VellaJ
So I'm completely new to active pickups, and I've just bought my RGA 32 from flatfourfan. I'm curious about two things in particular.
Firstly, considering the pups run off batteries, when are the batts discharging? Is it similar to a battery-run pedal, ie. discharging when the sound cable is connected to the guitar, or is there some cunning circuit that I should be aware of?
The second thing I'd like to know is AAMOI. With my single-coil Strat pups, I pick up horrendous noise from the energy-saving bulbs in my room, as well as some electronic noise if I'm facing my laptop while playing, even selecting position 2 and 4, creating humbuckers. However, on the RGA, absolutely nothing! Almost inaudible hum from the lights, and nothing from the computer. Why is this? I noticed something similar with the pickup in my acoustic...
AlanRatcliffe
The battery is switched on by inserting a cable into the jack socket.
Actives use very low impedance coils, using a preamp to get the output level instead of lots of windings. Fewer windings means the coil is less susceptible to EM interference. The low noise has always been one of their main selling points and one of the reasons heavier players like them.
Your acoustic probably has piezo pickups which don't use a coil at all - they are made of a material which converts sound pressure waves into an electrical signal.
