EMGs @ 18Vs

[idpmofo]

Im asking about on a guitar(not bass). Here's a couple of links for anyone wanting to know more info.

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/equipment/293799-my-emg-18v-experiment.html
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mgollihur/emgmod.html

What differences do you get out of the pups? Im sure someone here has done it.

[The Sloth]

Jameshammet/Hate event on here has done it I think.

Sorry if Im wrong mr. Jameshammmmmet.

[Metfuk]

Never tried it but I HEARD it gives you more headroom in your sound.

[ZeroEyeZero]

Metfuk wrote: Never tried it but I HEARD it gives you more headroom in your sound.

I did the 18V mod (series) on my LTD Viper 400. I'd say Metfuk's comment about headroom is correct. It does seem to give the pup's more breathing room. As most people will tell you, it's more noticeable with cleans. They seem a touch more open and warm. Crunch tones are improved slightly too...again, they seem more open To my ears the difference was subtle, but there was a difference.

If you do the mod by simply hooking up three new 9V wiring harnesses, you made no permanent change to the guitar itself and will cost about $5 (plus couple new batteries). I figured I had nothing to lose.

[Brono]

theres hardly any difference. if any.

[B1ackD3at4]

Its not really useful on guitar as much as on bass from what I've heard and been told.

[Metfuk]

If you do the mod by simply hooking up three new 9V wiring harnesses, you made no permanent change to the guitar itself and will cost about $5 (plus couple new batteries). I figured I had nothing to lose.

I think you mean two.
18V is 2 x 9 if in series (which is how it is wired).

;)

[ZeroEyeZero]

I think you mean two.
18V is 2 x 9 if in series (which is how it is wired).

Nope, Metfuk...I meant 3. One connector plugs into the existing 9 volt connector leading to the pickups and the other 2 connect the new 9V's. It's shown in one of the links in the 1st post in the thread.

Like I said, the 18V mod (for my guitar) was subtle, but noticeable. idpmofo...if you have the room to stick an extra 9v in your control cavity and want to spend 5-10 USD on the wiring and batts...I'd give the 3 connector "temporary harness" mod a shot. If you don't hear a difference, you just plug the single 9v back into the original connection, take out the 3 connector harness and have changed/hurt nothing. What is the harm?

[Metfuk]

wtf? I thought it would be as simple as this:
(it's for Duncan Livewires, but I figured the battery mod would have the same wiring as this diagram)

http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/support/schematics/livewire_1v_1t_3way.jpg

[riku]

the 18 V mod allows for more headroom in the electronics circuit. This gives a less compressed sound.
It's usually done on active bass guitars as the transient signals on a bass are much bigger than a guitar so the extra headroom really helps.
The difference on a guitar is noticable, if you know what you're listening for.

[idpmofo]

MetFuk look at the 2nd link in my first post. We're talking about using 3 connectors to avoid making any permanant changes. I may try this bc Im def. interested in improving cleans. If my lazy a$$ can make it to radio shack, I'll post my results. thanks for info.

[Metfuk]

MetFuk look at the 2nd link in my first post. We're talking about using 3 connectors to avoid making any permanant changes. I may try this bc Im def. interested in improving cleans. If my lazy a$$ can make it to radio shack, I'll post my results. thanks for info.

Yes I've seen the link.
I didn't know it was to avoid permanent changes. I just thought: Hmm, why not just rewire it with 2 batt clips?

But I see where you're coming from now.

[El Jefe]

i rock 27v in my mh400, i defintatly noticed a difference between 9v and 18v but not so much between 18v and 27v, but i had already got it all together so i said fuck it ill leave it all in there for now.

[apprentice]

Inspired by this thread, I installed the second battery in my EC1000 today....
and the difference was quite clear!!....the sound of 81 in the bridge is much fuller and warmer, just the way I like it but the biggest difference was in the neck pick-up(EMG-60): it gaved the needed extra punch for it, so "she" can sing with full breasts......thanks for that:D


but I've only played it with my cube30x at home........just can't wait to give a BIG time assrape to my ENGL savage in our practise place:hat0]:x

[idpmofo]

apprentice yw and thx. after reading your post, Im definitely giving this a try. I have a 500 with 81/60 pups and really feel the neck pup needs a boost.

[Gholdwayne]

Iv done the 18v mod on my m-1000, the 3 battery terminal one so i can easily take it off when i want to... *which i dont really want to now*...

basically yes the difference is subtle.. when i did the mod i didnt know what i was looking for, i was just listening for a difference.. what i noticed was definitely clarity, notes sound like they have more space in between each other.. most noticable on clean when your chording. each note rings more separately or just the notes stand out more. even in distortion i definitely noticed less muddiness. but now it ended up that there is no battery in the battery compartment, both batteries are in the control cavity squashed in :rollin but its ok.. i like the difference... make sure its wired in series too...

just do it!

[XY-SATAN]

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b238/XY-SATAN/emg3-1.gif

[metalhobo]

Couldn't you just use two clips and then use a third with the terminals soldered to act as a jumper in place of a second battery? Less soldering.

[The Sloth]

Id like to try hooking up 10 batterys and see what it sounds like:D

[idpmofo]

27V is max according to EMG. 10battery would surely F up your pups.

[espdood]

That's a lot of batteries! Would the bridge sound in a 2 EMG equipped guitar with the 18v. mod be equivalent to a 1 EMG equipped guitar with a single 9v.?

[idpmofo]

I finally did it and WTF TOOK ME SO LONG!?!?!?!?!?!!?!

I'd recommend ANYONE with EMGs to do this, or at least give it a try. It may not be a HUGE improvement, but its definitely noticable to my ears. I did the temp. 3-connector method, but I wont be going back to 1 battery.

One thing I noticed when doing it, the excess wiring in my LTD is rediculous. Wires, wires, everywhere. They couldve wired up 6 LTD with the amount of wire in mine.
I covered the factory terminals with piece of electrical tape and my 2 batteries are also squashed in the control cavity with all the excess wiring.

I dont see anyone accidently wiring it in parallel. Just make sure you keep the circuit going correctly. you dont wanna go from positive to negative to negative to positive. always go red-to-black or black-to-red for wiring.(unless your combining two circuits into one)

[ESPointer]

If you wire it in parallel you get 9v, just for twice as long before a change is needed.
hmm.....

So, you could have 4 BATTERIES! - two parallel with two!

uberbr00tz

[Guitarslingerans]

theres hardly any difference. if any.

Wow. You're enlightened.


-Ans-

[idpmofo]

There's a HUGE diff. imo. As Ive said, I have 60/81 set and maybe if youve got 81/81 or 85/81 there's not a big difference, but bumping to 18V has improved the sound outta my 60 pup so much that I went from considering replacing it to using it more than the bridge 81.
Im not sure why ESP hasnt just made their guitars all set up for 18V.

[Jo Neverend]

May be they'll finally do.

I've seen on EMG website that some bass pickups : 35/40DC and 35/40CS basically need 18V to deliver full power.
But it must be more complicated if you've got a configuration including a pickup needing 18V, another needing 9V and active eq needing 9V as the B-404.

[idpmofo]

May be they'll finally do.

I've seen on EMG website that some bass pickups : 35/40DC and 35/40CS basically need 18V to deliver full power.
But it must be more complicated if you've got a configuration including a pickup needing 18V, another needing 9V and active eq needing 9V as the B-404.

I dont play bass so im not sure how the EQ is wired, but Im was given the impression that all of EMGs active pups can run a 18V (up to 27V).

[SDMFPantera]

where did you buy your extra battery clips from?

[idpmofo]

Radio Shack. pack of 5 costs like $2.

[Jo Neverend]

I dont play bass so im not sure how the EQ is wired, but Im was given the impression that all of EMGs active pups can run a 18V (up to 27V).

I have 2 LTD basses : an old F-205 with EMGs-40HZ and active B-64EQ, and a Surveyor-400 with EMGs-MMTW/35P4 and active B-30EQ, both are (initially) set up for one 9V battery only.

[ScaryGuy]

this is what my truckster sounded like cleans and dirty drive the same for most of these recordings (except wheres theres more reverb *Unfogiven and the chrous *Hallowed)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=568006&content=songinfo&songID=4154415

that was done with my truckster that has the 18V mod done both tracks excuse the timing it was just a quick show of the sound i got out of it.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=568006&content=songinfo&songID=4154415

here's the same guitar (both tracks again) with cleans and slightly fuzzy sound to the dirty.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=568006&content=songinfo&songID=5490408

and here's one with the crunch channel
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=568006&content=songinfo&songID=4465631 with some reverb on one side ALOT of people told me they dug the sound of this one (honestly its OK to me) and excuse the solo lol it was done with an old M-II i dont have around anymore and frankly i sucked at the solo and i missed the acoustic one

[Bridge The Void]

I just bought 100 9v battery clips off eBay. This is going to be interesting =P

I use the 60 a lot for what I do, so I'm looking forward to this mod :D

[Rex Rocker]

But it must be more complicated if you've got a configuration including a pickup needing 18V, another needing 9V and active eq needing 9V as the B-404.

you can run all the pickups and the EQ on 18 V....

I have 2 LTD basses : an old F-205 with EMGs-40HZ

*hi five* :)

[idpmofo]

I just bought 100 9v battery clips off eBay. This is going to be interesting =P

I use the 60 a lot for what I do, so I'm looking forward to this mod :D
You'll love it.... or were you planning on using all 100 of those clips?:lol

[Lord Raptor Jesus]

Placebo effect.

Wasn't worth it in the end.

Just went back to 9V.


Allthough the 240V wall socket mod add fireworks to your tone. Literally.

[Bridge The Void]

You'll love it.... or were you planning on using all 100 of those clips?:lol

:lol Who knows...it just so happened that someone on eBay had that quantity, so at least I'll never run out

[Bridge The Void]

Right, finally got round to the ol 18v'er mod.

Dayum. I love it. Just so much more balls, and the cleans on the 60 are now heavenly. I'm officially an EMG 18v-mod preacher :D

[SDMFPantera]

Im pretty sure im gonna do it to my M-1000, how are the cleans effected on the 81s?, it would be awesome to get a great neck clean with t3h 81!

[Bridge The Void]

As I don't use the 81 in the neck I wouldn't really know. The noticeable difference with the 60 is the dynamics, it responds more like a decent passive pickup rather than having that sometimes "all output on full" when strumming with the volume all the way up. Makes fingerpicking feel a lot nicer.

[nwright]

I've used 18volts on my EMG's for a couple years and I prefer it to the 9volt tone. I don't think there is a placebo effect at all, I think it's very noticeable on cleans with the 81. If you don't play a lot of cleans or pick too hard, I think the effect of 18volts could be negligible. High gain tones could very well be augmented by the clipping preamp inside the EMG's, so I could also see how some players would think their high gain tone has suffered because of the 18 volt mod. It's all up to the player.

When I recorded my guitar tracks for our CD, I found I liked the recorded tone of 9 volts better than 18, though. I ran less gain on my guitar tracks, and the 9 volt clipping and subsequent more compressed tone kept everything a bit tighter to my ears. In a live situation, I prefer the more open sound of the 18 volts.

As with anything, it's subjective to the players needs and desires.