a really good one.. it might be worth buying.. Boss's noisegate sux.. but i like the sound as natural as possible.. got a digital fx.. but only using it for reverb and delay.. for distortion i use a tubefactor with my marshall head.. ahh u'll figure it out...
S. G. Skaaren
aka Acron(GW)
aka Acron(GW)
# 4
