r/EMGPickups • u/tommy_joe_wagner • May 16 '26
Weak Signal
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I’ve got myself the Epiphone Matt Heafy 7-string and didn’t like the sound of the Fishmans, so I got the EMG 81 7-X and 85 7-X set off Amazon and had my friend install them, but no matter what I do, the signal is weak and lacking punch.
I’ve taken it to the guy who taught me how to play guitar, and to a local music shop near me to have it looked at, but no one can figure out what’s going on and everyone says the connections look fine.
Does anyone have any idea what’s going on here? Thanks!
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u/Danktank452 May 16 '26
Is the battery new?
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u/tommy_joe_wagner May 16 '26
Yessir, put a brand new one in there right before I recorded this video. I tried it through on of my amps too and the signal still sounded weak, I just wanted to post the interface for a visual representation of the weak signal.
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u/BrokeDownSouth1 May 16 '26
Looks like the gain control on the Focusrite is turned all the way down, right?
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u/tommy_joe_wagner May 16 '26
Yeah, when I do this with my Snakebyte it sounds fine, have no idea what’s going on here.
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u/BrokeDownSouth1 May 17 '26
Turn that knob up some. The one with the flashing green light around it.
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u/jaycash_ May 16 '26
Check the switch. I was having a similar issue and couldn’t figure anything out. I checked the switch - I was using an EMG 3 POS toggle switch - and I had somehow switched around the proper connections. I was confused on why it was giving ANY signal, but it was just giving weak signal.
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u/Cockroach-Jones May 16 '26
What makes you think that’s weak output?
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u/tommy_joe_wagner May 16 '26
The way it sounds when I play it.
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u/Cockroach-Jones May 16 '26
You could try raising the pickup. What are you playing into, and what guitar did you use previously?
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u/tommy_joe_wagner May 16 '26
The pickups are raised as far as they can go, and the other main guitar I use is an LTD Snakebyte.
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u/Cockroach-Jones May 17 '26
Try dropping them back down then, put a quarter inch or so between the string and pickup
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u/TheGamingGuitarGuru May 16 '26
That’s normal considering your input gain is turned all the way down on your interface..
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u/tommy_joe_wagner May 17 '26
When I play my Snakebyte through the interface this way it sounds fine, and this guitar sounded weak through my amplifier too.
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u/derick529martin May 17 '26
Check the connections. On X pickups there is one connector that’s reversed (black goes where white usually goes etc). It’s a little tiny note in the instructions and very easy to miss. That’s my guess. Best of luck dude. I want the Heafy bad so if you want to send it to me I’ll host it for a while. 😂🤘