Do EMG active pickups really suck?

[D-Rock]

EMG player here for just a handful of years.

I had an adjustment period with my first guitar equipped with an 81/60 set. The 81 seemed to have a certain delay or hesitation with it's pick attack. But sounded great otherwise. I liked the compression, clarity and fast tracking.

Sold that guitar for other reasons and a few months ago got another EMG axe this time with an 85 in the bridge and 81 in the neck.
I like this combo better. I dislike overly fat sounding neck pickups so the 81 is great there.
The 85 as a bridge is also great. Fat and grinding. I just turn up the presence to regain some of that high end cut I like from the 81.

Fast forward to last weekend, and I picked up a Diamond Series Blackjack ATX loaded with SD Blackouts.

The Blackouts are HOT! They have a nice grind and are very tight. After some pickup height experimenting I found they need to be set much lower than EMGs. That is a big factor to get them reigned in.
I don't use any boost pedals, so these Blackouts actually work quite well for me with my high gain amps.
The Blackouts also made me reduce my already low gain setting on my JVM. (I think my crunch channel gain is at 4.5/10) That also aided the Blackouts performance too.

I will likely try out the EMG 57 set and/or the Het Set in my current EMG loaded guitar, because they have really peaked my interest.

 

[NinjaRaf]

Over the years I've tried EMGs a number of times, but could never really get them to work for me. I like the 85 over the 81, though...81 has the low end too reduced, IMO. However, my cousin has an Ibanez SZ540 MIJ that he's had for 20 years, and he has an EMG 85 in the bridge. To this day, it is still one of the BEST sounding guitars I have ever played.

Tried Blackouts, and they were OK. SOOOO much output. I really loved the Dave Mustaine Livewire, and had those in a couple of guitars for about 6 years before I decided to start playing around with passives. Did that for almost 10 years.

Recently tried the Fishmans, and I am fucking done. They are simply INCREDIBLE. My favorite pickup for the past 5-6 years or so has been the Dimarzio Dominion (and it is still my favorite passive pickup...neck is SURPRISINGLY great, and they split incredibly well, while still retaining a super tight and aggressive attack when not split...fuck me, I love those things!). The Fishmans win for me. They just sit above everything else in terms of clarity, aggression, tightness, attack, low end response. Nothing else I've played even comes close. All 3 of my guitars have them, now. I have 2 guitars that are in progress, and one of them will get a Fishman in the bridge (single pickup guitar). The other is multiscale, and I guess will just have the stock passives until Fishman decides to do mutliscale pickups.

But yeah...for that active sort of sound, nothing can even come close to Fishmans for me.

 

[D-Rock]

Do Fishmans use the same quick connect as Blackouts and EMGs?
I'd like to try them in my EMG loaded Horizon.