I have the same guitar but, changed the neck for the maple. I changed the stock loaded pick guard out for an HD Custom w/gold lace sensors and recently changed to the dg20 loaded pick guard….huge improvement!
I just got two of these and two Strats on the way, so I'm glad these appears to be pretty simple to install. My 9v batteries will be in these black little sleeves I bought on eBay years ago, so I won't really need the foam. I've installed EMGs before in my Ltd guitars, but never in Strats.
By the way, not sure if you set the pickup height or not, but most EMG documents say to basically crank them as close to the strings as possible. I feel this suggestion is not a great one, and one of the main reasons people hate EMGs. Instead, I set up my EMGs like you would with typical pickups. Like that, they are much less compressed and they do not lack dynamics. From there, if you wish to pull them back or move them closer to the strings, you can.
Normally, yes you want EMGs as close to the strings as possible. All my other EMG equipped guitars are set close. However, on the Red Strat, Gilmour had them set as low as possible. In fact, he even had the body and pickguard modified to lower than even lower! So, yes, if you're going for Gilmour's tone with these, set them down low away from the strings.
@@kamicosmos I'm referring to any EMGs. I have 85/60A, some of their passives with the ALX preamp, SLVs, and the DG20. With all of them, I suggest setting them as you would any normal single coil or humbucker. EMGs suggestion to basically crank them as close as you can to the strings without the string buzzing against the pickup is why they are slagged online. The "no dynamics, sterile, etc." complaints are because of the suggestion to put them as close as possible. Once you have it adjusted as you would your typical humbucker or single coil, use your ear while playing. Does it need to be a little closer? A little further? Typically, setting them up like this is just fine, though I sometimes find backing them off a half turn or two with a screwdriver works great. I'm pretty passionate (or whatever you want to call it) about this, and would politely debate with Rob Turner of EMG why I think his suggestion was wrong. Perhaps "wrong" isn't the best way of wording it, but hopefully you get my point. I believe that the documentation with an EMG pickup was misinterpreted, possibly. Rob likely just meant that you wouldn't experience string pull from the pickup like a typical hum or single would cause from being too close. However, lots of people interpreted it as "put it as close as possible," when frankly, I think that -- as big of a fan of EMG as a I am -- sounds pretty meh. Pull em back, people. The preamp is strong and doesn't need you to get them super close.
Since I had the money, I bought an EMG ES-918 external supply and a Pro Co Excelline TRS to TRS 15' cable. It's useful to power my four guitars, and the standby switch mutes the sound so I can swap guitars. Also, the swapping of batteries under the pickguard is a bit cumbersome, and this helps make things simpler. Only two things I wish it had were a battery LED, so you knew if it was using battery power or not, and an on/off LED. The battery LED could also blink when your batteries are getting low.
I recently put in the DG20 system and couldn't be happier. I've always liked EMGs, but I think the setup really optimizes the tone. That said, my major beef is the battery location. Granted you don't change the battery too often (if you unplug every time!), but I'm seriously considering getting a Fishman battery pack. Has anybody tried this with the DG20?
I know exactly what you mean, but I've had my my DG-20 set for fifteen years and so far I've only had to change batteries about five times. Best thing if you think the battery might be near its end is to change it when you change the strings.
@@Goldfishclown Good point, thanks. But......I went ahead and got the Fishman battery pack, and it really does do what they say it does. Installation was a breeze, with the caveat that my screw holes didn't match the ones on my Strat copy. For the time being I have electrical tape holding it in place, but I imagine drilling guide holes and then using screws should be pretty easy. A huge pro is that you can just plug a USB cable into it every night and go to bed, like charging your phone, and you're good to go the next day. A huge con is that it's about a hundred bucks, and not really worth the cost.
Though its a good set up you need to mod it. 1st add an on/off switch for the battery, then you need to add another switch or pull push pot to may it a 7way switch.
It's better to place the blocking washer in the inner side of the jack cavity. That way has several good points as not scratching your jackplate, keeping it hide from view and block the swirl of the jack the same way.
I installed this exact set up. The pickups sound great including the SPC midrange boost. But the I do not like the EXG treble and bass boost. It’s sounds very digital and harsh.
You didnt add tape to the pickguard and not sure if you had a link to the bridge ground. Normally I get decent results from shielding but my black strat gets it - H S S so the S S S work. Anyhow I playing bass more recently. Got a cheap J & D simply because wanted a surf green and it was cheap. Noisy as hell and rubbish pickups - so I bit the bullet and got EMG jazz pickups + quiet as anything and awesome. So on the one hand at £122 for a set they seemed expensive - but the time I saved on shielding and the quality pots (would have spend £15 to £30 on 3 new pots). All in all not that expensive. I am seriously thinking of getting a set of these - thanks for sharing your thoughts and fitting experience.
Yes, when I originally put in the shielding way back, I totally had no concept of how to ground it. Since the EMGs don't need a ground, I decided to just take it all out.
Dave, just had a thought..... Fishman sells the rechargeable battery pack for their actives that fits in place of the rear trem cover and I believe works with the emg's. Might be something to look into it that 9 volt turns out to be a hassle to change.
I dont like this set in an already dark sounding guitar but overall its my #1 set when I play live because of versatility and silence. You better check your rout depth though because many vintage spec Strats are routed shallower than HsH modern routs. The SA pickups are. 780 tall.
So... my guitar wasnt made with enough space to fit the 9v battery. .. suggestion? I have a router and a dremel but I'm worried about getting too shallow. Plus I need to shave down the area where the switch pot goes cause its huge compared to the stock.
As mentioned in one of the comments, Fishman makes a rechargeable battery pack that is built into the back cover, that might be one option. You could also see about getting a smaller 9v battery format or make your own. Hit up an R/C shop, they make batteries of all sizes and shapes and can probably help you figure out how to do it. For me, a last resort would be to start removing wood, but I am not a very good woodworker. But, if that is the route *rimshot* you do take, just go slow and easy so you only take out the bare minimum you need. At least with wood, you could 'replace' it with wood glue/putty/epoxy.
"Gilmour seated his EMG pickups low in the pickup cavities to make them sound more Strat-like. I do not have measurements for the heights but below are photos of the pickups in Gilmour's Red Strat for reference. Keep in mind that this pick guard thickness is only 1-ply, which is approximately 1.4mm/.055" thick, so visually the pickups appear to be seated seated higher than they would appear on a thicker 2 or 3-ply pick guard. Also note the high E string side of each pickup is slightly higher than the low E side. Note the wear on the high E side of the middle pickup, which is where David often stuck the middle pickup with his pick." I found the above paragraph from this website: www.kitrae.net/music/Music_mp3_EMG_VS_VINTAGE.html Which has tons of info about his gear, and extensive details on The Red Strat, including where to set the knobs for various songs! Very handy site. On my strat, I've always had the middle pickup nearly flush with the pick guard, because I also hit it with my pick! I haven't adjusted the Bridge and Neck pups yet, although I am going to lower them a bit, because they are hot! I get a lot of harmonic squeals when I play under heavy distortion with a hard pick.
@@kamicosmos It-s really important to note that the height of the bridge or neck PUP relative to the middle PUP will determine how much "quack" you get. Dunno why, but no one ever seems to mention this!
Still loving them! It gives the classic strat sound, but with more power on tap, the silence of Actives, and more tone shaping control. I do missing having a real humbucker in it, but the 'simulated' version here works well enough for most things I play on a Strat, and I have other guitars with active and passive HBucks, so not a big issue for me.
Should go right in, unless the Squire has some odd dimensions on the pickguard or cavities in the body. No reason why it would it shouldn't just drop right in though.
I've not been able to find any reference to the mini-toggle, nor a 7 position switch, at least not for the EMG Equipped Red Strat. Do you have a webpage link handy that talks about it?
07:10Sorry but the Setup, the installation of the EMG set there is no detail and no useful information, in the end ... What is this video for? as well as to show its Sorry but the Setup, the installation of the EMG set there is no detail and no useful information, in the end ... Qurzot video a. Osa serves as well as to show its The equipment?.. I was hoping to find some useful information. Patience
I know. I'm a bridge pup/humbucker only kind of guy. My other guitars are dual humbucker setups, and to be honest, if they had single HB options, that's what I would have.
I have the same guitar but, changed the neck for the maple. I changed the stock loaded pick guard out for an HD Custom w/gold lace sensors and recently changed to the dg20 loaded pick guard….huge improvement!
I love this set. One of the best things in the world to take a strat to peak tone and performance. Great tone, no noise, and plenty of versatility.
I just got two of these and two Strats on the way, so I'm glad these appears to be pretty simple to install. My 9v batteries will be in these black little sleeves I bought on eBay years ago, so I won't really need the foam. I've installed EMGs before in my Ltd guitars, but never in Strats.
By the way, not sure if you set the pickup height or not, but most EMG documents say to basically crank them as close to the strings as possible. I feel this suggestion is not a great one, and one of the main reasons people hate EMGs. Instead, I set up my EMGs like you would with typical pickups. Like that, they are much less compressed and they do not lack dynamics. From there, if you wish to pull them back or move them closer to the strings, you can.
Normally, yes you want EMGs as close to the strings as possible. All my other EMG equipped guitars are set close. However, on the Red Strat, Gilmour had them set as low as possible. In fact, he even had the body and pickguard modified to lower than even lower! So, yes, if you're going for Gilmour's tone with these, set them down low away from the strings.
@@kamicosmos I'm referring to any EMGs. I have 85/60A, some of their passives with the ALX preamp, SLVs, and the DG20. With all of them, I suggest setting them as you would any normal single coil or humbucker. EMGs suggestion to basically crank them as close as you can to the strings without the string buzzing against the pickup is why they are slagged online. The "no dynamics, sterile, etc." complaints are because of the suggestion to put them as close as possible.
Once you have it adjusted as you would your typical humbucker or single coil, use your ear while playing. Does it need to be a little closer? A little further? Typically, setting them up like this is just fine, though I sometimes find backing them off a half turn or two with a screwdriver works great.
I'm pretty passionate (or whatever you want to call it) about this, and would politely debate with Rob Turner of EMG why I think his suggestion was wrong. Perhaps "wrong" isn't the best way of wording it, but hopefully you get my point. I believe that the documentation with an EMG pickup was misinterpreted, possibly. Rob likely just meant that you wouldn't experience string pull from the pickup like a typical hum or single would cause from being too close. However, lots of people interpreted it as "put it as close as possible," when frankly, I think that -- as big of a fan of EMG as a I am -- sounds pretty meh.
Pull em back, people. The preamp is strong and doesn't need you to get them super close.
Since I had the money, I bought an EMG ES-918 external supply and a Pro Co Excelline TRS to TRS 15' cable. It's useful to power my four guitars, and the standby switch mutes the sound so I can swap guitars. Also, the swapping of batteries under the pickguard is a bit cumbersome, and this helps make things simpler.
Only two things I wish it had were a battery LED, so you knew if it was using battery power or not, and an on/off LED. The battery LED could also blink when your batteries are getting low.
Everyone knows THE Black Strat, I remember the Pulse Strat.
I recently put in the DG20 system and couldn't be happier. I've always liked EMGs, but I think the setup really optimizes the tone. That said, my major beef is the battery location. Granted you don't change the battery too often (if you unplug every time!), but I'm seriously considering getting a Fishman battery pack. Has anybody tried this with the DG20?
I know exactly what you mean, but I've had my my DG-20 set for fifteen years and so far I've only had to change batteries about five times. Best thing if you think the battery might be near its end is to change it when you change the strings.
@@Goldfishclown Good point, thanks. But......I went ahead and got the Fishman battery pack, and it really does do what they say it does. Installation was a breeze, with the caveat that my screw holes didn't match the ones on my Strat copy. For the time being I have electrical tape holding it in place, but I imagine drilling guide holes and then using screws should be pretty easy.
A huge pro is that you can just plug a USB cable into it every night and go to bed, like charging your phone, and you're good to go the next day. A huge con is that it's about a hundred bucks, and not really worth the cost.
@@srinip A hundred bucks is quite a stiff price. Thanks for reporting back and may your strat never be out of juice!
Though its a good set up you need to mod it. 1st add an on/off switch for the battery, then you need to add another switch or pull push pot to may it a 7way switch.
Luv the dainty tinkering tune♡◇♡
It's better to place the blocking washer in the inner side of the jack cavity. That way has several good points as not scratching your jackplate, keeping it hide from view and block the swirl of the jack the same way.
I’m glad you mentioned that about the pickguard. Why the hell did emg use pearl? And the thing is you can’t just swap it out because of the electrics.
Never understood why they use a Pearl pickguard when David used a plain one
Yes, an odd choice. I keep thinking about swapping it out for a plain white one. Eventually!
I installed this exact set up. The pickups sound great including the SPC midrange boost. But the I do not like the EXG treble and bass boost. It’s sounds very digital and harsh.
That bridge needs changing 😉
You didnt add tape to the pickguard and not sure if you had a link to the bridge ground. Normally I get decent results from shielding but my black strat gets it - H S S so the S S S work.
Anyhow I playing bass more recently. Got a cheap J & D simply because wanted a surf green and it was cheap. Noisy as hell and rubbish pickups - so I bit the bullet and got EMG jazz pickups + quiet as anything and awesome.
So on the one hand at £122 for a set they seemed expensive - but the time I saved on shielding and the quality pots (would have spend £15 to £30 on 3 new pots). All in all not that expensive.
I am seriously thinking of getting a set of these - thanks for sharing your thoughts and fitting experience.
Yes, when I originally put in the shielding way back, I totally had no concept of how to ground it. Since the EMGs don't need a ground, I decided to just take it all out.
Dave, just had a thought..... Fishman sells the rechargeable battery pack for their actives that fits in place of the rear trem cover and I believe works with the emg's. Might be something to look into it that 9 volt turns out to be a hassle to change.
That could be an option!
@@kamicosmos I have 2 strats with EMG SA pickups in them and I use the Fishman battery pack on both. I love them!
I dont like this set in an already dark sounding guitar but overall its my #1 set when I play live because of versatility and silence. You better check your rout depth though because many vintage spec Strats are routed shallower than HsH modern routs. The SA pickups are. 780 tall.
So... my guitar wasnt made with enough space to fit the 9v battery. .. suggestion? I have a router and a dremel but I'm worried about getting too shallow. Plus I need to shave down the area where the switch pot goes cause its huge compared to the stock.
As mentioned in one of the comments, Fishman makes a rechargeable battery pack that is built into the back cover, that might be one option. You could also see about getting a smaller 9v battery format or make your own. Hit up an R/C shop, they make batteries of all sizes and shapes and can probably help you figure out how to do it. For me, a last resort would be to start removing wood, but I am not a very good woodworker. But, if that is the route *rimshot* you do take, just go slow and easy so you only take out the bare minimum you need. At least with wood, you could 'replace' it with wood glue/putty/epoxy.
Hi Dave
Just bought them because they are noisless and want to have a Gilmour sound.
can you tell me the hight to set them for DG sound. Thx
"Gilmour seated his EMG pickups low in the pickup cavities to make them sound more Strat-like. I do not have measurements for the heights but below are photos of the pickups in Gilmour's Red Strat for reference. Keep in mind that this pick guard thickness is only 1-ply, which is approximately 1.4mm/.055" thick, so visually the pickups appear to be seated seated higher than they would appear on a thicker 2 or 3-ply pick guard. Also note the high E string side of each pickup is slightly higher than the low E side. Note the wear on the high E side of the middle pickup, which is where David often stuck the middle pickup with his pick."
I found the above paragraph from this website: www.kitrae.net/music/Music_mp3_EMG_VS_VINTAGE.html Which has tons of info about his gear, and extensive details on The Red Strat, including where to set the knobs for various songs! Very handy site.
On my strat, I've always had the middle pickup nearly flush with the pick guard, because I also hit it with my pick! I haven't adjusted the Bridge and Neck pups yet, although I am going to lower them a bit, because they are hot! I get a lot of harmonic squeals when I play under heavy distortion with a hard pick.
@@kamicosmos
Many thanks for the info and the quick reply, there's a lot to read about indeed.
@@kamicosmos It-s really important to note that the height of the bridge or neck PUP relative to the middle PUP will determine how much "quack" you get. Dunno why, but no one ever seems to mention this!
Nice video! :)
I know this is old but How do you like the EMG's? I have gotten mixed reviews and thought of putting them in my MIM
Still loving them! It gives the classic strat sound, but with more power on tap, the silence of Actives, and more tone shaping control. I do missing having a real humbucker in it, but the 'simulated' version here works well enough for most things I play on a Strat, and I have other guitars with active and passive HBucks, so not a big issue for me.
@@kamicosmos Thanks So much. Just ordered mine today. I appreciate the feedback.
Hey man, would this be possible to do to a regular Squier strat since I am not willing to touch my American Strat?
Should go right in, unless the Squire has some odd dimensions on the pickguard or cavities in the body. No reason why it would it shouldn't just drop right in though.
Where is the mini toggle? DG plays with a position 6 & 7 toggle. The two singles are not what he uses either.
I've not been able to find any reference to the mini-toggle, nor a 7 position switch, at least not for the EMG Equipped Red Strat. Do you have a webpage link handy that talks about it?
Wow!!!
Great screwdriving! oops, I fell asleep. (edit) I woke up and there was more screwdriving! Fur Elise? Puh-lease!
You're right. Next time I'll use the Sawzall and play some Meshuggah.
07:10Sorry but the Setup, the installation of the EMG set there is no detail and no useful information, in the end ... What is this video for? as well as to show its Sorry but the Setup, the installation of the EMG set there is no detail and no useful information, in the end ... Qurzot video a. Osa serves as well as to show its The equipment?.. I was hoping to find some useful information. Patience
You just never used the switch. Bridge stucker
I know. I'm a bridge pup/humbucker only kind of guy. My other guitars are dual humbucker setups, and to be honest, if they had single HB options, that's what I would have.