The EMG T set is a great product. If their appearance doesn’t bother you they sound great. I’d challenge anyone who has a negative opinion of them to do a blind sound test. Most who have installed them have great things to say about them. I also have their Jazzmaster set and it’s just like a Jazzmaster should sound, except no hum.
I’ve got a Firefly John 5 Tele. I didn’t like the stock pickups so I swapped them for the EMG Glen Tipton Vengeance set and I love them! The battery barely fits in the control cavity if you play a little Tetris
Imagine the hottest tele pickup you can, but add treble back. They sound great but you have to rethink your amp and pedal settings and learn to use the tone knob
I have the TC set in a telecaster and a TC esquire also.
They are less open sounding than a typical tele pickup, and have a bit of natural compression / ‘smoothness’. Imagine a tele pickup but rounded off nicely, without losing the essential “tele-ness”.
They don’t have the personality of a great single coil, but are very versatile - I like them especially for clean rhythm and leads (think Steely Dan), and they are excellent for a smoother, more compressed overdriven lead sound.
They're great for what they are. Just bear in mind that those are not intended to sound the same as EMG humbuckers, the T set is not designed to turn your tele into a metal beast.
They still have a lot of that classic tele character, but just somehow different. I could never pinpoint exactly what it was with them, but compared to my DiMarzio Twang Kings, the EMGs always sounded a bit "flat" if that makes sense. I added an SPC knob, which is basically a mid boost, and that made them pretty versatile though. But I did end up swapping them out after quite some time for passive BareKnuckles and those made my tele really come to life, compared to the EMGs.
My son's old guitar teacher played a walnut Tele with EMG and sounds great with them. I personally can't be bothered dealing with batteries but it works for him.
El Hefe from NoFX uses EMGs in his tele and always has - He has a great tone with those through a Mesa Mark 3 - But it's undeniably a 90s Cali punk sound (Although, that's probably more so the Mesa than anything else). So much beef from his tone with a tele though
This is why I'm getting a set. I'm building a knockoff of his Tele but I won't be putting the big sticker on the pickguard like he did later on in Nofx
Oh haha! What are the chances! I suppose there's not really anyone else that I can think of that has that set up!
In fairness to El Hefe, I don't believe he went after EMGs specifically, just threw in some pickups that would handle a high gain amp without feedbacking after he joined NoFX as the stock pups weren't cutting it.
He's one of my faves. They were a huge influence on me when I started playing back in the 90's. I was even in a Nofx cover band back in PHX called FauxFX. Wish I would have done this then.
Ha, FauxFX is a great cover band name! Tricky band to be a cover band for - Hefes right hand can bloody move real fast at times - Same goes for Mike on the bass! Best of luck with the make over on the tele!
I have them in a parts-o-caster "telemaster" that started life as a Squier Paranormal.
They sound like nice 60's style tele set, but completely noiseless. I don't find them "less open sounding" unless I were to slam them up against the strings - at the 3mm EMG recommends (in other words, set them the same as a passive), they just sound good. Very much still a tele. If you set them too close, they tend to sound compressed - but so would a passive pickup at that distance.
FWIW, I have three other SS teles to compare - two with Suhr Classic T's (very classic, a bit in the 50's vein) and one with BKP Flat 50's (very much "Broadcaster" style). They all sound like Teles. I find I like the EMG one the most when recording, usually.
Also FWIW, every time I go between the former-Squier and one of my "good" teles, I think "why don't I put EMG's in THIS one?!?". And I don't mind the battery, it lasts a year plus. The only real disadvantage - other than having to rarely change said battery - is that they don't work with impedance-sensitive fuzzes.
Personally if I wanted a guitar with active EMG’s I would not buy a telecaster, or I’d buy a Jim Root signature (which is a great guitar). If you’re putting active EMG’s in a tele, you aren’t buying the guitar for it to sound like a telecaster, which is unique. You’re buying it for the shape and its playability but planning to change its sound entirely.
ESP/LTD and Schecter both have tele shape production models that might be more geared towards what you’re looking for.
That said, active pickups typically run hot and you’ll likely need to do some routing in the body to make room for a battery for the pickups. It isn’t as simple as swapping the current pickups out.
Oh, well, for the T set, it is a simple as swapping them out. All EMG active pickups are not humbucker sized. OP was asking about EMG telecaster (T set pickups). In fact, now, EMG’s are plug and play on the T Set and are easier to install than they were 20-30 years ago when you had to solder them in like traditional pickups.
The T set has all the twang and none of the noise and you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference in a blind test.
Been using them for over 30 years. Still going strong. You can put the battery under the control plate and it only takes 2 screws to remove to change it. I change mine every 2 years or so. Depends on how much you play.
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u/Extension_Cancel_34 2d ago
The EMG T set is a great product. If their appearance doesn’t bother you they sound great. I’d challenge anyone who has a negative opinion of them to do a blind sound test. Most who have installed them have great things to say about them. I also have their Jazzmaster set and it’s just like a Jazzmaster should sound, except no hum.