Members mercutioburns Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 I wanna get a new Michael Kelly Vex Deluxe or Vex NV and the former comes with EMG 81/89 and the latter has Rockfield Mafias. Funy thing is that I've never heard of Michael Kelly till my roommate somehow got a Michael Kelly Patriot instead of the ukulele he ordered from Musician's Friend. The Rockfield Mafias in it were pretty tight. Kinda made me feel crappy seeing as i just threw in some Dimarzio Drop Sonic and D-Activator X pups in my Jackson DXMG and those didn't sound as good. And they're right: once you play on an ebony neck, rosewood just doesn't feel the same. But anyway, the only experience I've had with active pups would be my low end Schecter with Duncan Designed Actives. I can see how they're not as dynamic as passives, but I like to mainly play metal with sweeps and chugging rhythms. And I know EMGs are good for metal. But there are times where I indulge in clean progressive or just simple indie stuff. I know the Mafia offers versatility, whereas the EMG could offer me metal bliss. I just don't want to end up a couple of months later wishing I had the other. Thing is, I could either A) get the Deluxe with EMGs for $580 or B) get the NV with Mafias for $700. If I did go with the EMGs, how hard is it to change it out to passives? And vice versa, from passives to active? I'm playing through a Zoom G9tt, PODXT Live, bypassing the preamp of my Crate GT212. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petejt Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 Passive all the way. Suhr Doug Aldrich slay EMGs especially. They're hot pickups but suit heaps other musical styles so well, definitely not a one-trick pony. They're so articulate & defined! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 I'd heard a few rave reviews about the Rockfield lineup a few months ago and was considering getting a set sometime down the line. Little did I know that the OLP MM1FR I bought a few years ago had a set in them already. I don't know what set they are so I can't comment on them in regards to the mafia pickups. What I can say is that the guitar had serious fret buzzing issues (several dead spots), a cheap floyd rose that I couldn't intonate, a flakey spot on the headstock and the bridge pickup looked crooked and like it was going to fall out. I kept the damn thing because I plugged it in and was completely blown away by the tone. I didn't touch the damn pickup for months because I was worried that it would mess the tone up! A fret level and some minor repairing and tweaking to the floyd to stabilize it and I wouldn't swap those pickups out for ANYTHING else out there. And I've been kind of on a pickup swapping craze the last year or so as well. I did finally get the bridge pickup adjusted and it didn't ruin the sound. I wouldn't even consider an EMG active set because they aren't my thing and I am not a huge MK fan, but when I saw they had Rockfields in them I was really impressed with the idea. Not the most expensive or well known pickups in the world, but it showed me that MK was building stuff based on tone and quality parts. I'm sure they could have had some cheaper pickups made to just slap in there like so many other imports. Its not even a choice IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members donsimon76 Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 I haven't played the Rockfield Mafia pickups but I can attest that their line of pickups are pretty sweet. I have a SWC (Select Wound Custom) in a Schecter C-1 Elite and a SWV (Select Wound Vintage) in a Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top. I have been thrilled with them. The SWC's were a million times better than the Duncan Designed pickups that were in it. They sound nice clean and have a nice tight overdrive sound. I also like how they sound split. I have an EMG set in an Ibanez SZ520 and I have found myself using the Schecter with the Rockfields more. They just have more character to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ten56gibby Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 Passive. I just don't see the point in active pickups. The idea of a guitar's tone fading over time as the power of the 9v fades just doesn't seem at all desirable. So you get ideal tone for a few hours then it's slowly worse and worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr JinX Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 Passive. I just don't see the point in active pickups. The idea of a guitar's tone fading over time as the power of the 9v fades just doesn't seem at all desirable. So you get ideal tone for a few hours then it's slowly worse and worse? if by a few hours you mean like 3000 then sure I have a guitar with and 81/60 set, and they cant be beat for high gain metal chugging I have other guitars with passives and the difference isnt THAT huge, the emgs are just quieter and sound better if you want a tight gain sound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peavey_impact Posted October 28, 2008 Members Share Posted October 28, 2008 If you already know you like the tightness of actives, I think you should go with that. In addition, the EMG 89 is a splittable pickup offering you that extra versatility for the lighter stuff. I wish I could order a ukulele and get a MK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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