Members nexbot Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 I have an Ibanez RG 320 DX, for those not familiar with it, there are some pics on this auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33043&item=7318513357&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW Anyway, I'm not that familiar with the internal mechanics of guitars, but I know that I want to upgrade my pups to active ones and I know that the 9v battery has to go somewhere. Do you guys think that there is room in there for the battery and stuff? Edit: How much do techs typically charge for this type of service, i.e. replacing both pups, adding battery, etc. Even more important edit: I had a tech add a wooden block to the bridge so that it wouldn't move around, will this effect anything with regards to upgrading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VanR Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 The battery should fit in the control cavity. I've never paid anyone to install EMG's so I wouldn't know what they charge. Always do it myself. It's easy to do. You don't need a tech to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nexbot Posted April 30, 2005 Author Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Are you sure? I don't have any electronics/soldering experience and I'm nervous about opening up my baby and f*ing something up. Do the pups come with an installation guide, because I know that my guitar didn't come with an upgrade guide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VanR Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 If you are unsure then maybe you should get someone to install them for you. I have been doing this stuff for 30 years. If you buy EMG pickups they will come with the diagrams to show you how to install them. If you don't know how to solder then hire someone to install them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HEAVYMETAL Posted May 1, 2005 Members Share Posted May 1, 2005 Yes .......I have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leelee Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 I have the exact same guitar and I'm planning to install a pair of EMG89s in them tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shocker Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by VanR If you are unsure then maybe you should get someone to install them for you. I have been doing this stuff for 30 years. If you buy EMG pickups they will come with the diagrams to show you how to install them. If you don't know how to solder then hire someone to install them. BTW, I installed the 85 last night in my baritone, and WOWOWWOW what a difference. I'm gonna try the SD Live wire in something else before I get rid of it, though. It's just way too midrangey for a baritone. Thanks. The install went smooth as hell, too. With the quick connect thing, I didn't even have to install the pickup into the cavity before I soldered everything, so it left me with a lot of flexibility. EMG's wires and such are made for easy connection; and they give you all the parts. Though if it's your first active, you'll have to replace the input jack and all the pots. If you're not comfortable doing that, then take it somewhere and have it done. //S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VanR Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Glad it worked out for you Shocker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acravero Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 I have an RG520 and put EMG 85/60a in there with no problems. The 9v fits in the control cavity on top of the pots. I'm not sure if the cavity is the same size, but I would guess that it's pretty close. I usually wrap the battery in electrical tape and then a thin piece of foam (held on with a rubber band). But it fits in there just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nexbot Posted May 2, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by Shocker Though if it's your first active, you'll have to replace the input jack and all the pots. //S WAAH? Are you serious? Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leelee Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 You need to change the pots because active pickups use 25k pots instead of the usual 250k or 500k pots used for passive pickups. The input jack may or may not need changing. If your guitar has a stereo input jack then it would not need to be changed. You can tell if it's stereo or mono by looking at the amount of soldering lugs it has. If there are only 2 lugs then it's a mono, 3 for stereo. The extra lug on the stereo is needed to solder the battery clip onto, so the battery is drained only when an input plug is plugged into the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by nexbot WAAH? Are you serious? Why is that? You need to change the mono jack presently in your ibanez to a stereo jack for the active electronics. Also, the 500k pots will need to be replaced with the 25k pots. Its not a major operation, but if you are worried about doing it or have no experience in it, get a tech to do it. For me, this is a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leelee Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by satannica You need to change the mono jack presently in your ibanez to a stereo jack for the active electronics. Also, the 500k pots will need to be replaced with the 25k pots. Jon You just said exactly what I said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shocker Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by leelee You just said exactly what I said In an attempt to expand on that a bit (), the value of your potentiometer is an indicator of how much treble your pots will attenuate (bleed off) to ground. The lower the value, the more treble is bled off. 500k or higher value pots are used with humbuckers to keep them from sounding too dark or muffled or muddy, while 250k are used for single coils to keep them from being exceptionally bright. What I read from the 25k pots that EMG provides is that their guitars are exceptionally good at boosting the treble frequencies, requiring a potentiometer that will attenuate a wide range of that frequency. If you go and look at the HC review database, you'll see a couple of people who are like "This pickup is ridiculous, it's so high in treble and I can't adjust my amp for it". Those people likely didn't change the pots. If I'm being honest, aside from a little added sensitivity and a bit more output, the EMGs I use sound a lot like passives, but they have that awesome EMG tone. Hope that helps. //S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members VanR Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 EMG uses 25K pots because they use a low impedence output as opposed to high impedence such as 250k or 500K. Low impedence output will be noiseless and allow you to drive longer cables without loss of signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shocker Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by VanR EMG uses 25K pots because they use a low impedence output as opposed to high impedence such as 250k or 500K. Low impedence output will be noiseless and allow you to drive longer cables without loss of signal. Or it could be that. I should have stayed awake in electromagnetism (I hated that class ). //S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mad axe man Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Originally posted by nexbot I have an Ibanez RG 320 DX, for those not familiar with it, there are some pics on this auction:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33043&item=7318513357&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVWAnyway, I'm not that familiar with the internal mechanics of guitars, but I know that I want to upgrade my pups to active ones and I know that the 9v battery has to go somewhere.Do you guys think that there is room in there for the battery and stuff? yes there is room for a 9 volt, many a RG player uses EMG's:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nexbot Posted May 2, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Ok, ok, so the consensus is that the actives will work. Now for the next question. These pickups will be to hold me over until I get a better guitar. I was planning on having these pups installed, then buying a different guitar and switching the pups between the new one and my RG. When all is said and done, the EMG's will have been installed in two different guitars. Will this put unnecessary "stress" on the pups? Is this a stupid way of going about things? I wanted to change out the pups on the RG because I wanted to try out the actives. If I like them, then they'll go into a new guitar, but now that I know that the pots and the jack have to be changed on each guitar, I'm wondering if this will be more trouble, and $$$, than it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shocker Posted May 2, 2005 Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 Well now here is the thing... I would suggest going with something non-active and learning how to replace pickups. Even non-active pickups can make a tremendous difference in your guitar (what body wood, scale length and neck wood is your RG made of?); and learning the skills to replace one pickup, along with the tools you'll get, will allow you to extrapolate that to installing EMGs when you get your new guitar. Installing EMGs is relatively easy, compared to standard pickups (EMGs are put together to allow for a smoother install than most other passives, but your stock pickups will be wired like most passives). Replacing an input jack and potentiometers is basically turning some screws. And I recommend it because you'll make mistakes, but you'll gain a lot of experience and may find you are perfectly happy with less expensive passives (most passives are less expensive than EMGs brand new). And if not, you can get EMGs for the better guitar and save yourself the expense of having 'em moved, should you decide on the professional install. Also, pickups'll last forever provided you don't cut the lead wires too short to be used. //S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nexbot Posted May 2, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 2, 2005 My RG has a basswood body, rosewood fingerboard, and 25.5 inch neck. I would love to do all this myself, but I have no experience with electronics and soldering stuff so I'm a little apprehensive. Any links or literature you could recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leelee Posted May 3, 2005 Members Share Posted May 3, 2005 I just installed the 2 EMG89's into my 320dx. It took around 3-4 hours, but it was worth it. The tone on the guitar is completely different than before. I would suggest you buy new if you're going to try to install it urself. the newer ones have the quickclip connection and it's a breeze to install. The cavity has just enough room for the 9volt and all the excess wiring. Took a lot of work and effort, but it was fun and the results was well worth it. I would say to go for the pickup swap. Tone and fun at the same time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nexbot Posted May 3, 2005 Author Members Share Posted May 3, 2005 Do you have experience at this stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheGZeus,OnFire Posted May 3, 2005 Members Share Posted May 3, 2005 Originally posted by VanR EMG uses 25K pots because they use a low impedence output as opposed to high impedence such as 250k or 500K. Low impedence output will be noiseless and allow you to drive longer cables without loss of signal. Low impedence doesn't equal noiseless.It often equals lower noise, and certainly drives longer cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leelee Posted May 3, 2005 Members Share Posted May 3, 2005 Originally posted by nexbot Do you have experience at this stuff? Not really, just pick up the soldering gun and play around with it for like 5-10mins.. try soldering odd wires together and such. Then move on to the real soldering. Very fun DIY experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shocker Posted May 3, 2005 Members Share Posted May 3, 2005 Originally posted by nexbot Do you have experience at this stuff? At the risk of sounding somewhat tautological, none of us had or have experience dealing with this stuff before we try. I've tried, made errors, fixed other errors (my strat is down right now because of wiring issues that I don't feel like dealing with). I remember an Ibanez I had had the volume and tone set so that it only was at full volume at half-way, and either extreme acted like a tone knob, and it wouldn't cut the volume completely at all. *shrug* You live and learn. I've replaced, what, 6 pickups or so in the last 2 months, and if I had to pay for that, it would have probably been more like 2. The price you pay is errors you make, but what you gain is the ability and freedom to do what you want with your guitars. //S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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