I absolutely LOVE the EMG Geezer Butler PJ set. I Installed the Geezer Butler P pick-up on my neighbor's Squire, along with a little minor fret work, a proper set up, and a set of Ernie Ball Cobalts. I returned it to him just prior to a gig where they got no sound check, so none of them heard it prior to the getting on stages. My neighbor was blown away, said it was the best bass tone he'd ever played through, and the rest of the band were floored, just shocked that the Squire was even capable of creating that king of tone. However, now I have a Geezer Butler J pickup, and I'm looking for a pickup to pair it with. I could just pair it with a Geezer Butler P pickup,. I thought about creating a J bass, by pairing it with another EMG passive J pickup, or a Nordstrand NJ4SE (I think is the model), or the Aguilar DCB J, or even another Geezer Butler J. I had heard a prototype of a Billy Sheehan signature J pickup and thought that would be an excellent pairing, but I have no idea when that is being released, and there is the possibility of pairing the Butler J with the Les Claypool P pick up that is coming out, as one of the guys at EMG whom I trust on tone said that he thought it would be a great pairing. Any ideas?
Like I said man the SJVHZ it's essentially the exact pickup that comes with the GZR P You could also go with the JHZ but you'll have mismatch covers with solid bar and open coils, another is the jv52hz which uses alnico5 and 2 coils however it would be very vintage sounding.
Damn! I'm getting this for my custom Ironbird I just had built. I bought Dimarzio DP126 P/J set for it. I bet it'll sound beyond amazing with the EMG bass expander. I also have it routed for multiple mini switches so the amount of sounds I'll be able to dial up will be really extensive. The wiring job is gonna be pricey af, though. But who cares...You get what you pay for. Super stoked!
I really appreciate these gear reviews Oliver. So this is basically EMGs version of Fender's TBX tone control? I believe that original came on the Duff McKagan basses and they are also putting in the reissue of the Boxer series. That rear-routed Holoflake body is insanely cool. And just when I thought I had kicked my Warmoth addiction...
Thank you very much! Yeah I'm trying to keep that addiction under control, but it's hard! Hah. Yeah it's a sort of active version of the TBX, though it hasn't got the passive tone option, which they should definitely include
Ive had this in my jazz bass with EMG J pickups since 2005. It is by far the highest output bass ive ever played on and just sounds amazing all I really need is an amp with a flat EQ response and you have all the tone you need right out of the bass. Will likely put it in my next bass I would like to figure out some sort of bypass to go between a passive eq and the EXB to have the best of both worlds.
Nice! I suppose the only thing that keeps from from installing this is my paranoia about the battery going out. How long does the battery last? I have an LTD with PJ pickups (precision style pickguard), so battery life is a concern.
Thanks! Hah, understandable. I've only had it for a couple of days so I'm not sure. On the instructions it says the battery should last about 1000 hours, (which would be well into 1-2 years) but I'm not sure if that's considering active or passive pickups, on some other similar gear by EMG I've even seen 3000 hours. I'd simply periodically check it with a multimeter every couple of months just to check.
Hi yeah! You can use it on any bass, as long as you can fit a 9v battery inside! There are some instructions on how to hardwire it, but they seem a bit outdated. The best way to connect it with no EMG electronics would be to use the EXB connected to the provided jack and battery, just as it should be, then the connector which needs to be connected to the volume pot needs to be cut exposing the wire and solder the black wire to ground and the white wire to the volume output. I haven't tried it but it should work, the principle is the same
It was originally a Duff McKagan signature bass, to which I replaced the body with one from Warmoth in a Holo Flake finish. But then I slowly replaced everything else too, except the neck, so now it is a totally new bass haha
Mi hai aperto un mondo, mi sa che lo metto al posto del tono sul mio aerodyne, ho paura però che non ci stia nello scomparto tutto l l'ambaradan con la batteria
Diciamo che non sono troppo amante di quel genere di schermatura e lo feci solo per praticità, molto meglio usare la vernice conduttiva. Più ordinato nel complesso