Chester Nimitz
Banned
S
Soulstealer
New member
The Jeff Loomis and Livewire Classic singles do not suck, as far as Duncan actives go.
I like EMGs. I don't want them in all of my guitars, but I appreciate what they do. The 81 is a one-trick pony, but it kicks ass in the right environment. I have an 81TW (dual sound version) with SA neck and middles in a Charvel Model 4 right now, and I've used others.
I like EMGs. I don't want them in all of my guitars, but I appreciate what they do. The 81 is a one-trick pony, but it kicks ass in the right environment. I have an 81TW (dual sound version) with SA neck and middles in a Charvel Model 4 right now, and I've used others.
thenine
Well-known member
why do you guys hate Blackouts? I picked up a loaded pg with them in it. I havent installed them in a strat yet but I will at some point. My other guitarist has them in a V and he is getting good chug.
I have EMG's in a few guitars and passives in others. It's all good.
I have EMG's in a few guitars and passives in others. It's all good.
Gsxrbusa
Active member
Wizard of Ozz":dids82em said:Gsxrbusa":dids82em said:sleewell2":dids82em said:
Thanks brother! I tried the KSE set at Namm. They have a little less bottom end than the moderns. But I didn't play loud enough or long enough to really tell much of a difference. I still may try a set in something.
By the way, I am not here to bash EMGs. I still like them but prefer these Fishmans.
Blackouts fucking suck.
Knowing and loving the tones you get... I might have to try some.
SD Blackouts do suck arse. They got this one wrong at the SD R/D dept.
Thank you fine sir! I appreciate that!
I got the 7 string loaded with the Moderns last night. Holy crap! Such a huge improvement. I have never been happy with any 7 string pickups I have tried. The Dimarzio Titan came close but these Fishmans are awesome.
Gsxrbusa
Active member
9ball":1bvon2xh said:
thenine":1bvon2xh said:
That's cool if you guys could make them work for your application. I never could. They were super hot and dark from what I remember.
Could have been the guitar they were in or the amp/cab I was using at the time. Or operator error. Don't know, I just went back to what worked for me at the time and that was an EMG 81.
F
fretout
Active member
EMG pickups do not suck. They're the best choice if you need something really tight that can track fast when you're playing fast Rhythm riffs.
I started getting bored of the stock 81/85 tone, so I installed a switchable 18v mod, which sounds much more open, and feels like it actually "breathes" better, but without losing the fast tracking capabilities. One of the common complaints about EMGs is that they sound sterile, but the 18v mod seems to help alleviate some of that.
One thing that made the EMGs more usable to me, was that instead of using their potentiometers, I went and picked up some aftermarket volume and tone pots, and just as an experiment, I picked up some PIO caps, and some Orange Drops to see what the impact would be on an active pickup system. I noticed that the volume actually had a taper to it, and I'm able to roll back the volume and get a decent clean tone. It also seemed to thicken up the tone a little, so now this is the way I run my EMGs. Here a shot of the wiring harnesses I made from scratch...
I will say that over the last few years, I've really started appreciating passive pickups more, especially the 57 Classics. Since I'm running through a high-gain amp, I don't really need to push the input of the amp anymore, and I'm really liking the grind I'm getting with passives in my setup. The lower impedance pickups sound like they're tracking faster then I remember, and the gain has this kind of "grind" to it the actives aren't matching, but for really fast rhythm work, I still reach for my guitars with EMGs...at least for now...
I started getting bored of the stock 81/85 tone, so I installed a switchable 18v mod, which sounds much more open, and feels like it actually "breathes" better, but without losing the fast tracking capabilities. One of the common complaints about EMGs is that they sound sterile, but the 18v mod seems to help alleviate some of that.
One thing that made the EMGs more usable to me, was that instead of using their potentiometers, I went and picked up some aftermarket volume and tone pots, and just as an experiment, I picked up some PIO caps, and some Orange Drops to see what the impact would be on an active pickup system. I noticed that the volume actually had a taper to it, and I'm able to roll back the volume and get a decent clean tone. It also seemed to thicken up the tone a little, so now this is the way I run my EMGs. Here a shot of the wiring harnesses I made from scratch...
I will say that over the last few years, I've really started appreciating passive pickups more, especially the 57 Classics. Since I'm running through a high-gain amp, I don't really need to push the input of the amp anymore, and I'm really liking the grind I'm getting with passives in my setup. The lower impedance pickups sound like they're tracking faster then I remember, and the gain has this kind of "grind" to it the actives aren't matching, but for really fast rhythm work, I still reach for my guitars with EMGs...at least for now...
McLeanAB
Active member
I love my EMG's...
Been doing the 85 in the bridge thing for over 20 years... tried the 57 for a while and loved it too, but felt like I had to dig in too much to get the right feel of the output. 81's are a bit bland for me and my playing, but I LOVE my HA and HAX in my semi-hollow, and love the SAV and SAVX in the necks of my Charvels... Even love my acoustic EMG...
Been doing the 85 in the bridge thing for over 20 years... tried the 57 for a while and loved it too, but felt like I had to dig in too much to get the right feel of the output. 81's are a bit bland for me and my playing, but I LOVE my HA and HAX in my semi-hollow, and love the SAV and SAVX in the necks of my Charvels... Even love my acoustic EMG...
USofguitars
Member
Hey guys,
Sorry for the late answer. Just moved to a new flat, which took away much of my time.
I so did not expect such a positive feedback about EMG's 81/85. Seriously, I read so much negative things about them on forums that they were nearly a no-go to buy a guitar. But I still decided I would give them a chance. What a surprise when I plugged them in!
I myself do not have enough experience with them on various guitars to compare how they affect the sound and how much different woods or different neck specs would make a difference or not. What I certainly noticed is that they aren't the most dynamic. They tend to put all notes on the same level, which is indeed great for straight forward shred or heavy rhythm.
Another surprise was to find out that they haven't got such a high output as I've read. I tried passive pickups like Dimarzio D-Activator for instance that had a much higher output. This out of their natural higher compression. But compression is clearly one of their coolest advantages. If we have to admit that they sound a bit less dynamic than passive pickups, they still do not sound sterile.
I totally get how they could have become popular with 80's rock and metal genres with your regular 8th note on 180 bpm and rhythm bands like Metallica from Killswitch Engage. The way they sit in a mix makes them very "reliable" by their presence and the regularity on all the notes. One thing I miss though is screaming highs and more low end. They sound a bit too "perfect" and I guess that's what make lots of guys say they sound sterile. Also they seem to take away some of the air pressure in the lows and some dirt on the top.
That being said, they're quite fun to play: very fluid leads. Great for legato players who like high gain too. I'd be curious to hear a guy like say Satriani play those.
But they're indeed one trick pony's. It's hard to make them sound good in other more "organic" styles, like strat oriented blues, where you need to hear all the wood resonance and character of the guitar.
Sorry for the late answer. Just moved to a new flat, which took away much of my time.
I so did not expect such a positive feedback about EMG's 81/85. Seriously, I read so much negative things about them on forums that they were nearly a no-go to buy a guitar. But I still decided I would give them a chance. What a surprise when I plugged them in!
I myself do not have enough experience with them on various guitars to compare how they affect the sound and how much different woods or different neck specs would make a difference or not. What I certainly noticed is that they aren't the most dynamic. They tend to put all notes on the same level, which is indeed great for straight forward shred or heavy rhythm.
Another surprise was to find out that they haven't got such a high output as I've read. I tried passive pickups like Dimarzio D-Activator for instance that had a much higher output. This out of their natural higher compression. But compression is clearly one of their coolest advantages. If we have to admit that they sound a bit less dynamic than passive pickups, they still do not sound sterile.
I totally get how they could have become popular with 80's rock and metal genres with your regular 8th note on 180 bpm and rhythm bands like Metallica from Killswitch Engage. The way they sit in a mix makes them very "reliable" by their presence and the regularity on all the notes. One thing I miss though is screaming highs and more low end. They sound a bit too "perfect" and I guess that's what make lots of guys say they sound sterile. Also they seem to take away some of the air pressure in the lows and some dirt on the top.
That being said, they're quite fun to play: very fluid leads. Great for legato players who like high gain too. I'd be curious to hear a guy like say Satriani play those.
But they're indeed one trick pony's. It's hard to make them sound good in other more "organic" styles, like strat oriented blues, where you need to hear all the wood resonance and character of the guitar.
D
DET1973
New member
Chester Nimitz":jfudhdax said:
OK! I may be switching to an 85 in the bridge of my Les Paul's (currently using an 81)
thegame
Well-known member
They suck with some amps and sound perfect with others. The best match is thick, wall of sound amps like Boogies. They sound too pinched and nasal with focused, midrange heavy amps like high gain Marshalls. Other than that, USofguitars is spot on with his assessment.
Zachman
Well-known member
thegame":14lcw1kz said:
I used to not be a fan, however I have a Steve Lukather set of EMG's (s/s/h) in my Valley Arts Guitar, and they sound great through all of my amps. This clip is through a Cameron Atomica.
9ball
New member
Gsxrbusa":3xh5h55i said:9ball":3xh5h55i said:
thenine":3xh5h55i said:
That's cool if you guys could make them work for your application. I never could. They were super hot and dark from what I remember.
yeah - i love the blackout set i have in my black V! i was thinking about putting them in my RG too. but then i don't really play an ultra high gain tone - the thing that sold me on the blackouts is i guess the ability to clean up and transition from high gain to lower gain just by rolling the volume back, but they still have a decent high gain sound. i have a few videos on my youtube page of the black V, but they were just made with a smartphone - i'm prolly gonna at least get a zoom camera soon and make some better clips lol
blackouts really have alot of great tone in them - but if you buy them thinking you're getting some ultra badass active pickup or something you'll be dissappointed lol
USofguitars
Member
thegame":c78303bz said:
That's interesting. Once again it's all about being curious, open-minded and getting to know your tone! (and having opportunities to do so of course...). Some guitar/pickups/amps combinations sound better than others!
I totally get how EMG 81/85 would be a good match to the very large foundation, bulldozer like spectrum of a Mesa Rectifier kinda sound. And I believe they must fit well with things like a 6505 too.
I myself own a Koch Powertone III, which is a british sounding oriented amp, and it's still not that bad at all. But there's no magic mojo either. It's a bit too cold and empty to my ears on high gain. Clean is OK but not much.
Now speaking again about the output level, when using my EMG equipped Flaxwood, I need to boost the gain to say 8 in order to get the same as my stock PRS CU24 on 5,5.
L
Lituanoz
New member
I´ve been using EMG´s for many years. Suddenly I came back to passive, and now I´m using EMG again. They are really great pickups, though they may not be good for everybody. It´s true they give a compressed sound. I don´t like compression as far as I couldn´t set the compression parameters by myself. And EMG´s are compressed from factory with no chance to change it´s configuration. But one thing I´ve tried succesfully: Just lower the EMG as much as you can, far from strings and they offer a less compressed sound widering it´s dynamic range. Other thing to have in mind is that it´s not necesary to keep volume at max level. You can try volume at 5-6-7.
It also depends on your set. Have you got only a pickup set? Cause there are some extra accesories such as SPC, or active eq that give EMG´s a totally different color and tone. There are many variations to experiment with. It´s also true that 18v mode give a more natural headroom.
It also depends on your set. Have you got only a pickup set? Cause there are some extra accesories such as SPC, or active eq that give EMG´s a totally different color and tone. There are many variations to experiment with. It´s also true that 18v mode give a more natural headroom.
Elric
Active member
They suck: if you hate things that are awesome.
crankyrayhanky
Well-known member
I like a lot of players who use them, but in general for me they suck
Jeremy
Member
Do EMG's suck? No way. All personal preference. I used the 81/85 combo for many, many years as well as the 707's and 808's..... then went to a dual 85 for a brief while and once the Blackouts came out I fully converted over to those (as I personally prefer them over EMG's). I would really like to try out the 57/66 set though..... They seem very intriguing.
CrazyNutz
Well-known member
During the 90's I was a die hard EMG user. Every guitar I would buy, I would immediately drop a set of EMGs in.
Except one time I bought a new guitar, and I did not drop EMGs in it, I just played it with the stock passives, using it in my band setting. Changed my life, there was so much tone that I was missing. My other guitarist pulled the EMG out of his single humbucker strat and dropped in a duncan, and It was a HUGE difference.
EMG, no thanks.
Except one time I bought a new guitar, and I did not drop EMGs in it, I just played it with the stock passives, using it in my band setting. Changed my life, there was so much tone that I was missing. My other guitarist pulled the EMG out of his single humbucker strat and dropped in a duncan, and It was a HUGE difference.
EMG, no thanks.
H
halebox
Active member
I like them playing alone but they always get lost in the mix for me? I tried an EMG 57 recently and I liked that one the best
Ventura
Well-known member
I found them and find them a bit sterile...
Furthermore, I have a lot of higher gain heads, and for reasons I'd rather not get into, I think high gain heads sound better and react better together with lower output pups. Just IMHO, YMMV.
But I wouldn't say they suck, I'm just not 100% on board with them as my go-to pup.
Furthermore, I have a lot of higher gain heads, and for reasons I'd rather not get into, I think high gain heads sound better and react better together with lower output pups. Just IMHO, YMMV.
But I wouldn't say they suck, I'm just not 100% on board with them as my go-to pup.