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My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

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  • #31
    Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

    I used to use Emg’s all the time. 81 bridge and 60 neck was my go to. I went to blackouts metal and black winters for a while.

    Lately I’ve been replacing Emg’s with fishman fluence sets, both the classic and modern set are great. I’ve had my eye on a kse or carpenter set lately though. They are so much better in every way. I still have a Jackson with 81tw/89 set that I run at 24v but I’ll probably sell it. I’d like to try a retroactive Emg’s set in hss configuration, but I don’t have any use for the rest. The fluence are light years better. If anyone knows great tones it’s Frank.

    I just picked up another set for 160 with battery pack, brand new still in box. Not only are the 2 voices great, but they split really well. I have them in 5 guitars at the moment.

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    • #32
      Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

      Whenever I have had a guitar that I just couldn't get to sound good or acceptable to me with passive pickups, I could load the guitar with EMGs and the guitar then would sound excellent. I have found that with EMGs, it really didn't matter what tonewood the guitar was made of, the sound became acceptable. The thing that EMGs couldn't do for a unimpressive tonewood guitar is fix a bad sustain issue. It seems to me that the tone of a guitar was less important with active pickups.

      I used to use EMGs exclusively until I tried a Seymour Duncan JB in a guitar. I personally like the inconsistency and unpredictability of passive pickups and I am a huge Seymour Duncan pickup fan.

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      • #33
        Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

        Good reads. I happen to really like the emg81 mostly because it's quiet.

        The distortion has always been my favorite pickup until I got the blackout Emty ahb3's!

        They are hands down the best combination of all the great things in passives and actives all rolled into one!
        They are tight as heck and yet they wail with harmonics during solo..... amazing.

        Eventually I think I'll have them in every guitar I own, they're that good.
        Last edited by 80's_Metal; 04-02-2020, 03:24 PM.
        Go buy my book. https://www.amazon.com/dp/198405564X

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        • #34
          My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

          Originally posted by Blackie13 View Post
          Have you tried the Mick thompson Blackouts?
          I have them in two guitars which I use commonly for heavy rhythm stuff. They have a lot of cut and articulation. Very pleased.

          Over the years I’ve tried everything. I liked how quiet the EMGs are but they tend to sound familiar because so many people play them. Whenever I played them I always felt like I was 80% of where I was trying to be, sonically.

          If given a guitar with an 81 in the bridge I could certainly play or track with it...but I would probably wind up switching it for a nazgul, black winter, 59/custom or mick Thomson depending on the guitar and tuning.

          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
          Last edited by Nsatke81; 04-02-2020, 10:21 PM.

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          • #35
            Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

            Originally posted by Jack_TriPpEr View Post
            Why not have one guitar with the EMGs which you would use for recording only, and another guitar with your preferred passive pups that you use for jamming/playing live?
            I like this approach. I have several different Les Paul guitars, and my Epiphone Bjorn Gelotte (all mahogany, if I remember correctly) sounds monstrous with the 81/85 combo. If you have the option, I love the idea of versatility. You can have both, it seems.

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            • #36
              Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

              So what are you guys' recommendations for me to try next?

              EMTY Blackouts? EMG 57/66? EMG GTV?

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              • #37
                Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                Originally posted by Rex_Rocker View Post
                So what are you guys' recommendations for me to try next?

                EMTY Blackouts? EMG 57/66? EMG GTV?
                I really like the EMTYs for anything a step or more down. Highly suggested.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                • #38
                  Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                  Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                  gimour used emgs sa pup in the red strat with spc and exg controls
                  I have the same setup in a Floydcaster. My only EMGs, but they sound great and have remained in that guitar since 1980.
                  Completely different from the humbucker sets though, I think.

                  The SPC and EXG are cool and flexible but take a lot of getting used to when you're used to a regular tone control.
                  .
                  "You should know better by now than to introduce science into a discussion of voodoo."
                  .

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                  • #39
                    Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                    EMTY's do seem appealing. How about the 57/66 set?

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                    • #40
                      Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                      Tried the 57/66 combo already?

                      It's freaking killer.
                      Epiphone LP Standard PlusTop Pro
                      Ibanez SZ320 / A8 DD103 bridge.
                      Ibanez RG270 / Screamin' Demon bridge.

                      Egnater Tweaker 15 Head / Laney Cub 8 / 2x12 - Celestion V30+K100
                      Line 6 M13 and plenty of stompboxes I rarely use!

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                      • #41
                        Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                        I have tried 81/60 , 81/85 and 85/81 (85/81 sounds way more balanced) and I have to say that it strongly depends on the guitar scale and woods. On LP-shaped/scale guitars, 81/60 sounds best. On strats / super strats I didn't like any EMG set. On my Kramer 210 originally with livewires original Metal/neck, I replaced them with EMG 85/81 . I had more noise, but also better cleans. After many years of searching for the original classic livewire bridge (non metal), that my friend @allstarme was kind enough to send me, I fitted the original livewires pups and wiring (100k pots) but replaced the original bridge livewire metal, with the original livewire bridge classic (that allstarme sent to me), and it seemed just better, like they found their old home back.

                        I'd like to also comment on their output. EMG 81/60 sounds weaker than the livewires classic. Also Dimarzio Blazes and Dimarzio Super Distortion are hotter than EMG 81 or 85.
                        Last edited by greekdude; 04-06-2020, 02:10 PM.

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                        • #42
                          Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                          Originally posted by eclecticsynergy View Post
                          I have the same setup in a Floydcaster. My only EMGs, but they sound great and have remained in that guitar since 1980.
                          Completely different from the humbucker sets though, I think.

                          The SPC and EXG are cool and flexible but take a lot of getting used to when you're used to a regular tone control.
                          i really like the spc, the exg is ok but i prefer to have a normal tone control. volume, tone, spc is a great setup with single coils

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                          • #43
                            Re: My struggle with EMG pickups... does anyone feel the same?

                            Originally posted by greekdude View Post
                            I have tried 81/60 , 81/85 and 85/81 (85/81 sounds way more balanced) and I have to say that it strongly depends on the guitar scale and woodswoods. On LP-shaped/scale guitars, 81/60 sounds best. On strats / super strats I didn't like any EMG set. On my Kramer 210 originally with livewires original Metal/neck, I replaced them with EMG 85/81 . I had more noise, but also better cleans. After many years of searching for the original classic livewire bridge (non metal), that my friend @allstarme was kind enough to send me, I fitted the original livewires pups and wiring (100k pots) but replaced the original bridge livewire metal, with the original livewire bridge classic (that allstarme sent to me), and it seemed just better, like they found their old home back.

                            I'd like to also comment on their output. EMG 81/60 sounds weaker than the livewires classic. Also Dimarzio Blazes and Dimarzio Super Distortion are hotter than EMG 81 or 85.
                            Yeah. I think there's the misconception that EMG's are EXTREMELY hot. They aren't. At least not the 81. It might be a little bit hotter than the JB (which is hot, but not absurdly so), but the Duncan Distortion in the right guitar hits the amp a lot harder. Honestly, what's appealing to me about EMG's is not the output, but rather, the way they're EQ'd to take lots of gain.

                            But then, there's the Hets. Those are pretty damn hot! I never had the chance to A/B them with something like a Black Winter, but the Hets very much keep up with Blackouts (which, as mentioned, are pretty damn over-the-top). Honestly, I'm curious as to where Blackouts stand in relation to Black Winters too. Those Blackouts are monsters, but so are Black Winters.

                            I used to really like the 60 in the neck, but nowadays... err... I still like the clean tone, but I prefer something less chirpy under gain. The 60 reminds me a lot of the Phat Cat: nice cleans with a hint of single coil chime, but kinda chirpy and scratchy with some gain thrown on top. That gets particularly obvious high up the fretboard. I prefer the 85 in the neck or even the 81 at the moment.
                            Last edited by Rex_Rocker; 04-06-2020, 10:40 AM.

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