EMG 40DC or EMG 40CS or Bartolini M45CBC (B and T)?

Which would you choose?

  • EMG 40DC

    Votes: 8 40.0%

  • EMG 40CS

    Votes: 5 25.0%

  • Bartolini M45CBC (B and T)

    Votes: 7 35.0%
  • Total voters
    20
Joblivion

Joblivion

Jan 30, 2020
214
119
2,871
Toronto, ON
#1
Hey Y'all,

I have an ESP LTD B5E bass guitar. I like the bass but the pickups are extremely quiet and its difficult to use a direct box while playing at my church. Im not sure if I should go with the active EMGs or the passive Bartolini's. I play both worship and gospel styles and I'm wanting a more R&B/Jazz sound. I've heard a lot of good things about the Bartolini's but I know its a lot easier to install the EMGs.

I don't have much experience with upgrades or changing pickups and I'm not sure if I should just swap pickups or change the preamp and add an extra battery as well.

What are your thoughts?
 
#2
Joblivion said:
Hey Y'all,

I have an ESP LTD B5E bass guitar. I like the bass but the pickups are extremely quiet and its difficult to use a direct box while playing at my church. Im not sure if I should go with the active EMGs or the passive Bartolini's. I play both worship and gospel styles and I'm wanting a more R&B/Jazz sound. I've heard a lot of good things about the Bartolini's but I know its a lot easier to install the EMGs.

I don't have much experience with upgrades or changing pickups and I'm not sure if I should just swap pickups or change the preamp and add an extra battery as well.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

Go with the EMG40CS or the EMG40TW. The TW is the CS but you can select a Jazz single coil configuration. The wiring is very easy with the quick connect wiring. Adding a preamp/EQ is super easy, too. The Ceramic & Steel is warmer than the DC.

My Bass has an EMG35TWX-R in the neck and an EMG35DCX in the bridge.

If you call EMG in California, they always answer the phone and are great at helping get you what you need!
 
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#3
PhatBottomBass1 said:
Go with the EMG40CS or the EMG40TW. The TW is the CS but you can select a Jazz single coil configuration. The wiring is very easy with the quick connect wiring. Adding a preamp/EQ is super easy, too. The Ceramic & Steel is warmer than the DC.

My Bass has an EMG35TWX-R in the neck and an EMG35DCX in the bridge.

If you call EMG in California, they always answer the phone and are great at helping get you what you need!
Click to expand...
So You would go with a DC in the bridge and CS in the neck. What is the difference between DCX and regular DC?
 
#4
I went with the DCX/DC in the bridge, but you could find that arrangement as having too much bite.

The X Series have a new/different preamp built into the pickups. The headroom is better and no advantage to run them @ 18v just 9v gets the same response. I would go with the X Series, too.
 
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#6
Joblivion said:
So DCX in the bridge and DC in the neck right?
Also, is it worth changing electronics from stock?
Click to expand...

I'm saying that for what you are wanting that the CS (Ceramic & Steel) style magnet material is what you need. The Ceramic & Steel is available in any soapbar pickup style EMG40 - P5, J, Dual Coil or TW that is selectable from dual coil/Jazz coil.

I would suggest, if I may, that you go with the following:

Neck = EMG40P5CS-X
(P Bass 5 string/CS magnets/X series)

Bridge = EMG40TW-R*
(Dual Coil-J Coil/CS magnets/X series AND Reverse. *J Coil when selected is the TOP COIL nearer the neck NOT the bottom nearer the bridge)

Yes; if you go with X Series you MUST have the EMG Active components. I would use an Active Blend Control that comes with ANY of the ACTIVE EQ/Preamps.

There are several ways to wire the EMG pickups. My Bass is wired as recommended for X Series pickups.

N + B EMG X Series Pickups

EMG Active Blend Control

EMG BTS (separate Bass/Treble)

EMG Master Volume

EMG Stereo Output Jack

Another is:

N + B EMG X Series Pickups

EMG Active Blend Control

EMG Active Tone Control

EMG EXB Expander EQ Control

EMG Master Volume

EMG Stereo Output Jack

There are many ways to go and EMG can and will advise you when calling them. I would have a pen & paper when you do.
 
Last edited:
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#7
Maybe this is obvious, but just a note - the EMG solderless install system is only "easy" when you use 100% their stuff from pickup to jack. If you're considering keeping your current preamp, or even just the jack, or using some other controls, you will have to solder. But that's not a bad thing, soldering is easy to pick up these days with plenty of helpful videos on youtube to teach you all the tricks you won't easily figure out yourself.

And it may also be worth mentioning that if your goal is just more output, you should double-check that your pickup height is set appropriately before replacing anything. If your pickups are miles away from the strings, they'll be too quiet no matter what brand they are. You may find that you get the higher output you want just by adjusting them. If you've never done this before, you can just raise them a little at a time until you start to get bad performance (pickups too close to the strings will start to produce a distorted, chorus-y sound - you'll know it when you hear it) and then back them off until it cleans up. That'll usually get you the optimal height in terms of maximum output without any issues.
 
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#8
dwizum said:
Maybe this is obvious, but just a note - the EMG solderless install system is only "easy" when you use 100% their stuff from pickup to jack. If you're considering keeping your current preamp, or even just the jack, or using some other controls, you will have to solder. But that's not a bad thing, soldering is easy to pick up these days with plenty of helpful videos on youtube to teach you all the tricks you won't easily figure out yourself.

And it may also be worth mentioning that if your goal is just more output, you should double-check that your pickup height is set appropriately before replacing anything. If your pickups are miles away from the strings, they'll be too quiet no matter what brand they are. You may find that you get the higher output you want just by adjusting them. If you've never done this before, you can just raise them a little at a time until you start to get bad performance (pickups too close to the strings will start to produce a distorted, chorus-y sound - you'll know it when you hear it) and then back them off until it cleans up. That'll usually get you the optimal height in terms of maximum output without any issues.
Click to expand...
I have tried raising the pup's but it still didn't do much. When I am playing with an amp I'm usually fine. The only issue I have is when I'm going in direct. Even with the amp however, the bass tends to struggle in louder situations.
 
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#9
Also one more thing to add which always made me second guess my choice is that my bass has a mahogany body so I am never sure if i should make the pickups complement this or just choose flat (eq wise) pickups.

Thoughts???
 
#13
True enough! Lol

I will definitely get on that. So just to confirm, you recommend the

40PX-5 for the neck and the 40TWX for the bridge right?

I couldn't find EMG40P5CS-X on the website and I'm guessing you could just flip the 40TWX upside-down right?
 
#14
Joblivion said:
True enough! Lol

I will definitely get on that. So just to confirm, you recommend the

40PX-5 for the neck and the 40TWX for the bridge right?

I couldn't find EMG40P5CS-X on the website and I'm guessing you could just flip the 40TWX upside-down right?
Click to expand...

Sorry, the 40PCSX IS a 5 string pickup so no "5" in the nominclature. (It's the 35P4 that has a number, not being a NARROW 5 string pickup...but I digress...)

I would NOT flip the pickup. Just tack the "-R" on the end of the 40TWX-R and there will be no problems. Same price. It's EMG's nominclature, they know what it means! Also your quick connection point will be facing the correct way!

EMG40PCSX & EMG40TWX-R

This gets Ceramic & Steel in both pickups.
 
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#17
PhatBottomBass1 said:
I would NOT flip the pickup. Just tack the "-R" on the end of the 40TWX-R and there will be no problems. Same price. It's EMG's nominclature, they know what it means! Also your quick connection point will be facing the correct way!
Click to expand...
this gets my interest...

I'm using a pair of TWX pickups on a bass and I always wonder whether the swapping the normal TWX to TWX-R on the neck pickup, which would make both pickups single coil mode run on the outer coils, would result better jazz sound.

Could you elaborate why wouldn't you recommend the flipped 40TWX and insists on the 40TWX-R?

PhatBottomBass1 said:
EMG40PCSX & EMG40TWX-R

This gets Ceramic & Steel in both pickups.
Click to expand...
and this...

why do you recommend 40TWX-R for the bridge whilst usually it is, and you wrote on earlier post that you also use, the TWX-R for the neck?
 
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#18
Aidil said:
this gets my interest...

I'm using a pair of TWX pickups on a bass and I always wonder whether the swapping the normal TWX to TWX-R on the neck pickup, which would make both pickups single coil mode run on the outer coils, would result better jazz sound.

Could you elaborate why wouldn't you recommend the flipped 40TWX and insists on the 40TWX-R?


and this...

why do you recommend 40TWX-R for the bridge whilst usually it is, and you wrote on earlier post that you also use, the TWX-R for the neck?
Click to expand...

I am using the 35TWX-R in the neck for the selectable function of having the single coil operation NEARER the neck as you observed having "both outer" single coils being used with a twin TWX situation. I also use a 35DC in the bridge.

I recommended the 40TWX-R to the OP to get the selectable single coil further from the bridge in a more 60's bridge location.

I would not install something upside down when you can just order it correctly and do it the right way the first time! (I'm funny that way...)
 
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#20
Aidil said:
Are the flipped TWX and TWX-R essentially the same (other than just the logo would be upside-down)? Or do they have different coil / magnet poles inside?
Click to expand...

The TW's have three (3) coils in there. The selection option has the extra coil UNDER the single coil being selected for a "stacked" operation for hum-cancelation.

Yes, basically, the logo is upside down. But also, the wire connection plug is possibly in an opposed direction. (Its been awhile from the last time I looked under the TWX-R in my Bass. It MAY just be upside down, too. If you turn it.)

You could/can do it if you already have the pickup. It just looks funky!
 
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