Are EMGs now becoming obsolete?

[EXPcustom]

I hear that the Seymour Duncan Blackouts do everything a EMG does but better. Also a lot of boutique pickup makers are doing passive pickups that sound amazing for things EMGs used to do best which is Hard rock/metal.

Is this pretty much the consensus now or is it just not tendy to use EMGs now?

 

[glassjaw7]

A lot of us here at RT and some of the other forums seem to favor passives by high-end builders like Tom Anderson, Motor City, Bare Knuckles, etc. However there are many people who aren't constantly searching for the holy grail, or many guitarists' holy grail IS the EMG series.
Many pros use them and I'm sure many guitarists around the world are still rocking them.
Probably way more than are playing the companies' products that I listed above. EMG has been around for a long time and I don't think they are going anywhere any time soon

 

[JTyson]

I havent tried the Blackouts, but I used to have EMG's in almost everything I had. There were things I loved about them, and things I hated. I still have a bunch of 'em, but am not using them at this time. I know some guys were running them at 18 volts, I never tried that, but would like to. I would not say they were obsolete yet

 

[Jay Strange]

I've got a few different high output passive's, so far I
like the WCR Ironman the best outta the many I've tried.
I still like to get down on EMG's still, especially the 81X/60X combo

 

[jabps]

I hear that the Seymour Duncan Blackouts do everything a EMG does but better. Also a lot of boutique pickup makers are doing passive pickups that sound amazing for things EMGs used to do best which is Hard rock/metal.

Is this pretty much the consensus now or is it just not tendy to use EMGs now?

EMG's are just another established tool...just as Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio etc... One thing alot of people don't realize is the market is alot bigger now than 20 years ago. I don't see any of these manufacturers going anywhere...they're just too established, too many big name players use them regardless of the influx of boutique makers.

 

[Dallas Marlow]

I used to like really high out put pick ups to drive my sound, passive high out put that is never active, but at the recommendation of a buddy of mine he said try lower out put pick ups and crank the amp and imo it does sound a lot better, it sounds different but for what I want better. All though I did try a real ESP with EMG's and man that thing did sound sweet, but wasn't so much for me.

I still have the 498/500 combo in my Les Paul that is stock and I'm not changing that, and those pick ups are HOT, I'm pretty sure they are ceramic or at least one of them is, but I have WCR Darkbursts in my custom Stinnett and they + that guitar blow away anything else I've ever touched hands down, and they are not really high out put I don't believe.

Just depends what your going for, I've also got a buddy of mine who records a bunch of metal bands and he SWEARS by EMG's esp with the 18v mod he said it really opens them up and they aren't as compressed and limited or something, and I also hear it increases the frequency response, but I've never liked the way actives sound clean so I've never used them.

I wouldn't say they are at all obsolete TONS of people still use EMG's they have their sound and just like lots of other things everyone has their own dream tone and there will always be those that hear EMG's

Dallas

 

[Dallas Marlow]

I hear that the Seymour Duncan Blackouts do everything a EMG does but better. Also a lot of boutique pickup makers are doing passive pickups that sound amazing for things EMGs used to do best which is Hard rock/metal.

Is this pretty much the consensus now or is it just not tendy to use EMGs now?

EMG's are just another established tool...just as Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio etc... One thing alot of people don't realize is the market is alot bigger now than 20 years ago. I don't see any of these manufacturers going anywhere...they're just too established, too many big name players use them regardless of the influx of boutique makers.

Agreed, if it wasn't for this and other forums honestly I'd never ever know about boutique manufactures, I might see them on Musicians Friend or something but I'd never actually know much about them. You occasionally see some higher end stuff in GC's, but at all the ones I've been to the best stuff I've seen is Mesa and my home town one even stopped carrying Mesa stuff... and always had crap guitars, it really sucks but when they set the store up for demographics and honestly EMG/Duncan/Dimarzo are going to be the "high end" stuff in those stores. None of those companies are bad, they are all great and 99% of people wont hear a difference between those and boutique stuff or ever know there is something else out there.

 

[jabps]

I hear that the Seymour Duncan Blackouts do everything a EMG does but better. Also a lot of boutique pickup makers are doing passive pickups that sound amazing for things EMGs used to do best which is Hard rock/metal.

Is this pretty much the consensus now or is it just not tendy to use EMGs now?

EMG's are just another established tool...just as Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio etc... One thing alot of people don't realize is the market is alot bigger now than 20 years ago. I don't see any of these manufacturers going anywhere...they're just too established, too many big name players use them regardless of the influx of boutique makers.

Agreed, if it wasn't for this and other forums honestly I'd never ever know about boutique manufactures, I might see them on Musicians Friend or something but I'd never actually know much about them. You occasionally see some higher end stuff in GC's, but at all the ones I've been to the best stuff I've seen is Mesa and my home town one even stopped carrying Mesa stuff... and always had crap guitars, it really sucks but when they set the store up for demographics and honestly EMG/Duncan/Dimarzo are going to be the "high end" stuff in those stores. None of those companies are bad, they are all great and 99% of people wont hear a difference between those and boutique stuff or ever know there is something else out there.

See I agree. Seymour, EMG, Dimarzio still make great sounding pickups but we all...including me get worked up over the boutique thing that it can really cloud your mind. Now that doesn't mean that the boutique guys don't make excellent sounding products...they do without a doubt but in the end, it's just another tool...with that particular makers take/design on things. No different than the big manufacturers. In the end it really just depends on what works for you as a player...does the SD sound better or worse than that MCP, does that BK sound better or worse than that Dimarzio? It's tonal preference...it's no best or worst regardless of what anybody says, only options.

 

[Les Zombie]

I still play emgs and i also had blackouts but i didnt like them as much, ive been a emg fan for 9 yrs now.
I also love passives but mostly for rock or clean tones, when playing metal emg is still my pickup of choice.

 

[midnightlaundry]

I think the BO's have a ton of output; way more output than an EMG, so I don't know if they clean up or not. There was an HCAF thread on them.

All my guitars have EMG's. I was wooed with passives for a minute, but I like the solid attack of the EMG better.

 

[Anonymous]

Been using EMG 85's in the bridge since they came out and don't plan on changing

 

[MrDan666]

Even though i don't have any EMG's in my guitars, i still really like the 81 + 85 combo in a Les Paul. They sound killer for metal and more aggressive tones!

I'd take EMG's over Blackouts any day of the week.

 

[Code001]

Even though i don't have any EMG's in my guitars, i still really like the 81 + 85 combo in a Les Paul. They sound killer for metal and more aggressive tones!

I'd take EMG's over Blackouts any day of the week.

This. I really like the bite of the 81 in the bridge, personally. The 18V mod helps make them sound bigger and more open, too.

The reason everyone is making pickups that are supposed to be "better" than EMGs is because most people know what they sound like. It's the same thing when it comes to the PAF, the JB, etc. It's just a comparison standpoint.

 

[Joeytpg]

I still play emgs and i also had blackouts but i didnt like them as much, ive been a emg fan for 9 yrs now.
I also love passives but mostly for rock or clean tones, when playing metal emg is still my pickup of choice.

+1

cleans and rock I love single coils and low output passives, but for tight metal stuff, nothing beats the silent tight EMGs

 

[NewWorldMan]

Long time EMG user here. For hard rock and metal, they're my pup of choice.

 

[VoodooChild24]

I have used EMG's all this time and never plan on switching. I love the 18v mod and sounds richer and warmer to my ears.
I haven't used blackout though.

Metal = EMG

 

[Digital Jams]

Even though i don't have any EMG's in my guitars, i still really like the 81 + 85 combo in a Les Paul. They sound killer for metal and more aggressive tones!

I'd take EMG's over Blackouts any day of the week.

I really liked the 81/60 combo I had in that floyd Paul I had, real heavy metal machine for sure.

But since when did passives not do metal tones???

 

[EXPcustom]

Even though i don't have any EMG's in my guitars, i still really like the 81 + 85 combo in a Les Paul. They sound killer for metal and more aggressive tones!

I'd take EMG's over Blackouts any day of the week.

I really liked the 81/60 combo I had in that floyd Paul I had, real heavy metal machine for sure.

But since when did passives not do metal tones???

Since Metallica and Slayer stopped using them in 84.

 

[Digital Jams]

Even though i don't have any EMG's in my guitars, i still really like the 81 + 85 combo in a Les Paul. They sound killer for metal and more aggressive tones!

I'd take EMG's over Blackouts any day of the week.

I really liked the 81/60 combo I had in that floyd Paul I had, real heavy metal machine for sure.

But since when did passives not do metal tones???

Since Metallica and Slayer stopped using them in 84.

Not sure, is this a joke?

 

[EXPcustom]

Even though i don't have any EMG's in my guitars, i still really like the 81 + 85 combo in a Les Paul. They sound killer for metal and more aggressive tones!

I'd take EMG's over Blackouts any day of the week.

I really liked the 81/60 combo I had in that floyd Paul I had, real heavy metal machine for sure.

But since when did passives not do metal tones???

Since Metallica and Slayer stopped using them in 84.

Not sure, is this a joke?

Yes a joke, look at Megadeth and all that passive awesomeness during the 80's