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Active Emg Re-wiring


Myrk-

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Ok, so I'm not really happy with my dual EMG-81 setup. Doesn't really do what it says on the tin, but I'm sure its the wiring. Whenever I turn the volume it does nothing until its almost fully turned, then wham! Its silent. The tone switch also does nothing really- load of crap. Before I had it "rewired" by a guitar shop it was ok, and had good acoustic tone to it (which it now doesn't) :-/

Anyway, because I don't have a clue, please advise me on what pots to use etc. I really want it razor sharp and want it to pick up harmonics more, but have a nice acoustic tone to it. Also want to keep the layout the same- Volume, P.U. Switch, Volume, Tone - as I like to use my pickup switch to flick between when I turn down the volume on the other pickup (a la Megadeth Train of Consequences when played live).

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Nah, I'd rather do it, I took it back once and they "fixed it", but I just feel I'd rather do it now. How long are electrical workings guarantees for in general? I took it in ages ago, about 6 months or so.

What do different pots do anyway? What would installing a 1meg pot do, as opposed to a 25k?

Edited by Myrk-
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Absolutely nothing good. A 1 meg pot would act more like an on-off switch than a tone or volume control.

Have you changed your battery lately? My EMG-SA set was doing the exact same thing before I put in a fresh 9v.

Edited by crafty
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EMGs require 25K pots and .1uF tone caps - using anything else will result in less than optimal performance, no exceptions. Wire them according to the diagram, using the correct parts, and they'll sound like EMGs are supposed to. This is one time when you don't have any real options in the tone-tweaking department. If you want something you can fiddle with, swap them for a pair of good passive pickups, and go to town!

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...any voltage 'll do...
Well, any voltage substantially greater than 9 volts. :D 16 volts is the generally recommended safety margin for a 9 volt circuit, but it's often easier (and cheaper) to use more common 35v or 50v caps, and you can even use 250v Orange Drops if you can find room for 'em.
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