Dr. Ric is back with a set of EMG Pickups in his Vola electric! Let us know what you think of the tones. I was a huge fan of that chunky sound in the jam track. Thanks to Ric for coming round to shoot a video again. :) Find a set of EMG Pickups here: 🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/WqZyrP 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/4dXuLiY (Affiliate links)
For some reason it’s sort of fashionable to crap on EMGs. I have a set in a schecter from about 2007. I think they’re 81/85. I’m not a metal guy, and I still think they sound great
I just installed a set of EMG VG20’s in a Strat build and they sound fantastic! Smooth and clear with great articulation. Highly recommended. Great playing Dr. Rick!!
I recently changed out my EMG 81,85 pickups in my 2005 Les Paul Standard Raw Power which came stock and installed EMG retroactive Fat 55's love them. Dr. Rick rules.👍
EMGs rock. For several months I was dealing with a bunch of excess noise that I simply could not find the source of. I started using my epiphone that I'd put a pair of 81s in because they were nearly silent in comparison to my other guitars. I really got to "know" those pickups and realized they're so much more versatile than people give them credit for. Their support is fantastic too!
For us Aussies, what Dr Ric said about product availability is true. I have hardly seen any EMG pickups for sale in stores BUT online go direct to EMG and they will be with you in pretty good time. I first saw EMGs being used by Iva Davies in a Strat back in the 1980s. 3 x SA singles.
Thanks mate...it was a lot of fun! I always try to put myself in the position of the viewer and think "what would I like to hear?" Appreciate your support!
Cheers mate! It only took me 25 odd years to work out that great hands can make most pickups sound decent. I've had this set of EMG's in for 6 months now...the honeymoon is well 'n truly over...but the love is still strong!!
Well spotted mate...I've loved Gary's solo on Empty Rooms from the "We Want Moore" live album for decades now! I'm glad you love the SA/SPC set in your Cutlass...I'm loving these pickups!
Thanks mate...I get the fun part...poor Shane has to sift through my rambling & noodling and edit it into something coherent! He really can make chicken soup outta chicken $h!t🤣
Thanks for watching our video mate! I'm really happy with these pickups! It's amazing when you don't need to worry about your tone (or 50/60Hz hum), you're playing gets better! Who knew :)
100% mate…I’ve played a few rock and blues gigs with these pickups…the tones are surprisingly versatile…and the absence of hum is awesome…if not a little unnerving! Zero buyer’s remorse from me!
I did exactly the same 6 months ago with a Indonesian built G&L to turn it into as close to Knopfler’s Pensa as I could ever afford. Mine has two tone pots on it and so one is a standard tone control and the second the SPC. I used the 85/SA/SA set.
Thanks mate...I'm gonna rate the EMG SPC mid/presence boost as on par with the awesome boost in USA Tyler guitars, in terms of musicality and creamy sustain!
Thanks for the video Shane! And great playing by Dr. Ric! The EMG’s sound good. Just never been a big fan of the active pickups. Shane i think you would have been happier with your Lace pickups. If you had went with an Silver/Emerald/Emerald. Or an Burgundy/Silver/Emerald. Liking this series of videos!
I've long loved EMGs in my basses, and am now going to get a similar set to Dr Rick's SA/SA/89 for my main guitar. I'd been vacillating on what to get, but this swung me. I loved watching Shane's reactions off screen too. PS: EMG's CS is awesome.
I reckon that would sound every bit as great (if not better!) than any high end boutique Strat! I'm done spending ridiculous amounts on Strats/Teles...for now anyways :)
One thing people don’t realize with EMG pickups is that if you are a guy that likes to turn your volume controls down on your guitar, the EMG active preamp will maintain treble frequency, unlike a passive pickup that has treble roll off as you turn down unless you add a treble bleed. Some guys want the treble roll off… I am not that someone. For years I avoided EMG because I didn’t think they would sound good with fuzz pedals, then one day I stopped using pedals and tube amps and went digital, EMG’s would be perfect in my digital rig because they are zero hum pickups!
You don't need to add any treble bleed to not lose treble. Look at Gibson 50's wiring, Fender does the same they call it Fat 50's wiring and is essentially the Gibson 50's wiring.
@@efstathioszavvos4878 Sorry to burst your bubble but 50's wiring still has some treble roll off. I have 50's wiring in my Les Paul, and ended up adding treble bleeds. I'm way happier with the volume taper/lack of treble roll off now. I've also done this in my Stratocaster and yes it fixes the roll off after you turn down lower than 8 on the volume control, it still doesn't give you the consistent treble I'm talking about with EMG pickups. Treble bleeds are a great solution.
@@arnolddealiii4259 'sorry to burst your bubble', are you a complete moron? You're not bursting any bubble you just sound like an egotistical idiot talking like that. I never said you can get all the treble back with 50s wiring, I just said you don't need to add a treble bleed. 50s wiring is good enough in most cases. Sure I'd pay for the EMGs for being noiseless and for the boost circuit. But not for the treble ffs. I have my amp's treble at 9 o'clock with my 50's stratocaster. If anything most people struggle to get rid of the treble not add more of it. For humbuckers yes, they sound more muddy but there's a ton of ways to remedy that besides putting EMGs. I don't have anything against EMGs but surely it isn't the only option. There's a gazillion great recordings without EMGs.
I've got an old EMG Humbucker that I pulled out of a guitar I got rid of 30 years ago. I really need to put it in something. Great to see Ric as always. His appearances are too few and far between.
If any guitar player (in Australia) deserves a Suhr...or 2!! Its definitely Dr. Ric!!!!.............definitely not me, I just collect guitars now it seems!!
I’m watching this and looking at both my guitar and my hands thinking “it never sounds this good when play!!” Similar to Shane’s pickup swap, my undeveloped ear isn’t able to break down the nuance of the change in pickups, however it sounds great!! Now let’s see a jam with the two of you playing these guitars!!! Cheers!😎😎😎🎸🎸🎸🎸
I was one of the first to use them in my area when the came out and loved the SAs with the mid control in Strats. I started using regular humbucker and just got away from them. The Tele set is very good. Standard pickups are fine for me so I don't see any reason to go back. With all the tone shaping options you can make any sound imaginal. They are low impedance though.
EMG's are the best. I've been using them long before EMG actually existed. Some of the first pickups that Rob Turner invented went on my guitars when he lived with his parents and made them in their rec room. I don't have any guitars with humbuckers so all mine are single coils. Wouldn't use anything else. I don't get them for free and never have. I always paid for them even in the beginning when we were just college students. In that way I could always tell people the truth about them because I had nothing to gain financially.
EMGs have a reputation for being "metal/extreme only" pickups but that's really unfair. I avoided them for decades because I prefer my pickups to be more versatile (I'm a studio/session musician). Around 2010 I tried out a Schecter Jeff Loomis with 707s in a store and was really shocked at the warmth and clarity of the neck pickup. I've since put a few of their sets in guitars most recently a P91HZ in a Les Paul and it sounds amazing.
I’m surprised no company ever came up with some kind of phantom power system for EMG equipped guitars. I’d honestly rather have to have a supply of special signal+phantom power cables to plug my guitar in with than have to put frigging batteries in a guitar.
EMG makes exactly that! The ES-918. I haven't used it myself, the battery thing isn't a big deal to me because they last hundreds of hours of playtime. If I manage to run that down, I feel accomplished and just use that as a time to do a deep clean/setup of the instrument.
G'day mate, thanks for watching our video! All of the parts were recorded direct using Kemper amp profiles captured by Shane. We used Marshall DSL40 and Peavey Classic 50 crunch/lead tones and Milkman Creamer clean tones. I'm really impressed with the tonal quality and dynamic response of the Kemper...which is hard to say for an avowed tube amp snob!
That is way to compressed a sound for your style. I never liked EMG pickups for that reason. Fishman makes better quality but I won't own those either.
@@gramcameron4469 perhaps in mere mortal hands like mine! I aspire to achieve just a modicum of the tone, expression and emotion that Mark Knopfler, Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton extracted from their EMG pickups, both HB and SC! Listen to Larry's tone on "Last Nite" recorded live th The Baked Potato...if you think that's 2 dimensional, impersonal & brittle...I'll eat my hat :)
Dr. Ric is back with a set of EMG Pickups in his Vola electric! Let us know what you think of the tones. I was a huge fan of that chunky sound in the jam track. Thanks to Ric for coming round to shoot a video again. :)
Find a set of EMG Pickups here:
🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/WqZyrP
🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/4dXuLiY
(Affiliate links)
Let's be honest, EMG created the best metal sound with the 81's and 85's but they do not get enough praise for their phenomenal single coils
For some reason it’s sort of fashionable to crap on EMGs. I have a set in a schecter from about 2007. I think they’re 81/85. I’m not a metal guy, and I still think they sound great
I have just recently put T-system on my Tele and I'm so happy! No noise and so much more versatility!
So, do the active single coils still have hum?
@@allenmitchell09no hum
You’re so right on the 81 and 85 metal tone and also the 81 and 60 or great.
I just installed a set of EMG VG20’s in a Strat build and they sound fantastic! Smooth and clear with great articulation. Highly recommended. Great playing Dr. Rick!!
I recently changed out my EMG 81,85 pickups in my 2005 Les Paul Standard Raw Power which came stock and installed EMG retroactive Fat 55's love them. Dr. Rick rules.👍
I’ve been rocking a set of EMG SA-20 active singles with mid boost in my Warmoth S-style guitar for nearly 30 years. Love them things.
I've got an old Valley Arts with EMG's that I absolutely love. Great pickups, just don't forget to unplug your guitar when not in use!
That's why I installed an one-off switch 😎
EMGs rock. For several months I was dealing with a bunch of excess noise that I simply could not find the source of. I started using my epiphone that I'd put a pair of 81s in because they were nearly silent in comparison to my other guitars. I really got to "know" those pickups and realized they're so much more versatile than people give them credit for.
Their support is fantastic too!
I think they sound terrific. Great work from yourself and Ric once again.
That rig sounds terrific - the holy grail of guitar tones!
For us Aussies, what Dr Ric said about product availability is true.
I have hardly seen any EMG pickups for sale in stores BUT online go direct to EMG and they will be with you in pretty good time.
I first saw EMGs being used by Iva Davies in a Strat back in the 1980s. 3 x SA singles.
Great demonstration ! I wish all tone demos were this straight ahead , well recorded and well played
Thanks mate...it was a lot of fun! I always try to put myself in the position of the viewer and think "what would I like to hear?" Appreciate your support!
Great video Dr Ric and Shane, Those EMGs sound killer, Plus Dr Ric,s playing is killer.
Cheers mate! It only took me 25 odd years to work out that great hands can make most pickups sound decent. I've had this set of EMG's in for 6 months now...the honeymoon is well 'n truly over...but the love is still strong!!
Loved that little bit of Gary Moore at the end......I recently got a set of SA's and SPC for my Ernie Ball Cutlass. Transformed it. Totally brilliant.
Well spotted mate...I've loved Gary's solo on Empty Rooms from the "We Want Moore" live album for decades now! I'm glad you love the SA/SPC set in your Cutlass...I'm loving these pickups!
@@rselp 1st solo on Military man. One of my favourites.
Sounds great! Thanks, doc and Shane!
Those EMG's sound awesome and Dr. R did a great job presenting them. Cheers!
Thanks mate...I get the fun part...poor Shane has to sift through my rambling & noodling and edit it into something coherent! He really can make chicken soup outta chicken $h!t🤣
I put EMG's in my MX Strat and MX Tele, and I love them. they sound fantastic.
Those sound great. I might get those for my second Wamouth Strat I’m building.
Thanks for watching our video mate! I'm really happy with these pickups! It's amazing when you don't need to worry about your tone (or 50/60Hz hum), you're playing gets better! Who knew :)
EMG also make great passive P Bass pickups.
Great to see Dr. Ric. I have two guitars with actives and they sound great for all styles.
Thumbs up for the intro song selection brother!! My time 80's!!!! MTV !
Is it because they sound good? I’m going to guess it’s because they sound good. Oh, the solderless connection thing is kinda nice too…
100% mate…I’ve played a few rock and blues gigs with these pickups…the tones are surprisingly versatile…and the absence of hum is awesome…if not a little unnerving! Zero buyer’s remorse from me!
Good to see you Dr Rick !! Great playing as always !! I liked the bridge on full HB mode 👌🏻
I did exactly the same 6 months ago with a Indonesian built G&L to turn it into as close to Knopfler’s Pensa as I could ever afford. Mine has two tone pots on it and so one is a standard tone control and the second the SPC. I used the 85/SA/SA set.
In addition Knopfler used his Black Pensa Suhr (1986) fitted with EMGs on his latest album on the song Scavengers Yard.
Love EMGs
Shane & Dr. Ric!!! Those pickups sound so good! I’m shocked. 🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸
Im not an active pick up guy but im always surprised at how much i enjoy EMG single coils!
Sounds good, Doc 👏
Cheera mate, thanks for your support! We had a bunch of fun shooting this video...inspiring tones will do that to ya!
Sold! With mid boost, creamy with an edge to cut through a mix…
Thanks mate...I'm gonna rate the EMG SPC mid/presence boost as on par with the awesome boost in USA Tyler guitars, in terms of musicality and creamy sustain!
Dude has this Guy Got an Album - That was Awesome
Stellar playing and tone!
Thanks for the video Shane! And great playing by Dr. Ric! The EMG’s sound good.
Just never been a big fan of the active pickups.
Shane i think you would have been happier with your Lace pickups. If you had went with an Silver/Emerald/Emerald. Or an Burgundy/Silver/Emerald.
Liking this series of videos!
I really like the headstock of that guitar. Much better compared to a standard strat 😅😎👍🏻
Beautiful melting gold sound!!
Sounds absolutely gorgeous! 😎👍🎸🎸🎸
I've long loved EMGs in my basses, and am now going to get a similar set to Dr Rick's SA/SA/89 for my main guitar. I'd been vacillating on what to get, but this swung me.
I loved watching Shane's reactions off screen too.
PS: EMG's CS is awesome.
I have a Strat (that I built) with EMG SA’s and a SPC Strat Presence Control in it.
Great pickups!
I reckon that would sound every bit as great (if not better!) than any high end boutique Strat! I'm done spending ridiculous amounts on Strats/Teles...for now anyways :)
you have to try the EMG crossroads OMG. great video, im a EMG junkie!
Not sure why, but we love Dr Ric! Maybe it is that he is us. Regular bloke with great passion for guitar. Except he's a way better player than I am!
Thanks for your support! I'm definitely a regular guy but with a hopeless addiction to guitar and guitar-related products 😂
Tear up those o'le floorboards Doccy, cause we got all night !!!! Thanks a mill...
One thing people don’t realize with EMG pickups is that if you are a guy that likes to turn your volume controls down on your guitar, the EMG active preamp will maintain treble frequency, unlike a passive pickup that has treble roll off as you turn down unless you add a treble bleed. Some guys want the treble roll off… I am not that someone. For years I avoided EMG because I didn’t think they would sound good with fuzz pedals, then one day I stopped using pedals and tube amps and went digital, EMG’s would be perfect in my digital rig because they are zero hum pickups!
You don't need to add any treble bleed to not lose treble. Look at Gibson 50's wiring, Fender does the same they call it Fat 50's wiring and is essentially the Gibson 50's wiring.
@@efstathioszavvos4878 Sorry to burst your bubble but 50's wiring still has some treble roll off. I have 50's wiring in my Les Paul, and ended up adding treble bleeds. I'm way happier with the volume taper/lack of treble roll off now. I've also done this in my Stratocaster and yes it fixes the roll off after you turn down lower than 8 on the volume control, it still doesn't give you the consistent treble I'm talking about with EMG pickups. Treble bleeds are a great solution.
@@arnolddealiii4259 'sorry to burst your bubble', are you a complete moron? You're not bursting any bubble you just sound like an egotistical idiot talking like that. I never said you can get all the treble back with 50s wiring, I just said you don't need to add a treble bleed. 50s wiring is good enough in most cases. Sure I'd pay for the EMGs for being noiseless and for the boost circuit. But not for the treble ffs. I have my amp's treble at 9 o'clock with my 50's stratocaster. If anything most people struggle to get rid of the treble not add more of it. For humbuckers yes, they sound more muddy but there's a ton of ways to remedy that besides putting EMGs. I don't have anything against EMGs but surely it isn't the only option. There's a gazillion great recordings without EMGs.
I've got an old EMG Humbucker that I pulled out of a guitar I got rid of 30 years ago. I really need to put it in something. Great to see Ric as always. His appearances are too few and far between.
wow. sounds great. been struggling getting balanced hss sounds with passives. now stringly considering trying hss actives.
That’s why….it’s sounds awesome!
If any guitar player (in Australia) deserves a Suhr...or 2!! Its definitely Dr. Ric!!!!.............definitely not me, I just collect guitars now it seems!!
Love to hear them compared to the Lace Sensors.
It great sounding guitar with those EMGs.
I’m watching this and looking at both my guitar and my hands thinking “it never sounds this good when play!!” Similar to Shane’s pickup swap, my undeveloped ear isn’t able to break down the nuance of the change in pickups, however it sounds great!! Now let’s see a jam with the two of you playing these guitars!!! Cheers!😎😎😎🎸🎸🎸🎸
I was one of the first to use them in my area when the came out and loved the SAs with the mid control in Strats. I started using regular humbucker and just got away from them. The Tele set is very good. Standard pickups are fine for me so I don't see any reason to go back. With all the tone shaping options you can make any sound imaginal. They are low impedance though.
EMG's are the best. I've been using them long before EMG actually existed. Some of the first pickups that Rob Turner invented went on my guitars when he lived with his parents and made them in their rec room. I don't have any guitars with humbuckers so all mine are single coils. Wouldn't use anything else. I don't get them for free and never have. I always paid for them even in the beginning when we were just college students. In that way I could always tell people the truth about them because I had nothing to gain financially.
The doctor is in the house!
intheblues, cool video keep it up bro
Would be interesting to hear a regular Strat next to the one with the EMG's in it!
Dr Rick is the greatest👌👌and of course you Shane
After some small consultation with EMG, they should work with the rechargeable battery Fishman uses on the Fluence.
I was about to hate on this vid d but PHIq Me that is tone forever
I hear whips a cracking! * whip crack *
Ric a rockin'! \m/
Hey, they worked for that David Gilmour guy... 🤷♂️
Ladies and gentlemen Dr Rick !!!!
EMGs have a reputation for being "metal/extreme only" pickups but that's really unfair. I avoided them for decades because I prefer my pickups to be more versatile (I'm a studio/session musician). Around 2010 I tried out a Schecter Jeff Loomis with 707s in a store and was really shocked at the warmth and clarity of the neck pickup. I've since put a few of their sets in guitars most recently a P91HZ in a Les Paul and it sounds amazing.
I’m surprised no company ever came up with some kind of phantom power system for EMG equipped guitars. I’d honestly rather have to have a supply of special signal+phantom power cables to plug my guitar in with than have to put frigging batteries in a guitar.
EMG makes exactly that! The ES-918.
I haven't used it myself, the battery thing isn't a big deal to me because they last hundreds of hours of playtime. If I manage to run that down, I feel accomplished and just use that as a time to do a deep clean/setup of the instrument.
I strongly suggest the 24 volt mod for the EMGs
Phenomenal
👏👏👏
👍🏻👍🏻
I think I missed the part about what amp and cab Sim you are using.?
G'day mate, thanks for watching our video! All of the parts were recorded direct using Kemper amp profiles captured by Shane. We used Marshall DSL40 and Peavey Classic 50 crunch/lead tones and Milkman Creamer clean tones. I'm really impressed with the tonal quality and dynamic response of the Kemper...which is hard to say for an avowed tube amp snob!
Are the single coils noiseless?
100% noiseless..it's kinda scary after 45+ years of 60 Hz hum :)
Aweome ...Gives me the GAS as usual lol
So does "The Boss" watch these Doc?
* whip crack *
Nope...that's why I'm still free to spend all day with Shane making these furtive little gear videos :)
That is way to compressed a sound for your style. I never liked EMG pickups for that reason. Fishman makes better quality but I won't own those either.
Dr Ric is great as ever but the pickups are not for me
EMG pickups suck.
😂
I find them too 2 dimensional , impersonal & brittle , not for teles or strats
@@gramcameron4469 perhaps in mere mortal hands like mine! I aspire to achieve just a modicum of the tone, expression and emotion that Mark Knopfler, Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton extracted from their EMG pickups, both HB and SC! Listen to Larry's tone on "Last Nite" recorded live th The Baked Potato...if you think that's 2 dimensional, impersonal & brittle...I'll eat my hat :)