Does anyone else hear a cold or digital sound with the ?????Active????? pickups? I swear I can hear it in the background while playing, even though a tube amp. I think the passive pickups are better, you lose some signal "strength", but you gain smoothness, punch, that I cant hear with the active pickups.

+1009864267299238465823092390927635.998
I can actually hear the 1's and 0's (for those of you who don't know that is the language of binary or computer talk)

lol........ I just crapped myself

Active pickups actually start out wound as a low output pickup, then an active circuitry is added - basically a preamp in your guitar - which is analog - that increases the output signal. Any pickup will color your tone depending on bobbin shape, wire gauge, wire coating, bottom plate material, type of magnets used (alnico 2, ceramic...) Active pickups color your tone more than passive pickups because the active circuitry now increases that passive coloring. So if the original low output design has decreased highs, the decreased highs will become more apparent after the active circuitry.

An additional problem with actives coloring your tone is that the preamp design can color your tone due to unbalanced inputs to the preamp. However, you can get actives that have balanced preamp inputs - Duncan Blackouts.

The interesting thing is - because you can design a pure gain circuitry with balanced inputs to the preamp - and you can start with a very low output pickup that has very balanced tone - you can design an active pickup that does not massively change your tone and actually gives you one of the widest frequency responses of any pickup.

EDIT: highest frequency response wasn't correct - I meant widest frequency response

I don't hear that at all. Probably because I'm deaf.

I love my EMGs.

+1.

I Really Like WCR Ironman PuPs,(expensive) About 360.00 A Set and The New Duncan PRails Where You Can Get Three Different Tones P90, Strat, And Humbucker All In One PUP... Might Sound Nice In The New DBZ Soltero.

Those PRails are very cool - visually and tonally - very frankenstein looking.

I've heard good reviews of the P-Rails. Only downside apparently is the P-90 tone (or lack thereof) although, I've heard good things about the humbucker and single modes. YMMV.

I don't hear any of that crap. All I hear is the music I'm playing.

WCR pickups are great. I have the Ice Bucker It's great! A little high in price but worth it.

i know i said a lot of s*** with EMG's before... but now i kinda dig the tone of them.

i have a question tho..

you know they do 81/85's in gold..

where can i find them in the UK ... or if i buy them from the US will Import tax be added .. i hate that stuff...

"An additional problem with actives coloring your tone is that the preamp design can color your tone due to unbalanced inputs to the preamp. However, you can get actives that have balanced preamp inputs - Duncan Blackouts."

blackouts are the best actives i have used, they blow away emgs(all models, i dont know about the new "X" series i have not used them yet) in overall sound quality in my opinion but still i would prefer passives over them both i only use actives on my drop A guitar all my others the actives are being removed(and sold off) and replaced with some more rockfields and lawrences

I hate EMG guitar pickups, (and have a set of Duncan Blackouts I've yet to install). They're just so lifeless. As soon as I plug in a guitar with passives it's like "there it is!" The lack of headroom and limited frequency response just kills me.

all pick ups sound the same to me.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers!

Some of you might find this interesting ....

EMG vs Blackout Comparison


SD is getting a lot of EMG converts with these pickups