EMG 808 18 Volt Mod - Tutorial and 9 Volt Comparison

Today in Plague Scythe Studios, I'll show you how to install a second 9 volt battery in your active pickup-equipped guitar and compare how it sounds to a standard 9 volt configuration!
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Comparison Raw .WAV File: www.dropbox.com/s/4nm72ctxebw...

[@JGMBear]

This comes very handy, I really appreciate the work you've done here, filming, recording and editing all of this is no joke I know that from experience. But the results got me pretty satisfied, I currently own an Ibanez RG2228 with those EMG's and I'm thinking about getting a pair of Fishman Fluence for her. In the mean time this mod will help me save some money until I got that fluences. Thanks for the video and keep up the good work! You got 1 more sub.

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

Appreciate the support! I'm still contemplating switching the bridge pup out for a used 808X just to compare the difference, but those Fluences are beasts that I would strongly contemplate versus even Lundgrens. Hope this mod delivers some good results for you!

[@miggychan]

I appreciate the content, I personally am not a fan of active pick ups (or at least the ones that I've tried) but being a tinkerer I love seeing mods being performed on electronics, no matter how simple they may be. On my monitors it sounds like the mid range and the low end come in a bit more and smoother than before the mod. Diggin' your channel keep up the great work.

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

Glad you are enjoying the channel! Actives definitely aren't suited for everything, but I want at least one 8 string with EMGs and one with passives eventually, so I sprung for this one first. I too hear a more pronounced and less muddy low end and more crunch in the mids on the higher strings. Definitely worth the time and small investment.

[@drivinsouth651]

@@PlagueScytheStudios Thanks for giving me all the info I wanted and needed regarding making my Kirk Hammett EMG loaded pickguard/scratchplate run on 18 instead of 9 volts! Great video; thanks again for posting, and rock on!

[@nipulkradmsinatagras8293]

That Agile Interceptor Pro 828 looks awesome!

[@chrisking6695]

Your work is clean man.

[@charlesalmero331]

Good video man; glad you took the time to set it up and made a comparison for all of us. I may try this method out on my red 57/66 setup on my Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy EX, and see how that will pan out. But I honestly don't think I need that extra 9v boost on my pickups; hmmm...anyway, thanks for sharing your wisdom oh wise one. \m/

[@ritualsoundsystem]

I commented the other day about installing the 24v mod and wow, was it worth it. Instantly bought more for my other EMG pickup guitars. It's like the headroom and articulation of say Fishmans, but the feel of passives. Much more note definition, clarity, etc. Best $25 mod ever, and no need to upgrade. Btw, it makes the 808 sound a lot like my 808x

[@tonygonzalez958]

I'm really new to powered pickups. I have 81s and compared to my passives the 81s are clearer and a better tone than my passives. great info. thank you

[@zorangyenis7394]

Videogames and Heavy Metal! Subscribed...

[@JSG-mw4qr]

Definitely worth it, I'm sold.

[@SavageDarkness]

A lot of the muddy low end can be alleviated by a good pair of OD pedals. The Precision drive comes to mind.

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

+Decepticon Prime You are correct, see my review of the Fortin 33.

[@brandonmyers5340]

DireWolf is way better option/tones wise and so much better built. (I've had both and returned my PD)

[@tusharjamwal]

how about adding an EQ first thing in the signal chain?

[@riokinsey2134]

​@@brandonmyers5340which model, mate?

[@marcsee4072]

fantastic tutorial - and in few day ill post comparison of EMG 81 9v vs 18v - quite a different on attack making more usable for death metal ;-)

[@JSG-mw4qr]

It's so much more present, will give my bass that extra punch through the mix

[@cbmog7]

I totally agree but I never considered doing it with my bass (I only recently went back to the bass I have w/ active pickups so it didn't occur to me yet), thanks for the idea.

[@eddybass68]

i kind of like passives but... on my spector ns i have emg 40dc pups with a darkglass tone capsule with the 18v conversion and let me tell ya its awesome!!!!!! well done vid man

[@Julian66666666666666]

It's night and day difference if you tend to pick really hard. The moment I changed my EMG 81 to 18v I was so pleased, all the compression was gone and the overall response was tighter and the tone all around better. The recorded waveform also showed a significant difference. On 9v was really squashed and brickwalled, on 18v was really dynamic, like on a passive pickup. Now I don't even want to touch my passive guitars anymore lol

[@joelcruz2149]

I imagine upping the voltage be 18v or 24v it lifts the threshold so less compression compared to the 9v emg standard? That’s why they say they have more of a natural sound and more headroom.

[@jakelong8016]

Great video man including all the other ones on your channel - good stuff. I've got the original Ibanez RG2228 (prestige) same pick-ups and i've always struggled with them. Prior to seeing this video, I got around the majority of the muddiness and squealing high frequencies in two ways; 1) Try the neck pick up instead. I know that seems mad but; I only came accross it by accident/conincedence one day when I started playing after a few months break from the bastard and immediately I noticed something was different, good different. After messing around with my Axe Fx, Kemper, amps and pedals for a few hours (destroying 50% of my presets in the process unfortunately) I noticed the switch was in the neck position. It's not perfect i will say that, and on any other guitar I've ever owned it would be immediately noticable and intollerable with a high gain amp but in this case, It seems cause the 808's are so damn hot and shiny towards the high end (honestly, it's actully ridiculous) using the neck pick up worked for me short of buying new pick ups like you said. In addition to this, I find a 1/4 turn down on the volume knob goes a fair way to cleaning it up esspecialyl f tracking. 2) Bridge Pickup - Volume 1/4 turn down, tone knob very close to all the way 'down' but not all the way. Pots aren't a long term solution to me but considering I only record with it sparingly, It does ok. Now that we have Kempers and Cubase wizardry it's not as much of a problem compared to when i bought the thing back in 2007.

[@bearzden]

Sounded great man...my 81/60 @ 18v. is the shiznit..

[@timrussell1559]

Know this is an old vid but just picked up a guitar with emg 81 and 85''s and was contemplating whether or not i want to go to 18 volts or not. Have plenty of cavity room and the mod would be super simple. Was just wondering if there is any data out there about reducing the longevity of the pickups and electronics after adding this increased voltage. So far i've not been able to find any real information concerning that. Great vid!

[@ritualsoundsystem]

The 9v sounds more like a bass tone on the DI's. Putting the 24v in mine tomorrow and looking forward to the added dynamics

[@gadgetman2009]

Nice video , thank you

[@todda.2088]

Thanks man and good job .... not enough change IMO to do the work .

[@ColdShadeShi]

Hey! I have an Agile Septor 827... but with Blackouts. Its sound is more massive than I could wish... so, I don't think it's necessary to me. Anyway... very interesting test! Thanks for sharing it with us!

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

+Pietro Deledda Did you buy the blackouts after or did it ship with it? It might be worth a try to see if 18 Volts adds even more clarity, but if you're happy, good enough. Glad you liked the video!

[@ColdShadeShi]

I bought the version with blackouts... because I like their sound more than EMG 808... clean and distorted. But it's my taste! Ahah! I like EMG sound; I have an Explorer with 81/60. But, in this case, I chosen Seymour Duncan... Maybe, I'll try this experiment too!

[@monke148]

i tried doing this on my ibanez that has 808's but i discovered it doesn't have enought space inside for 2 9 volt batteries

[@BigMetalDaddy1301]

Well the emg 808 18 volt mod simply adds more headroom and a tighter bass response to it. When you switch to the 808xs you will definitely hear and also feel the difference. More organic, punchier and somehow more natural.

[@Bull_10RR]

808x's sound absolutely great

[@vaqmchannel2947]

You now the part when the text came up saying "you now your thinking it" I did not really think about it before that came up.

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

Haha, I'll believe you this time! Out of curious, are you a musician or just watching whatever comes out? Either way, appreciate the support!

[@SimonMedia666]

I already did this mode to my EMG 81 - it sounds better for me with 18 volts (6 String BC Rich, B - Tuning), I think i will try to do it also for my EMG 707 (& string Jackson).

[@nathanstalk1]

Hey man, been a huge fan of your channel for a while now and found this video while trying to fix an issue with my guitar. I've got the same model, just in green instead of the grey, anyway the pickups will cut out/get quiet/distort at random and for inconsistent amounts of time. Any idea what could be causing this, or better yet what could fix it?

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

Is this problem consistent across both pickups or just one? If both, I would try a different battery first. If that doesn't help, I'm still leaning towards the active element of the circuit being the culprit.

[@TheoreticalLimit]

Very interesting comparison ! The 18v creates a clearer sound. It's must be more demonstrative on a bass guitar (that's what I'm looking for).

[@redacted5035]

I can't really hear a difference at all 🥴

[@drivinsouth651]

@@redacted5035 The 18 volts was slightly louder than the 9 to my ears; not a big difference for sure.

[@Cestariarts]

Hey mate, by doing it does not fries the circuits or the pickups itself?

[@benjaminrapp7418]

I did this in my EX-400BD. Definitely night and day in person.

[@DennisFeinsteinCEO]

Damnit! My Damien Platinum 8 has 808's in it but my 9v connection is completely different. It's one of those compartments that you just pop the battery in, there's no wired connector. 😞

[@tankdarla637]

That was cool.

[@marting.official]

Does this mod work on any active 8 string pick up ?

[@spankeyguitars8457]

interesting....i did notice abit of a difference, enough to make me want to try it...

[@n.tizzle323]

good stuff :)

[@aaronhatch425]

I am Listening on my monitors and it sounds like the 18 is just a little louder. Either way thanks for the vid. I have one guitar that was 18v modded before I got it and have been considering doing it to my others.

[@shingojira116]

Two 9v batteries nice. I used battery 18650 @ 3000mAh with boost converter and a USB charger. Its works excellent. Next is adding a voltage or battery meter. Seems overkill but then again its just me 🤘

[@hectorguarin7259]

I got a question mate, our bass guitar is an active bass guitar so it means it has a 9 volt battery in it. We bought a new rechargeable 9 volt battery but it only lasts for couple of hours and we will charge it again, can we use a 9 volt adapter instead? Can we use that as a replacement for the 9 volt battery? Thanks for the answer. Pls reply quick ASAP cheers!😁

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

As in a stompbox 9V adapter? Assuming you could get the wiring right, probably. The bass circuit should only draw as much current as it needs. I would look at Fishman's rechargeable onboard battery before I did that, though.

[@ahsanyousaf4074]

Hey Ryan, I recently saw one of your newer videos in which you said that you had upgraded to Fluences. Are you still running them on 18v and is that recommended? Would love to see a video on that Cheers from Canada!

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

I'm only running the Fluences at 9V - they have so much headroom compared to EMGs that I never felt the need to double the voltage. I'm pretty certain they can handle it, but its some serious diminishing returns.

[@ahsanyousaf4074]

Plague Scythe Studios Great! How do you have them wired? Can they be wired with an extra toggle switch apart from the push/pull knob for a coil split effect? I would like to milk the shit out of their cleans because they sound SO good

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

I have them push-pull for the single coil tones, but you can also do a 5 way switch like Tosin does.

[@ahsanyousaf4074]

Plague Scythe Studios Thanks for the insight man. Rock on \m/

[@shadowflame005]

Is there any difference between this mod and just lowering your pickup height?

[@nsc217]

If there isn’t, then there definitely is when u do the mod AND lower the pickup

[@stringsattached67]

Couldn't you have just left the original 9v battery in the factory location and just added the extra one in the cavity and just solder it in a series? Just curious..

[@GODenWord]

What about EMG X and 9 vs 18 volts ?!

[@MetalHead123345]

Most people that have done 18 v and 24v mod say they barely noticed a difference with 18v but with the 24 v they noticed right away the dif

[@vector_____]

How good is this on 808X's?

[@RubyRoks]

Night and freaking day difference to my ears!

[@keski56]

HOLY FUCK. I ALWAYS KNEW JESUS PLAYED AN 8 STRING

[@pjinxhacks9568]

Put some fuzz around the hole and it will be easier to find😏 Seriously though. Could you do this on a guitar that doesn’t come with active pickups?

[@calibporteous5001]

basically the 18v mod makes it sound abit more suttle, not as much attack

[@mohitrahaman]

Glad to see CoD4 here, you play promod? :D

[@dsrecords22]

the difference is not enough, does no one use eq pedals anymore?

[@dimensionalencounter3689]

You can tell the difference it’s Sutton but the bottom end is much better, if anything the sound is richer. With distortion it fixed the muddy sound for sure.

[@AdamYoudell]

24 volt mod is the way to go. It pays for itself with longer battery life out of the 12 volt batteries. I've had 2 Energizer A23's in my 8-string for over a year and they are still testing a little above 21 volts. EMG's handle up to 27 volts

[@WGPmetallica]

Plus the little 9V sized container for the 2 12v is a super easy swap.

[@sonic-dna7742]

I WAS thinking it...

[@JohnJavierr]

look like dave franco

[@BrandonVoorhees]

You're pretty f'n funny man.

[@Krunchyjclown]

Emgs are designed to run on 18 volts. 9 volts is the minimum. More headroom equals more clarity as you stated.

[@AdamManley7]

Then why are all guitars one battery pickup by default

[@Krunchyjclown]

@@AdamManley7 most guitars with EMGs come with one battery. Wireing two nine volt batteries in series gives the pickup or pickups 18 volts. You gain more head room. Its not one battery per pickup.

[@Krunchyjclown]

@@AdamManley7 max threshold for emg pickups is 27 volts

[@nsc217]

This is great thanks. Blue is much nicer clean and red is much nicer dirty... Wtf 🤷‍♂️... Rip one battery out before the solo?

[@bumstudios8817]

I think I would just prefer to have it in parallel to have longer batterie life

[@nicholaswheeler5119]

It sounded a little more controlled if that makes any sense

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

+Nicholas Wheeler I know what you mean, it tames the lower frequencies and adds contrast between hard and soft attacks.

[@savagelocke5548]

How do you send a signal out of an input? Lol

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

+Savage Locke Misspoke there, inaccurate colloquialism lol

[@charlesdavis7725]

They also make a 24 volt mod

[@mikechecka292]

I dont know what you six stringers are on about,but we bass players have been on this for years. My Spector is set up for 18v. It doesnt boost your signal. It adds headroom. Headroom: The amount by which the signal handling capabilities of an audio system can exceed a designated nominal level. In other words,the amount you can push it until it starts clipping. I'm not sure about EMG's guitar pickups because I'm a cool cat that plays bass. I have EMG's BQC preamp and their DC & CS pickups in my Spector and any added headroom is welcome when your bass can bring about the apocalypse. There is no need to modify your guitar these days. You can buy the 24v mod which is a battery pack the size of a standard 9 volt battery and they only run about $25. I pay my tech that much to solder one wire so its inexpensive really.

[@ROOKTABULA]

"....out the OUTput jack", not the input. 😉

[@jacobmarleyghostguitar1906]

That's like at least 10% more tone. Sounds less mumbled

[@ROOKTABULA]

These are designed to run 9v which is why the difference is so negligible as to be not worth the effort.

[@Shikrar89]

The way I see is a such. You really didn't "add" really anything to the headroom that the 808 allowed to begin with. Think of it more like a tube amp with the master volume control. The more you crank it, the more "headroom" you're adding. Really what this means is that a Marshall amp already has that much head room in it, but you have to allow it to breathe first. Maybe it is just You Tube doing it's thing with the compression, but it only really sounds like you just made it louder as if you turned up a master volume allowing it to do what it already should have been able to do in the first place. I think the X series of emgs tries to do just that, however, you did it for a lot cheaper and in your own way. To put it simply, if the electronics couldn't handle it, then it would have already failed to begin with.

[@aforadventure5655]

Wow that’s a lot of strings. Why not add two more 😅. I can barely play 6!

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

You joke but they make 10 strings. I have no idea why, since there's only a couple more half steps above and below the range of an 8 that sound decent.

[@vector_____]

@@PlagueScytheStudios basically you play those like a 6 string guitar + 4 string bass

[@zagortenay3186]

Judas Priest Painkiller: best metal album of all time...am I right or am I right? :P

[@PlagueScytheStudios]

Not a huge Priest fan, though I greatly appreciate their contributions to heavy metal. Killer album for sure!

[@stephaneaudet]

Try 24 volts , the difference is gonna be more there.

[@ardillapesadilla]

I actually liked it better with 9v lol

[@SoleilGuitars]

Use solder!!!!!