They say men think of sex every 7 seconds. If you’re thinking of pickups the other remaining seconds, somehow you confused pickups and picking up girls during your education. You’ve got something called erotic transference.
Something similar happened to me about 30 years ago. I bought a Les Paul copy, my first guitar with humbuckers. After I got it home and restrung it I thought I'd take the cover off one of the humbuckers. To my dismay there was only a single coil hiding under the cover. Fauxbuckers.
I had the exact same thing happen to me with an LP copy--I think it was a Lotus? I took them out to swap them with pickups from a cheap Ibanez, and sure enough--metal humbucker covers with single coil pickups underneath.
I'm really surprised that EMG is letting them get away with that. But it looks great with a zebra pickup and would probably rock with a proper DiMarzio in it.
I did Stumble on this and other video about that Explorer style a year later and I checked out thier site and They Get away with much more, they Make Replicas with Brand Logo and some slight key diffrence but they have ESP Replicas wirth ESP logo and Artist signature models. I.E ESP KH2 Ouija, Dean Dimebag Dean From Hell ETC...
That’s black epoxy. The coils probably weren’t wax potted first. You still have to do that with epoxy encapsulation. The epoxy didn’t seep to the top of the pickup. So there’s an air bubble there. That’s probably why they are microphonic.
Not only did it kill Tasha Yar, but now it’s time travelled to the past and hidden inside these terrible, terrible pickups. I’ve got a bone to pick with that goo!
I picked up one of the custom ones with a crazy graphic and barbed wire inlay, because the tackier the better. If the bones are as solid as they seem it'll be a great project.
No Chinese copy has real EMGs unless you specifically ask them to include them which is an up charge. They all have the same looking EMGs with the same font and font color. Also there is zero shielding in the pickup and control cavities.
It was driving me nuts, trying to figure out who you sounded like. Especially your laugh. And then it hit me, Adam Savage!! Your laugh is identical! Love the content as well of course, just found you the other day and im loving your energy and humor!
I have wires with crocodile clips at each end and clamp it before making the connections permanent. allows for a lot of experimenting with no hassle. If I am experimenting on a strat style I have two pickguards, one on the guitar with the pickups mounted and wires poking through and another out of the guitar with the switch and pots. Then just text and experiment before moving the pots and switch to the main pickguard and making connections permanent.
@@stephenhookings1985 Good on paper, but I had one break. I managed to salvage it , but it was tedious work. Bad design. The connection belongs on the lead ends, not at the pickup body. I do hate having to change switches or more when swapping p-ups , so its a good idea in general not done right.
Because they had no credibility to begin with. Looking at their site they're selling almost exclusively knockoff/copies (likely sourced from the Chinese factories known for this stuff) complete with headstock shapes. They aren't concerned about that, so why would they be concerned about fake pickups?
When I put passive humbuckers into my Schecter Hellraiser I also had a buzz and learned for the first time that in an active guitar there is no ground wire for the bridge or strings needed. So, maybe they thought those are active EMGs when they build the guitar, haha!
I had the same grounding issue on a Les Paul I built with black hardware. Went in with a small Dremel bit, and cleaned the paint off the inside of each hole in the tailpiece where the string ball ends sit, then took the finish off the insides of the hooks on each end, the inside of the posts where the hooks attach, then made sure the threads were bare with a wire brush. Perfectly grounded.
Thoughts: 1) EMG fakey fake fake. 2) Install the GFS humbucker; the fake has too much of the BAD microphonic-ness. Bonus: double zebrabuckers = cool factor. 3) Pull the tailpiece and use sandpaper to take the finish off where the wire touches; also, make sure the ground connects properly to the output jack (you may have to sand it, too). 4) Bump up to 11s - if you want beef, go with a set of medium GHS Boomers. Style points for top-wrapping the tail. 5) White paint jobs are basically prime for any refinish - 3M maroon scuff pad to take the shine off, and repaint however you want (you could even just hand-draw on it) before spraying clear over the finished product. 6) Or you could just sticker-bomb it if you have a stock of swag stickers. 7) Killswitch...if you're going to do that you need the red arcade type, leave the guitar white, and pretend you're Buckethead.
@@hollyc5417 he inherited it from a dead step dad. Were not sure if the dead guy thought they were real (theres actually 2) they play like epiphones. We laughed we we realised they were fake. But he wasnt out any money.
you probably just need to run a ground wire diagonally from the control cavity into the bridge post hole with the end stripped a fair bit so it gets sufficient contact with the post.
Many years ago, I bought a "Select by EMG" pickup. It was a regular passive humbucker and it looked exactly like this, though the logo actually said "Select by EMG", not just "EMG". It was...OK enough for me to keep it in the guitar for quite a few years. Apparently EMG do actually "make" those "Select by" pickups and they're not fake, just not stellar and dirt cheap. So maybe this pickup is something like that? I still have that Select pickup in a drawer somewhere, but I'm not sure I want to destroy it completely to look how it actually looks inside. Wasn't microphonic as far as I'm aware, though. Fun fact: Since my bridge pickup (cheapish custom pickup from a local manufacturer) also had the EMG "no polepieces" look - part of the reason I bought the "Select" one to go with it - I'm now sticking with the look using pickup covers even with other pickups on that guitar, despite the guitar being completely passive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I got a guitar from China last month. A Schecter Guitar Research (silkscreen on the headstock) Jaws of Death (BalSac) clone (has the neck inlay) with a pair of "EMG's" color coded for Ceramic (Gold), and Alnico (Silver), a single volume knob and a 3-way toggle switch (which N + B were wired in opposite from standard). I originally thought the pickups were a variation of EMG HZ's like Cort uses, but like you describe, they were terribly microphonic! I installed a set of quality strings (10-46 D'Addario XLs) and found a two-wire configuration in the control cavity. I was like, "Huh!" So I went to EMG website and looked for some HZs. Still several pins, so I knew then that these were imposters. So I added a couple of ON/ON/ON mini toggles with various cap values for BASS and TREBLE cuts to tame them, but I still wasn't happy. I took it to the next level. Replaced their mock FR tremolo with a FR 1000 and nut, replaced all the tuners, and was I literally was listening to videos and comparing sets of legit EMG passives to slap in there with a Kill Switch Pot when I came across this. I really appreciate you posting. I got a custom lizard skin wrap coming, since the body and neck are actually really pretty good. So I got a base guitar, and am hot rodding it for a one-of-a kind.
curious about the grounding thing - I had the same issue a little while ago with an LP clone that I was modding out and I couldn't for the live of me figure out why it was having the grounding issue until I realized that the ground wire was going through properly to the bridge but the sleeves that were going to the body weren't actually metal - the sleeves were actually chromed plastic and the ground was never going to contact the bridge. once I replaced the entire tail it was all good
Thought about buying this because I'm a huge Metallica and James Hetfield fan but with all the issues I'm not gonna be getting it. Are there any inexpensive white or black explorer style guitars with or without those inlays that don't suck?
I’d like to see you do a roller bridge and/or roller nut swap on that guitar. I bought a similar fake explorer and did a complete solderless EMG pick up, pot, and tone switch swap (and hip shot locking tuners). Lot of set up work as well - and used heavy bottom skinny top strings. It sounds better, but keeping it in tune is a challenge. You think the rollers would help?
While it's fine that guitar brands like this one try to get exposure in youtube, it's not nice they put fake-brand parts for everyone to see. I mean, whoever is making these pickups is actually selling them to appear as real EMGs, deceiving unaware/uninformed customers. We all know this guitar is an affordable one, but this brand didn't do it right IMO. If I were you, I wouldn't showcase this guitar anymore, I mean you might have to keep telling the story of the pickups forever which is not worth of your time. Cheers!
I agree. I would not give BadCat anymore time of day. Makes Ryan indirectly complicit by continuing to show the guitar brand once he discovers there are intentionally fake bootleg parts. I’d even argue that he should remove all his videos that feature their products . . . and encourage other TH-camrs to do the same and boycott this brand too. Doing so might make the brand think twice and change their ways - they can make inexpensive, great guitars without blatantly ripping off other brands and going so far as to fool people who don’t know better. Nobody knew about BadCat until TH-camrs started showing their products, after all. Use that platform to hopefully invoke change!
Nice project guitar IMO... The grounding thing goes away with a bit of sandpaper... The neck pickup is kinda cool for Jack White type of stuff... Just Frankenstein it!
I run a set of EMG 57/66 TW in my guitar and I can tell you that the more vintage voiced EMGs are reasonably microphonic almost to the point where it's kind of a problem sometimes. If I play a song that I've dropped with my Digitech Drop along with the music, if I'm in front of my speakers playing the music, I will hear the song come out of my amplifier pitch tuned down and it always creates this insane dissonant harmony that is actually kind of awful. Makes playing with a drop pedal actually extremely frustrating. I still love the pickups to death, and I'm sure that it wouldn't really matter in a live setting, but when I'm practicing, I have to be careful not to sit with the guitar directly in front of my monitors or I will hear a pitch shifted version of the song that I'm playing while I'm playing it, if that makes sense.
@@Ottophil personally, I'd rather not have 15 guitars just so I can play along to songs I like. Plus, using a drop pedal allows your string tension to always be the same and your muscle memory develops faster. And I only have to buy one gauge of string and can play my favorite guitar the whole time. A lot of professionals use them for the same reason. It's one of the best options unless you want to go with a modeler, which personally I don't. Let people like stuff. Your thinly veiled humblebrag is kind of embarrassing.
Cheaper than cheap pickups, if they have that much resin on there and are still microphonic. Do have to say, though, that even with the distortion you had on there when you got it, it didn’t scream like it was on a Nirvana album.
As far as the bootleg EMG’s, probably done to make it as close to Hetfield’s as possible. (And, if you ever join a Who cover band, you could use it for Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’s breakdown - with all the feedback and rapid fire toggle switching!)
Bought a cheap, white ESP (under $200) Explorer only for putting a checkerboard (Rick Nielson) vinyl face on it as an art piece. I wasn't expecting EMG's in it but, I knew they weren't real EMG's (after inspection) but, because they are flat on top, I was able to vinyl the pickups with ease. It plays like crap but, it's a great looking wall decoration. I saved some of the vinyl so, if I want to put real EMG's in it, I can still cover them. The neck is horrible with some high spots, though. Lot's of work that I don't really have the gumption to fix, right away. Still, it's aesthetically beautiful. Speaking of IVY guitars, I bought one of those Lizard Green LP's (for $200 on Amazon) only because of the look of the Iguana Burst Gibsons that came out a few years back but, knew I could bever afford. The Flamed Maple veneer was blurry and after playing it for a few minutes, I had black fingers. They obviously painted the "Rosewood" neck. It played great out of the box but.... Before that, I bought a purple burst AIO/WOLF LP for under $600 with a hard case and that thing plays like a dream, right out of the box. Worth every penny!
Did you check with EMG as to whether they supply to BadCat / or ask them to verify (or not) the pickups? I assume that the Metallica /James Hetfield endorsement is fake also.
The biggest giveaway for me is that generally EMGs are powered by a 9 V battery which has a separate set of conductors. This pick up did not have that. It also did not have the EMG quick connect system built into the pick up. In fact if you look on the back of the black goop you could actually see the pole pieces kind of sticking very strange to say the least!
I don't think they were ever going to be active EMGs with no battery to be found. But EMG has a series of passives too, I don't know what they look like under the cover and they are not very microphonic. Also I think the EMG logo colors are pretty specific to models, those look like some of the active model colors to me but I'm no expert. Oh and the color coding for pickup wires is a mess and I hate having to Google that shit every time I swap pickups for a guitar
Do you know if there are fake EMG EXG and SPC pots on the market also? Because i am wanting to buy both, but i fear they are not originals, because the ones i have found as new comes in the old white pack the EMG replaced by the grey pack years ago. But the only emg copies i ever saw on chinese shops are the pickups. So i am really in doubt wheter i should buy that pots believing they are originals or not.
At the very least, it should've said "EMG-designed" on those pick-ups, or something to that degree. That replacement pick-up improved the sound immensely! ...and I'm surprised I'm not subscribed to this channel! I'm pretty sure it was also here where I'd watched a very good Squier Starcaster video a while ago! 😃👍
I have two Harleys. The ex modern with the emg 81/60s and a fusion III hard tail roasted maple with the retro hot 70s. Both are are pretty good. The fusion is my favorite of the two. It has incredible sustain even when unplugged. The ex modern is way to light for me, a neck dives horribly. The fusion III is light too but for whatever reason it's sounds better. I also have a 2014 Ltd ex-360 with the EMG 81/60s that blows both Harleys out of the water. Also a 07, Ltd ex-400 with same 81/60 combo that is nice too. I haven't removed any of the pickups to see what's what yet.
Great review, do you know if these are still being offered? I clicked the referral link and its a bad domain, maybe badcat removed it? Beautiful guitar by the way
Do you have any suggestions for dealing with installing Fishman moderns? As a novice, I feel like crying. The wiring diagrams and instructions aren't much help, and they pretty much just say "eh, leave it to a pro." But I wanna do it!
First giveaway is the bad logo. Then the square corners (real EMG's are rounder). Biggest giveaway is underneath: on the fakes, the lugs (where the mounting screws go) are flush to the base. On real EMG's the lugs are not flush with the base!!! I made a video to show how to spot fakes: th-cam.com/video/buMvlHIRXHc/w-d-xo.html
Hey Ryan, I have an ESP M200FM with emg branded passives so they do make them, Its actually the only guitar I have never changed the stock pickups on very decent.
I have a B-Stock Harley Benton Flying V with the same grounding issues. I don't bother fixing it because I know jack shyte about soldering them wires, I grab my Gibson Flying V 9 out of 10 times anyway. Maybe in the near future, some project to change pick ups on the HB, although I doubt it's worth the money and effort.
I picked up a super cheap AN8008 multimeter a few years ago and it's been working like a champ. I compared it to the Fluke 87 we have at work and all the readings were pretty close. For 1/30th of the price, I'm happy with it. Edit: As someone else noted, this cheap of a meter will invite the meter snob comments. An alternative might be the EEVBlog meter, which says "I support my fellow TH-camrs" and it's a very good meter.
Mine just showed up today, except with an ESP logo on it lol My pick ups sound weak though, not sure if that’s a ground issue/wiring it just the pick ups suck. Very little saturation on the high gain amp settings Ordered a real set of KH EMG’s, with new switch, so it’ll all be solderless Now I’m tempted to swap bridge parts since you mentioned about conductivity with it Also have some 10 size strings to go on too, these strings seem thing in the bottom
Enjoy your videos, might actually look into one of these cause I'm always changing things up on guitars,I have ran across the same kind of pick up on a unbranded guitar I have
I've actually had a £1600 LTD Sparrowhawk that had some grounding issues before. Was quite annoying but never considered getting it looked at. Input jack crackled too, not great for such an expensive guitar
Green and bear are ground red is hot and black and white go together and I forgot to say that's usually how it is with Amazon pickups I don't know anything about this pickup just a suggestion
First thought... reminds me of EVH's early white Ibanez Destroyer that became, "The Shark". Second thought.... the fretboard inlays look like hands flipping the bird, I agree.😆 Cool guitar!
They are NOT floating in resin.. it is just a resin seal and underneath there is standard parafine.. the microphonicness can actually be sorted out if you drill atiny hole in the resin and re-wax-pot them :) but then they still dont sound as the real EMGs.. you are better off with a standard open coil pair by say fleor or belcat buckers if you want to save on pickups.
I bet that mystery zebra is a Guitar Madness HexBucker. I have a few of those and they actually sound really good, clone of a Super Distortion for the most part.
Was the guitar supposed to come with actives or passive PUs. I see no 9v battery that would be the clue they are only passive pick ups. I did check and EMG does resin fill even their passives not sure about older options. A lot of guitars I have that came with passive EMGs all have EMG HZ on the cover.
The website doesn't have any information on the guitar. I found a listing on ebay that has some incorrect info for the body/wood, but no info on the pickups. You're absolutely right that EMG makes passives in their EMG-HZ line as well as the Select by EMG line. The assumption based on the model and pickup covers is that these would be an 81/85 set, but it's definitely not those nor do they appear to be anything else from EMG - steve
I use a Klein autoranging multimeter (don't remember what model it is) but honestly for just checking guitar pickups, I'd just go with a cheap harbor freight multimeter, that would probably suffice just fine lol
I put these double whites on my Squier Bullet and I'm pretty happy. Not as hot as the original - by Fender!? - instead, a lot of glass appeared!😄 And still haven't found the microphone☺.
You can by these on Ali baba from many stores middle finger inlays, fake EMG's and some calling it James Hetfield Eet Fuk model all Bad Cat did was put a waterslide decal on it
2 Things. EMG makes excellent passives that work w normal pots. All their p-ups are epoxy potted, unless its changed since I took an EMG Select apart . These are fake.
@@60CycleHumcast Yes, EMG makes the active EMG, the passive more upscale EMG- HZ, and the passive budget EMG Select.EMG is the company name , as well as that of their active line.
@@terryenglish7132 there were some EMG inspired pickups on the Steinberger XT25 Gibson reissue - really weak and needed replacing. I love EMG actives on my basses and I added a set of DG20s to a cheap Harley Benton strat on my channel - they sound great. I would hope the pickups shown here are fake. And if so I hope the supplier ceases and desist - there again best to add your own EMGs on from a known good supplier.
@@stephenhookings1985 Those aren't EMGs in any form, inspiration not withstanding. Gibson bought Steinberger.. The reissues have p-ups made by/for Gibson or Epiphone depending. I have a Spirit small body RI and its p-ups sound fantastic, but they are weak. They're going for clarity and transparency and flat response rather than trad sounds or power. The guitar itself is much better than the originals; totally different design, just looks the same. Other than being weak how did they sound ?
@@terryenglish7132 my point is simply at one time the PU were, as you said, called EMG Selects. But eventually Gibson stopped putting the EMG label on the case - which I think is a good move. The PU on the Spirit were just poor in general. And the almost Humbucker size (89 x 38 IIRC). I tried using a guitar PU (as per Rick) - it so almost worked and gave the bass a decent powerful tone. I tried unbranded Chinese PU. They were like those here. And microphonic as hell. Even foam on the back didn't help. Eventually I routed the cavity wider and stuck some Warman Jazz blades on it. For a passive bass it sounds good - and with the Royal Blood inspired distortion and octaving it is "to the max" (I restrung E to high C and levelled frets). Sniffer Customs put real active EMGs in one on his channel. Beautiful job and tone. Simply to say I would hope EMG would not sanction their name on crap pickups. They seem expensive as a brand until I factor in that I have zero noise issues and a reliable tone to sculpt as I want. The cost of my time to shield a guitar or bass is greater than the price of the pickups. I would hate to find fake EMGs - and as u have stated - it is normally easy to spot a fake.
fires up the grinder, thank you .. instant like and subscribe. re: killswitch - make it a master volume, no tone and put the killswitch where the closest pot hole is.
black is always line and green is always ground and unshielded is common or ground, the stuck is metric if you need to run a new wire its easy to get out if its just the powder coating just lightly file it.
Odd all of the pickups i've bought new had schematics that show red and white tied together unless you were coil tapping, black as ground and tied to the shielding, and green going to the switch or volume pot for switchless setups. Good example are humbucker pups from Guitar Madness out of Florida which all have the same lead layout.
This guitar seems like the perfect candidate for some GFS Surf 90 pickups and a steampunk hula girl painted on the lower bout. Maybe then give it away in a "make Ryan and Steve laugh" video contest.
Buy a Fluke Meter, he was a single immigrant man that started in WA building meters and it grew to a huge business and its really best he is the one to get money from all the DMM innovations he provided
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You're not wrong, I DO be thinking about pickups all day long.
I KNEW IT!
See my comment, Colin....
I read this with a Scottish accent in my head.
They say men think of sex every 7 seconds. If you’re thinking of pickups the other remaining seconds, somehow you confused pickups and picking up girls during your education. You’ve got something called erotic transference.
@@phantom_spaceman me too
When you said you were going to cut the top off the pup; I was expecting a dremel style tool, not an industrial attack haha
Need to take the top off this little plastic box "grabs f'n angle grinder"
what is an angle grinder but a really big dremel
right? I expected a surgeon an there comes a butcher😅
Something similar happened to me about 30 years ago. I bought a Les Paul copy, my first guitar with humbuckers. After I got it home and restrung it I thought I'd take the cover off one of the humbuckers. To my dismay there was only a single coil hiding under the cover. Fauxbuckers.
And then you found out what a P90 was.
After the Low End Lobster thing with the Gretsch. I used magnetic paper on the "Humbuckers" of my Epiphone Viola. Not humbuckers.
I still don't know - never used one. Am I missing out?
@@waytospergtherebro A P-90 with the cover off shouldn't look exactly like a single coil, with a space next to it to place another single coil.
I had the exact same thing happen to me with an LP copy--I think it was a Lotus? I took them out to swap them with pickups from a cheap Ibanez, and sure enough--metal humbucker covers with single coil pickups underneath.
I'm really surprised that EMG is letting them get away with that. But it looks great with a zebra pickup and would probably rock with a proper DiMarzio in it.
I concur... DiMarzio tone Zone bridge and air Norton neck setup.. A m a z I n g tones!
They are made in china maybe? It's legal there
Why they sell 2ith fakes would be a whole northern thing lol
Gibson haven't stopped China making fake les pauls with Gibson on the headstock, so if they can't stop it no one can.
I did Stumble on this and other video about that Explorer style a year later and I checked out thier site and They Get away with much more, they Make Replicas with Brand Logo and some slight key diffrence but they have ESP Replicas wirth ESP logo and Artist signature models. I.E ESP KH2 Ouija, Dean Dimebag Dean From Hell ETC...
That’s black epoxy. The coils probably weren’t wax potted first. You still have to do that with epoxy encapsulation. The epoxy didn’t seep to the top of the pickup. So there’s an air bubble there. That’s probably why they are microphonic.
For guitar measurements , a meter that measures capacitance and inductance as well as resistance is very worthwhile.
Not only did it kill Tasha Yar, but now it’s time travelled to the past and hidden inside these terrible, terrible pickups. I’ve got a bone to pick with that goo!
This is all Q's fault. Probably.
I picked up one of the custom ones with a crazy graphic and barbed wire inlay, because the tackier the better. If the bones are as solid as they seem it'll be a great project.
No Chinese copy has real EMGs unless you specifically ask them to include them which is an up charge. They all have the same looking EMGs with the same font and font color. Also there is zero shielding in the pickup and control cavities.
It was driving me nuts, trying to figure out who you sounded like. Especially your laugh. And then it hit me, Adam Savage!! Your laugh is identical! Love the content as well of course, just found you the other day and im loving your energy and humor!
I have wires with crocodile clips at each end and clamp it before making the connections permanent. allows for a lot of experimenting with no hassle. If I am experimenting on a strat style I have two pickguards, one on the guitar with the pickups mounted and wires poking through and another out of the guitar with the switch and pots. Then just text and experiment before moving the pots and switch to the main pickguard and making connections permanent.
Me too, now. I once wired up a Strat w 26 settings. A lot of work for nothing. I ended up using 3 a lot and 5 more occasionally.
@@terryenglish7132 but it was fun to experiment, surely. Particularly useful when you don’t have the colour codes for the humbuckers.
And all the EMG bass pickups I have use the DuPont connectors ... only desoldering required to fit :-)
@@stephenhookings1985 Good on paper, but I had one break. I managed to salvage it , but it was tedious work. Bad design. The connection belongs on the lead ends, not at the pickup body. I do hate having to change switches or more when swapping p-ups , so its a good idea in general not done right.
Why did Bad Cat not worry about the fake EMG's being exposed, and thereby losing all credibility?
Because they had no credibility to begin with. Looking at their site they're selling almost exclusively knockoff/copies (likely sourced from the Chinese factories known for this stuff) complete with headstock shapes. They aren't concerned about that, so why would they be concerned about fake pickups?
@@Andrew_182 Yes, this exactly
I bet they closed already
@@djlehara nah 😂
I wasn't expecting this video to turn into an episode of Mythbusters, but there Ryan was with an angle grinder tearing something apart.
When I put passive humbuckers into my Schecter Hellraiser I also had a buzz and learned for the first time that in an active guitar there is no ground wire for the bridge or strings needed. So, maybe they thought those are active EMGs when they build the guitar, haha!
swapping those pickup leads when you were trying to fix the ground put your middle position either into/out-of-phase depending on what it was before
I had the same grounding issue on a Les Paul I built with black hardware. Went in with a small Dremel bit, and cleaned the paint off the inside of each hole in the tailpiece where the string ball ends sit, then took the finish off the insides of the hooks on each end, the inside of the posts where the hooks attach, then made sure the threads were bare with a wire brush. Perfectly grounded.
Thoughts: 1) EMG fakey fake fake. 2) Install the GFS humbucker; the fake has too much of the BAD microphonic-ness. Bonus: double zebrabuckers = cool factor. 3) Pull the tailpiece and use sandpaper to take the finish off where the wire touches; also, make sure the ground connects properly to the output jack (you may have to sand it, too). 4) Bump up to 11s - if you want beef, go with a set of medium GHS Boomers. Style points for top-wrapping the tail. 5) White paint jobs are basically prime for any refinish - 3M maroon scuff pad to take the shine off, and repaint however you want (you could even just hand-draw on it) before spraying clear over the finished product. 6) Or you could just sticker-bomb it if you have a stock of swag stickers. 7) Killswitch...if you're going to do that you need the red arcade type, leave the guitar white, and pretend you're Buckethead.
Top wrapping is for boomers
“Tasha Yar killing black goo…” line killed me. hahahaha
10/10 need reference, Ryan.
Mad points for Tasha Yar killing goo reference.
Missed video opportunity; putting the chopped up pick up back in to see what it sounds like after being chopped haha
60CH: I'll put it back together after we have a look.
Also 60CH: ANGLE GRINDER!
I have a friend with a zakk wylde gibson that I had to tell him was fake. First clue was the emg logos. But the closer i looked. It was everything
@@hollyc5417 he inherited it from a dead step dad. Were not sure if the dead guy thought they were real (theres actually 2) they play like epiphones. We laughed we we realised they were fake. But he wasnt out any money.
I got a Klein Tools MM300 Multimeter from Home Depot a few years ago. Only cost me $30 and has yet to fail me, def reccomend it.
you probably just need to run a ground wire diagonally from the control cavity into the bridge post hole with the end stripped a fair bit so it gets sufficient contact with the post.
That was my first thought; that they didn't get good ground to begin with.
Always enjoy your videos, Ryan. Very fun, informative, and inspiring.
Many years ago, I bought a "Select by EMG" pickup. It was a regular passive humbucker and it looked exactly like this, though the logo actually said "Select by EMG", not just "EMG". It was...OK enough for me to keep it in the guitar for quite a few years. Apparently EMG do actually "make" those "Select by" pickups and they're not fake, just not stellar and dirt cheap. So maybe this pickup is something like that? I still have that Select pickup in a drawer somewhere, but I'm not sure I want to destroy it completely to look how it actually looks inside. Wasn't microphonic as far as I'm aware, though.
Fun fact: Since my bridge pickup (cheapish custom pickup from a local manufacturer) also had the EMG "no polepieces" look - part of the reason I bought the "Select" one to go with it - I'm now sticking with the look using pickup covers even with other pickups on that guitar, despite the guitar being completely passive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was yelling at the screen "Cut that thing apart!"😆
I heard you
@@60CycleHumcast 😄
I got a guitar from China last month. A Schecter Guitar Research (silkscreen on the headstock) Jaws of Death (BalSac) clone (has the neck inlay) with a pair of "EMG's" color coded for Ceramic (Gold), and Alnico (Silver), a single volume knob and a 3-way toggle switch (which N + B were wired in opposite from standard). I originally thought the pickups were a variation of EMG HZ's like Cort uses, but like you describe, they were terribly microphonic! I installed a set of quality strings (10-46 D'Addario XLs) and found a two-wire configuration in the control cavity. I was like, "Huh!" So I went to EMG website and looked for some HZs. Still several pins, so I knew then that these were imposters. So I added a couple of ON/ON/ON mini toggles with various cap values for BASS and TREBLE cuts to tame them, but I still wasn't happy. I took it to the next level. Replaced their mock FR tremolo with a FR 1000 and nut, replaced all the tuners, and was I literally was listening to videos and comparing sets of legit EMG passives to slap in there with a Kill Switch Pot when I came across this. I really appreciate you posting. I got a custom lizard skin wrap coming, since the body and neck are actually really pretty good. So I got a base guitar, and am hot rodding it for a one-of-a kind.
What’s that distortion pedal? Sounds killer ⚡️
Hey! Can I please ask what locking tuners you would recommend replacing the stocks with?
Excellent Star Trek reference. Well played sir!
curious about the grounding thing - I had the same issue a little while ago with an LP clone that I was modding out and I couldn't for the live of me figure out why it was having the grounding issue until I realized that the ground wire was going through properly to the bridge but the sleeves that were going to the body weren't actually metal - the sleeves were actually chromed plastic and the ground was never going to contact the bridge. once I replaced the entire tail it was all good
Thought about buying this because I'm a huge Metallica and James Hetfield fan but with all the issues I'm not gonna be getting it. Are there any inexpensive white or black explorer style guitars with or without those inlays that don't suck?
The Harley Benton EX-84 may be a good option for you. Shaped a bit different. But an awesome Explorer option.
@@MrSpeed-lt8gr I was just about to say the same thing
I’d like to see you do a roller bridge and/or roller nut swap on that guitar. I bought a similar fake explorer and did a complete solderless EMG pick up, pot, and tone switch swap (and hip shot locking tuners). Lot of set up work as well - and used heavy bottom skinny top strings. It sounds better, but keeping it in tune is a challenge. You think the rollers would help?
While it's fine that guitar brands like this one try to get exposure in youtube, it's not nice they put fake-brand parts for everyone to see. I mean, whoever is making these pickups is actually selling them to appear as real EMGs, deceiving unaware/uninformed customers. We all know this guitar is an affordable one, but this brand didn't do it right IMO. If I were you, I wouldn't showcase this guitar anymore, I mean you might have to keep telling the story of the pickups forever which is not worth of your time. Cheers!
I agree. I would not give BadCat anymore time of day. Makes Ryan indirectly complicit by continuing to show the guitar brand once he discovers there are intentionally fake bootleg parts.
I’d even argue that he should remove all his videos that feature their products . . . and encourage other TH-camrs to do the same and boycott this brand too. Doing so might make the brand think twice and change their ways - they can make inexpensive, great guitars without blatantly ripping off other brands and going so far as to fool people who don’t know better. Nobody knew about BadCat until TH-camrs started showing their products, after all. Use that platform to hopefully invoke change!
Nice project guitar IMO... The grounding thing goes away with a bit of sandpaper... The neck pickup is kinda cool for Jack White type of stuff... Just Frankenstein it!
I run a set of EMG 57/66 TW in my guitar and I can tell you that the more vintage voiced EMGs are reasonably microphonic almost to the point where it's kind of a problem sometimes. If I play a song that I've dropped with my Digitech Drop along with the music, if I'm in front of my speakers playing the music, I will hear the song come out of my amplifier pitch tuned down and it always creates this insane dissonant harmony that is actually kind of awful. Makes playing with a drop pedal actually extremely frustrating. I still love the pickups to death, and I'm sure that it wouldn't really matter in a live setting, but when I'm practicing, I have to be careful not to sit with the guitar directly in front of my monitors or I will hear a pitch shifted version of the song that I'm playing while I'm playing it, if that makes sense.
The digitech drop is such a dumb pedal. Personally i have a guitar or 3 for every tuning
@@Ottophil personally, I'd rather not have 15 guitars just so I can play along to songs I like. Plus, using a drop pedal allows your string tension to always be the same and your muscle memory develops faster. And I only have to buy one gauge of string and can play my favorite guitar the whole time. A lot of professionals use them for the same reason. It's one of the best options unless you want to go with a modeler, which personally I don't. Let people like stuff. Your thinly veiled humblebrag is kind of embarrassing.
You have to pull a vacuum on the wax pot. That pulls the air out of the coils and the wax replaces the air.
Cheaper than cheap pickups, if they have that much resin on there and are still microphonic. Do have to say, though, that even with the distortion you had on there when you got it, it didn’t scream like it was on a Nirvana album.
As far as the bootleg EMG’s, probably done to make it as close to Hetfield’s as possible. (And, if you ever join a Who cover band, you could use it for Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’s breakdown - with all the feedback and rapid fire toggle switching!)
Bought a cheap, white ESP (under $200) Explorer only for putting a checkerboard (Rick Nielson) vinyl face on it as an art piece. I wasn't expecting EMG's in it but, I knew they weren't real EMG's (after inspection) but, because they are flat on top, I was able to vinyl the pickups with ease. It plays like crap but, it's a great looking wall decoration. I saved some of the vinyl so, if I want to put real EMG's in it, I can still cover them. The neck is horrible with some high spots, though. Lot's of work that I don't really have the gumption to fix, right away. Still, it's aesthetically beautiful.
Speaking of IVY guitars, I bought one of those Lizard Green LP's (for $200 on Amazon) only because of the look of the Iguana Burst Gibsons that came out a few years back but, knew I could bever afford. The Flamed Maple veneer was blurry and after playing it for a few minutes, I had black fingers. They obviously painted the "Rosewood" neck. It played great out of the box but....
Before that, I bought a purple burst AIO/WOLF LP for under $600 with a hard case and that thing plays like a dream, right out of the box. Worth every penny!
Did you check with EMG as to whether they supply to BadCat / or ask them to verify (or not) the pickups? I assume that the Metallica /James Hetfield endorsement is fake also.
It is
The biggest giveaway for me is that generally EMGs are powered by a 9 V battery which has a separate set of conductors. This pick up did not have that. It also did not have the EMG quick connect system built into the pick up. In fact if you look on the back of the black goop you could actually see the pole pieces kind of sticking very strange to say the least!
I don't think they were ever going to be active EMGs with no battery to be found. But EMG has a series of passives too, I don't know what they look like under the cover and they are not very microphonic. Also I think the EMG logo colors are pretty specific to models, those look like some of the active model colors to me but I'm no expert.
Oh and the color coding for pickup wires is a mess and I hate having to Google that shit every time I swap pickups for a guitar
From what I could find the Passive EMGs have an “HZ” next to the logo on the front and much more similar to an Active EMG with the quick connects.
Bing it instead? Variety is the spice of life 😂👍🏼
Like Schwig said, passive EMGs would be branded as EMG HZ. These are 100% fakes.
@Swigger96 my Shecter bass has EMG HZ's in it but they are active
Do you know if there are fake EMG EXG and SPC pots on the market also? Because i am wanting to buy both, but i fear they are not originals, because the ones i have found as new comes in the old white pack the EMG replaced by the grey pack years ago. But the only emg copies i ever saw on chinese shops are the pickups. So i am really in doubt wheter i should buy that pots believing they are originals or not.
At the very least, it should've said "EMG-designed" on those pick-ups, or something to that degree. That replacement pick-up improved the sound immensely! ...and I'm surprised I'm not subscribed to this channel! I'm pretty sure it was also here where I'd watched a very good Squier Starcaster video a while ago! 😃👍
For accuracy it would have to say “slapped a EMG logo on some random junk pickup” - steve
I have two Harleys. The ex modern with the emg 81/60s and a fusion III hard tail roasted maple with the retro hot 70s. Both are are pretty good. The fusion is my favorite of the two. It has incredible sustain even when unplugged. The ex modern is way to light for me, a neck dives horribly. The fusion III is light too but for whatever reason it's sounds better. I also have a 2014 Ltd ex-360 with the EMG 81/60s that blows both Harleys out of the water. Also a 07, Ltd ex-400 with same 81/60 combo that is nice too. I haven't removed any of the pickups to see what's what yet.
I'm intrigued by that guitar but I can't get over the one finger salute look to fret markers. Once you see it you can't unsee it.
Great review, do you know if these are still being offered? I clicked the referral link and its a bad domain, maybe badcat removed it? Beautiful guitar by the way
Looks like they were pulled from the site and/or the site was relaunched without the P4M stuff on it. - steve
@@60CycleHumcast Ah gotcha! shoot, will keep checking haha what a beauty of a guitar.
Can I ask what the mic is on the Princeton? It looks lovely! (I'm a discerning buyer :) )
It's a Cascade Fat Head 2 ribbon mic. - steve
I'd put a Sustainer pickup in the neck. Love the epic overengineered removal of the "EMG" cover.
I didn’t see a battery compartment in the back during your unboxing. So I was suspecting they weren’t real. Put some Super Distortions in that sucker.
EMG makes excellent passives
Do you have any suggestions for dealing with installing Fishman moderns? As a novice, I feel like crying. The wiring diagrams and instructions aren't much help, and they pretty much just say "eh, leave it to a pro." But I wanna do it!
Not familiar with these pickups - steve
First giveaway is the bad logo. Then the square corners (real EMG's are rounder). Biggest giveaway is underneath: on the fakes, the lugs (where the mounting screws go) are flush to the base. On real EMG's the lugs are not flush with the base!!! I made a video to show how to spot fakes: th-cam.com/video/buMvlHIRXHc/w-d-xo.html
So it was an active looking guitar with no cut out for a 9v battery?
Hey Ryan, I have an ESP M200FM with emg branded passives so they do make them, Its actually the only guitar I have never changed the stock pickups on very decent.
That bass in the wall .,we know that bass is super happy 😁
I'm already subscribed. How did that happen? Just to let you know, I have high Cholesterol.
Did the pots have values listed? Cause unless they passive the pot values will be 25k
is it legal to play surf music on an explorer?
The ikea tupperware idea is the greatest idea ive ever seen 🤣
You give it the Van Halen treatment and cut a big chunk out of its rear, put some heavy chains in there, then check if it has lost sustain mustain
I have a B-Stock Harley Benton Flying V with the same grounding issues. I don't bother fixing it because I know jack shyte about soldering them wires, I grab my Gibson Flying V 9 out of 10 times anyway. Maybe in the near future, some project to change pick ups on the HB, although I doubt it's worth the money and effort.
The quick sign to verify active or passive is; if there’s no battery, it’s passive..
I picked up a super cheap AN8008 multimeter a few years ago and it's been working like a champ. I compared it to the Fluke 87 we have at work and all the readings were pretty close. For 1/30th of the price, I'm happy with it.
Edit: As someone else noted, this cheap of a meter will invite the meter snob comments. An alternative might be the EEVBlog meter, which says "I support my fellow TH-camrs" and it's a very good meter.
Mine just showed up today, except with an ESP logo on it lol
My pick ups sound weak though, not sure if that’s a ground issue/wiring it just the pick ups suck. Very little saturation on the high gain amp settings
Ordered a real set of KH EMG’s, with new switch, so it’ll all be solderless
Now I’m tempted to swap bridge parts since you mentioned about conductivity with it
Also have some 10 size strings to go on too, these strings seem thing in the bottom
Enjoy your videos, might actually look into one of these cause I'm always changing things up on guitars,I have ran across the same kind of pick up on a unbranded guitar I have
Tasha Yar killing goo is the reference of the year.
Colin at CS Guitars is Scottish, and therefore a genius at anything mechanical or electrical.
I've actually had a £1600 LTD Sparrowhawk that had some grounding issues before. Was quite annoying but never considered getting it looked at. Input jack crackled too, not great for such an expensive guitar
Great action with the grinder there🤟
Green and bear are ground red is hot and black and white go together and I forgot to say that's usually how it is with Amazon pickups I don't know anything about this pickup just a suggestion
First thought... reminds me of EVH's early white Ibanez Destroyer that became, "The Shark". Second thought.... the fretboard inlays look like hands flipping the bird, I agree.😆 Cool guitar!
This guitar is inspired by James Hetfield's guitar. The original was an ESP MX-220 Explorer with middle finger inlays and 81-60 EMG pickups
Great video.. you should get a Fluke multimeter because it will last for ever and its the best brand in the world.. :D
HA BLACK TASHA YAR KILLING GOO AMAZING
are the pick ups in phase with each other, is that the issue with the buzz?
I wonder if the EMG Hot 70 are also fake on the Fusion guitars. I see the real ones have screws on one of the pickups...
They are NOT floating in resin.. it is just a resin seal and underneath there is standard parafine.. the microphonicness can actually be sorted out if you drill atiny hole in the resin and re-wax-pot them :) but then they still dont sound as the real EMGs.. you are better off with a standard open coil pair by say fleor or belcat buckers if you want to save on pickups.
I bet that mystery zebra is a Guitar Madness HexBucker. I have a few of those and they actually sound really good, clone of a Super Distortion for the most part.
I've never gotten a bad eBay hexbucker, and I've paid as little as $5 a set. It's like they're impossible to screw up.
Was the guitar supposed to come with actives or passive PUs. I see no 9v battery that would be the clue they are only passive pick ups. I did check and EMG does resin fill even their passives not sure about older options. A lot of guitars I have that came with passive EMGs all have EMG HZ on the cover.
The website doesn't have any information on the guitar. I found a listing on ebay that has some incorrect info for the body/wood, but no info on the pickups. You're absolutely right that EMG makes passives in their EMG-HZ line as well as the Select by EMG line. The assumption based on the model and pickup covers is that these would be an 81/85 set, but it's definitely not those nor do they appear to be anything else from EMG - steve
@@60CycleHumcast Badcat gives no info on the guitar as far as specs go. I have to say they are selling guitars with knock of pick ups.
please put EET HUM on this guitar. the grounding issue sealed the deal
I use a Klein autoranging multimeter (don't remember what model it is) but honestly for just checking guitar pickups, I'd just go with a cheap harbor freight multimeter, that would probably suffice just fine lol
Nasty comment: "Your beard is the best beard I've ever seen. How do I get that beard??".
Fluke multimeters are the standard, I would recommend getting one that measures capacitors. It was game changing for me.
Flukes(all DMM’s, because you’re right fluke is the best) are awful for measuring capacitance man.
Use a properly calibrated LCR meter
I put these double whites on my Squier Bullet and I'm pretty happy. Not as hot as the original - by Fender!? - instead, a lot of glass appeared!😄
And still haven't found the microphone☺.
I got a laugh out of your Tasha Yar comment. Lol
Ryan, I am entrusting you with the Afford-A-Tele series that will soon come
You can by these on Ali baba from many stores middle finger inlays, fake EMG's and some calling it James Hetfield Eet Fuk model all Bad Cat did was put a waterslide decal on it
2 Things. EMG makes excellent passives that work w normal pots. All their p-ups are epoxy potted, unless its changed since I took an EMG Select apart . These are fake.
Unless it's changed, those were usually labeled as EMG-HZ instead of just EMG. I think the EMG Select were labeled as "Select by EMG" - steve
@@60CycleHumcast Yes, EMG makes the active EMG, the passive more upscale EMG- HZ, and the passive budget EMG Select.EMG is the company name , as well as that of their active line.
@@terryenglish7132 there were some EMG inspired pickups on the Steinberger XT25 Gibson reissue - really weak and needed replacing. I love EMG actives on my basses and I added a set of DG20s to a cheap Harley Benton strat on my channel - they sound great.
I would hope the pickups shown here are fake. And if so I hope the supplier ceases and desist - there again best to add your own EMGs on from a known good supplier.
@@stephenhookings1985 Those aren't EMGs in any form, inspiration not withstanding. Gibson bought Steinberger.. The reissues have p-ups made by/for Gibson or Epiphone depending. I have a Spirit small body RI and its p-ups sound fantastic, but they are weak. They're going for clarity and transparency and flat response rather than trad sounds or power. The guitar itself is much better than the originals; totally different design, just looks the same. Other than being weak how did they sound ?
@@terryenglish7132 my point is simply at one time the PU were, as you said, called EMG Selects. But eventually Gibson stopped putting the EMG label on the case - which I think is a good move. The PU on the Spirit were just poor in general. And the almost Humbucker size (89 x 38 IIRC). I tried using a guitar PU (as per Rick) - it so almost worked and gave the bass a decent powerful tone. I tried unbranded Chinese PU. They were like those here. And microphonic as hell. Even foam on the back didn't help. Eventually I routed the cavity wider and stuck some Warman Jazz blades on it. For a passive bass it sounds good - and with the Royal Blood inspired distortion and octaving it is "to the max" (I restrung E to high C and levelled frets).
Sniffer Customs put real active EMGs in one on his channel. Beautiful job and tone.
Simply to say I would hope EMG would not sanction their name on crap pickups. They seem expensive as a brand until I factor in that I have zero noise issues and a reliable tone to sculpt as I want. The cost of my time to shield a guitar or bass is greater than the price of the pickups. I would hate to find fake EMGs - and as u have stated - it is normally easy to spot a fake.
fires up the grinder, thank you .. instant like and subscribe. re: killswitch - make it a master volume, no tone and put the killswitch where the closest pot hole is.
Your cover ones they're not getting between the top of pickup and cover. Always check the ground first especially for active.
black is always line and green is always ground and unshielded is common or ground, the stuck is metric if you need to run a new wire its easy to get out if its just the powder coating just lightly file it.
Odd all of the pickups i've bought new had schematics that show red and white tied together unless you were coil tapping, black as ground and tied to the shielding, and green going to the switch or volume pot for switchless setups. Good example are humbucker pups from Guitar Madness out of Florida which all have the same lead layout.
that is not true at all... you have to read schematic for each model
first the pickup was soaked and then the fretboard also *smile
zebra looks really good with that guitar
I got a counterfeit guitar just like that but the pickups were just two blades and a wire covered by some plastic
This guitar seems like the perfect candidate for some GFS Surf 90 pickups and a steampunk hula girl painted on the lower bout. Maybe then give it away in a "make Ryan and Steve laugh" video contest.
But I do applaud you for cutting the pickup apart
Harbor Freight has a few good ohm/volt meters I have 2 that I've had for at least 5 years as a auto mechanic I really put them to the test........
Try a Klein Tools MM400 multimeter. Works great and measures capacitance which is helpful for guitar electronics
I say this with no intention to offend, but your hair and beard make you look like that one meme drawing. I think it's called "Yes Chad" lmao
Yes.
Buy a Fluke Meter, he was a single immigrant man that started in WA building meters and it grew to a huge business and its really best he is the one to get money from all the DMM innovations he provided
Can I have the neck pickup? I’ve been looking for a cheep microphonic pick up for a project.