Active Pickup Battery life...

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Mailman1971

Mailman1971

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Been playing quite a bit the past few months. I have EMG 81/85 set in my guitar.
the notes were kinda mushy last night when playing and I am like.... :confused:
So I kept screwing around with the amp.
Didnt even think about the damn battery in the guitar!!!! :doh:
Changed it out.....(its been about 5 months since I have)
and....WOW!!! :D
Had to crank the settings back on the amp to adjust with the new battery.
Sounds like a million bucks now.
I am just going to change it once a month from now on.
Anyone else relate with me on this? ;)
 
I change mine no matter what before i gig.And i leave my cords plugged into my guitar
like a dumbass,so that helps drain the battery.
 
It has been years since I changed the battery's in my Strat (David Gilmour ~ EMG).
 
That's one reason why I modded a 7 string I had with EMGs to 18v. Not only did it have a less compressed feel to it, but the battery life was exponentially longer.
 
TheMagicEight":sgyeww82 said:
That's one reason why I modded a 7 string I had with EMGs to 18v. Not only did it have a less compressed feel to it, but the battery life was exponentially longer.
Click to expand...


At the end of my time with Active EMG pickups all of my guitars were wired to 18 volts. it made a great deal of headroom difference.
 
So does that BOOST make a big difference?
I want to get it added to my guitar. :yes:
 
Mailman1971":bychs6nz said:
So does that BOOST make a big difference?
I want to get it added to my guitar. :yes:
Click to expand...


Do you mean the EMG boost circuit or did you mean the 18 volt mod?

The EMG boost circuit is clean and loud though there are better clean boosters out there in pedal form.

The 18 volt mod can be done very easily with three battery clips from radioshack. there is no volume boost though, only an increase in headroom that makes the pickup less compressed.

see image.
 
Mailman1971":2ueabpgf said:
That seems easy enough! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

sure is,

just make sure to wire it correctly or you risk blowing up batteries or worse; killing your EMG dead!
 
moltenmetalburn":huzn8ziq said:
Mailman1971":huzn8ziq said:
That seems easy enough! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

sure is,

just make sure to wire it correctly or you risk blowing up batteries or worse; killing your EMG dead!
Click to expand...
Looks plug and play isnt it? :aww: :D
 
I've gone years without changing batteries, but I unplug my guitar every time.
 
Death by Uberschall":1948prq1 said:
I've gone years without changing batteries, but I unplug my guitar every time.
Click to expand...
I used to in the past.......
but for the past 6 months....we been playing every weekend for about 5 hours a week. So it was long over due.
Just going to change them out about once a month to get the FULL EFFECT.
Seriously.......like night and day difference once I put the fresh battery in. :thumbsup:
Didnt even think about it in the past.
 
Mailman1971":1tbjfajb said:
moltenmetalburn":1tbjfajb said:
Mailman1971":1tbjfajb said:
That seems easy enough! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

sure is,

just make sure to wire it correctly or you risk blowing up batteries or worse; killing your EMG dead!
Click to expand...
Looks plug and play isnt it? :aww: :D
Click to expand...


It is easy as long as you get the colors correct to the diagram and you MUST connect the correct one to the battery snap inside the guitar. just don't mix anything up and doublecheck and you'll be fine!
 
Regarding the 18-volt mod, for the lazy or mechanically disinclined (I fall into at least one of those two categories) this guy sells a fool-proof harness for $10 which will allow you to easily try out the mod:

https://cgi.ebay.com/18-Volt-Mod-Harness ... 5886ed73b6

Or just search eBay for 18 Volt Mod Harness.

I simply opened the battery enclosure on my guitar and was able to plug in and unplug the harness for testing purposes. I found the mod to be more noticeable on a clean channel. For a truly objective comparison, record a phrase a couple of times, one with the mod engaged, one without, and see for yourself whether the difference is substantial. It was worth the $10 to me just to safely try out the mod. I didn't have to alter my guitar at all (unless, of course, I want to make the mod permanent. The jury's still out on that one.)
 
Emg used to say that a battery could last 3000 hours.
I usually change mine once a year but I used to change them every 2 yrs. I normally unplug my guitar when I'm not using it, I bought a used guitar and the battery was in it 10 yrs and it still worked but was kinda weak.
 
metalsoup":2ck10bkk said:
Regarding the 18-volt mod, for the lazy or mechanically disinclined (I fall into at least one of those two categories) this guy sells a fool-proof harness for $10 which will allow you to easily try out the mod:

https://cgi.ebay.com/18-Volt-Mod-Harness ... 5886ed73b6

Or just search eBay for 18 Volt Mod Harness.

I simply opened the battery enclosure on my guitar and was able to plug in and unplug the harness for testing purposes. I found the mod to be more noticeable on a clean channel. For a truly objective comparison, record a phrase a couple of times, one with the mod engaged, one without, and see for yourself whether the difference is substantial. It was worth the $10 to me just to safely try out the mod. I didn't have to alter my guitar at all (unless, of course, I want to make the mod permanent. The jury's still out on that one.)
Click to expand...


This is the same as the diagram I posted.

Ten dollars for three dollars worth of parts is a bit much. If you can get the guitar open to install this mod your skill level is high enough to make the harness.
 
Is the difference really BIG between the regular 9 volt vs the 18 volt?
Worth getting that kit for?
 
Mailman1971":2036p0md said:
Is the difference really BIG between the regular 9 volt vs the 18 volt?
Worth getting that kit for?
Click to expand...
Just go to Radio Shack and pick up a 9-volt battery connector. Two wires, simple enough.
 
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