software

I was on EMG's site, and looked at their Accessories (active tone circuits). At first I thought: quot;hey, that's a pretty cool ideaquot;, but the more I thought about it the less of a cool idea they seem to be. I'd have to cut a big hole in my guitar to put a battery box in, then I'd have to worry about replacing batteries, and I am not down with either of those things.

So my question is: why would I want an active circuit in the guitar instead of a pedal that does the same thing? With a pedal I don't have to carve a hole in my guitar, and I can power it with an AC adaptor. Is there something I'm just not understanding about active circuits?

NOTE: I am NOT talking about active pickups. I understand the appeal of those. I am asking specifically about the booster circuits. To me, it looks like I can accomplish the same thing with either an OD pedal or an EQ pedal.

Any thoughts?

I'm planning to install an SPC on my Strat so that I can get a solo boost by simply turning a knob on my guitar. And since battery life is almost 1000 hours with the SPC, I don't have to worry about the battery part, either, I only have to make sure the SPC is in bypass mode (knob turned down) when I don't need it. It's a more simple setup than having a pedal between my guitar and my amp -- just plug and play.

^ Yeah, that's the one advantage I thought of after I posted this. I suppose it is kind of nice to have it as a knob on the guitar.

I personally prefer using a pedal for a solo boost, but I can see why the knob would be appealing.

I would like to know, however, if there are any benefits tone-wise to using an active circuit instead of a pedal.

i do not care for some of their onboard boosts like the afterburner e.t.c...As you say i prefer getting my boost from my amp, a pedal, or my volume control..........what i do like as an idea are the eq shaping accessories like the EXG and the SPC.............i am extremely curious to try a strat with the D.Gilmour system on it..................


Originally Posted by ratherdashingI would like to know, however, if there are any benefits tone-wise to using an active circuit instead of a pedal.

I guess your sound will be a little bit cleaner due to the circuit acting as a buffer when it's on.