EMG 81's vs Invaders

Soundguy213

New member
hey guys,

i have been reading alot of the forums and doing alot of testing. Getting back into the swing of things. Most of the stuff ive been looking at its , of course, tone.
Its great reading everyones info on setups, amps, mics, diff guitars etc.

But here is a question.

I have been testing 2 of my guitars for metal tones. I have an ESP Ecplise II with EMG 81 in the bridge and a Jackson RR with original Invaders (i switched out the stock Duncan Design for the real ones).

Now, with the same exact amp settings

Peavey 5150 II

Gain= 11 oclock
Bass= 11 oclock
Mids= 12 oclock
treble= 1 oclock
reso= 11:30ish
Pres=1 oclock

i was surprised to note that the Invaders were punchy-er, had more gain, and way more bite
the EMG's seems almost tame in comparison and alot darker than the Invaders.

i got the EMG's sounding very good as well, but i had to re-dail in a diff EQ and gain setup

I was under the impression that active pickups were louder/punchy/more gain than passive's
so i was surprised when i needed to kinda kick the EMG's in the ass and tame down the Invaders.

Has anybody else been able to do a similar comparison and if so, was the result the same?

like i said, i got them both sounding pretty great, but reversed in my head about how to get the tone, and it got me thinking there might be an issue with my EMG 81

thoughts/comments?

:D
 
The Eclipse is mahogany where the RR is alder I believe? My guess is you're hearing that difference. A lot of people say EMGs sound the same in everything, but it's just not the case.
 
I actually have done a comparison test. The EMG-81 sure enough were gainy, but there was a lack of fullness.

The Invader on the other hand was an acid-spitting fire-breathing metal monster. A pure metal machine with heaps of oomph.

While I prefer my Suhr Doug Aldrich passive humbucker over both of them (much more guts and punch, plus I love its articulation, definition, and warmth for lighter gain tones), I still keep the Invader in my second guitar. The EMG-81 on the other hand sits in a plastic box.
 
I hated the Invader that I had (Alder Explorer-style guitar).
Muddy, undefined garbage.

I'd rather have the thinness of an 81 than the overwhelming mud of an Invader.

Of course, it all depends on the guitar, the amp, and any pedals being used, too...but in my experience, I didn't like the Invader at all.
 
invaders work great in alder & ash but in mahogany or basswood they sound like garbage, so much overbearing low-mids
 
I have to say I never have understood how EMG's ended up being the pickup for metal......anyway I had an invader and I love my custom custom way more more defined to me than the invader which was too muddy
noob_pwn":23926tyr said:
invaders work great in alder & ash but in mahogany or basswood they sound like garbage, so much overbearing low-mids
<-----agreed but then again its not just as simple as cut and paste every piece of wood is different so use that as an excuse to experiment!!
 
i had the same experience when switching from emg's to bareknuckles. don't get me wrong, i love that emg grind, but passive pickups can pack a serious punch.
 
petejt":27nxardp said:
I actually have done a comparison test. The EMG-81 sure enough were gainy, but there was a lack of fullness.

The Invader on the other hand was an acid-spitting fire-breathing metal monster. A pure metal machine with heaps of oomph.


yeah no kidding, its got such a brutal sound to it. Someone else posted that it was very muddy for them, mine it pretty much opposite, tons of clarity and bite. Ill have to post a couple a clips so you guys see what im talking about. Im just glad my 81 is screwy
 
Soundguy213":2khvlka6 said:
petejt":2khvlka6 said:
I actually have done a comparison test. The EMG-81 sure enough were gainy, but there was a lack of fullness.

The Invader on the other hand was an acid-spitting fire-breathing metal monster. A pure metal machine with heaps of oomph.


yeah no kidding, its got such a brutal sound to it. Someone else posted that it was very muddy for them, mine it pretty much opposite, tons of clarity and bite. Ill have to post a couple a clips so you guys see what im talking about. Im just glad my 81 is screwy

I can understand why it would sound muddy though, particularly in a mahogany guitar. I wouldn't put the Invader into my ESP ltd ec-400, which is mahogany.
The guitar I have the Invader in, has a cheapy agathis body capped with maple. I guess that combo works well.

I will say that the Invader in that guitar, compared to my mahogany guitar with Suhr Aldrich humbuckers, sounds a little bit "muddier". It's not overwhelmingly muddy, but the Aldrichs do sound more articulate and defined while still punching out the low mids- when doing a direct comparison.
 
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