As some of you may know I picked up a used Les Paul Platinum Studio a few months back, and the guy who had it before I did had a set of EMG 81’s in there. The guitar sounded good already, but I could tell I could make it do better…
81’s are alright, but I prefer a slightly different sound with a little more power and more mids in my pickups. After some consideration I selected an 85 for the bridge and a 60A for the neck. Here’s what I have to say about ‘em:
I was cautioned that the 85 in a bridge slot of an LP might be too thick bordering on muddy, but that turned out not to be the case at all. I think the maple cap and ebony fretboard on the guitar helped bring out the top end but the guitar’s electric sound really came alive with this pickup in there. Very fat, ballsy, and crunchy yet clear and detailed at the same time. Harmonics popped out all over the place, very articulate and touch sensitive. Clean it gives up kind of a warm twang, which I like a lot as long as I dial in enough treble.
The 60A turned out to be the perfect choice for what I was looking for in an active neck pickup. It’s clean, clear, and harmonically complex with just a touch of glass on the top, and it retains those qualities under heavy distortion as well. It’s got less mids and more top end detail than the 85, so I get a neck pickup sound that’s smooth and fat but not muffly; it’s clear in every register and very sweet. Awesome for blues-rock soloing. It reminds me of an active, slightly hotter take on a PAF sound. Awesome pickup!
These pickups work very well in a set together. Different characters to the sounds but not so different that they don’t blend well. Across the board, it’s a good vehicle for getting fat, ballsy Les Paul tones with a modern edge, but you could still play classics with it, too. I love it… this might be one of the best sounding Les Pauls I’ve ever played now and certainly the best active pickup set I’ve ever tried.
I’ve got it running on 9V power now but I want to try 18V as I hear it improves the dynamics and adds some range to the sound.
There’s my review. Enjoy!!
81’s are alright, but I prefer a slightly different sound with a little more power and more mids in my pickups. After some consideration I selected an 85 for the bridge and a 60A for the neck. Here’s what I have to say about ‘em:
I was cautioned that the 85 in a bridge slot of an LP might be too thick bordering on muddy, but that turned out not to be the case at all. I think the maple cap and ebony fretboard on the guitar helped bring out the top end but the guitar’s electric sound really came alive with this pickup in there. Very fat, ballsy, and crunchy yet clear and detailed at the same time. Harmonics popped out all over the place, very articulate and touch sensitive. Clean it gives up kind of a warm twang, which I like a lot as long as I dial in enough treble.
The 60A turned out to be the perfect choice for what I was looking for in an active neck pickup. It’s clean, clear, and harmonically complex with just a touch of glass on the top, and it retains those qualities under heavy distortion as well. It’s got less mids and more top end detail than the 85, so I get a neck pickup sound that’s smooth and fat but not muffly; it’s clear in every register and very sweet. Awesome for blues-rock soloing. It reminds me of an active, slightly hotter take on a PAF sound. Awesome pickup!
These pickups work very well in a set together. Different characters to the sounds but not so different that they don’t blend well. Across the board, it’s a good vehicle for getting fat, ballsy Les Paul tones with a modern edge, but you could still play classics with it, too. I love it… this might be one of the best sounding Les Pauls I’ve ever played now and certainly the best active pickup set I’ve ever tried.
I’ve got it running on 9V power now but I want to try 18V as I hear it improves the dynamics and adds some range to the sound.
There’s my review. Enjoy!!
What guitar have you got them in?
