What Passive Bridge Pickup Is Closest To An EMG 81?

  • Thread starter Thread starter angelspade
  • Start date Start date
I've been through a bunch of Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan and Bare Knuckle equivalents of EMGs and none of them really come close. They all have cool characteristics, but not being able to nail everything the EMG does. You want that tight, clinical chunk? Want that crazy output? Want the feeling of a compressor on at all times? Just grab some EMGs and do yourself a favor and grab that Fishman recharge pack.
 
vultures said:
I've been through a bunch of Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan and Bare Knuckle equivalents of EMGs and none of them really come close. They all have cool characteristics, but not being able to nail everything the EMG does. You want that tight, clinical chunk? Want that crazy output? Want the feeling of a compressor on at all times? Just grab some EMGs and do yourself a favor and grab that Fishman recharge pack.
Click to expand...
I only have 1 Guitar with an 81 & My Friend Detroit1973 has 5. Is there an active or passive that comes close to the 81 but is warmer & not so fizzy?
 
Bram576 said:
Dude emgs make such a big difference in having things tight.
Click to expand...

i agree, im surprised though how different i find certain pickups compared to other users, i gotta think it comes down to pick attack
 
The One said:
I only have 1 Guitar with an 81 & My Friend Detroit1973 has 5. Is there an active or passive that comes close to the 81 but is warmer & not so fizzy?
Click to expand...

Lundgren M6. I had one in an Aristides H/06. Sounded like a freight train. Maybe also BKP Ragnarok, it has a lot of output and low end, but the low end is tight.
 
As much as I love the EMG 81, if you want tight, the Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic is actually a bit tighter because it has a bit less low-end. JMO.
 
Nothing sounds like an active pickup. There is a compression and between-each-note quietness they deliver that can't be pulled from a passive pickup. Like a blend of an Invader and a Custom, with an inherent noise gate.
 
vultures said:
Lundgren M6. I had one in an Aristides H/06. Sounded like a freight train. Maybe also BKP Ragnarok, it has a lot of output and low end, but the low end is tight.
Click to expand...
I am running a Ragnarok in an LP for recording rhythm work right now (low tuning) and do not find it to be like an EMG 81 or 85. Ragnarok is like a SD Custom and Gibson 498T had a baby: hot and defined, but also throaty yet clear. I am curious to try it out in one of my shred guitars, but pretty sure it will sound a little honkier and fizzier than I'd like for leads.

A lot of people don't want to rewire a guitar and EMG understands that. Doesn't EMG sell passive pickups that get pretty close to the sound of their active pickups?
 
Ultradeaf said:
A lot of people don't want to rewire a guitar and EMG understands that. Doesn't EMG sell passive pickups that get pretty close to the sound of their active pickups?
Click to expand...
Allegedly. But I think the reason they're so unpopular is they really don't sound anything like the actives.
 
You might dig the Tom Anderson H3 or H3+. But like prior posts have mentioned, do any passive pickups have the compression like an 81?
 
Last edited:
JohnnyGtar said:
The DiMarzio Deactivator is their take on an 81. That's what they were shooting for with that pickup.
Click to expand...
They shot for it and failed imo. It sucks in comparison and leaves much to be desired.

I still don’t understand the wanting something to sound like something else. Just get the proven thing.
 
Bram576 said:
They shot for it and failed imo. It sucks in comparison and leaves much to be desired.

I still don’t understand the wanting something to sound like something else. Just get the proven thing.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it doesn't compare to the 81. The D Activators have a different sound and a lot of people like them, but they ain't no 81!
 
I found the Bare Knuckle Black hawks/Ragnaroks to be in the neighbourhood (obviously not the same) for that aggression and a more compressed vibe.
 
I like the D-Acs, but they're certainly not the closest passives to the 81 I've tried. Not all that mid-focused. Too wide EQ profile.
 
Last edited:
But with so many boost,overdrives,eqs is it really even needed to be that close to the 81 to have an 81ish tone and response/feel?

Most high-output ceramics can get fairly close if you have a well-matched pedal for it,,,,,imo.
Not saying it's exactly the same, but considering the amp has controls also after all that stuff, I guess i just don't understand why it needs to be that close on it's own.
 
angelspade said:
Tell me more about the Ragnarok, I'm not familiar
Click to expand...
https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/pickup/humbucker/ragnarok

Signature pickups of Misha Mansoor from Periphery, they previously came out with the Juggernaut set for him which was supposed to be dynamic, open and surgical in terms of precision in picking up nuances in pick dynamics etc.

The Ragnarok is basically the opposite, much more compressed in feel and sound but with enough headroom left that it doesn't feel like there's no dynamics left.

Super aggressive sounding but very fun to play, there's a video from Bare Knuckle themselves that goes over it all ()

I have a set in my misha USA 7 string and they're great fun to play, they coil split quite nicely too.
 
Bram576 said:
They shot for it and failed imo. It sucks in comparison and leaves much to be desired.

I still don’t understand the wanting something to sound like something else. Just get the proven thing.
Click to expand...

I have a couple of guitars with EMG 81s in the bridge, and they're my favourite pickups. I was planning on changing the pups in one of my guitars that has passive pups and didn't want to do a lot of expensive routing and changing of pots and whatnot, so passives were the only option I had.

I bought a set of BKP Blackhawks that I think will be similar to the EMGs, but it's highly doubtful they will be 100% the same.

Maybe that isn't such a bad thing, sometimes you want a palette of tones instead of a single pastel shade.
 
KyleKing said:
I found the Bare Knuckle Black hawks/Ragnaroks to be in the neighbourhood (obviously not the same) for that aggression and a more compressed vibe.
Click to expand...
I didn’t like the ragnarok at all. I dug the aftermath.
 
Bram576 said:
I didn’t like the ragnarok at all. I dug the aftermath.
Click to expand...

I used to have a 7-string Mayones with Ragnaroks that got stolen. Loved that guitar.

I have the Aftermaths in an OD Guitars Venus 6. Planning to swap them out for Blackhawks instead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top