Rex Rocker
Well-known member
I'm getting a set of EMG ZW's in a trade this weekend. I think the 81 is OK in the bridge position, but I've been spoiled by the low-end chunk that I get from passives that the 81 simply does not have, so I'm probably going to be using the 85 in the bridge position for a guitar I have in mind. I know I do like the 81 in the neck for leads, but not for cleans. I also kinda want to try something new in the neck position. I like the 60 on its own, but I feel it works better with the 81 in the bridge, and it's a bit too bright and dry to work as a set with the chunky/smooth 85. Like I said, I wanna try something I haven't tried before too.
So what should I try? What are you guys' recommendations? I'm thinking about the 89R, but I don't know if I'll dislike it, since I'm usually not a fan of the 85 in the neck. I do know the 89 is slightly less bloated and not as hot in humbucker mode, though, and it has the single coil mode. I'm also thinking about the 66, but I don't have much info on it. Every review tends to focus on the 57, rather, but I don't know how the 66 compares to other EMG's in the neck. Not much info on the 58 either. The one I'm leaning towards the most is the 60A, though, because it probably has all I like about the regular 60, but makes it work a bit better with the 85 in the bridge.
Is there anything else I should be looking at?
So what should I try? What are you guys' recommendations? I'm thinking about the 89R, but I don't know if I'll dislike it, since I'm usually not a fan of the 85 in the neck. I do know the 89 is slightly less bloated and not as hot in humbucker mode, though, and it has the single coil mode. I'm also thinking about the 66, but I don't have much info on it. Every review tends to focus on the 57, rather, but I don't know how the 66 compares to other EMG's in the neck. Not much info on the 58 either. The one I'm leaning towards the most is the 60A, though, because it probably has all I like about the regular 60, but makes it work a bit better with the 85 in the bridge.
Is there anything else I should be looking at?
I originally had the EMG ZW pickup set with the 85 neck/81 bridge on my 1996 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I found the 81 not to be my cup of tea so I traded it off to a friend for an 85 and had it installed in the bridge position. I found the tone to be much more smoother with good output and can still pull the pinch harmonics off of it. I liked it so much that I made a custom pickguard with an 85/SA/85 pickups with a StewMac Super Switch & Mark Knopfler wiring on my 1998 Fender Floyd Rose Classic Strat. I can get the out of phase Strat tones in pos. 2 &4 with the punch of the 85 pickups in the neck & bridge positions. 
