buck_weat Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) Hello everyone.. I am going to install the EMG KFK pickup set into my guitar. I saw on the EMG online instructions that the bridge should NOT be grounded when using their active pups, and was wondering if the control cavity should be shielded or not. I would prefer to go ahead and do it, but I don't want to have to reverse the process if I am not supposed to. I have not received my pickups yet, so the answer to this might be in the installation instructions. Also, I am trying to decide how I should wire them. I want this to be a rock guitar, of course, but I would also like some good clean sounds also, if that's possible. So I was wondering if I should use two tone and two volume, or one volume and two tone, use a selector switch or not, should I use the booster, etc... I know there are a LOT of different ways to do it, but I guess I'm just looking for the most versatile. I've not played a lot of different guitar setups, so I'm not really up to date on what can be accomplished. And..if this has to JUST be a rock guitar, I'll be ok with that too! I thank you all in advance for your input. And, as always, have a GREAT day ! Edited July 2, 2007 by buck_weat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Compared to shielding a guitar with single coils, shielding a guitar that has NORMAL humbuckers has minimal returns on investment. Multiply this again by a factor of 5 or so, and you'll discover that painstakingly shielding a guitar that uses EMG pickups is going to be a negligible difference at best. You'd be hard-pressed to record the difference using audio equipment and software, though you might notice "something." With the naked ear? Doubtful. As for versatility, I can't comment with a great deal of honesty. My own EMG-equipped guitar won't be with me for another several months yet. But it's worth noting that the KFK set is marketed for punishing output, etc... not for versatility. My understanding is that any EMG can clean up fairly nicely but that the clean tone has a broadband "hi-fi" kind of sound to it. I know that lots of artists use single-coil EMGs and get nice clean bell-like tones (Knopfler, Gill, Gilmour), so I can't help but imagine that even the humbuckers will clean up fairly nicely by rolling the volume back a bit. But I wouldn't personally guarantee it as I'm not the voice of experience here. I bet you could Google for a variety of terms ("EMG 81 clean" + "EMG 85 clean") and you'll find other people in the world who have asked the question and may have gotten answers. In order to ensure versatility, I would think that you should look into a additional active EQ. I've heard good things about the VMC, which is marketed for bass but which EMG themselves have confirmed for me is also appropriate for guitar. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sulzer Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 Since EMG pickups use lower value pots than passive pickups, shielding the cavity is less important. Nothing wrong with doing so; the shielding cannot hurt, and might help a little in some really bad electrical environment. Hello everyone.. I am going to install the EMG KFK pickup set into my guitar. I saw on the EMG online instructions that the bridge should NOT be grounded when using their active pups, and was wondering if the control cavity should be shielded or not. I would prefer to go ahead and do it, but I don't want to have to reverse the process if I am not supposed to. I have not received my pickups yet, so the answer to this might be in the installation instructions. Also, I am trying to decide how I should wire them. I want this to be a rock guitar, of course, but I would also like some good clean sounds also, if that's possible. So I was wondering if I should use two tone and two volume, or one volume and two tone, use a selector switch or not, should I use the booster, etc... I know there are a LOT of different ways to do it, but I guess I'm just looking for the most versatile. I've not played a lot of different guitar setups, so I'm not really up to date on what can be accomplished. And..if this has to JUST be a rock guitar, I'll be ok with that too! I thank you all in advance for your input. And, as always, have a GREAT day ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suicidecustom Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 the reason you are not supposed to ground your bridge is because of the 9 volt. if your playing and touch a mic while singing you could get a nasty shock. and its not needed with active pups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 To answer your original question with another question: "Why *shouldn't* you shield the cavity?" It won't detract from the instrument, it will only improve it although the degree won't be as great as with a passive system of course. Oh, I should read the thread before I write I guess...oops...I agree with Greg and suicidecustoms pointers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buck_weat Posted July 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Thanks everyone.. I will probably at least use the sheilding paint from StewMac to coat the control Cavity. I was just making sure that it wouldn't interfere with the operation of the pickups. I'll also look into the EQ. That sounds like an interesting option, althought at first, I'll probably just see what the pickups sound like by themselves, then go from there. I might not even hook up the gain booster at first. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go along. Thanks for all the help. This is really an AWSOME site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 In that case, if you're considering adding additive components inside your guitar which increases the gain beyond unity then definitely shield, as gain will also increase the apparent noise level. Just to be on the safe side. Plus it's good for the whole experience thing and cheap practice! :-D Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Definitely nothing wrong with shielding. Worst case scenario, you get peace of mind that it's done. If you run into noise situations, you won't blame yourself for overlooking a good shield job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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