PhantomThief Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 Hi guys, new here. Recently I got a bargain on an LTD Viper-50, which I am now upgrading with a single EMG 81 pup in the bridge. My question is, is it possible? Also, I'm getting the pickup second hand and the dude selling it to me doesn't have the pots or the audio jack. Would that be a problem? I'm in Malaysia, so I'm not sure how available those things are around here. From what I gather, though, pulling out the battery everytime i'm done playing, while tedious, will have the same effect as the stereo jack. And leaving the tone and volume knobs at 10 will also keep the pickup steady. Any help would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 I'm not a wiring guru, but my understanding is that there's a certain effect the pots have, even up at 10... meaning, you'll need the recommended 25k pots. Finding a stereo jack shouldn't be difficult if there's ANY source of electronics parts at all in Malaysia... it's one of the most common things you can buy. That's all the EMGs use is a stereo pot. As for combining the two, that's a trickier prospect. The generally recommended method is to add an additional preamp which your passive will go through, effectively making it "active" and low-impedance. Then the two can usually be combined. I'm sure there's a thread around here, or some information to be found through Google. If you stumble upon any, be sure to let us know! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomThief Posted October 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 Hmm, okay, thanks Greg. Perhaps I could rewire so that the EMG and passive pickup each have a dedicated volume knob, but no tone knob? I would lose some flexibility but I don't tweak with the tone knob all that much anyway. Passive + Active circuitry sure is complex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 You could wire them as 2 discrete circuits and then just never use them together. You lose some flexibility that way, but it'd be a relatively easy fix. Keep in mind, though, that the differences in output and impedance are significant. Whatever you're plugging into will treat each of those signals very very differently indeed. Again, though, I'm not a wiring/electronics guru. Someone may be along with a better solution. But in the meantime I don't think that you'd be able to "combine" them just by using separate volume knobs. You'd have to have them on completely separate circuits. for it to work properly. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 Malaysia isn't exactly third-world, so finding 25k pots and a stereo jack should be quite simple. You can also find an on-off-on switch to control the pickup selection. The difference in output on the EMG and the stock neck pickup should be negligible to the amp if you have the volumes set properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomThief Posted October 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 So by doing this I will basically be able to use both pickups seperately? The guitar only has 2 knobs, however, so would they both be dedicated volume knobs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 So by doing this I will basically be able to use both pickups seperately? The guitar only has 2 knobs, however, so would they both be dedicated volume knobs? Pretty much. Unless you either drilled holes for new knobs or picked up concentric-ganged pots to put tone and volume controls on the same knob. 500k and 25k versions are readily available for your application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro2k Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Anyone know where you can find concentric-ganged pots? I'm also looking for a way to use an Active in bridge and passive in neck. I use a Artec Active EXP for my tone control if I had a dual pot it would act as a select switch between to two just not allowing you to use both PU at once correct? I rarely use my neck pickup only for some acoustic stuff but I mostly play Metal so the whole thing for me is I want the active Zakk Wylde tone from my neck but I have a 27ohm Motherbucker I would be putting in neck position and just dont see the need to spend the money for an active for the neck PU. so is this possible and any help where I can get a dual 25k/100k pot? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro2k Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Basic rough drawing of wiring would this work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 I don't know of any concentric pots that have different resistance values for each side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro2k Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Oh sorry I read one of the post wrong duh I feel dumb sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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