Might go back Active...

[Mailman1971]

Was a EMG user for about 20 years. Switched over to passive about 4 years ago.
Been playing a Suhr Aldrich. Sounds really good.
Guess I am bored?
Was thinking of the Duncan Blackouts. Anyone like/hate them?
Rock on......

 

[sjk]

Saw your thread and thought you were going back to active duty then thought to myself nah they probably aren't taking back guys born in 71 (good year to be born btw). No actually I have one guitar with 85's, a beat up schecter hellraiser that sounds great with them, adds some variety when the passive pickup gitars get old. Not a fan of the 81 but the 85 is real nice in this guitar. Been pondering puttin some of the blackouts in it to see if I like them better, think I'm gonna pull the trigger on some. So I can't help with the blackouts yet but will give input when I get them.

 

[Mailman1971]

No man....I had 13 years "ACTIVE" duty...that was enough.
Something that I hated about the Actives....are drawing me back to wanting to check them out.
I like the Hetfield EMG set as well....but I only need a bridge pickup.....so might go for a Blackout.
Hell its only Rock n roll right?

 

[HRC51]

For metal tones, I love my EMG's.

I have a Blackout equipped guitar that just does not sound as good to my ears.

For passives, PRS and Bare Knuckle are making some great pickups. BK has lots of options. You might want to check out their Black Hawks.

EMG is a known and reliable sound.

 

[Mailman1971]

Yeah nothing was a crushing as them damn EMG's...
But when we played 'rock'....they just seemed 'watered down' metal tone.
I have a different rig then when I last had my EMG's....so I think I wanna give some Actives another whirl.
But the Blackouts been always on my check out list....

 

[Juggernaut]

Do it!!!

3 out of 4 of my guitars are active, 2 EMG, 1 w/ SD Heavy Metal Live Wires 18v.

 

[Mailman1971]

Do it!!!

3 out of 4 of my guitars are active, 2 EMG, 1 w/ SD Heavy Metal Live Wires 18v.

So you like the EMG's over the SD's?
Ever check out the Blackouts?
Live wire were the Mustaine models right?

 

[fluff191]

EMG's have always felt stale to me. The EMTY blackouts are in my top 3 favorite pickups ever. Warm, articulate and sensitive. Just amazing.

 

[Mailman1971]

Thats one of the reasons I stopped playing EMG's....got sorta "industrial" sterile and cold....
the Suhr Alrdich had such GROWL and Bite to it....been digging them for the last couple years.
But I want that SLEDGEHAMMER Metal tone....
I did the 18volt mod when I had EMG's.....I didnt like it.

 

[chunktone]

I've got an EMG set I'd trade ya for a good passive set.

 

[Mailman1971]

I've got an EMG set I'd trade ya for a good passive set.

I dont even have a set these days....
been using one Humbucker for the last few years. Just have an open hole in the neck pocket of my guitar.

 

[dwizted]

I prefer the Blackouts to emgs. I got a set in a seven string and they just rip. I have a set of emty blackouts in an explorer and they kill as well. All my other buddys like the emgs better though...

Ive tried BKPs aftermaths and painkillers and didnt care for them. I might be one of the only guys that didnt care for the BKP pick ups though cause everyone else swears by them...

 

[Spaceboy]

EMGs sound good but have this indescribable "fuzziness" to them that irritates the piss out of me, and they seem like the grit passives have. I want to try those new Hetfield EMG too but I'm avoiding actives since I finally got rid of the last guitar that had them.

 

[Spaceboy]

I prefer the Blackouts to emgs. I got a set in a seven string and they just rip. I have a set of emty blackouts in an explorer and they kill as well. All my other buddys like the emgs better though...

Ive tried BKPs aftermaths and painkillers and didnt care for them. I might be one of the only guys that didnt care for the BKP pick ups though cause everyone else swears by them...

BKPs are great but they don't sound twice the price of my DiMarzios!

 

[stephen sawall]

I have not used active humbuckers for years .... Found a 81/89 set here the other day.
My Strat has a EMG DG20 David Gilmour set that I like a lot. You can tell he used the SPC presence control a lot. I really like this in my Strat...

 

[Juggernaut]

Do it!!!

3 out of 4 of my guitars are active, 2 EMG, 1 w/ SD Heavy Metal Live Wires 18v.

So you like the EMG's over the SD's?
Ever check out the Blackouts?
Live wire were the Mustaine models right?

I prefer the EMGs.
Blackouts were cool, but I found them to end up being more sterile than the EMGs over time, at first thought they were great, when I switched back to the EMGs, I found them to be much better.
Not the Mustaines, these things look like EMGs, and are some of the hottest pick-ups I've ever used.

I prefer the Blackouts to emgs. I got a set in a seven string and they just rip. I have a set of emty blackouts in an explorer and they kill as well. All my other buddys like the emgs better though...

Ive tried BKPs aftermaths and painkillers and didnt care for them. I might be one of the only guys that didnt care for the BKP pick ups though cause everyone else swears by them...

Nope, I couldn't stand the BKPs either, tried several sets, couldn't get along with them.

FTR: The passives I enjoy are, Duncan Alternative 8s, and Anderson H3/H3+.

 

[hellaboogie]

I dig the EMGs they have been my go to pickup forever but, The BKP
Black Hawk has peaked my interest, suppose to their answer to active/ EMGs

 

[RJF]

EMG's seem to be very clear to me, blackouts seem to have more background fizz due to them being even hotter than EMG's. For the heavy brutal stuff, both are pretty good, but I kind of prefer the clarity of the EMG's over the extra gain from the blackouts. I still think passives are tonally better as a whole, my two best sounding guitars are my gothic explorer with the stock t500, and my '95 Jackson kelly pro with the rare J92c pickup. Both of those guitars are tight, chunky, and sound "alive."

 

[mchn13]

I really preferred the blackouts to emg;s when I switched a few years ago. They have athickness to the treble that I got along with. Had to dial back the gain tho, they're friggin hot, and have more bass. There was a sizzle that I couldn't get rid of with emg's....imo

 

[Vrad]

Well... I got 7 string blackouts on the way for my Universe (it's routed for passives and I don't feel like routing it for EMG's) and I have EMG's in my Edwards. I dig the hell out of EMG's. They don't sound sterile to me, just very clean with a really low noise floor.