Summer NAMM '10 - EMG Pickups Solderless Pickups w/ Rob Turner

[mcbm1991]

I feel like a lot more maintenance comes with this. A soldered connection (if done right) will last what seems like forever. I feel like you'd constantly have to get in your guitar and reconnect these (especially as they age) and clean the contacts. If the maintenance isn't increased however, this is a really great idea. Anyone tried this system with a strat?

[Biggerbyte]

There is only one problem with this kit. It is designed to be used with these EMG pickups and the like. What if we want to go solderless using another brand pickup?

[frostybob123]

@Biggerbyte you cant, no one else does it. what do you think ?

[roibasses]

Alembic did this 30 years ago...

[flowerdrop1]

EMG seems far ahead of other PUP companies

[albertos95adsr]

this is an exelent idea!!! every pickup company must do this !!!

[OodlesOfBr00tals]

would you still have to solder in a pickup selector if you wanted one in your guitar?

[JYZProductions]

@OodlesOfBr00tals its something like velcro if I heard Rob right, you attach it to the part of the control cavity you want , connect everything and you're ready to rock.

[GetnFunky]

Which on-board preamp do you guys advice to use with the EMG J set

[OzziePete1]

I have tried installing EMG89s into a guitar and found that the connectors AND the toggle switch connectors cannot fit thru the solid body channel routs underneath. Just highlighting that the system is not perfect & you have to really research what you intend to do. In some cases it is not a simple retro fit. In pre fitting set up, I also had issues with the bus board.

[JYZProductions]

@OzziePete1 is the guitar a les paul because they have taller pots you can get, i learned this when I bought a Zakk Wylde set and the pots where too big for my BC Rich so I sold them on craigslist.

[OzziePete1]

@JYZProductions The pots etc. fitted in well, the guitar is meant to be set up like a Les Paul - 1 Toggle, 2 Pickups, 2 Volume, 2 Tone. The problem lies underneath the solid top of the guitar body. The channel from the neck pickup to the control cavity was too narrow to take the sockets from the EMG 89 AND the Toggle wires. You end up cutting the 89 pickup wires, feeding thru the wires from both ends of the channel and then soldering them back once the connection is made. Not exactly solderless.

[JYZProductions]

@OzziePete1 alright I see what you mean , well funny story for the EMGs I got, the box was beat up and since it was overstock I paid 100$ for the set.. so because it didn't fit my Beast (BC Rich) I just posted it up on craigslist and made retail (i live in a big city).. well if i understand right the solution to that problem is probably widening the hole for the neck pickups cavity. but I do see what you mean, email Rob and he may take it into consideration for future generations

[ibanezplayer76]

Im the one who emailed him :)

[smashingpumpkin1986]

How does the bridge ground wire work? Does it need one?

[JYZProductions]

@smashingpumpkin1986 with actives I'm sure you don't need a ground wire , I'm sure Rob mentioned it if you want to be 100% sure.

[Paulski2610]

Awesome that EMG introduced this solderless connection systems, but most guitars have more than 1 pickup, so you'll still end up soldering the selector switch.

[Metallimeister]

This is the greatest. It was so easy to install my EMG 81/85 set.

[gorthon20]

Pronunciation: From what I hear it's Sodder in the US and Sole-der in the UK. Chill the fuck out.

Definitely throwing some EMG's into my Menace. It just looks to be the easiest way to get the metal sound I thought I was buying (damn marketing, you fooled me!)

[TheJagzy]

@gorthon20 Yeah i hear it too.The Americans say Sodder but we say Solder in Australia & everywhere else that i know its only the U.S. that say Sodder.

Weird

[emokiller17]

this is a great idea. Anyone know if the emg alx with the gain boost comes with a solderless kit? i dont have my own solder iron and plus it would just be really convenient!

[crash12512]

go emg active pickups 81/85 and 81/60

How do you make a hole for the battery in the guitar?

does the pickup come with a battery case?

[MartyCannava]

@crash12512

You don't need a hole for battery, there is enough place on the knob's cavity!

[Aaarrrggghhification]

He cant talk, its SOLDER dude not soder

[gargbaby2]

room temp 120-140?....er

[ByFaith747]

@gargbaby2

I think he was talking about Texas. haha

[deathcoresucks1]

I prefer dimarzio pickups but this is a brilliant concept

[luckieian]

Its solder not soder....

[Serialkilla84]

So how would I do this on a ESP-ltd EC??

[livepunx]

well guys now we can play on and airplane ,thumbs up.

[OzziePete1]

OK all very easy to do on a pickguard mounted pickup system. But what about the Les Paul style of guitar and how does all those sockets fit through the small channels between the pickup rout and the control cavity?

[livepunx]

omg what if want six 81s on my guitar

[linkinman48]

@livepunx Is there ROOM for 6 81's on ANY guitar? xD

[race1717]

I'm willing to have EMG 89s on both positions, with 2 push/pull volume pots and 2 control pots. I can't find any diagrams for it. What should I do to have both 89s working WITH coil-tap (one of them as a bridge pickup)?

[Explorerrule]

I'm so glad my guitar doesn't climb to 30.000 feet...

[bodom71]

@Explorerrule LOL!!!!

[whathellmfaoooooooo]

I don't get this..

So where would everything go on a Les Paul?

[muaythai4lifelife]

Then you could get solderless pots and make them wire on rhe back as left handed (If a left handed wiring is not possible with the plugs).

Btw from the instruction in .pdf seem possible....to do with those plugs.

You have to try....

[muaythai4lifelife]

@rocafella i don't know if it's possible to invert the plugs with the new solderless kit.

You have to check and try a new guitar equipped with this set up ( of course left handed ) and see the motion of the knobs.

I'd hate to use them backwards. No way!

EMG make those reversed pots!!! :)

[88SuperTrooper]

YEah Im hoping more compaines will catch on, they may sell more product the easier it is to do. and alot of people cant afford to pay someone to do it.

[r0ckUrwOrLd]

so where's the solderless capacitors too?

[LfunkeyA]

@r0ckUrwOrLd

the capacitor is already on the tone.

[masterbeat04]

it's great yeah... but it's so complicated... -.-

[xBCxRICHx1993]

@shreddernuo so u recomend it over the emg series by far? ill take your word for it and its only like 20$ more too

[xBCxRICHx1993]

@shreddernuo yeah theyll deff fit the routings and from the size of the back plate there def looks like theres enough room. im actualy putting them into my bc rich mockingbird masterpeice now. but im gonna check in in a second anyways. and is there that much of a tonal difference between the emg and the emg-x series? im getting 81/60 but idk if i should get emg or emg-x. i play alot of metalcore kinda stuff. all thatremains, killswitch engage ext ext

[xBCxRICHx1993]

@shreddernuo i fucking love you. i would give you high five right now but i cant... thank youuu :D

[xBCxRICHx1993]

i have an urgent question

i have a bc rich warlock and i wanna throw emgs in them BUT i stripped one of the posts on the tune-o-matic bridge so putting a ground would be impossssiible. i heard that since there active they dont need a ground? is this true? can someone please get back to me i reallllllly need to know!

[mapleguy900]

i feel bad for guitar repairmans... another lost to their job..

[DylanRedMusic]

but i like to solder :(

[subjulio]

God bless EMG!

[muaythai4lifelife]

What is missing are reverse log / anti logarithmics pots.

Solderless or hardwired ...

:(

For left handed guitars

[1alecxg]

@muaythai4lifelife can you still make them spin the other way or do they only spin the right handed way. cause i just bought some and im left handed.

[muaythai4lifelife]

@1alecxg i don't know with this new solderless type. with standard potentiometers, here i am talking about type A ( logarithmic pots ), you can wire them both as righ or left handed. the problem is the response you get from it... if you wire it for a lefty guitar, you have quite no range of excursion...you have the 100% of the volume ..let's say at 2 or 3 of the pot opening.... then from 3 to 10 the progression seems not to exist.

you can get Reverse log pos to resolve

[rocafella142]

@muaythai4lifelife I'm a lefty. And I have no idea what you're talking about

[muaythai4lifelife]

@rocafella142 you have to google it - it's a problem to explain it here. search reverse / anti logarithmic potentiometers

[rocafella142]

@muaythai4lifelife my guitar shop explained it to me today. im getting EMG james hetfields installed. it's pretty lame they don't make left handed soderless pots, they only come sodered. guess i just have to get use to the pots reversed.

[muaythai4lifelife]

@rocafella142 yes i'd be happy if they make them.CTS make them but only 250 or 500k, emg pups need 25k :(

[muaythai4lifelife]

or type B - linear pots if you don't mind having a different rresponse of the pot. with the EMG pots is a probelm...because they are 25k pots ... seems there is no Anti log pots at 25k :(

left handeed guitars with emg pick ups have std right handed pots wired ads lefty ( so with 100% at 2-3 of the pot)

[muaythai4lifelife]

@1alecxg let me know what connection you'll make please ;)

[ilovemywah]

i wish they'd stop calling it SODDER, it's SOLDER.... SOL DER solder.

[1alecxg]

@ilovemywah dude its spelt solder its not pronounced solder! the L is silent pretty much. if you say it with the L your gonna be the only retard in the world saying it like that.

[ilovemywah]

@1alecxg dude it's spelt solder and pronounced solder, i've no need to check, with a comment like that i already know your american, it's not called the ENGLISH LANGUAGE for nothing you know!!! bastardize it all you like, just cuz there are more queers in the US than anywhere else, don't make it right does it?

How should i pronounce Leicestershire? or Worcestershire? or Edinburgh? and don't get me started on Aluminium & Oregano, too late!!! alooominum/origano..

retard? not me...

[1alecxg]

@ilovemywah so what if im american you dumbass hah yeah all the other ones you said were right but solder? um no your completely wrong on that part.

[ilovemywah]

@1alecxg i've got no problem with you being american mate, i just knew you we're from that comment.. come on though, think about it, i'm right and you know it...there's no silent L in the word Solder, ask your english teacher...Sodder, thats funny.....

[lzsucks]

This guy is so cool :DD "This guy!"

[c0d3x5]

not sure if its answered yet, but can the 18v mod work on the bus?

[NotTheFaceBro]

@c0d3x5 Did you watch the video? They say it at 4:20 - 4:30. Lol.

[pmead082985]

Damn it! It sure would have been nice to have solderless connections when I did my hss sa/sa/81 setup!

[brucenator122]

could you add a kill switch to this??

[marineman825]

@brucenator122 yea

[kenshin3002]

Really really nice to hear this!! I always wondered why we still had solder!!

81-85!!!

[ajmambo1]

could you but these on and sg standard?could you use the active 81x pickup on the bridge and the gibson 496R pasive pickup on the neck?

[CrushedJustice]

@hockeydude192 ok that would be alot of help thx

[CrushedJustice]

@hockeydude192 so the toggles don't need wiring either? sweet!!!

[mmim4]

does it sound the same? with solderless?

[modelking100]

@mmim4

Why wouldn't it? It's the same connection. ya know. ;)

[CrushedJustice]

how long did it take for companies to get the common sense to make solderless pickups

[godlikecharacta]

how do you change between pickups? i didn't see tat as a solder less feature

[666jony666]

Mr.Mackey?

[TripleBarProductions]

Can someone explain how this hooks up with a 3 way toggle on an LP?

[HexxHenderson]

I wonder if any one sweats and pours beer all over an air plane when there rocking out!!

[Splittail01]

great idea just a real pain when i had to drill to open up the cavities so all of the cables could be pushed through, was abit of a pain to do that and to install 18v mod but not bad idea at all

[SIRONEDRAGON]

cool idea !!

[rollin37]

i ordered a 707 and soldered it in myself w/out a tone knob when i was younger. this new solder less system is pretty awesome i just wonder if sound quality changes at all...mixed feelings i do have... soldered is the sure bet for a great connection....connectors are faster...

[emgcarra]

I think this is great...!

[notyourhomeboy]

Kill-switch would be a good add on for these; for those who don't want to put holes in their guitar. Not sure exactly how that would work though...

[tokyosan1]

fast-on are not so "stable" as soildering.... they loosen up easily

[klummster88]

This is why I'm looking forward to getting my guitar fitted with this stuff...if I ever want to change my pups in the future, even if it's swapping my 81 and 85 around, this stuff is made for people like me :P

[guitarheo3]

not as durable though. i like knowing the wires are glued with solder

[taylor410ce]

taylor made solderless pickups like two years ago. hopefully everyone starts to do it.

[crash077]

@taylor410ce that would great.. I want to change my pops but all that soldering keeps me away from it.