I've had this love hate thing with EMG pickups ever since I first tried them. I recently posted a thread about me being about to ditch them (and going for a Nazgūl or a Custom). I remember when I first tried them, I was very underwhelmed. I ditched a DiMarzio Super Distortion (which, at the time, I loved) in my only guitar to give the pickups all of my favorite bands were using a try. I got myself a Zakk Wylde set, and me, being a huge Killswitch Engage fan, installed the 85 in the bridge and the 81 in the neck because I had read the 85 was the fattest of the two. Not only was the low-end a lot less present in the 85 compared to the Super Distortion, but it wasn't any hotter either, even if the pickup was battery-powered.
So I decided to give it some time, regardless. Little by little, I got used to it. Then, out of curiosity, decided to try the 81 in the bridge. Even less low-end (and perceivably tamer output)! It made me wonder what was it that people heard in this pickup.
But then, I tried recording with them. It all made sense then, especially with amp sims emulating Mesa Rectifiers, which, at the time, was my holy grail kinda tone. The lack of low-end translated into lightning-fast tighness. The upper-mid focus meant it was cutting and aggressive, and it sat just in the right spot in the mix. The lack of real high-end depth meant the fizz inherent to many of these 90's scoopy metal amps was contained. It all made sense!
So more guitars came and went by, and I tried several other EMG models thinking, "I like how the 81 records, I just wished it had a tad more girth, especially in the room." I did so until I came to own this one guitar which sounded really dark and dull, and I though "I need a pickup that's REALLY bright to make it come to life." So I decided to give the Duncan Distortion a try. Up to this day, the Duncan Distortion is one of my favorite pickups. In the room, it made the 81 sound so narrow next to it. The Duncan Distortion just had more width: more high end detail, and more low-end depth, while still having that familiar upper-mid grind to it. It was also hotter, and I thought it sounded more vicious with more attack.
I've since tried a lot of Duncan and DiMarzios searching for the perfect agressive, cutting, grinding bridge pickup that sounds good in the room, but also records well. The best (for me) I came across were within the JB family: The JB itself, the Duncan Distortion, and my favorite, the Black Winter.
Anyway, recently, a friend of mine wanted to ditch an EMG 81/85 set, and I had a spare Distortion Mayhem set lying around, so I traded him out of curiosity and nostalgia for the pickups I used to like. First thing I did was swap them in and throw a mic in front of my cab, and bam! All the good things I remember about recording EMG's were there, even now that I'm using real amps, and not amp sims. The mic just loves them, and it brings out all the good things you read and hear about them.
That leads up to today: Every time I try a passive in the room next to an EMG, I think, "yeah, passives are more my thing." But then I spend some time with EMG's, and I really come to appreciate how well they gel with 90's/early 2000's metal amps (like Rectos and 5150's) and even some more contemporary amps like 5150III's.
Sorry for the long read. I guess I just needed to vent, LOL. Do any of you guys feel the same? Should I keep trying EMG's until I find *the right one*? I mean, after all, I haven't tried them all. Especially not the most current releases, but I have tried the usual suspects (81, 85, and 60) in both positions, the Het Set, 81X/60X, and 81TW as well as some of their passive offerings like the H1, H3, and H4, but I still keep coming back to the 81 and sometimes the 85 in the bridge position. Should I try the 57/66? Perhaps the Retroactives?
Thanks for reading.
So I decided to give it some time, regardless. Little by little, I got used to it. Then, out of curiosity, decided to try the 81 in the bridge. Even less low-end (and perceivably tamer output)! It made me wonder what was it that people heard in this pickup.
But then, I tried recording with them. It all made sense then, especially with amp sims emulating Mesa Rectifiers, which, at the time, was my holy grail kinda tone. The lack of low-end translated into lightning-fast tighness. The upper-mid focus meant it was cutting and aggressive, and it sat just in the right spot in the mix. The lack of real high-end depth meant the fizz inherent to many of these 90's scoopy metal amps was contained. It all made sense!
So more guitars came and went by, and I tried several other EMG models thinking, "I like how the 81 records, I just wished it had a tad more girth, especially in the room." I did so until I came to own this one guitar which sounded really dark and dull, and I though "I need a pickup that's REALLY bright to make it come to life." So I decided to give the Duncan Distortion a try. Up to this day, the Duncan Distortion is one of my favorite pickups. In the room, it made the 81 sound so narrow next to it. The Duncan Distortion just had more width: more high end detail, and more low-end depth, while still having that familiar upper-mid grind to it. It was also hotter, and I thought it sounded more vicious with more attack.
I've since tried a lot of Duncan and DiMarzios searching for the perfect agressive, cutting, grinding bridge pickup that sounds good in the room, but also records well. The best (for me) I came across were within the JB family: The JB itself, the Duncan Distortion, and my favorite, the Black Winter.
Anyway, recently, a friend of mine wanted to ditch an EMG 81/85 set, and I had a spare Distortion Mayhem set lying around, so I traded him out of curiosity and nostalgia for the pickups I used to like. First thing I did was swap them in and throw a mic in front of my cab, and bam! All the good things I remember about recording EMG's were there, even now that I'm using real amps, and not amp sims. The mic just loves them, and it brings out all the good things you read and hear about them.
That leads up to today: Every time I try a passive in the room next to an EMG, I think, "yeah, passives are more my thing." But then I spend some time with EMG's, and I really come to appreciate how well they gel with 90's/early 2000's metal amps (like Rectos and 5150's) and even some more contemporary amps like 5150III's.
Sorry for the long read. I guess I just needed to vent, LOL. Do any of you guys feel the same? Should I keep trying EMG's until I find *the right one*? I mean, after all, I haven't tried them all. Especially not the most current releases, but I have tried the usual suspects (81, 85, and 60) in both positions, the Het Set, 81X/60X, and 81TW as well as some of their passive offerings like the H1, H3, and H4, but I still keep coming back to the 81 and sometimes the 85 in the bridge position. Should I try the 57/66? Perhaps the Retroactives?
Thanks for reading.
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