belensky
Active member
Recently I got a Jackson RR1, so I went down another pickup rabbit hole to find the right set for this particular guitar. I wanted to set the RR1 up as my "Slipknot-style" guitar in Drop B, so I compared the Slipknot signature sets—the EMG Daemonum and the Fishman Mick Thomson—against the old-school EMG 81.
Here is the video, with my thoughts below.
Not surprisingly, all three pickups sound very similar. When you think about it, they are really just different tweaks on the EMG 81 formula. Besides, when recording, the signal chain is long: guitar, pickups, cable, amp, speakers, mics, and preamps. Swapping only the pickup while keeping the rest of the chain identical only changes the final tone by a small margin.
The Daemonum
The Daemonum seems to have a bit of raw grind to it. More highs, more lows—more of everything. They are raw in a good way; by no means are they boomy or harsh. If anything, they feel like an EMG designed specifically for low tunings.
Fishman Mick Thomson
Mick's Fishmans are a bit more polished and seem to reward precise playing and a fine touch. They have more precise EQ tweaks, less raw energy, and a more mix-ready sound—I mean that in an absolutely positive sense. I think these two pickups complement each other perfectly in a mix if you’re double-tracking left and right guitars and want the tone to be slightly different. To me, both the Fishmans and the Demons handle low tunings better than the EMG 81 and feel faster under the fingers.
EMG 81
As far as the EMG 81 goes, it’s obviously a tried-and-true classic. Interestingly, it feels slightly lower in output than both the Fishmans and the Daemonums. EQ-wise, the 81 is the most "lo-fi" of the three: the highs and lows are rolled off, with a very sharp focus on the upper mids. The 81 has "that sound," but you really have to love that specific vibe and feel.
The Cons
The Demons—specifically the bridge pickup—hum like crazy (it’s very audible during pauses on isolated guitar tracks). The 81 also hums, but less so. The Fishmans are noticeably quieter, though much depends on the specific voicing used.
All Fluence pickups have a bit of a "static" quality to them, unlike regular copper wire pickups. It’s hard to put into words, but they feel a bit different under the fingers, im not sure if I like that, but I guess you can't have everything
EMG 81/81X are much more picky about the guitar and woods it's installed in. On some instruments, they can sound pretty bad; on others, the sound is glorious. I don't believe the myth that the 81 makes every guitar sound the same—if anything, they are much more demanding.
The Takeaway
If you have the extra cash and want to play around with voicings and coil splits, get the Fishman Mick Thomson set. They easily cover all your EMG 81/60/85 needs, plus you get a lot of additional tonal options. If you don't need all that and just want active pickups, I would not shy away from trying the Demons, the 57/66, or the Hetfield (JH) set. So far, I like them a lot better than the 81, which I still keep around for that one specific sound. I would only buy the 81 if you specifically crave that exact sound. I’d only pay the premium for Fishmans if you actually need the multiple voicings.
PS
I also made uncompressed audio stems because YouTube compression makes everything sound even more the same.
here is link
Here is the video, with my thoughts below.
Not surprisingly, all three pickups sound very similar. When you think about it, they are really just different tweaks on the EMG 81 formula. Besides, when recording, the signal chain is long: guitar, pickups, cable, amp, speakers, mics, and preamps. Swapping only the pickup while keeping the rest of the chain identical only changes the final tone by a small margin.
The Daemonum
The Daemonum seems to have a bit of raw grind to it. More highs, more lows—more of everything. They are raw in a good way; by no means are they boomy or harsh. If anything, they feel like an EMG designed specifically for low tunings.
Fishman Mick Thomson
Mick's Fishmans are a bit more polished and seem to reward precise playing and a fine touch. They have more precise EQ tweaks, less raw energy, and a more mix-ready sound—I mean that in an absolutely positive sense. I think these two pickups complement each other perfectly in a mix if you’re double-tracking left and right guitars and want the tone to be slightly different. To me, both the Fishmans and the Demons handle low tunings better than the EMG 81 and feel faster under the fingers.
EMG 81
As far as the EMG 81 goes, it’s obviously a tried-and-true classic. Interestingly, it feels slightly lower in output than both the Fishmans and the Daemonums. EQ-wise, the 81 is the most "lo-fi" of the three: the highs and lows are rolled off, with a very sharp focus on the upper mids. The 81 has "that sound," but you really have to love that specific vibe and feel.
The Cons
The Demons—specifically the bridge pickup—hum like crazy (it’s very audible during pauses on isolated guitar tracks). The 81 also hums, but less so. The Fishmans are noticeably quieter, though much depends on the specific voicing used.
All Fluence pickups have a bit of a "static" quality to them, unlike regular copper wire pickups. It’s hard to put into words, but they feel a bit different under the fingers, im not sure if I like that, but I guess you can't have everything
EMG 81/81X are much more picky about the guitar and woods it's installed in. On some instruments, they can sound pretty bad; on others, the sound is glorious. I don't believe the myth that the 81 makes every guitar sound the same—if anything, they are much more demanding.
The Takeaway
If you have the extra cash and want to play around with voicings and coil splits, get the Fishman Mick Thomson set. They easily cover all your EMG 81/60/85 needs, plus you get a lot of additional tonal options. If you don't need all that and just want active pickups, I would not shy away from trying the Demons, the 57/66, or the Hetfield (JH) set. So far, I like them a lot better than the 81, which I still keep around for that one specific sound. I would only buy the 81 if you specifically crave that exact sound. I’d only pay the premium for Fishmans if you actually need the multiple voicings.
PS
I also made uncompressed audio stems because YouTube compression makes everything sound even more the same.
here is link
