Do EMG 81/85 Active Pick-ups require a battery?

Question

Do EMG 81/85 Active Pick-ups require a battery?

Answer 1

they sure do!  it's just a nine volt battery, and it is usually very easy to change, you just have to unscrew a little plate on the back of the guitar.  I have 85s in one of my seven strings, and I don't even change the batteries once in a year.  they last a very long time.  If you are trying to play metal, EMGs are the way to go, but they are not very good for much else.

Answer 2

Yes, they do, and I don't like them. They compress the sound a little too much, and tend to overshadow a guitar's unique sound. My observation is that a guitar with EMG's sounds like every other guitar with EMGs.

If you like that tone, well, there you go. I don't want to sound like everyone else, so it's not for me. I'd rather have an onboard preamp and use passive pickups.

When I used EMGs, I changed them every 3 months or so. I played a lot, and I gigged, so I couldn't afford the possibility of them running out. When they did start to sound bad, they got changed.

The biggest way to notice was that the bass end started to go - either it got fuzzy or it began to disappear. Technically the battery's got plenty of life left in it, but I'm a dang stickler.

I can't believe someone got theirs to last for a year.... either they don't play much at all, or I really played it like a maniac.

Then again, maybe I left it plugged in once or twice.... I'm so absent-minded some times....

Saul

Answer 3

Yes, they do. They're active.

http://www.emginc.com/displayproducts.as...

Click in Technical Specifications .