We don’t sell volume or blend pots because they are specific to the pickup: each manufacturer has their own recommendations, and the physical space in different bass models make stocking all the possible combinations difficult.
Even though the LHZ preamp was designed for Spector® basses, it’s being installed in a huge variety of basses. If you are using EMG pickups, here are the volume and blend controls we recommend.
IMPORTANT: When ordering the EMG pots, be sure to order the 10mm pots (sometimes also called “Strat length” pots).
FOR ACTIVE PICKUPS
- 25k Volume Pot: https://www.emgpickups.com/parts/pots/25k-volume.html
- ABCX Blend: https://www.emgpickups.com/catalog/product/view/id/303/s/abcx/category/302/
FOR PASSIVE PICKUPS
- 250k Volume Pot: https://www.emgpickups.com/parts/pots/250k-volume.html
- ABC Blend: https://www.emgpickups.com/catalog/product/view/id/551/s/abc/category/302/
QUESTION: Isn’t the ABCX only for the X-Series?
The EMG website description is different than the information in the PDF documents regarding the Active Blend Controls. The website implies the ABCX is only for the X-Series and the ABC is for “non-X series pickups that use a standard passive tone pot.” The part in italics is critical, but often overlooked! This leads users with standard Active pickups to incorrectly choose the ABC for their installation.
To understand how these two units work with the LHZ preamp, we have analyzed the circuity to see what the differences are.
| Part | Website Text | PDF Text | Circuit Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | “designed to work with all our non-X series pickups that use a standard passive tone pot” | “used to pan between two EMG-HZ pickups, two Passive Pickups, two Active EMG Pickups, or are mixing an active with a passive pickup… output impedance of the ABC is low, so high resistance volume and tone controls will not work when placed after the ABC” | Each input goes through a buffer amp, then into a 200K blend pot. The output is intended to go into a standard tone pot using a capacitor for tone control. |
| ABCX | “designed to work with all our X series pickups that have an active tone pot” | “used to pan between two Active EMG pickups… input impedance of the B118 is designed for EMG Active Pickups only, yielding a lower noise factor and lower current drain” | Each input is connected directly to a 25K pan pot, then goes into an output buffer. The output is intended to be connect to active tone controls and preamps. |
For the best noise performance when paired with the LHZ, we recommend the ABCX for all EMG Active pickups (both standard and X-series).
To make it a little easier to decide which EMG blend to use, here’s a handy-dandy selection matrix!
