Can I mod active pickups to become passive?

[Tarnisher]

My drummer asked me to help him get his old Squier Bullet back into shape.

It currently has 3 active EMG strat style pickups. I'm thinking that a battery is a bad idea in a guitar that requires so many screws to be removed for replacement. It's pain enough when a battery dies in an acoustic on stage, but this is going to be a real pain.

Is there any way to mod the pickups so they work and sound decent passive?

 

[wwit]

I don't think I would attempt to mod the EMG's. They are more or less proprietary. Most actives need that 9vt or 18vt power to make up for the lack of winds used in active style. The 25k pots would have to be changed out also.

Best bet would be sell the EMG's unmodded and replace them with actual passives of choice. I really think in the long run, this would give much better results.

 

[loopy reed]

I don't think I would attempt to mod the EMG's. They are more or less proprietary. Most actives need that 9vt or 18vt power to make up for the lack of winds used in active style. The 25k pots would have to be changed out also.

Best bet would be sell the EMG's unmodded and replace them with actual passives of choice. I really think in the long run, this would give much better results.

+1 best advice you could get on this subject. You gotta replace everything if you go passive. Might as well make it count!

 

[twick]

You could always just rout for a battery box. It's easy, cheap, and makes battery changes a snap!

 

[Tarnisher]

Okay, I heard back from him, and he likes them, so we'll just put a new battery in and hope for the best...

 

[Rob DiStefano]

lo-z active pickups have an extremely weak signal and require a preamp. and as already mentioned, the pots are too low a value for real hi-z pickups to properlt function.

 

[czech-one-2]

You could always just rout for a battery box. It's easy, cheap, and makes battery changes a snap!

+1! You can make a rout under the tremolo spring cover to, works great and if you make it so the battery is snug then just leave the cover off. Easy battery changes. But dont forget, the 9v battery in EMG's lasts a LONG time if you keep the guitar unplugged.