If I hate EMG's would I hate...........

[symbolic253]

i got some Duncans check the classifieds

 

[RJF]

The blackouts are just too hot IMHO. Because of all the output, they lack clarity big time. I went through a short phase of ditching EMG's and going to blackouts, and then back to EMG's.

 

[Shask]

If this is in any way related to your other thread about searching for a 7 string pickup I may have something to add. I hate EMG's as well, their 6 string models. I love the EMG 707. Something went right with that pickup that I haven't found in their other pickups. That's been my experience anyway. Your experience may differ.

Also, if you are looking for a pickup that isn't going to only do metal and other high gain styles where tightness and clarity are key to the sound, passives are really the way to go. The Duncan Custom is a great pickup and it's got tons of clarity and a tight low end which should make it great for any style IMO. The Custom-7 should be the same or very similar.

Yes.
I'm going to rip the new guitar apart and do a bunch of upgrades.
Especially the pickups, switch, pots and maybe a few little things to the trem like posts.
I was wondering the real difference between the Custom and the Custom Custom for the bridge as far as overall tone, clarity and lack of MUD for the low B.
Also the neck....
I love the Custom/Jazz setup in a 6, but it's been a while since I've played them.
I've owned just about every pickup that SD and Dimarzio makes, I just can't recall what sounded best to me.
I've been very spoiled with my Suhrs pickups, and havent bothered with pickup swaps in a while, especially in 7 strings

You CAN Split the 7 string EMGs!

My Schecter has EMG 707TW's in it that split.

 

[the4thlast1]

Yeah the 707tw splits....... Oh and I do not like blackouts either...To much output, to much low mids and bass can be muddy \loose... This is in my experiences though, I know others love them. I have tried the blackouts in 3 different guitars and all 3 were fail, all 3 were 7 string guitars.

I like emg's for metal, I also like passives. There are great tones to be had with either choice.. Never tried a Duncan Custom in a 7 string... Im also curious

 

[lolzgreg]

Blackouts sound TERRRRIBLE.

Dumb post is dumb...

There are 3 different models of Black Outs. Out of those...2 have a neck models that also does well in the bridge. Like any PuP...they have to match up to the guitar...amp...cab...and sound you are going for.

FWIW...I thought the AHB-1 bridge sounded meh...but when I put the neck in the bridge...yeow! Thick...grindie...organic...thick leads.

I'm installing a AHB-3 neck in the bridge of my Caparison TAT tomorrow...I'm expecting great things!

Bad taste is bad...

I've heard A/B shootouts of Blackouts vs. EMGs in the same guitar with the same strings, same settings on the amp/modeler, as well as tweaked settings. I have some news for you: I have yet to hear ONE good recording of a Blackout, none of my favorite guitar sounds were recorded with a Blackout, JUST ABOUT every discriminating metal player I know dislikes Blackouts.

I owned the Dave Mustaine Livewires as well. I don't like Duncan Actives. They are FAR inferior in tonality, clarity, and versatility IMHO.

Everyone's got an opinion, but I don't think you spend almost every day of your life running people's guitar DIs through your amplifiers and tracking guitar tones for their albums. I've heard HUNDREDS of guitar DIs in the past year, and 90% of the time, the same pickups come out on top when it comes to a workable and fantastic sounding DI:

EMG: 81/85/707
Duncan: JB/Custom/Alnico Pro
Dimarzio: Tone Zone, Evolution, PAF Pro

These pickups have less GRAIN. You can push the treble on an amplifier and not want to hang yourself with the result. The bass frequencies are generally either very tight or chewy, but never muddy. The mid frequencies are present, but not overbearing. The harmonic content is very nice without being washy...

 

[zee1usa]

Ola gets killer tones out of his blackouts?

 

[glpg80]

Ola gets killer tones out of his blackouts?

but Ola is a badass player.

therefore, we can induce from our findings that tone is in the fingers!

 

[the rossness]

I'm not much of an EMG liker. I do not like their 81 at all. It was too unfocused as a bridge pickup. I had it in my polka-dotted rr24m and really didn't like it.

The 85 was better in the bridge, but it felt a little dry. I had it in a mahogany GKG delta wing, so maybe it was the body wood or something making it sound different. I did like the 85 in the Reb Beach Suhr.

I ordered a set of AH3 EMTY blackouts from music 123 for my black friday deal and they're on back order. From what I can tell, they sound more dynamic than emg's with a lot of treble, more bite and have a tight low end.

 

[Tawlks]

you know im wondering this too. subscribing to this thread. because ive never liked EMG tones but i find myself liking blackout's with Mark Day's "mid boost" modification - it seems like a winner of an option for me - but i cant get over the active 9V battery ordeal....ive never been able to agree with that for some reason?

how long do the batteries normally last in these things?

They last a while. I used not to like EMG tones and they're still not my favourite, then I modded my main guitar which runs EMGs to run at 18 volts and I haven't really thought about changing pickups since.

 

[Tawlks]

Blackouts sound TERRRRIBLE.

Dumb post is dumb...

There are 3 different models of Black Outs. Out of those...2 have a neck models that also does well in the bridge. Like any PuP...they have to match up to the guitar...amp...cab...and sound you are going for.

FWIW...I thought the AHB-1 bridge sounded meh...but when I put the neck in the bridge...yeow! Thick...grindie...organic...thick leads.

I'm installing a AHB-3 neck in the bridge of my Caparison TAT tomorrow...I'm expecting great things!

It's just his opinion, it's not dumb.

 

[DEWD]

I tried the EMTY Blackouts in an ESP Eclipse Full Thickness and they sounded absolutely horrendous to me. It was the worst sounding pickup set I ever heard. Maybe it was the guitar/pickup combo but I don't know why a guitar with LP Custom specs wouldn't sound good with them.

 

[Mark Day]

I think if you hate EMG's you'll probably hate the Blackouts too. I used EMG's since the mid 80's until about 2-3 years ago. I always preferred the 85's in the bridge position. Like Ola says, I liked EMG's but needed a change. I like the AHB 1 and 3. I find they clean up better than the EMG's I had. Believe it or not I actually do have some lower gain presets and tones as well as some very clean tones and I like the actives. I tried the Livewires many years ago and they were just way too hot for me.

Over the years I've really tried to like passives and I've tried a pile of them from Duncan, DiMarzio, Tom Holmes, etc. I just couldn't bond with them. Perhaps it's because I never used boost pedals or buffers until about 5 years ago.

Different strokes for different folks. I hear players play and record with passives and I LOVE their tones, however when I grab their guitars I absolutely suck (more than usual).

I really don't think that actives sound sterile and digital especially after hearing guys like Lukather and Gilmour use them. I know a lot of Lukather's stuff sounds overly processed but some things I've heard from him can be incredibly raw and soulful.

I am one that believes a lot of one's tone comes from their fingers, I'm not that great and I need some active bandaids, not everyone does.
Some of my favorite tones come from passives as well.

My two cents.

Mark

 

[RJF]

then I modded my main guitar which runs EMGs to run at 18 volts and I haven't really thought about changing pickups since.

Bingo.

I love the clarity and tightness you get from EMG's, but I didn't like the compression that they also deliver when compared to something like a Duncan Distortion that is also very tight, clear, and very open sounding.

I tried the 18V mod and am very pleased. More headroom from less compression and the harmonics are a bit more dynamic. The 18V mod, IMHO, helps bridge that gap between the sound of active vs. passive.

 

[rottingcorpse]

i started using the duncan heavy metal live wire (18vdc) when they first came out (around 97 or so). they were great when the only accessible high gain heads were the sl-x and the 5150. they were a great pickup for banging the front of a jcm800 or like amp, as you really didn't need to use an overdrive or whatever.

no need to bang the front of the amps i have now. not to mention i have to crank up the noise gate too far when i use them. i probably have 4 or 5 guitars with that pickup in them that need to be changed out to something else.

i do like the emg 81. never tried the 18vdc mod on them though.

 

[Spaceboy]

I'm putting EMGs in my Ibanez RG 7-string this week. I'm going to consider the 18v mod. Is it much trouble to undo if it doesn't suit me?

 

[lolzgreg]

I hear players play and record with passives and I LOVE their tones, however when I grab their guitars I absolutely suck (more than usual).

I really don't think that actives sound sterile and digital especially after hearing guys like Lukather and Gilmour use them. I know a lot of Lukather's stuff sounds overly processed but some things I've heard from him can be incredibly raw and soulful.

I am one that believes a lot of one's tone comes from their fingers, I'm not that great and I need some active bandaids, not everyone does.
Some of my favorite tones come from passives as well.

a. You don't suck, and everyone knows it. You should try out an EMG 89 in the bridge of your Suhr and see what happens

b. Anyone who says actives sound "sterile" are just regurgitating the phrase from some stupid douchebag who was complaining about EMGs being sterile, but it was actually his PLAYING that sounded like a scalpel soaking in formaldehyde.

c. I agree with you on that third point. Everyone sounds different with different guitars and pickups, but generally a good pickup will shine with any player.

When is the last time you tried a Duncan Custom in your axe? I'm not trying to convince you to use a different pickup... everyone has their taste, which is fine.

 

[Mark Day]

I hear players play and record with passives and I LOVE their tones, however when I grab their guitars I absolutely suck (more than usual).

I really don't think that actives sound sterile and digital especially after hearing guys like Lukather and Gilmour use them. I know a lot of Lukather's stuff sounds overly processed but some things I've heard from him can be incredibly raw and soulful.

I am one that believes a lot of one's tone comes from their fingers, I'm not that great and I need some active bandaids, not everyone does.
Some of my favorite tones come from passives as well.

a. You don't suck, and everyone knows it. You should try out an EMG 89 in the bridge of your Suhr and see what happens

b. Anyone who says actives sound "sterile" are just regurgitating the phrase from some stupid douchebag who was complaining about EMGs being sterile, but it was actually his PLAYING that sounded like a scalpel soaking in formaldehyde.

c. I agree with you on that third point. Everyone sounds different with different guitars and pickups, but generally a good pickup will shine with any player.

When is the last time you tried a Duncan Custom in your axe? I'm not trying to convince you to use a different pickup... everyone has their taste, which is fine.

I am certainly a critic of my own playing, I know I can play better. I need an assistant for these videos so I can play and not be hassled with the button pushing..lol.

I have used 89's in the bridge of several guitars I have owned in the past. Nice pickup but I prefer the AHB 1 and 3. To me the AHB seems more open with nicer mids and highs and a tighter bottom end.

What I have always found with passives is the bottom is a bit flubby, yet I hear players that use them and have great attack and bottom??

Mark

 

[srinivassa]

It sounds like from this thread that if I hate my EMG's. (I don't hate them, but prefer passives) Then I should get 89's that split and run them at 18V? Is that worth it?

BTW I had absolutely no idea that there was a 7-string that split. Anyone giving lip service to the 707x? Just curious.

 

[Phrygian]

The blackouts are pretty impressive in my opinion. Hot as hell, they can really push an amp. My VHT sounded ridiculous when my buddy brought over his guitar with blackouts. They're still not my cup of tea, I've always been a passive kind of guy, but I think as far as active pickups go those blackouts are the best I've heard.

 

[Deleted member 8761]

Pickups are obviously an important factor, but it is the whole chain you should be looking at (guitars/amps/tunings etc.). I've been switching pups alot and some combinations just don't work for me. But when I think of EMG's, sterile does not come to my mind. Perhaps you should adjust your amp for them (smooth out the highs a bit). I find them consistent and relatively quiet. It works really well for metal (in the right guitar). And you can get some great hard rock sounds too. I have been recently using an EMG 81-X which I think is an improved version of the 81. If you have the chance, really try them out for a 7 string. The Blackouts (first series) were way too overpowerd for me, very promiment bass, it became muddy in my set up. Some really dig them, so YMMV. I think that you won't like them for that rock sound.