Active Vs. Passive

[CAPTAIN SARG]

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Active Pickups And Passive Pickups?

[N3rdAl3rt]

there are many diffrerent types of active and passive pickups, it is very hard to generalize the pros and cons, just try whichever pickup you want and see how they sound

theres one con for active pickups, you have to replace the battery

[Billybobtexas]

True on the replacing the battery... but it is rated for hours and hours of play, here is some info from the EMG site:

How long does the battery last?
All EMG pickups and EQ systems are designed for extremely low current drain. In addition, the pickup jack included with all models has a switch that disconnects the battery when the guitar is not plugged in. To maximize battery life, you should always unplug your guitar when it's not in use.

The Specs Page includes current requirements and estimated battery life for each model. Generally, each pickup requires about 80 microamps (uA), except for the Vintage Series pickups which require 220 uA each. EQ circuit requirements vary widely but are higher than pickups.

For your reference, a standard 9 volt alkaline battery provides 580 milliAmpHours (mAh) of power. That means that it will provide 580 milliAmps for 1 hour or 1 milliamp for 580 hours. There are 1000 uA per mA. You can figure the approximate battery life of any setup by adding up the individual power requirements, then dividing 580,000 by this total. Here's an example:

1 - EMG-81 = 80 uA
2 - EMG-SV = 220 uA*2 = 440 uA
1 - EXG = 410 uA
--------
Total required = 930 uA

Total life = 580,000 uAh/
930 uA = 623 hours
If you left your guitar plugged in day and night, the battery should still last a month. Under normal playing conditions, you would probably be looking at changing the battery twice a year. Of course, you should treat these numbers conservatively and not try to drain every last uA out!

Also if your thinking about getting passive pickups and putting them in your guitar, keep inmind you'll need space for the battery, yes, that means routing out your precious guitar!! There are some great passive pickups out there if you are not willing to do that.

Paul
NonXistence

[ESPVIPERCAMO]

actives will really hold down tuning very well, the 81 emg keeps the sound tight even under a lot of low frequencies. Also acxtives usually have higher output, all depends on what you want to play

[ESPKH4]

all depends on what you want to play

+1

[Thrashman]

EMG's have a flatter sound that goes perfect with effect pedals etc, aswell.. But imo, they're the best pickups there is.

[Gabaj]

Active pickups tend to be of a higher output than passives. Although this will have its advantages (such as better overdrive) the advantages you will encounter may include lack of versatility. Pickups such as the 81, although excelling when it comes to distortion will struggle when it comes to clean tones.

People said that an 85/60 combination could cater for both clean and overdriven sounds, however after trying the combination out myself, I can say that they don't really match up to passives when it comes to clean sounds.

In the end its all down to personal choice really. Best thing to do would be to try out two similar guitars and see the effects different pickups have on them. For example compare an eclipse with EMG's (i'm not familiar with the current ESP line-up so forgive me on any mistakes) and an eclipse with seymours. The tone difference between the two guitars will be the difference you will find in your guitar. Of course, the tone will never be a perfect match, but at least you will have an idea of what to expect.

Or you could just bite the bullet and splash the cash and give trial and error a go.

[TheDevilHimself]

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Active Pickups And Passive Pickups?

There has been so much written on this and still there is no real clue to be gained from discussion.

MY OPINION is that if you can afford it u should just have one guitar with actives and one with passives and enjoy the best of both worlds!

[The Sloth]

These would be the pros and cons IN MY OPINION:

Active (based on EMG 81) Pros:

Clear, tight, precise sound, high output, nice treble crunch. Cut through well.

Active (based on EMG 81) Cons:

They have a battery which requires that you remember to change it. I find them to be a little fizzy in the high end sometimes. Sound a little 'sterile'.

Passive pros/cons:

They have a warmer sound. sound a little rougher and less clear and precise.

these could be pros or cons depending on what you like...


I wouldn't say one was better, they are just different. I like both but I use passive more often.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Passives are clear and precise, I don't know what are you talking about... :D

[Lord Raptor Jesus]

Passives are clear and precise, I don't know what are you talking about... :D

he said less clear. not "no clarity". re read.

[Metfuk]

I used to have EMG's in guitars and I NEVER liked the cleans form the bridge pickup. Damn it was so dry and a lot less in volume than the neck pickup that it is not very practical to play cleans at a live show.
Imagine you have to quickly switch from dist to clean, without having time to flip the toggle switch..you are fucked with a very soft clean then.
But yeah, I liked the distortion tones a lot. It is pretty tight.
And, another very positive point to EMG's (or actives in general I guess) is that they are so quiet. No fucking humming or buzzing, it's awesome!

Passives...well they can be a bit more noisy but I like the bridge pickup cleans A LOT better.

It really depends on the guitar though. I've had the same set of EMG's and the same set of Duncans in different guitars and they always sounded different in every one of them.
So never buy the story that a certain pickup sounds the same in every guitar!
I've seen and heard people saying this about EMG's in particular but it's BULLSHIT.

[Thrashman]

I agree, people say emgs sound the same in any guitar, but it is total bullcrap, dont know for how long ive heard this and gone nuts about it :|

[emg32]

I like both. I use to be almost completely EMG but now I am really starting to love passives more and more. For me EMG's have their place but just not in every guitar.

[Thrashman]

I wish I'd say the same, but.. I wanna try some livewire's/blackouts! :hat

[Gabaj]

For me EMG's have their place

omgomgomgomg You have EMGs in your nickname. Are they 81???? zomg


I wish I'd say the same, but.. I wanna try some livewire's/blackouts!

To be honest I wouldn't bother with those.

[The Sloth]

Passives are clear and precise, I don't know what are you talking about... :D

:D

[emg32]

omgomgomgomg You have EMGs in your nickname. Are they 81???? zomg

I've had that nickname for years here. I still have several guitars with EMG's but I'm starting to love passives alot more these days. Like I said, for me EMG's have their place but just not in every guitar.

I have mainly EMG 81's and 60's. I have a few 85's but they aren't in any of my guitars at the moment.

[smashandgrab1forme]

I have finally got a guitar with emg's and I love em, silent no noise, and fuck do they thump when you get into it

[espdood]

If you want better cleans, but still want that brutal distortion..why not try the 85? It's got a higher output than the 81's, but with more bass and thickness..not as trebly. I love the cleans on the 85. It's much different than the 81.

[Metfuk]

If you want better cleans, but still want that brutal distortion..why not try the 85? It's got a higher output than the 81's, but with more bass and thickness..not as trebly. I love the cleans on the 85. It's much different than the 81.

I should try that some time.
I like the 60 in the neck, but the 81 was pretty weak with cleans on the bridge in my experience so far.

[ViperPlayer187]

Metfuks right EMGs dont sound the same in every guitar. But they do add a lot of like to any guitar IMO