What do you think about this setup and another question?

Question:I have 2 guitars, a Fender Starcaster, which has 3 single coil pickups, and a Michael Kelly Patrot, Which has two Humbuckers. They both have stock pickups. I was thinking about getting EMG 81's and EMG 85's. What do you think about this setup for all kinds of rock? and also, i hear a lot about the batteries. could anyone explain things about the batts to me? thanks.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have 2 guitars, a Fender Starcaster, which has 3 single coil pickups, and a Michael Kelly Patrot, Which has two Humbuckers. They both have stock pickups. I was thinking about getting EMG 81's and EMG 85's. What do you think about this setup for all kinds of rock? and also, i hear a lot about the batteries. could anyone explain things about the batts to me? thanks.

firstly i assume the fender is a stratocaster under the starcaster brand division of fender. the actual fender starcaster is a rare semi-hollow body electric made by fender between the years 1976-1982. you should not alter one of those!

now, the pick-ups in both guitars should be ok for all types of rock and are probably more flexible than a set of active emgs.
active pickups require a power source and are chosen to provide higher output and less noise. this becomes attractive when playing highly aggresive distorted tones (like in thrash or speed metal) where the distortion is so exaggerated the noise is out of control and too noticable. also the higher output can overdrive the input of the amp to create an extra level of attack and edge.
often "dad" rockers like eric clapton choose an active pick-up to get rid of all the noise possible and have a "pure" (i my opinion boring) tone.
the power for active pick-ups is provided by a 9 volt battery that is usually mounted somewhere inside the guitar. if the guitar has not been made with this in mind then cutting and drilling can be involved and the battery can be quite difficult to access. so if you are at a gig or practice and the battery quits you gotta take out 15 pick guard screws and hope you have an extra battery!

anyway, if more aggresive tone can't be found in any amp you try actives may be the way to go - otherwise i'd stay with passive. in any case go to a guitar store and plug your guitar into an amp and then plug in a guitar with active pickups and see if you like the sound!