Pickup Swap

Since I had some time to kill, I decided to swap the Dragon II pickups in my PRS Custom 22 with EMG active pickups, 85 in the bridge and 60 in the neck. You can't coil tap these particular EMGs, so I also replaced the stock 5-position rotary switch with a 3-way toggle. I want to experience the difference in active pickups vs. passive. Since the PRS is built as an innovative instrument, I figured the EMGs, which are innovations on the conventional pickup, would be a good fit. Plus they look kinda badass.

The built-in preamp on the EMGs has me intrigued. We've all heard these in action with metal bands like Metallica et al, but I have read that they also work well for hard rock and jazz. I'm banking on the increased definition and clarity.

Playing at low volumes, I notice right away that they are very quiet; no hum or buzz when strings are not played. I also noticed that they are very sensitive, picking up every little string movement. As far as tone goes, I won't really be able to tell until I crank up the amp at rehearsal this week.

What I am looking for is the signature EMG hot lead tone with lots of sustain that can make me play better than Steve Vai. We'll see how that goes.