Members NoodleFace Posted August 29, 2007 Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 My fixed D activator was put in my guitar a couple weeks ago, best passive I've ever played for metal that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamesPeters Posted August 29, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 29, 2007 My fixed D activator was put in my guitar a couple weeks ago, best passive I've ever played for metal that's for sure. This is the one Bryan (Troublehead) owned. I'm about 50% convinced he thought it was "low output" because of how his tech accidentally cut through all the wires' jackets when he stripped the outer jacket (there was possibly a short right where all the wires exited the jacket). I also had to re-pot it in wax because it had a microphonic whine, but that was probably due to either the adjusting of a whole row of polepieces (accidentally separating some of the wax) or possibly from getting smacked around in transit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoshuaLogan Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 A Duncan JB has around 16K resistance, but its low end is one of the most loose of the higher output pickups around. A Dimarzio Super Distortion has about the same resistance, uses ceramic magnets instead, and manages to have about the same output with more focus on the lows while still sounding more "classic" (despite using ceramic magnets). The Dimarzio Bluesbucker uses ceramic magnets yet sounds like a P90. A Dimarzio Cruiser sounds like a good single coil with an alnico magnet but it has ceramic magnets. And on it goes. It's not about whether it uses certain magnets or whether it has a higher resistance specifically, but about the overall design of the pickup. So let's get to what's really troubling you and solve that: the looseness you're experiencing in your sound. Have you tried other guitars through the amp to see if that helps, or other cabs for that matter? If your guitar has a loose low end character, or if the cab is to blame, you don't want to be endlessly swapping pickups because you'd have a very low likelihood of solving your problem. how can a guitar be loose? I understand how a cab can be... it's not the cab.. honestly, I'm pretty sure it's the amp itself... the uberschall is known for having a lot of sag/having a slow attack/being loose... lowering the bass helps, but even with the bass all the way off, it's still not tight enough for what I'd like... I'm guessing the EMG's, and probably the D-activators too, are tighter because they have a lot more narrow frequency response... mostly mids... in the same way a tubescreamer tightens things up, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamesPeters Posted August 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Forget about how a pedal "tightens the sound". I don't even want to discuss that. If I want a tighter sound, I use an amp that works for it and I choose a guitar whose sound is focused enough, the end. I can understand how using a boost pedal can be desirable for getting a different sort of character from the setup, but I don't understand why people think it's a great idea for getting a "tighter sound". A guitar's lows can be loose. Boy can they ever be. Try a dozen Ibanez SZ on the rack at GC and you'll see what I mean; if you're lucky one or two of them sound focused enough for the sort of palm muting you expect with metal (I own one of these, and I had to try about 10 of them to get one that worked well for it). The same goes for many other guitars. This is why I now always try guitars before buying them. I park my ass on a chair in a music store and start swapping guitars until one of them sounds right (with a setup I'm familiar with, usually one of my own amps); I highly recommend doing the same thing. You'll also find that if you do this, you'll find "hidden gems" among the most seemingly unlikely guitar models which sound awesome. One such guitar was a Daisy Rock "Hello Kitty" guitar, which despite looking best suited to a 10-year-old girl (and deceivingly inexpensive) happened to be one of the best sounding guitars I'd tried at a local music store--out of about 50 guitars I'd tried. Most people who have problems with their guitars don't realize how important the individual cuts of wood (not just the wood TYPE overall) of the specific guitar can affect the sound, and they constantly look to things besides the guitar to fix their problem which they presume is in the amp etc. If you can eliminate the guitar as the potential problem first, you should. If you get on board with this line of thinking now, you'll save yourself a lot of hassle in the years to come, that I promise you. For one, you won't endlessly swap pickups trying to find one that's "tight enough" when it's the guitar to blame (or relying on pedals to "tighten the sound" because "that's the way to do it"). The pickups only translate the sound they receive from the guitar, so you can't remove the overall guitar sound from the equation. It can still be your amp to blame, but unless you're sure your guitar isn't contributing, don't put the blame where it doesn't belong. On that subject, I recently built myself a new 2x12 specifically for use with Vintage 30s which was smaller than the standard Avatar cab I owned...so that the sound would be more focused. The Avatar was fine with greenbacks, or a mix of V30/G12H30, but with two V30 its lows were out of control. (I don't understand how some people can even use the tall/vintage Avatar with two Vintage 30s, honestly...) I cut two inches off the height and brought in the depth about half an inch to reduce the internal volume. This cab smokes the Avatar for use with Vintage 30s, especially at higher volume. And I can actually use my Depth control on my amp now with Vintage 30s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shask Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Yeah, I will have to get me one of those eventually. The bridge. I dunno if I would like the neck. I still want to hear a D Sonic also. It sounds like this is gonna be the "EMG in a passive" answer from now on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 I'm guessing the EMG's, and probably the D-activators too, are tighter because they have a lot more narrow frequency response... mostly mids... in the same way a tubescreamer tightens things up, right? Actually, I think EMGs are pretty scooped. If nothing else, they certainly seem to have a lot of emphasis in the highs. Their lack of a very apparent midrange voicing gives me the impression that there just isn't much of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thegame Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Actually, I think EMGs are pretty scooped. If nothing else, they certainly seem to have a lot of emphasis in the highs. Their lack of a very apparent midrange voicing gives me the impression that there just isn't much of it. An EMG 81 is all about foccussed midrange. It doesn't have alot of bass or sparkely highs. Old style PAFs have much more bass and shimmery highs with a balanced midrange. If anything the PAFs are "scooped". Thats why they sound so good clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NoodleFace Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 The neck version is ok.. but it's really bright for a neck pickup, wish it was a little smoother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 An EMG 81 is all about foccussed midrange. It doesn't have alot of bass or sparkely highs. Old style PAFs have much more bass and shimmery highs with a balanced midrange. If anything the PAFs are "scooped". Thats why they sound so good clean. I wouldn't call them sparkly, but it seems to have a lot of highs to me, though not so much lows. The 85 has more lows, but still a lot of highs. I really can't think of anything characteristic of the midrange in EMGs I know very well. Other pickups may have a noticeable emphasis higher or lower in the mids when compared to other pickups, but with EMGs, in comparison, the emphasis seemed to be in the highs, causing the midrange to seem relaxed and not the defining character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoshuaLogan Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 I wouldn't call them sparkly, but it seems to have a lot of highs to me, though not so much lows. The 85 has more lows, but still a lot of highs. I really can't think of anything characteristic of the midrange in EMGs I know very well. Other pickups may have a noticeable emphasis higher or lower in the mids when compared to other pickups, but with EMGs, in comparison, the emphasis seemed to be in the highs, causing the midrange to seem relaxed and not the defining character. It has more highs because they are active and using 25K pots. The pickup itself is all mids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamesPeters Posted August 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 It has more highs because they are active and using 25K pots. The pickup itself is all mids. How would you know what the 81 sounds like when it's not being used with 25K pots, or without an active system, to say that? You realize that's like saying "it rained yesterday because it was windy". Also, your statement doesn't explain how an EMG 85 (another active pickup using 25K pots) sounds nothing like the 81 in terms of brightness or mids. It also doesn't explain how a lot of passive pickups using 500K pots are just as bright as the 81. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Matter-Eater Lad Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 You mean so both humbuckers are together at the same time? Why would that be lower output?Because it's PARALLEL, you nitwit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peavey_impact Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 how can a guitar be loose? Loose? Alnico magnet Tight? Ceramic magnet Of course there are exceptions on both sides but generally speaking this is set in stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nwright Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 My question is this... I don't know a whole lot about the d-activators, but the idea of no batteries and good tone for metal is appealing. I went through a series of pickups last year trying to find a replacement for my EMG's, as I felt like I was tired of the sound...The 3 I liked most was the Duncan Distortion, the JB and a Bill (and Becky) Lawrence L500XL. The DD was my absolute favorite, followed by the L500XL. The biggest issue I had with them was the noise factor. I never put much stock in the noise idea until I had replaced my EMG's with passives. I couldn't believe how much more cord/handling noise the passives emitted. How are D-Activators in the noise dept.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoshuaLogan Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Loose? Alnico magnet Tight? Ceramic magnet Of course there are exceptions on both sides but generally speaking this is set in stone. I said guitar, not pickups. He was talking about the guitar... as in the body, and the wood, not the pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoshuaLogan Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 I'd like to know how the duncan custom and the d-activator compare... I know James has said a few times before that he likes the custom... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 It has more highs because they are active and using 25K pots. The pickup itself is all mids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoshuaLogan Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Coming from someone who said the emg 81 is "scooped" when it's known for being all mids.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Your statement makes absolutely no sense. The PICKUP ITSELF is all mids, but it has MORE HIGHS because of the pots, which don't add anything? Ok, smart guy. Now say something clever to James' reply, since he already covered what I would have and you mysteriously ignored it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoshuaLogan Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Your statement makes absolutely no sense. The PICKUP ITSELF is all mids, but it has MORE HIGHS because of the pots, which don't add anything? Ok, smart guy. Now say something clever to James' reply, since he already covered what I would have and you mysteriously ignored it. I'm not saying it has no highs. They are fairly bright. That's what comes with using a pot value so high. A lot more treble is let in. Why do you think the manufacturers suggest changing a 250 pot to a 500 pot if you want a brighter sound? 25k is obviously going to let in more treble. I'm saying the pickup frequency is mostly mids, but yeah it has some treble too. You still sat there saying some bull{censored} about how you think they are scooped. Scooped means lots of bass, lots of treble, and very little mids... which is completely {censored}ing retarded, considering it is pretty commonly known they have a very narrow frequency range, mostly mids, which is why they are so tight and focused sounding.... yet you still had the balls to post pictures and talk {censored} when you don't have a {censored}ing clue what you're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 It doesn't mean lots of bass. Lots of bass means lots of bass. Obviously, an 81 does not have lots of bass. Scooped mids means it doesn't have a very prominent midrange, which is absolutely what I hear. If it were so "focused" in the mids in the manner you are suggesting, it'd probably sound like a wah pedal. It doesn't sound REMOTELY like that to me. yet you still had the balls to post pictures and talk {censored} when you don't have a {censored}ing clue what you're talking about. Now that's just cute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mseriously30 Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 No...this is cute. Awwwwwwwww! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 30, 2007 Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 Where the hell has Critter Cam been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JamesPeters Posted August 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted August 30, 2007 I'm not saying it has no highs. They are fairly bright. That's what comes with using a pot value so high. A lot more treble is let in. Why do you think the manufacturers suggest changing a 250 pot to a 500 pot if you want a brighter sound? 25k is obviously going to let in more treble. Is this backwards day? 25K I wouldn't necessarily refer to an 81 as "scooped" either, because I find it sounds bright but also has sufficient mids (maybe not a lot of mids, but enough). But depending on the guitar--if he hasn't used the 81 in lots of guitars--it can easily sound scooped (unlike the Super Distortion, which if anything takes a more "scooped sounding" guitar and tends to level out the frequency range). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herald of Light Posted August 31, 2007 Members Share Posted August 31, 2007 Apparently, I used a confusing word in a confusing way. Here's what I originally said: Actually, I think EMGs are pretty scooped. If nothing else, they certainly seem to have a lot of emphasis in the highs. Their lack of a very apparent midrange voicing gives me the impression that there just isn't much of it. Just act like I didn't say "scooped," and it's probably a lot less confusing. I notice I didn't qualify that in any way and just generalized in the first sentence, which I assume could be taken to mean the retardo generic bass 10 mids 0 treble 10 sound. My point still stands about them not sounding like they really emphasize anything in the mids, though. I hear their sound in the highs, whatever the hell it is I'm hearing. I know Telephant just calls it "weird highs." I can't really do much better than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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