Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

[M_E_A_T_B_A_L_L]

Thinking about upgrading my pickups in the very near future and putting and EMG 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. I was just wondering, do I disable the turbocharger/boost thingy that came installed on my guitar. I find the item kind of useless, it just muddies up the sound.

If I do get rid of it, can I use the third knob on the guitar (now useless due to no turbocharger), and replace it with a second volume pot? That way each pickup would have its own volume? Can such a thing be done? Good/bad idea?

Thanks for your time everyone,
Meaty

[Sunbane]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

Originally posted by M_E_A_T_B_A_L_L:
Thinking about upgrading my pickups in the very near future and putting and EMG 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. I was just wondering, do I disable the turbocharger/boost thingy that came installed on my guitar. I find the item kind of useless, it just muddies up the sound.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If you find it useless, by all means remove it. The EMG pickups are shipped with ordinary "plain" wiring diagrams (no diagrams with instructions how to connect the turbocharger). But if you wish to keep it, the EMG website should have the diagram you need (if my memory serves me correctly).

If I do get rid of it, can I use the third knob on the guitar (now useless due to no turbocharger), and replace it with a second volume pot? That way each pickup would have its own volume? Can such a thing be done? Good/bad idea?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The answer is yes, and such a wiring scheme should be included in the diagrams shipping with the pickups. Whether it's good or bad is a matter of personal taste. I personally don't care much for having a lot of volume/tone pots, since I rely more on the patches in my digibox foot controller and the volume pedal. A single master volume and a pickup switch does it for me. But you'd definately get a more direct control of your sound ("at your fingertips") with independent volume controls.

'bane

[Steve]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

I saw a guy put a 81 in the bridge and leave the passive emg hz in the neck position and still had the turbo charger hooked up , and it sounded pretty good lol I was really surprized but I would have gone with the all active pickups my self but I am just anal //Steve

[diospada]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

If you decided to keep the turbocharger while putting in emg active pickups, where does the room for the extra battery go?? Since there's already a battery in use for the turbocharger. Correct me if I'm wrong, unless you can wire the active pickups to use the battery in use for the turbocharger??

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

I think EMG has designed all their products to be able to run off one single battery. So, you can hook up a bunch of things (pickups and accessory controls) to the same battery.

You should be able to have a volume-volume-tone arrangement with EMG actives. I don't see why not. I think I've seen EMG-loaded RR1s that use volume-tone-tone, so it should be able to be done.

[jgiff80smetal]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

Here goe my first post here on the JCF. You can do either the two volume or the turbo. The turbo is the same as the afterburner in the regular EMG line. All EMG items can run off of one battery, bu you can run up to 3 for 27 volt operation. You gain headroom and battery life with more. Personally if you like the turbocharger with the HZ'z keep it with the actives.

Jerry

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

EMG does not recommend going all-out with 27V in series. Three 9V batteries in parallel is kind of overkill as well... a single 9V battery lasts pretty damn long as long as you remove the cable from the guitar to disengage the stereo jack. You'd just be routing more cavities in your guitar with more than one battery.

Remember, wiring batteries in series increases the voltage (and headroom, as you say), while wiring batteries in parallel adds longer life.

Whoaaaaa... want an insane combination? Try wiring two sets of series batteries in parallel for a total of 18V in parallel. But that would require 4 batteries, and more routing... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[toejam]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

Originally posted by Number Of The Priest:
You should be able to have a volume-volume-tone arrangement with EMG actives. I don't see why not. I think I've seen EMG-loaded RR1s that use volume-tone-tone, so it should be able to be done.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yep, that's how my Hamer Special FM is wired... V/V/T, or I could have done it V/T/T if I wanted. It's got the chrome 25th anniversary 81 set that came with 8 pots total like the Zakk Wylde set (4 long-shaft pots and 4 short-shaft pots). One volume and one tone are prewired together in each set, but I just pulled off one of the tone controls and was good to go.

[Sunbane]

Re: Do I lose turbocharger if I install EMG 81/60 in my DKMG?

Let's replace all the wood in our guitars with batteries! [img]graemlins/idea2.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Seriously though, you could try two batteries in series without any problems - and if you don't want to do additional routing, one of the batteries could easilly be placed in the control cavity.

'bane