question about pickups

[Zsrinn73]

Been researching pickups that I've been interested in. Made up my mind on the EMG35dc to replace the HZs in my Jackson CMG. Was wondering though if the preamp eq that it has would work with the new pickups? First time so I'm a little confused

[Newc]

It should. EMG's active circuitry will work with both active and passive pickups, but you could always check the EMG site for the info on the circuit itself just to be sure.

I'd also suggest wiring it up so the pickups are on one battery and the circuit on another, just for longer battery life and better signal power.

[amimbari]

with a EMG35 which already has a preamp in them you cant also use an external pre ( the je2500 in this case ). the only bitch is that the DC35 has a 2 knob pre, and the CMG is a 3 bander so now what do you do? buy the even more expensive 3band EQ setup for the EMG35's or leave the knob in and let it do nothing?

although I never tried it, I highly doubt you can daisychain from the one to the other without some sort of --"uh nope that dont work" statement.

there are a ton of passive soapbars that will drop in there if you actually don't like the way the HZ's sound for you. ( I never had that experience because my CMG sounds perfect compared to my P/J's with the same jackson pre )

[dagon]

I did the same thing on my CMG without problems...
I use two EMG 35P with the stock EMG equalizer.
I was happy with this change but after some time i tried to exclude the eq and connect the active pickups directly to the output jack, just to hear if there would have been some improvement in sound...
Eventually i decided to use the eq because i couldn't hear any difference in sound quality between keeping the eq set to flat position rather than having the pickups wired straight to the output jack.
And it was silly to have three '"dead" knobs on the bass too!

Hope this helps...

[amimbari]

why would you have 3 dead knobs? the EMG eq is bass/treb, and the other 2 would be vol/blend with only one knob remaining...

[dagon]

When the eq was disconnected from the circuit the bass, mid and treble knobs were not working. You just had the volume and blend working. But again i didn't see any difference in sound so i turned back to the normal config. I was just curious because i read somewhere that the emg B30EQ wasn't so good and could possibly mess up the natural sound of the pickups... well i don't think so!
Now i have the stock eq connected and working as before and the bass sounds great. And when i need to boost/cut some frequencies on the fly during a live set i can do it without going to the amp, wich is really useful.

BTW in my cmg i have this eq (3 knobs), do you have the same in your bass?

[amimbari]

I'm gonna wait for his answer as well, most EMG EQ has the 2bander, not the 3 ( optional ) hence my posts.

the only difference I ever saw with stock-vs-emg is the "quietness/no-buzz" with not worrying about copper shielding the cavity.

[Zsrinn73]

I have 5 knobs so I think it is a 3 band

[amimbari]

Zsrinn, your straying off your original question. If I am correct, you want to swap out the OEM to EMG AND STILL use the jackson preamp in the thing already... you can't do that. You can easily drop the emg DC's in there but will have to use the EMG preamp that comes with it, and you will have to make sure your EMG setup comes with the 3band eq to use all the knob holes accordingly.

what I was talking about earlier was the "stock EMG" setup usually comes with a 2band EQ and you will have to purchase the optional 3band or some aftermarket so your bass will have it's 3band eq capability again....OR you can drop in the 2band EQ and have a knob that does nothing.

Although I never "tried", I highly doubt the internal preamp in the pickups themselves will work with an external preamp ( the factory jackson one ).

[dagon]

amimbari, every cmg that i saw so far (mine too) has the emg B30EQ preamp, not a jackson preamp. The one in the link in my last post. That's why I was asking if you had a different one in your bass.
This emg preamp is compatible both with passive and active pickups.
Zsrinn73, i did the change from HZ to active EMGs and and i didn't change the preamp. I just had to change the volume and balance pots.
Anyway here is what emg says about the preamp, from their specs pdf:

INSTALLATION INFORMATION B30/64
EMG Models: B30-EQ (3 Band Bass Equalizer)
B64-EQ (3 Band Bass Equalizer)
__________________________________________________ ____________________

The B30 and B64 Equalizers (shown above) were designed for contouring bass, mid and treble frequencies
of bass guitar. The B30 features single-pole filters for broadband equalization of 6db per octave Often the
broader single-pole filters are preferred for musical instruments, they are less selective, easier on the ear
and sound more “musical”.

The B64 has a tighter filter bandwidth and has more of a pronounced effect from each control. The mid-cut
of the B64 is perfect for “funk” with its mid-range centered at a lower frequency. Both Bass and Treble
controls on the B64 are more selective and don’t creep into the mid-range as much as the B30.

All of the controls have center detent for easy reset to “flat” response.

Both the B30 and B64 have high input impedance and can be used with active or passive pickups. Bass, Mid and Treble controls are spaced 1.25 inches (31.75mm) on center. Split Shaft pots are used throughout.

[amimbari]

dagon, I guess I'll have to "open" my CMG to look, but if what you say is what you say, then I have what you have and then my previous post is null-and-void