Fender USA Tele EMG Pickups: A Review

Review: USA Fender Telecaster Using The EMG T System Pickups With Playing Examples, Installation Tips And Tricks And Dialogue

[samlelowitch]

The pickups sound terrific but what really stands out is Bobby Howe’s playing—my goodness, that’s just beautiful.

[grafforlock]

Crystal clear, great twang and brightness and completely silent. Its a trend to hate on active pickups at the moment but I would say go out and try them for yourself.

[JoaoVitor-nqbu]

Holy fucking balls, your playing and phrasing is just insane. I can't stop watching your videos. I don't even care for most of the gear, just want to hear more top notch playing, really. Keep up the amazing work!

[woodshome]

Great review, thanks. I had EMGs in a Stratocaster for years and the battery would last a year. It was totally silent and I used it primarily in a recording studio where noise can be a issue. Worth mentioning that EMGs are low impedance output so you can run long cable lengths with no signal loss and also the strings don't need to be grounded so there is no risk of electric shock.Also the volume control doesn't kill the treble reponse when it is turned down.

[lone-wolf-]

The pickups sound great! I like how you are not afraid of walking unusual paths for the sound you need: a telly with active pups for jazz...

[FantasticF]

I've got this EMG T-Set - it's brilliant. It was easy to install & has the classic Telecaster *twang* with a modern twist. The sound is *wider* and *fuller* and gets even better the more you crank it up. Thank you Bobby for the time & effort you put into this video!

[BeachJazzMusic]

Great video and wonderful playing! I've been using EMG pickups before they were EMG. For those wondering, yes this exactly the way they will sound. Whatever your amp is these pickups will do the trick. As demoed here, Bobby plays a variety of styles and they sound great for everything. They're absolutely noiseless and if you get noise using them it's something else in your signal chain. One thing that I love about EMG's is that they have a much better frequency response throughout the guitar range and have a very even response meaning that there are no soft or dead spots anywhere on the guitar. You don't have to pick one string harder than the other to get the same volume. Because they are active and use a battery there is an alternate method rather than put the battery in the guitar. EMG makes a battery box that uses either a battery or a 9V adapter with center pin negative which is what almost all pedals use. One thing I have noticed is that not all adapters will fit in the hole so if you go to a music store to get one make sure you bring the box to make sure it fits. I don't know if EMG now makes a power supply for them. You have to use a stereo cable from the guitar to the box but they also sell those as does a lot of electronic stores. Use a high quality cable and there is no loss of tone. I use the battery box exclusively because it's a lot easier to change the battery on the gig because there's a spring loaded tray that slides out to put in the battery. At home I use the 9V adapter because I like to keep the guitar plugged in because I'm too lazy to take the cable out of the guitar every time I stop playing. All this said, I highly recommended these pickups and I'm sure you'll love them.

[musicalcompanion]

Emg are secret. A ton of mostly bedroom warriors and some know it alls say all kinds things and misconceptions. But you can use EMGs for classic rock, jazz and country. im using the 57/66 in a les paul. That's some serious twang

[robertregalado]

Put these in my 87 Mij Tele. I couldnt be happier. Very articulate and dead quiet both clean and overdriven. Thanks Bobby...Great playing

[BruceH]

I have watched your video many times. I used to watch it wanting to get a telecaster, now that I own a telecaster I watch and admire the emgs and hear you talking about them.

The tone is phenomenal... 🤩

[rocporras]

So musical so surprisingly jazzy on the Telecaster and how Bobby plays the Tele so tasteful his base notes chords interchanging with the high D, B and E strings leads just giving it so much balance for Bobby is a master of the 6 strings Tele, rock on Bobby with EMG's.

[AirshipFury]

Thanks for the review! I was mulling over replacing my Seymours with EMGs cause of all the noise I'd get from playing right in front of two computer monitors. I'll likely buy a set once I've got money to spend on my hobbies again.

[bobkerr]

Hi Bobby, what a great review....perfect! Everything covered clearly, concisely and in a highly informative manner. Your extra tips were extremelt helpful and easy to follow. They will save a huge amount of timw and frustration. Many thanks!
Superb playing too!

[jwhitty]

Bobby plays us out to the end of the video with the sweetest chording ever. There is plenty music left in that guitar.

[hoersturz]

I go an eye on these pickups for a long time now and want to finally make a move to get them.
But till now never really found a good review but this one is great!
Thank you so much!

[orriolbohigas]

I have the same set and I can honestly say they are the best sounding Tele pickups I've ever played. And in 35 years I tried a lot of Tele pickups....

[tennesseefernandez]

What a nice info video! I love the sound you are getting and the playing is great too! Thanks!

[bradkauder]

You have reminded me that EMGs sound great in a Tele! Thanks....nice playing on your part too!

[wblynch]

dude can play! sounds great. love the jazz tones

[angrybuzzy]

As always an informative video, Bobby. And really nice playing!