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Hey guys, I'd be interested to see what you think of this.
It seems EMG has recently (June 2009) released an Alexi Laiho signature pickup set (source: http://www.emgpickups.com/press/index/43). It's a passive EMG humbucker...AND...a "new" preamp. Those that have followed the exploits of Mr. Laiho may know that he used to use a J-50BC with a JE-1000 in his Jacksons. When he switched over to ESP, he started using a passive EMG humbucker, coupled with a device called "MM-04", which was essentially a straigh-up copy of the JE-1000, produced by a 3rd party in Finland.
It's evident that EMG has now built him another preamp, and bundled it with a signature passive pickup. I'm not terribly interested in the pickup, or the package as such, but let's have a look that preamp! In the EMG press-release we can read: "The ABQ has a 3 band EQ which can be adjusted for creating different tone settings. The boost output can be adjusted as well to add or subtract gain."
Intruiging. Let's have a look at the spec sheet (source: http://www.emgpickups.com/content/wi...0230-0154A.pdf):
"As an additional feature the input of the ABQ Pre-amp has a 3-position dip switch... (it's really a 3-channel 2 position dip switch) ...that allows the resonance of the pickup to be altered to a variety of fixed frequencies. The output impedance of the ABQ Pre-amp is low, so if you have a guitar with two pickups you will want to use the preamp at the end of the signal chain to avoid mismatching active and passive impedances."
There is also an illustration showing the unit mounted to a volume pot, with its dip switch and a trim pot; "Gain Trimmer for Boost". We also learn from the spec sheet that the maximum amount of gain is 20dB.
Now, let's turn the clock back 21 years, and look in Jackson's Electrics User Manual, page 12; "JE-1000 Peak Select Low Impedance Electronics for Guitar" (source: http://audiozone.dk/cm/displayimage.php?album=66&pos=7):
"The JE-1000 board features our 8 position Select function which allows you to 'dial in' your sound by selectively loading your pickup(s). Three micro switches... (a 3-channel, 2 position dip switch) ...built into the circuitry make it easy to shift your pickup's resonant frequency to capture the desired tone..."
Incidentally, the JE-1000 is also coupled to a volume pot, and has a trim pot to adjust the amount of gain.
There are striking similarities, as well as great exterior differencies between the two units. You can tell right away that the EMG ABQ was built using modern technology, whereas the JE-1000 is a lot bulkier looking (and was made to fit a wider range of configurations).
I'm not accusing EMG of stealing technology from Jackson, but it's pretty clear which device the EMG-ABQ is attempting to emulate. Now, seeing as Jackson no longer produce their preamps, the big question is; will the EMG-ABQ perform as well as a JE-1000?
...and can I have one that has a separate switch for the boost instead of push-pull?
It seems EMG has recently (June 2009) released an Alexi Laiho signature pickup set (source: http://www.emgpickups.com/press/index/43). It's a passive EMG humbucker...AND...a "new" preamp. Those that have followed the exploits of Mr. Laiho may know that he used to use a J-50BC with a JE-1000 in his Jacksons. When he switched over to ESP, he started using a passive EMG humbucker, coupled with a device called "MM-04", which was essentially a straigh-up copy of the JE-1000, produced by a 3rd party in Finland.
It's evident that EMG has now built him another preamp, and bundled it with a signature passive pickup. I'm not terribly interested in the pickup, or the package as such, but let's have a look that preamp! In the EMG press-release we can read: "The ABQ has a 3 band EQ which can be adjusted for creating different tone settings. The boost output can be adjusted as well to add or subtract gain."
Intruiging. Let's have a look at the spec sheet (source: http://www.emgpickups.com/content/wi...0230-0154A.pdf):
"As an additional feature the input of the ABQ Pre-amp has a 3-position dip switch... (it's really a 3-channel 2 position dip switch) ...that allows the resonance of the pickup to be altered to a variety of fixed frequencies. The output impedance of the ABQ Pre-amp is low, so if you have a guitar with two pickups you will want to use the preamp at the end of the signal chain to avoid mismatching active and passive impedances."
There is also an illustration showing the unit mounted to a volume pot, with its dip switch and a trim pot; "Gain Trimmer for Boost". We also learn from the spec sheet that the maximum amount of gain is 20dB.
Now, let's turn the clock back 21 years, and look in Jackson's Electrics User Manual, page 12; "JE-1000 Peak Select Low Impedance Electronics for Guitar" (source: http://audiozone.dk/cm/displayimage.php?album=66&pos=7):
"The JE-1000 board features our 8 position Select function which allows you to 'dial in' your sound by selectively loading your pickup(s). Three micro switches... (a 3-channel, 2 position dip switch) ...built into the circuitry make it easy to shift your pickup's resonant frequency to capture the desired tone..."
Incidentally, the JE-1000 is also coupled to a volume pot, and has a trim pot to adjust the amount of gain.
There are striking similarities, as well as great exterior differencies between the two units. You can tell right away that the EMG ABQ was built using modern technology, whereas the JE-1000 is a lot bulkier looking (and was made to fit a wider range of configurations).
I'm not accusing EMG of stealing technology from Jackson, but it's pretty clear which device the EMG-ABQ is attempting to emulate. Now, seeing as Jackson no longer produce their preamps, the big question is; will the EMG-ABQ perform as well as a JE-1000?
...and can I have one that has a separate switch for the boost instead of push-pull?
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