About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

[seanguynj]

I have a LP studio plus desert burst guitar. i'm wondering if it's worth changing the pickups (490r, 498t) to EMG-ZW set or two EMG-81's. I like the tone but i want more metal out of it, (but still want to keep a nice blues tone too. Also, why are the bridge pickups up so high on my les paul??? should i lower it?
thanks guys.

[seanguynj]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

passive ones? hmmm. what are the differences between active pickups and passive pickups??? and what are some nice blues/rock pickups? haha i'm new to electrics...

[some_dude]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz or JB/59......

I'm sure others will chime in with their favorits soon.

EMG actives rock, but I don't know how good they'd be for blues.

[strat_master]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

if you wnat metal look no fruther than the jb/59 combo u can nail metal with that and blues and everything else in between.

[presa_tito]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

If you're gonna get emg's then get actives, particularily the ZW set. Otherwise get some trusty duncans.

[Xeromus]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

If you're gonna get emg's then get actives, particularily the ZW set. Otherwise get some trusty duncans.

I did that and loved them at first, ended up hating them. They are gone now.

Love the trusty '59/Distortion set or the Jazz/JB set, can't beat either

[Stratoplayer]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

Are EMG passives any good? I mean, actives are there bread and butter, so to speak.

[seanguynj]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

ooooo i'm looking into the jb/59 combo now... anyone know how much it would cost to get these installed?

[Metalman_666]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

The EMG passives aren't that great... they're DECENT, and you can "rock" with them, but they definitely do not compare to a Duncan!!

for pup pricing and installation, you're probably looking at $200 for the pups from a store, and maybe another $30-50 for installation... damn labour ripoffs...

[fenderiarhs]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

i think passive emg's are not a very good design.They ARE not bad pickups but i think you can find something much better in the duncan or dimarzio range.If you want emg try their active ones.....they smoke....

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

I'll word this the best i can.

This is a really good link on how guitar pickups work. How Stuff Works
That is an explanation of a PASSIVE guitar pickup. The signal is sent to a preamp where it's adjusted (bass, middle, treble knobs etc. on your amp). Then it's powered by a power amp.

The difference between passive pickups and active pickups is that active pickups actually have a build in preamp and are powered usually with a 9v battery. It's like having a built in boost pedal. (active pickups have EXTREMELY high output) As a result, they're very voiced. In an active pickup they can adjust it's tone/e.q. to almost exactly how they want it. Passive pickups are organic, meaning the sound of the guitar when it's unplugged comes through when it's amplified. Different wood types sound different when the guitar is unplugged. Using passive pickups, you have to shape your tone by your guitars wood type, etc. With active pickups, it doesn't really matter because they have such a voice of their own, they sound mostly the same in almost any wood.

Idk about passive EMGs, but to me it doesn't sound like a very good idea.
If your going to use this guitar for ALL metal, then EMGs might be your route. But since they're so high output etc., they SUCK for blues. If you want more versatality, ALWAYS go passive.

hope that helps
-cory

[seanguynj]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

so duncan JB/59' combo would sound a LOT better than the gibson stock pickups?

[strat_master]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

Yes very much so, the jb is a good shredder pick up and the 59 is a nice neck pick up, but that depnds on you what you consider better,

[seanguynj]

Re: About EMG-81, 85 pickups...

ohhhh alright thanks for your help you guys i'll be getting JB/59 on my les paul soon.
and then it's time to ROCK!