EMG pickups was founded by Rob Tuner in 1974 in the back of his parents garage mildly tweaking and repairing electronics. It wasn’t until 1969 that the real ‘business’ of building and tweaking pickups manifested. The original business was licensed under the name Dirtywork Studios in April 1976. In 1978 the company decided a name change was in order and transistioned to calling themselves Overlend because they were overextended on credit and it sounded slick. The 80′s approached and they became EMG, Inc. and haven’t made a step back since. Many folks still question the meaning of the acronymical name, but the secret has been revealed as “Electro-Magnetic Generator!”.
The EMG 58 in particular represented a step forward in pickup design, with Turner realizing his initial dream of marrying existing pickup technology with an onboard preamp powered by battery. On top of the tonal benefits, these active pickups were designed to completely eliminate hum, reduce risk of electrical shock, and compensate for long cables, which typically degrade input signals.
The reason behind choosing EMG pickups & electronics is simple. They are just simply the easiest to install in an instrument. Each pickup & preamp features their own Quik-Connect™ header and mating cable for quick installation and removal. All of their pickup models are designed for direct retrofit on O.E models, and each pickup & preamp comes complete with every piece from wiring diagrams, pickup screws, controls, and in some cases knobs.
EMG’s mission is to be one of the most influential and undisputed technological leaders in the pickup and guitar electronics industry by creating exceptional products that empower and inspire musicians around the globe to explore and express their passion for performance.
