EMG Fat 55 Active Humbucker Electric Guitar Pickup with Pots and Wiring Zebra

EMG Fat 55 Active Humbucker Electric Guitar Pickup with Pots and Wiring Zebra
EMG Fat 55 Active Humbucker Electric Guitar Pickup with Pots and Wiring Zebra - Image 2
EMG Fat 55 Active Humbucker Electric Guitar Pickup with Pots and Wiring Zebra - Image 3

Original price was: $399.00.Current price is: $359.00.

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Free pickup from our Melbourne Store at 4 Drake Boulevard, Altona VIC 3018. Your order will typically be ready by the next business day. We recommend calling us on (03) 8360 7799 beforehand to check it's ready for collection.

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EMG Retro Active Fat 55 Humbucker Guitar Pickup Set - Zebra

The EMG Retro Active Fat 55 Humbucker Set brilliantly captures the legendary tone, feel, and soul of the original 1950s Patent Applied For (PAF) humbuckers, adding the unmistakable performance reliability of modern electronics. Featuring traditional open-coil bobbins in an iconic, striking Zebra color scheme, this matched neck and bridge set is designed for guitarists who refuse to compromise. Whether you are holding down a smoky, low-key blues rhythm or pushing your tube amplifier hard for a screaming rock solo, the Fat 55 Set delivers timeless vintage character with a wide-open dynamic range.

Angkor Music Technical Evaluation: Open-Coil Alnico Dynamics Meet Retro Active Preamping

The breakthrough behind the Fat 55 set lies in its hybrid design architecture. EMG combines traditional passive Alnico magnet open-coil bobbins with a newly engineered external discrete preamp. This unique preamp leaves the natural, organic passive character and feel of the pickups untouched, but completely adapts the signal into a ultra-low impedance format. This layout ensures you get fat, warm lows and an open midrange without sacrificing any pristine high-end articulation. Best of all, it strips away the interference, ground buzz, and 60-cycle hum common to old passive pickups, giving you a completely pure classic signal path.

E-E-A-T: Plug-and-Play Bench Convenience via Complete Solderless Engineering

At Angkor Music, we highly endorse DIY-friendly component upgrades that eliminate workshop technical hurdles. The Fat 55 Set comes complete with EMG's exclusive Solderless Installation System. This extensive bundle includes active-spec 25K volume and tone pots, an integrated distribution terminal bus, and quick-connect patch cables. By completely replacing your old wiring with this drop-in active foundation, you achieve perfect volume sweeps, zero tone degradation across long cable runs, and high-reliability stage operation without heating up a soldering iron.

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Technical Specifications

  • Brand: EMG Pickups
  • Model: Retro Active Fat 55 Set
  • SKU: EMG55SETZEB
  • Pickup Type: Retro Active Humbucker Set (Neck & Bridge)
  • Magnet Material: Traditional Alnico Magnets
  • Bobbin Style: Classic Open-Coil
  • Cap/Bobbin Colour: Zebra (Black/Cream)
  • Output Impedance: Low Impedance (Preamped Signal Path)
  • Tonal Voicing: Vintage PAF-Style Warmth, Fat Lows, Transparent High-End Detail
  • System Integration: 100% Quick-Connect Solderless Harness Layout
  • Condition: Brand New

In the Box Solderless Kit Contents

  • Active Volume Potentiometers: 2 x 25k Volume Pots
  • Active Tone Potentiometers: 2 x 25k Tone Pots
  • Power Control Distribution: 1 x Onboard Battery Bus Module
  • Signal Router: 1 x Two-Pickup In/Out Connection Bus
  • Output Connector: 1 x 1/4" Stereo Output Jack (Battery isolation routing switch)
  • Mounting Hardware: 2 x Pairs of Height Adjustment Screws and Tension Springs
  • Harness Cabling: 2 x Quick-Connect Pickup Cables, 4 x Interconnect Cables, 1 x Output Cable, 1 x 9V Battery Snap Cable

Key Product Features

  • Inspired Vintage PAF Character: Faithfully delivers the touch-sensitive dynamics, natural compression, and woody chime of historical humbuckers.
  • Virtually Noiseless Performance: The low-impedance external preamp scrubs away line interference and stage lighting hum while leaving your tone fully transparent.
  • Traditional Zebra Styling: Provides a time-tested, classic custom look that beautifully accents both gloss solid-body finishes and open sunburst wood grains.
  • Dynamic Response Balance: Exceptionally linear tracking behaves just like a passive pickup, cleaning up smoothly directly from your guitar's volume pot.
  • Solder-Free Installation: Quick-clip cable terminals allow you to completely replace your guitar electronics safely and cleanly at your own desk.

Frequently Asked Questions

If these pickups feature passive character, why do they require a 9V battery?
The coils themselves are wound traditionally to preserve passive PAF tone and feel. However, the Fat 55 set includes an integrated discrete active preamp that lowers the output impedance. This preamp requires a standard 9-volt battery to drive the noiseless circuitry, allowing you to run long instrument cables without any high-frequency treble loss or signal degradation.

Can I install this set into a guitar with standard 500K factory pots?
You should replace your old factory pots with the matched 25K pots included in the box. Because the Fat 55's active preamp outputs a low-impedance signal, traditional high-impedance 500K pots will not provide a linear sweep and will cause your volume taper to act like an abrupt on-and-off switch.

How long does the 9V battery last with this Retro Active set?
Thanks to the highly efficient design of EMG's modern discrete preamps, a single standard alkaline 9V battery provides up to 3,000 hours of actual playing time. To prevent the battery from slowly draining when you are not playing, always remember to unplug your instrument cable from the guitar's input jack when resting the instrument on a stand or in its case.

 

Additional information

Weight 0.0000 kg
colour

ZEBRA
type

Humbucker
To Fit Guitar

Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar
Active/passive

Active
Position

Bridge

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