Guest MoJo Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I have a five string Peavey Zephyr which, in my opinion, is a great instrument except for the pickups which I find lacking. There is plenty of body in the tone but even with the tone controls wound fully open, it sounds like I have cotton wool in my ears. I've been looking at the EMG 40's but there are so many of them, I don't know which one would suit my needs. I need a fairly versatile pickup, preferably one that I could coil tap for more options. Is this possible with the DC / DCX range? What alternatives would you recommend? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I've never been a fan of active EMGs, they make every bass they go in sound exactly the same to me! I put Seymour Duncans in one of my Peaveys and was really pleased with the sound. Kind of like a jazz bass with a bit more oomph! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 SSB-5's maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 (edited) I've been looking at Kent Armstrong soapbars. Similar price to EMG 40DC's and can be coil tapped. Thoughts anyone? Edited April 21, 2015 by MoJo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I love these pickups.. got emgs in a couple of basses. Not oldschool, which is not to everyone's taste. The DC is fixed dual coil side by side. If you want switchable you need the TW ones.. http://www.emgpickups.com/bass/extended-series/5-string/40tw.html I've thought about these, but really I've never actually needed them. I particularly like the DC and P models.. make sure to get the P for the right number of strings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I'm just a bit worried that EMG's may be a bit to 'hifi' for me. I play mainly rock and blues and need pickups that will give me old school grunt with P-bass like attack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I've got EMG 40Ps in my Shuker, and they're very P-like, and not particularly hi-fi. And I'm a rock grunter at heart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I've been a big fan of EMG pickups for many years. In order to reign in that top end hifi sizzle, it's actually a very simple thing you need to do. Simply wind back the tone control - If you've an active EQ then hopefully the treble control is centred such that you can still get clarity without too much top end. If you are after a passive type pickup, I have to say that the Aguilar DCB pickups are superb. Brilliant. They are bar type units like the DC's and have similarities in tone, but are warmer sounding and will require an active EQ to boost the top to match EMGs natural tone. Very pleased with the Aguilars though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I know some serious pickup experts who say that a bass with EMG's will sound more of EMG than the core woods or bass design. If you like that sound then EMG's are great. However the signature time is very strong so if if you're not 100% happy with it then it's worth looking at other brands. Aguilar would be my personal favourites and they make a lot of of direct EMG replacements Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I agree that EMGs do have a signature due to their design and preamp on board, but most of that character is in the top end hence my comments about rolling off the zing a bit. You'd be hard pushed to tell the difference against another active bass with the top end pulled back. That said, the upper mids and top end are what our ears are most sensitive to, so you could apply that to any pickup and any bass. Thus making my post pointless lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I did a session once, the engineer looked at my bass and was amazed that I had EMGs in it. He said "I thought they were meant to be all zingy, bright and clinical. They were not. They sounded really good". A lot of internet hearsay tells us that EMGs have no soul. This is not true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 [quote name='owen' timestamp='1429870003' post='2755724'] I did a session once, the engineer looked at my bass and was amazed that I had EMGs in it. He said "I thought they were meant to be all zingy, bright and clinical. They were not. They sounded really good". A lot of internet hearsay tells us that EMGs have no soul. This is not true. [/quote] This! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UglyDog Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I can also recommend the quad-coil Delanos. They are brilliant for coil-tapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Oh yeah, EMGs are sterile, soulless and awful. Only kidding, I really like mine, but I also agree that there's so much top end on offer, usually I roll it well back otherwise they ruthlessly expose any sloppiness in my technique Time to start fiddling with the DIP switches on my BQC control for the high end knee frequency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Mark, at Bass Direct has recommended Nordstrand Dual Blade 5 Neo? Anyone have any experience of these pups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 [quote name='owen' timestamp='1429870003' post='2755724'] I did a session once, the engineer looked at my bass and was amazed that I had EMGs in it. He said "I thought they were meant to be all zingy, bright and clinical. They were not. They sounded really good". A lot of internet hearsay tells us that EMGs have no soul. This is not true. [/quote] I also agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I have a set of active EMG PJs in my Precision. They can be made to sound very clear if you want but with the right amp, as is the case with everything, they can sound however you want them to sound - mine make my bass sound like a Precision with a Jazz bass pickup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I quite like the sound of the EMG40P5 in the Youtube clips. Now if only someone were to bring an EMG40P5 equipped bass to the Midlands Bash.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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