antique_dream Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 I'm wondering this about active pickups- if I'm practicing and I don't want to use up a battery, can I install a switch that will make them not use the battery power (even if the output is lowered or if it gets noisier)? I know that Carvin sells some type of circuit board that does this, but do I need to have one of these? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 emg's make next to no audible sound without a battery, at least that was my expericen when my battery chord broke and i was to lazy to wip out the soldering gun for almost a week.... what kind of pickups are you using? if you want longer battery life you might look into installing another battery in parallel with the one already there to double the time between battery changing's..... or install an on of switch for the battery on the guitar so that you don't have to remember to unplug it when you're not playing. but in short.... yes you could install an on/off mini switch if you wanted too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_urr_A Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 As Derek says, EMGs without the "activeness" are not going to make a sound worth the name. I pulled my battery out a few weeks ago, to see what would happen, and even with 20db + 10db + 20db + 5 db drive, I could not get more than a tiiiiiny sound out of them (sounded about as much as sliding your hand on flat wound strings on a guitar that goes into a clean channel with normal volume). But yeah, it's theoretically possible, though rather unneccessary. You could however install a passive pickup and switch between active and passive, but I guess that's not what you wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antique_dream Posted October 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 Actually, i don't even have any active pickups yet. I was just wondering because I am thinking about having an active system on my next guitar, and I usually practice with headphones for very extended periods- I know that having to change my batteries would really frustrate me. About how long do they usually last? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_urr_A Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 I think EMG says on their website you can go on the same battery for a year if you play 2h a day, but I'm not at all sure. I've been using the same battery since may (when I got my pickups), but I play only about 1h a day. But if you just keep a screwdriver and a taped up battery near your guitar it's not a problem. Takes what? 2 minutes max, to fix. And batteries aren't very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 site says 3000 hours each..... that's 125 days if you leave the guitar plugged in all the time, but realistically you'll want to change the batterie if every 2-3 months... cause the signal dies and the tone changes as the batterie dies, wes might know a trick or 2 about prolonging the life or something.. also you can buy batter boxes for the back of the guitar that make swapping batteries a breeze.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syxxstring Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 If your moding a guitar to make it active id route in the battery boxes like Parker and many others use. Takes 30 seconds to change a batter 20 of which are spent opening the package. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p...tery_Boxes.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YDoesGodMockMeSo Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 site says 3000 hours each..... that's 125 days if you leave the guitar plugged in all the time, but realistically you'll want to change the batterie if every 2-3 months... cause the signal dies and the tone changes as the batterie dies, wes might know a trick or 2 about prolonging the life or something.. also you can buy batter boxes for the back of the guitar that make swapping batteries a breeze.... yup the less voltage supplied, the more it clips the signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antique_dream Posted October 23, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 I know this is going to sound funny, but I have heard of guys making home-made adaptors. For example, on an alarm clock that only works on batteries. Have you guys ever tried this? It seems like it might be easy on a nine volt battery compartment. Yes, I know I'm cheap. But actually, I'm more interested in the project of making an adaptor than the money I'll save. Tell me what you guys think. By the way, have you guys seen the board that carvin sells? I'm not sure how it works. The link is here: http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?...2&P2=502G&P1=EP Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 slightly out of context, but My westone has a 18 volt preamp and I am wondering if I could do a straight pickup swap with some other active ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syxxstring Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 i think its essentially an onboard preamp for passive pickups. it wouldnt work with active emg's but it might give you the headphone signal your looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 hey everyone i have an EMG 81 in my shitty ibanez and when i to change battery i don't find it to be a pain. well my home made battery box makes life a lot easier. usually i stock up on 9 volts and buy them bulk warehouse shops. i bought 50 of them for AU$50. i have only 37 left as my metal zone drains like a mofo. so that's why i don't mind active electronics. if you want active pickups, that's the price, a bat-te-ry. if you think it is a real drag, then get the battery box installed on your axe. it will save time and heartache. in my case the battery box was a necessity as the pickups on my guitar are routed at the front. personally i think the battery boxs that are specifically designed for guitars are a rip off, i mean all they are is a little black box that cost $10. so i bought mine at an electronic shop for AU$3. not the same things, but it works just as well. if you really wanted to, couldn't you just make a circuit board connected to the electronics and a DC jack on the side of your guitar so your pickups are DC powered? just a thought. Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckguitarist Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 shitty ibanez isn't that an oxymoron??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DividedByJames Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 no I think the term you are looking for is "redundant" actually i still like some Ibanez guitars... Back to the topic...the Carvin factory is only 30min away from my house and I go up there a lot (still trying to schmooze a local artist endorsement deal). I never noticed the passive-active controls for the guitars...but I've played with them on the basses. Basically the volume pot is a push-pull switch and when it's up, it's passive. Keep in mind that Carvin uses the same pickups for all thier instruments (active or passive). Point being is that Carvin pickups are designed passive and the passive function will work only with passive pickups, not active pickups. Like others said: zero battery with EMGs = zero sound. Here's my advice (since I lean towards passive pickups)... Find the pickups you like the sound of. If they are active, deal with the battery issue or install a switch to turn off the battery. If they are passive and you really need treble/bass boost then get the Carvin switcher. Keep in mind you have to have the electronics situated just like the active Carvins since they are hardwired to the circuit board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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