Howdy groovers.
I have a '73 Hagstrom Swede that I'm thinking of hot-rodding. Going to be used for heavy rock etc. Motorhead for example.
Biggest problem at the moment is Active or Passive pickups? I have no experience with Active PUPS but I know that Hammet, Hetfield, Campbell, Wylde and other Metal heavy-hitters use them. Anythign I should know before I go ahead and buy some?? I've heard that they aren't as versatile as passive??
I have active EMG:s and they work great for me. The biggest advantage is that they're quiet so it's very suitable for heavy rock/metal. And in quiet I mean very little excessive noise like humming when the gain is turned up.
But I would think twice about installing them in your guitar. It means you have to drill in it and make place for a 9-volt battery, and it being a vintage guitar I guess it would ruin the value of it. I would install some good quality passive pickups instead. I think they would suit the guitar better anyway.
This is just my opinion, I'll leave the expertise to someone else.
"Talent is luck. The important thing in life is courage."
I agree. It would be a shame to damage or de-value your guitar. Of course, the other pain with active pick ups is the risk of the battery failing or running low. I bet after a few gigs you will be annoyed at having to keep buying new batteries. I know I would. I would opt for some decent quality passive pick ups instead.
Learn to play guitar http://kheard.com/guitar
The battery issue is actually never a problem. As long you remember to always unplug the guitarcord you won't drain the battery. I bought my guitar three years ago i think and changed the battery one time. And it was only as a safety concern. I wanted a new battery for a gig.
The risk of breaking a string is much higher and we all bring extra strings to gigs. To change battery takes two seconds. Only had to say that so noone is discouraged by the fact that active pickups use a battery. But I would still recommend passive for the Hagström.
"Talent is luck. The important thing in life is courage."
What is it about the swede's tone you don't like? I think that would be a better starting point.
The cavity is big enough to squeeze a 9V in it, more so if you stacked the knobs. So you could do it without devaluing her. But it's your guitar, do whatever you want.
I have played some 70's/80's swede's and I want one bad bad bad. I thought the pickups were very close to a medium output PAF. I can't imagine that you couldn't get the tones you were looking for out of them with a high gain amp or pedal. Unless there is something wrong, or they ain't original.
If you think the active tone (or absence of tone) is what your looking for, you might want to consider a different ax, you can find active equipped shedders from the 80's for less than what you'd pay for a set of blackouts. I honestly couldn't suggest a better passive humbucker to try as I think the swede's pickups are damn close what some chowder heads are paying 3k a piece for. That is, if you don't have a pair of mutts or some other issue.
You might consider and active boost, EMG, SD, Bartollini, Crack potz and several other companies offer them. They replace the tone control and offer line boost without degrading the signal. They usually go about $50.
PS If you do decide to install active pickups, I will buy your pickups for whatever you pay for the retrofit.
