EMG's

[renegadetele]

I know that this is pretty much sacrilege (even thoug Waylon Jennings used them), but has anyone tried emg's for teles? Seems interesting at the very least. I keep hearing that they are silent too. Does that mean eerily silent even in high gain situations or just very low noise

[e-merlin]

I think they are a very good Tele pickup. There are a few haters, but there are also people who will tell you that they are the best Tele pickups ever. I fall somewhere in between. More toward the good side.

[63dot]

i found the EMGs to be very hot, both on teles and strats, and they do really cut through the mix on lead solos, but they are very different than the traditional early '50s butterscotch telecasters which are not as powerful

i prefer a warmer, less powerful vintage tone for my electric guitar sounds these days and original old pickups and reissues of older pickups capture those sounds

EMGs are very silent as far as hum goes in all their active pickup models

[Telejr2]

I have an early set of EMG-T (Alnico - the EMG-TC set has ceramic magnets)pickups on a Modulus Graphite Tele, and they sound great, especially the neck pickup. Very clear, and quite warm. Some people find them to be "sterile" sounding, but I don't at all. What they do have is a very even and wide frequency range. The neck pickup when it's turned up sounds like a really exceptional acoustic guitar with great balance, sparkle, and definition. The bridge pickup by itself is a little thin for my tastes (as I find most Tele bridge pickups), but sounds very good in combination with the neck pickup. This is the guitar I take to clubs with lighting and noise problems. Even in a jungle of noisy rheostats, neon transformers, and dimmers, the EMGs are pretty much immune to everything. Also, because the strings don't need to be grounded with the EMGs, shocks from faulty grounding are a thing of the past.

I also had a set of EMG SAs on a Strat, and while they weren't my favorite Strat pickups at the time, nowdays when I listen to recordings made with the EMGs, they have the best Strat "cluck" of any Strat pickups I've ever recorded with.

Try 'em, and you'll probably like 'em. Actually, the neck pickup is so sweet and versatile, it may be all you need. I have Fralins, Lollars, and Stuarts, but still find a place in my arsenal for the EMGs...

Ray

[maestrovert]

I.M.H.O., the EMG T set are the best Tele P-ups on the planet !

[Ricko]

I just put a set of EMG's in my 50's Classic. I had used these pups about 12 years ago and they've been in a drawer since then, so I had only vague recollections of their sound. I am very pleased with the result...no noise, great tone (again, especially the neck pickup). I had ordered this set with the EMG SPC control in lieu of the tone control, which lets me beef up the mids for a more humbuckerish (?) tone...I think EMG charges $45 for the SPC nowadays...works great when it's solo time.

P.S. Maestrovert--your past posts convinced me to retry the EMGs...Thanks!

Rick

[BadKarma]

I've tried EMG humbuckers and couldn't care for them less. Too much power and no tone. But then again, from what I've seen, EMG humbuckers aren't meant more for the metal demographic.

I'm quite interested to see how the EMG single coils fare. I like my pickups to have a good amount of power (like my DiMarzios), but there is such a thing as too much power. Hopefully the single coils have the right amount. I'm also wonder if they have more tone, as they are meant for a demographic with different tone needs.

[appar111]

BadKarma-
I would agree w/ your assessment of the EMG humbuckers, as long as it's just the EMG81 we're talking about. The EMG85 is a different cat, it's much more full bodied, and sounds great for both clean and dirty stuff. As far as EMG humbuckers for the metal demographic, tons of metal bands use them (Metallica & Megadeth being two of the bigger ones).

I tried the EMG strat pickups a few years ago and they weren't really my thing, but my style has changed alot since then, and I can appreciate different tones & sounds that I didn't back then.

I'm very anxious to try out the EMG-T pickups, and may very well use them in my next project. I'll avoid the EMG-TC's, as they're supposed to be focused more on the high end, which isn't what I'm after. I'd prefer a more EMG85-ish tone.

[Arlo]

I have modified EMG S pickups to fit in a Tele bridge. They sound superb.
I have two other Tele's with EMG T, EMG TC in them. I love them and they sound excellent. I even have the early original EMG F style Tele pups here in a box somewhere.

I just bought two EMG SAV pickups (with the alnico mags sticking out of the top) and am using them for two Esquire builds.

I am a big fan EMG and have been for a long time.

I also love the Bill Lawrence Keystones, Lollars, Fralins and many other types of pups. I wish that the EMG would make a T set with the magnets coming through the top. So that they would look more traditional.

[appar111]

Arlo-
How does the EMG-T pickups compare to the EMT-TC pickups? I'm very close to pulling the trigger on some EMG's for my windsor chair tele project and I think the EMG-T's would be a better choice for what I'm looking for-- I want something that sounds very tele-ish, but not something that places too much focus on the high end (read: harsh sounding), which I'm assuming is what the EMG-TC's sound like.

[Veitchy]

EMG reckons the Alnico tele neck is the best pickup they make. Tele pickups seem to be a favorite of pickup manufacturers. Seymour Duncan being another.

[Paul in Colorado]

I've never tried them in a Tele, but I have a Strat with the SA's. I really like them. I can get a lot of good tones out of that guitar. The only downside is that my Mesa amps (Studio .22+ and MK I RI) don't like active pickups. I turn the volume pot and it makes bad scratchy sounds. I've been playing that guitar a lot through a Bandmaster Reverb Head and it's a great combination.

Jeff Pevar who plays with David Crosby, among others, has a Tele with EMG's. That guitar sounds killer. He can get the Wooden Ships tone perfectly. Good twang, too.

[StuH]

I'm torn between B & B Lawrence 280's/290's and the EMG T set for my build. Kinda like Arlo, I wish they came with exposed pole pieces. It would be an easier decision if this was the case.

I have a set of 2 x EMG SA, 1 x EMG 89 in a Cort guitar which I'm really impressed with. They sound fantastic.

[teleman77]

I've used a EMG T set in a tele since 1988 and I love the tone and everything else about the pickups.

[Doug 54]

I played a MIJ Tele with the T set at Fretware in Franklin, OH this winter.

They were great--- Tele-icious to me.

[aznrambo481]

are these all active? If so, where does the 9v fit?

[jumpnblues]

Ya' know, I'm a pretty staunch "vintage sounding" p.u. style of guy. My 5 (soon to be 6) electric guitars have p.u.s made by Lollar, A&F (Alan Hamel and Fred Stuart), Van Zandt, and Don Mare. The only stock p.u.s I have are in my synth-ready "California" Strat which I use for my GR-33 Roland guitar synth, and my Fender P-Bass Special. The synth provides some of the horn and keyboard sounds for my Protools recording setup.
But I'll have to admit I'd like to hear Teles with both EMG's and Bardens, mainly for clean tones. I've heard them described as rather "sterile" and "hi-fi" which is not necessarily bad for clean sounds in particular. Would I buy them for my Teles? Probably not. But there is certainly a place for both p.u.s and their "hi-fi" tones. And, there are lots of guys and gals that like them. Le'me'see...what was that guy's name with the Bardens? Uhhmmmmm...Donny Bratton? No, uhhh...Denny Gratton? Nah. Oh yeah, Danny Schmatton!! That's the guy!!

Tom

[rhomco]

I have a Tele in the bridge and two SAV Strats in the neck & Mid. The real trick is the SPC in the middle knob slot.

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by aznrambo481

are these all active? If so, where does the 9v fit?

yes, the EMG T P-ups are active/powered, and there's moren' enough room under the control plate for a 9v.....

Hi-fi & sterile are things i keep hearing about EMG's P-ups, but that's not at all what my EMG T set sounds like.....

[rockycreeker]

Where'd you get that guitar? I LOVE that 70's Strat neck. Most Tele purists don't consider it a true Tele, but then again a lot of folks don't like EMGs - I do. Like Mastrovert - I love the sound my SA's make.

Please tell me about that Tele though.