EMG 35DC

Double humbucker. wired 18volt. Slick Black Casing. easy installing and adjusting pickups.

I replaced EMGhz on a Schecter AB-1 neck and bridge pickup. I already had a passive bass and wanted this to scream metal. Which it does.! And sound amazing no matter what style tend to play. They were a PERFECT fit.

Once installed i hooked it straight to my GK 1001rb and it blew me away. Exactly what i was looking for meaner, louder, cruncher and lower than the HZ's. with the 18volts it makes my amp reach new heaghts. besides thumping this bass at 99bmp, these pickups sound great with any other grooves i play.

had them for 2 years now and still as happy. Best upgrade i coulda made. if they broke and i kept the bass i would buy another set.

Dual Ceramic humbucking active pickup, 18-volt. Preamp seeled in the pickup.

This was the stock pickup on my Modulus SPi Sweetspot Custom. It was the only pickup on the bass. I had Modulus Quantum that had 2 of these.

This was a high output setup (I can't say high output pickup, because it was the batteries that helped push it). Tonewise, it's boomy when it has to be, and the highs can be raised to the point of annoyance. I usually have the bass tt 90%, and the treble at 60%. The EMG's tend to be more harsh then Bartolini's, but they're still really clean. I used this bass rock, jazz, blues, punk, ska, and some metal. The most versitile sound I've heard from a single pickup.

I chose this over the Bartolini's (the other optional pickup on Modulus' at he time). 13 years and still going strong. P-J configurations are a bit more versitile, but I was looking for a more of an old Aria Pro II kind of sound at the time.

Dual coil humbucker in a soapbar case, low impedance active pickup that will run on 9 or 18 volt. I followed the recommendation and wired it up for 18v.

I have been playing this fretless Wishbass for about a year with a passive humbucker, a knockoff of a Gibson EB-0 pickup, and came to the conclusion that I disliked the close string spacing required of this pickup. Though I loved the tone, very growly and aggressive. The EMG 35DC allows me to stretch out to more Fender-like string spacing of .75 inches. I also installed the EMG BQS control, which is the 3 band active EQ. (sweepable mids!) There is only one pickup on this bass, centered, but favoring the bridge position.

First off, this set up is quiet. The EMG propaganda says that they ground these things well, and that you don't need to ground the electronics to the bridge. Boy are they right. No shielding in the guitar cavities and this pu is super quiet in the same environment where other pu's hum like a power plant. They say the output level is the same with 9 or 18 volt, but that you get better headroom with 18v. The output is massive, equalled only by my Alembic. With the EQ's flat, it has a beautiful clean sound. More top and bottom than a Kent Armstrong passive humbucker (which I like very much) in another Wishbass, but sounds even across the spectrum. Sounds very much like the Gibson knockoff it replaced, only cleaner, with less growl. The three band EQ has Bass and Treble shelving, with 4 selectable frequencies for the treble shelf, and a sweepable mid, 300 to 3K. I find the voicing of the EQ to be very pleasing, useful, and musical to my ears. The sweepable mid is a monster. You can tune and crank it for aggresive overdriven sounds, or cut it for variable scooped tones. I LOVE it. (and I don't use all caps lightly!) I play through a Dean Markley mid 80's preamp, bi-amp out into a BGW stereo power amp (250 watts), driving an Ashdown mag210T and an EVM 15L in a custom cab, and I also use various Traynor Bassmasters, YBA1 and YBA1A into an EVM 15L. I play casual, Rock, blues, boogie, and art noise. I like this pickup very much. Big, clean, natural.

By natural, I mean both my fretless Wishbass's have massive laminate neck through designs. They have a wonderful, woody, organic tone. The EMG let's the gorgeous sound of this instrument come through. The pickup totally supports and enhances the natural instrument, instead of trying to impose it's will. So I imagine that one's satisfaction with this pickup would depend heavily on what you are installing it in. I am currently putting together the pieces for a custom bass, and I will be using the BQS EQ's with some assortment of the active EMG's. I am also racking my brain to see how I can upgrade my other Wishbass to EMG's without having to route it any bigger. I have a 69 Fender Jazz, which I love, but is all about that vintage Fender tone, and a 96 Alembic Epic. Alembic's pu's and electronics are legendary, and for good reason. It is hard to make a direct comparison because the instrument construction is so different, but the EMG's take a big step towards that awesome piano-like clarity of my Alembic. The only other system I considered was Bartonlini, and while I think the Bartolini pu's were pretty spiffy, I much prefer the EMG EQs. One last note, I did all the installation myself, and everything was mostly prewired, with excellent instructions, just a few solders and I was done. I am very pleased with the whole shebang.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: DC stands for Dual Coil not Dual Ceramic as one reviewer said. They are Ceramic Magnets however.

Model of guitar or bass: LTD TA-500 (alder body, 35" scale, 4 string) the exact specsof one of the basses Tom Araya uses on tour
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: EMG-HZ
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Tom Araya
You musical style(s): Metal, Death Metal, Thrash, Rock
Reason for pickup change: The HZs sounded terribly lifeless and weak.

Perceived output level: Very hot output, much much more than the HZs
Tone: Incredible Low end and very clean treble. Overall incredible clarity
Sonic evaluation: Im using this through a Trace Elliot GP-12X preamp with a QSC 1800HD powering a 4x10 and it gets the punchiest, most powerful sound I've ever heard.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup sounds amazing in the neck position and if you want clarity in your tone this will get it.

Comments: I plan on replacing my other bass' crappy HZ pickups with these soon. I've had the pickups for about 6 months and been in 2 bands since and they sound killer. I am incredibly satisfied with this pickup and I recommend it to anyone looking to make their bass sound more clear and powerful.