New roles... No rules... Playing bass has never been more challenging than today.
EMG's family of active bass pickups are your best choice for every style and every bass.

When the electric bass was invented back in 1950, bass players were just glad to be heard! For decades, these classic designs (like their guitar brethren) remained largely unchanged. Over recent years, however, the electric bass' role has radically changed and instruments and their electronics have profoundly changed as well. Today, basses come fretted and fretless, with 4-, 5-, 6- or more strings, wide and narrow fingerboards, through-body and bolt-on necks, and exotic wood or even composite construction. Playing styles have evolved from plunking out the bottom of chord changes to lead bass and wild slap/thump styles.

These changes pose a formidable challenge to the electronics of a modern bass. Reproducing an extended range cleanly - both higher AND lower - taxes the abilities of conventional pickups. Slap-style playing creates transients of incredible magnitude and unusual harmonic patterns. Digital recording technology now regularly provides full, deep bass on a silent background that was impossible using analog LP technology. And the incredible variety of bass configurations that make new playing styles possible require advanced magnet structures and superwide configurations for full coverage of 5- and 6-string bass string spreads.

EMG's family of bass pickups addresses all these issues. Each model features a low-impedance internal preamp that delivers a crisp, clean, and even tone from your low B string to the top of the neck. EMG's specially tailored preamp EQ circuits deliver accurate tone with incredibly wide dynamic range (over 90dB).

Best of all, EMG produces a wide range of models that give you exactly the sound that you want in exactly the package that you need. EMG's P and J models are exact-size replacements for popular Precision Bass* and Jazz Bass* pickups, so you can gain EMG's advantages without modifying your instrument. There are even special models that support 5-string setups in the normal P and J cavities.

If you play a wide-neck 5- or 6-string bass, classic pickup sizes won't span your strings. For these instruments, EMG's Extended Series pickups are the perfect solution. Available in 3 widths to accomodate any instrument, the Extended Series gives you P, J, and Dual-Coil magnet structures modified for full coverage of extreme string widths. Their identical exterior appearance allows for clean appearance with full flexibility to pick your desired sound configuration. They're the perfect choice if you are modifying or having a new instrument built - just ask premium luthiers like Stuart Spector Design or Modulus Guitars who make the Extended Series pickups standard equipment on their instruments.

Technical Specs

The EMG-P is one of the most popular bass pickups ever made. Both on stage and in the studio, countless pros use it because they find its fidelity, definition, and sensitivity superior to high impedance pickups. It has a true natural presence, powerful lows, and a punchy mid-range. Designed with single-pole ceramic magnets, each side of the pickup is fully balanced for even output levels and consistent attack. In addition to the standard EMG-P Pickup, the EMG-P5 and EMG-P6 are available for use in five and six string basses respectively. The P covers standard string spacings up to 2.2"; the P5 up to 2.6"; the P6 up to 3.0". All three models have exactly the same exterior dimensions and fit in standard P pickup routing.

The EMG-J offers the Jazz Bass* player a wide range of tone selection with an accentuated mid-range. With sweeping harmonic overtones, it has marked clarity, and full bodied sound that adds new dimensions to your bass playing. In addition to its standard four string capability, the EMG-J's full-width bar magnet allows adaptation to use five strings. Recommended maximum overall string width is 2.75". Both the SJ and LJ pickups are exact replacements for standard J pickup routing and share identical electronics. The LJ is intended for use in the bridge position, and is 0.1" wider than the SJ. The J-Set includes both the SJ neck and LJ bridge pickups.

Technical Specs

Technical Specs

The EMG-JV pickups capture true vintage looks and tone in a quiet, punchy package. The JVs are the first EMG bass pickup to feature exposed pole pieces to reproduce the traditional magnetic field. It combines this with a super-quiet internal preamp tweaked for authentic tone, high output, but no buzz. Each model is an exact fit for standard J pickup routing (SJV at the neck position, LJV at the bridge). To ease installation, the JV pickups include EMG's Quick Connect cable. For use with 4-string bass only.

Featured in the groundbreaking Steinberger* L-2 Series, the EMG-HB is a bass pickup packaged in a standard guitar humbucking housing. It has strong midrange response, powerful lows and delivers a beautiful natural sound combined with higher output than conventional high-impedance pickups. Due to its split-coil, offset design and ceramic magnets, the tone is similar to the EMG-P pickup. The EMG-HB is suitable only for four-string basses with a narrow string width of 2.25 inches (57 mm) or less.

Technical Specs

EMG bass pickups are available in kits for any bass setup. Standard combinations include the EMG-J Set, the EMG-JV Set, and very popular EMG-P/J Set, pictured at left. The P/J combo excels at delivering the full powerful bottom end of the EMG-P with the midrange and high-end snap of the LJ pickup. Either separately, or in combination, the P/J combo gives you a whole new range of tones with minimal modifications to your bass. Each kit comes with volume and tone controls, and all necessary mounting hardware. If you need a customized combination or would like to add one of EMG's bass EQ circuits you can special order a combination prewired with your choice of add-ons.

EMG created the Extended Series Bass Pickups to satisfy extreme string spacing requirements on any 4-, 5-, or 6-string bass while delivering the all the responsiveness and quietness that we're known for. Of course, the most important characteristic of any pickup is tone, and this is where the Extended Series really shines. There are four unique internal pickup designs; two are based on our popular P and J designs. The third is a side-by-side dual coil model, and our newest design is the Ceramic and Steel model that adds a steel bar to the dual-coil model to refocus the magnetic field. Each design yields a distinctive tone that you can match to your instrument and needs: The P style features two offset coils that give its sound more low end with brilliant highs. The J style is a single coil design that has less low end but an expanded midrange. The J models are designed with an end-to-end magnet structure located underneath the logo end of the pickup. The DC dual coil features side-by-side coils that widen the magnetic aperture delivering a deep, full low end with slightly accentuated midrange. The CS dual coil adds a steel bar positioned above the ceramic magnets. This combo gives full, broad response with added warmth, while retaining a crisp, defined high end.

Technical Specs

There are also three different exterior housings, available in different widths to accomodate even the widest string spacings. If you've ever played a 5- or 6-string bass with an anemic low B or high C string, the problem is often that the vibration of these outer strings is partially outside the magnetic field of the pickup. Each of the different internal designs are available in each of the different housings to allow you to select exactly the tone, structure, and size you want while maintaining a clean, modern look. To help make installation quick, clean, and easy, all Extended Series pickups feature EMG's Quick Connect cable. The extended low frequency response of the active design may make you wonder why you're still playing a four string bass. You won't have to put up with a drop in volume and tone from your low B string anymore. Check out the Extended Bass Series spec page to check out the internal designs and specs of each of these models.

* Precision Bass and Jazz Bass are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments. EMG is not affiliated with Fender.
* Steinberger is a registered trademark of the Gibson Guitar Corp. EMG is not affiliated with Gibson Guitar Corp.

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