JackBootedThug
MURDERATOR
To go with an old school 81 my brother from another mother hooked me up with… 85 or something different?
A
Apex1Rg7X
Well-known member
I've always had good luck with a 60 in the neck.
mctallica1
Well-known member
Hey Dude.
You’ll get different answers, but as an avid EMG user for a loooong time, for mahogany or limba guitars, I prefer the 60 or 81 in the neck. Also prefer 81’s in the bridge for these guitars.
T
You’ll get different answers, but as an avid EMG user for a loooong time, for mahogany or limba guitars, I prefer the 60 or 81 in the neck. Also prefer 81’s in the bridge for these guitars.
T
TheBiggestJerk
Well-known member
H4
SFW
Well-known member
The 85 is the old tried and true Zakk thing. I also dig the 60.
mnemonic
Well-known member
I actually really liked the 81 in the neck
angelspade
Well-known member
60 if your looking for cleans...81 or 89 if your preference is neck position leads
stratjacket
Well-known member
60 in the neck has been my preference. Great for soloing.
rsm
Well-known member
classic: 81 (bridge) / 85 (neck).
heath
Member
I always found it hard to balance the 85 in the neck with the 81 in the bridge. Much preferred the 60 or another 81 for the neck paired with an 81 in the bridge. It just seemed to jive better for me. I later discovered the HA and H which are their single coil (SA and S respectively) in a humbucker sized housing. I found those to be my favorite EMG neck choices. I also moved on from the 81 in the bridge to an 81X and later an 85X.
J
jasonP
Well-known member
60 in the neck sounds good to me!
TheGreatGreen
Well-known member
I went years with an EMG 89 in the neck. Always used the single coil mode, kept it in that mode basically the entire time. In that mode it's effectively an EMG SA. Not exactly beefy but it's awesome for pristine cleans. Actually, if you just wanted a single coil sound, I'd get the EMG HA. It's an EMG SA single coil but in a humbucker housing.
However, recently I finally tried an EMG 60. No idea why I never tried one but damn to I regret waiting. It's great for big round "neck pickupy" sounding high gain. You know what I mean, the exaggerated round boomy tooby neck humbucker thing, but with enough definition that it doesn't mud out. Awesome pickup. Cleans up well, too. Not as pristine as a single coil but great for a humbucker, especially if you can EQ it.
My vote is EMG HA for pristine cleans, EMG 60 for neck high gain stuff.
However, recently I finally tried an EMG 60. No idea why I never tried one but damn to I regret waiting. It's great for big round "neck pickupy" sounding high gain. You know what I mean, the exaggerated round boomy tooby neck humbucker thing, but with enough definition that it doesn't mud out. Awesome pickup. Cleans up well, too. Not as pristine as a single coil but great for a humbucker, especially if you can EQ it.
My vote is EMG HA for pristine cleans, EMG 60 for neck high gain stuff.
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M
MYLILSS
Well-known member
My go to EMG setup is an EMG 85/60 . The 60 in the neck just sings.
vultures
Well-known member
I recently swapped in some EMGs into a LPC, decided to do it hardwired and add the fishman pack. I put a 81 in the bridge and 89R in the neck set to split permanently. It sounds absolutely insane. The 89R is crazy.
TheGreatGreen
Well-known member
Very cool setup. EMG's use way less current than Fishmans so I'd imagine the battery life is pretty good. How long does a charge generally last you?
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bendedavis
New member
Yes! I love the HA in the neck.
K
Kagami
Active member
I have an S in my falcon and it's pretty nice there, the H is the hum-sized S. I also like the 81 more than the 85 in both positions, haven't used an 60 before to comment on it or any of the X models. I had an 89R before and it was fine though I'm not huge on alnico humbuckers.
S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑
Hack
Wait...guitars have more than one pickup??!
midnightlaundry
Well-known member
89
