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American Strat or MIM with DG20 EMGs?


quanfer

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Those were the two choices I was considering. I heard woods dont really change the sound of emgs that much so I thought that they'd sound simliar in both MIA and MIM strats. I have the choice of buying a MIM strat and putting the DG20 emg setup in it, or just getting a stock MIA standard strat for about same price... what do you guys think?

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Personally, I'd prefer the MIM with EMG's...

 

Strats have never been my favorite axe but EMGs are some of my favorite pups. I once had a MIJ Squier stuffed with EMGs that was a killer axe!

 

I'll take the dead quiet high output EMG laden MIM over the noisy ass stock MIA Strat anyday. And yeah I know all about shielding and such...

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Well now, just last week...

In my effort to downsize my strat (styled guitar)collection while I had too much time to think while I was sick for 2 weeks with penumonia. I started out with 7, 2 peavey Predators with Fender Custom Shop pickup upgrades 1ea black & white, 1 Fender players Strat with a USA deluxe neck, 1 Fender MIM with EMG DG-20 package in Midnight Wine, 1 early 80s Peavey Impact 2 in pearl white:) and a pair of 1994 Hamer Daytona's!!!

Well I now have just the Impact 2 which is a kinda historical keeper for me, the black Predator with CS 54s that really sound classic left at the son in laws, and The MIM EMG DG-20! Sounds great.

Oh yeah I also now have a Suhr Classic, rosewood neck in 2 tone burst over alder on order:) oh baby!!

But I am gassing real bad for a aged white, maple necked strat and have missed 2 in 2 days on the bay by $5 & with 3 seconds to go both times.

So I'll just have 4 when I get done instead of 7, but what a stack O strats I'll have.

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Originally posted by quanfer

guess i'll bump this cause i'm still deciding



the decision is whether i should get a MIM strat instead of a MIA, and use the money i save to get DG20s for the strat

 

 

i say you should buy a MIA strat ...and leave it stock!!!:mad:

 

they sound great, if your not a strat person, dont buy a strat, or change your amp!...but they sound great

 

dont buy the mim strat to put dg20's....

you could buy any guitar in world, if you put emg's its going to sound exactly like an emg circuit.....pre EQ'ed in the box:( ...and that sux...no wonder why many guys sound exactly the same....

 

 

another thing about mia strats is that in 20 years youl have an axe thats worth what it costed..........

 

 

 

i just dont like emg's...

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Originally posted by DEICIDEL




Then STFU about EMG's.


:rolleyes:

If you like EMG's then go for the MIM and DG20

 

Yeah if you like EMG's just put them in the guitar that feels best to you, be it US, MIM or MIJ. They're good pickups, get you a ton of tones. I personally like the noise, etc. and thought the EMG's sounded a bit sterile?

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I went through the same dilemna as you are right now. After looking for a decent MIA Strat for a few months (or yrs) I fell in love with a SE MIM Strat with an ash body. Bought the guitar, put in the DG-20, had it proffesionally set up and now have one heck of a killer axe. I say go for it! If something ever happened to this Strat I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

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thats a very personal decision

 

 

the guitars will sound very different and its all up to you man, dont let a bunch of folks here (with our many different opinions) tell you what you should have. you will be playing the guitar so it really should not matter.

 

i can see asking "which guitar/pickups are better" - then with many replies you could kind of tell which is better quality (if you get honest answers) but to ask which guitar/pickups when the 2 will make very different tones is something you alone should figure out.

 

if you want my honest opinion (and im really not trying to be a smartass, honestly) if you have to ask then maybe you dont need either. you should save up and get something you KNOW FOR SURE that you fefinately want!

 

 

having said that, pleae dont ruin a good fender with EMGs!

 

(putting on flame-retardant suit)

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Originally posted by DEICIDEL




Then STFU about EMG's.


:rolleyes:

If you like EMG's then go for the MIM and DG20

 

 

 

why can you post an opinion but he can't?

 

sounds like bullshit to me.

 

he said he doesnt like EMgs, (and i agree) and thats an opinion, his opinion. he should not shut up when this place is nothing but opinions :p

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i have fralins on my 2000 strat......and it also kicks ass;)

 

 

the thing with the emg's is not that they sound bad...its that they bypass what little tone wood/shape the guitar contributes... at the end it will sound EMG

 

being an AGILE (200) or Gibspm LES PAUL CUSTOM 3k

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Quanfer, no I was saying I unloaded 4 strats but kept the MIM DG-20 because it's a keeper, sorry I didn't get back sooner.

I think that if you can find a good used MIM you like the color / neck on for under $250 it would be a great candidate for the Gilmore set up.

Well I did get rid of 4, have the Suhr on order but was looking for a maple neck and now have a 2002 American strat in Chrome Blue "hopefully" on its way from a ebay auction wed night. I haven't heard from the seller yet and it's was paid for within 10 hrs of the end of auction, Grrr.

So I will have 4 at the house and one at the kids so I guess i will have gone from 7 to 5 oh well it sure wasn't a way to save money. But they are all completly different from each other.

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This big difference is going to be the neck, followed by the bridge, and then price of course. The MIA has a nicer neck (although MIM can be just fine), and IMO the bridge is better on the MIA as well. The wood does make a difference, but I don't think it's going to be that much so. FWIW I had the DG20 in a Delonge and it was a smokin guitar.

 

MyOtherDelonge.jpg

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The wood makes more of a difference with passive pickups because of micrephonics. It's not voodoo it's physics plain and simple. The concept of a giotar pickup si that when the strinv vibrates inside the magnetic field of the pickup, the windings produce an electrical current.

The tone wood factor is due to the mechanical transfer of vibration from the guitar wood to the pickup and the level of microphonics of the pickup.

And yes the species of wood makes a difference. It's related to the density and grain of the wood.

EMG (active) pickups ear very quiet microphonically. This is why the claim " all guitars sound the same with EMG's".

They are a victim of their own excellece so to speak. I also think Active EMG's would have been the cats meow if LEO had one of his engineers invent them.

Just the fact that they are so popular is testiment to their quality.

For Strats don't rule out Texas Specials too though.

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  • 4 months later...
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Hey Strat players,

 

Here is mine:

JapanStratfront.jpg

JapanStratrear.jpg

 

It's an '84-87 Fender Japan Strat w/ your favorite guitar pickup set, the EMG DG-20 pickup set. It's a great playing guitar, the neck is comfortable, nice, low action and the pickups are what I've been looking for in a Strat, noiseless and versatile w/ the EXG expander and SPC presence control tone modules. I'm not going to flame anyone for their choice in Strat guitar pickups because it's all a matter of personal taste and preferences. I like the EMG pickups and they work for me. Simple as that.

 

Guitar George

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  • 15 years later...
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That is too funny, I went through the exact same thing in the end I ended up buying both. First one I bought was the American made strap and have zero regrets about that. It’s been a great instrument completely versatile and sounds fantastic. I bought the Mexican meat strap two years later and upgraded the pick ups twice eventually ending up with the David Gilmour set up and found it to sound amazing as well not in the exact same way but has amazing sound.I guess all I’m trying to say is you’re going to see if half the money buying a Mexican meat strap then you’re gonna put 300 of it back for the David Gilmour set up and still have a couple hundred to spare so it’s $200 that big a deal

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