EMG PA2

preamp booster switch style 4 active or passive pup

put it in all that remains of my strat, seymour jbj full size humbucker,vol,pa2,output.

pretty good on clean boost with dist just kinda let you know uts there and i like that, brings the pickup to life and the guitar ,ill give a eight because always searching,suits my music clean ,mean n obscene yeah

yep id buy it again,been playing 4 a few yrs now,i like the switch compared to the ab i have on my jackson which can b fiddly sometimes on the fly,ibrought this because passive sucks man i use emg on all my gats but whacked togeather all that remains of my strat with a jbj ahem...which im starting 2 like also..but now i have the pa2 a way better sound,a good cheap mod id recommend, to me its like nite n day, by the way emg techs r very prompt n helpful.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: jackson soloist ( 2 ),schon NS6,&guild tele (T250 )
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: don,t know
You musical style(s): rock ,blue ,country light jazz,pop,r&b ,ect.
Reason for pickup change: THIS PREAMP MAKE ALL EMG PICKUPS COME ALIVE (THEY TEND TO HAVE VERY FLAT FREQUENCY RESPONCE).

Perceived output level: FROM 0 TO 20 DB ( I TURN IT LESS THAN HALF WAY UP)
Tone: IT ADDS CLARITY AND IF YOU TURN YOUR GUITAR VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP IT ADDS SUSTAIN &WILL OVERDRIVE YOUR AMP.
Sonic evaluation: I USE MARSHALL ( SUPER 100 TREM. (67), 2 JMP 50WATT TOP &COMBO ,FENDER SHOWMAN,61 PRO AMP,KITTYHAWK COMBO ,VOX AC30 ECT. ALL GUITARS ARE LISTED ABOVE

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: VARITIEY ( ANYTHING THAT IS CALLED FOR LIVE OR IN STUDIO )

Comments: I put the pa2 in all my guitars that have emgs can't do without it. I've been playing for over 30 yr. I love this it makes the sound &tone very consistent ( studio & live). I only hate changing batterys. (once every 6 to 9 month just incase) I only use the guitars above ( I have over 30).

Pickup features: Signal boost with low impedance output
Impedence or other specs: low

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Mustang and Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: Variety
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues and Rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to use other EMG EQ products and run low impedance guitar output

Perceived output level: As much clean gain as you could possibly want. Remember that as you increase gain you also increase that nasty single coil hum though if you are using passive pickups.
Tone: Clean gain. You can turn the mini pot adjustment al the way down for unity gain which is where I have it set.
Sonic evaluation: No change in tone it just takes your pickup output and boosts it to your desired level and converts the signal to low impedance.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues and rock.

Comments: I think the EMG EQ products are great. I needed to add this in order to use their EQ products with passive pickups. They will make custom set ups of their EQ products for you if you call them first and order it through a dealer. I find that the PA-2 works best for me in an always on mode, therefore I had them make me one without a toggle. The PA-2 adds hiss to your sound if you turn it up past unity gain. 1 point knocked off for the hiss, although most signal boost products suffer from this as well and you really don't notice it at all when you have it set to unity gain. I like the fact that my guitar is now low impedance output. I can run longer cords and multiple stomp boxes without a loss in my signal. Most electrical engineers who are musicians would agree with this concept. If you use germanium type fuzz units then the low impedance set up doesn't work well (as in it sounds crappy).

Pickup features: Active Preamp
Impedence or other specs: Low Impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Telecaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: The Artist Currently Known As Me
You musical style(s): Rock, Jazz, Blues, Alternative, some metal
Reason for pickup change: Loved the sound of my Dimarzio Twang Kings, just wanted much
more output.

Perceived output level: Definite Full Frequency Boost
Tone: n/a
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Fender Standard Telecaster with Dimarzio Twang Kings through a Jekyll and Hyde Ultimate Overdrive and an Ibanez Sonic Distortion into a Fender Deville 4x10. Like I said, I wanted something to boost the output of my Dimarzios to push my distortion boxes a little harder to get a fuller tone. (Fulltone? Maybe.) This little circuit can definitely deliver the goods. Dare I say that my guitar now has the sound and tone of a Telecaster BUT the output of a Les Paul. (There. I said it.)It boosts the overall frequency range of the pickups not just bass or mids. I'm using passive single coils so there is some noise if I hit the stomp box. But hey, if you're hearing noise, you're not playing. Clean-wise? It really enhances the nuances of your playing because the pickups are so sensitive now.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think that it's a great match for my guitar because it did what I wanted it to.

Comments: I definitely would buy this again if this one ever broke. It's inside the guitar so I'm not counting on it.
I've been playing for eight years now and have just started experimenting with active electronics. This definitely pushed my stomp boxes into the 'Les Paul' output. Like I said, it did what I wanted it to: retain the sound of my pickups but increase the output.
Check it out if you think you have 'little girlie pickups'!

Pickup features: Inline buffer preamp
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: Bought a pair of SEHG with this, hoping for a EMG-81 class
sound without all the money involved.

Perceived output level: Has the capability to give 10 times more than is neccisary.
Tone: Warms up anything I have played it through.
Sonic evaluation: Does what it is supposed to do, but introduces so much "white noise" into the signal as to make the distortion channel useless.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: The clean sound with the SEHG's was warmer, but when in the overdrive channel the "white noise" was unacceptable. I finally took it out and used it in my acoustic to boost its weak pickup and warm it up as well. This works fine since I only play it on the clean channel.

Pickup features: Active preamp booster
Impedence or other specs: low impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Lotus strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: not a pickup change
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-81 in the bridge, stock middle and neck, both with PA-2 Preamp Boosters
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: I put the preamps on my stock neck and middle single coils to be able to match the power of the EMG-81 in the bridge

Perceived output level: Increases the output and loudness of the pickup
Tone: Doesn't affect the tone of the pickup
Sonic evaluation: I am using a Lotus strat with a BOSS Metalzone distortion pedal through Charvel and Epiphone amps

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal and the preamps help to boost the power of your pickup

Comments: I bought it because I had to in order to use it with the EMG-81, I needed all my pickups to be active in order to have them work well together. The preamps didn't make as much of a differance as I thought they would, but if you put only one active pickup in your guitar, you need to put the preamps in the passive pickups so they will work correctly

Pickup features: Active gain boost switch (multi purpose)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG-565
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: NA
Other pickups on guitar: PAF-Pro, PAF
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: Not a pickup change. With correct wiring scheme, this
active gain boost can be used to convert guitars output to
Low Impedance.

Perceived output level: Can make any pickup too hot.
Tone: N/A
Sonic evaluation: I used to use EMG-81 active pickups. I took this circuit and wired
it to the output of my Ibanez. There are several advantages. I
noticed a HUGE improvement in the overall clarity of the signal.
(I think a long effects chain or long instrument cable can sa
the tone of passive syatems.) This switch allows the musician to
choose from a wide variety of passive pickups/old favs without limiting
himself to the EMG catalog: 81,85,89,S,SA. As an added benefit, there
is an adjustable 0-20db gain boost which can be switched in and out
with the toggle switch. I use just a touch of this boost to help
overdrive amp while retaining an open, PAF-ish tone. Can make any
pickup hotter than a distortion class pickup. The PA-2 is available
in toggle switch or non-toggle versions. Customer support is top notch
at EMG. Several times they have mailed me the custom wiring diagrams
that I have required.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: This unit gives me all the advantages of active pickups yet allows
me the versatility and choice of traditional pickups.
When using a significant amount of gain boost, alot of noise is added.
Used sparingly, nothing a HUSH circuit cant easily clean up.
EMG is a great company, but with this circuit, I dont need to use
any of their active pickups. Highly recomended.