EMG users, need your opinions

E

eddie nash

New member
hello,

I'm putting together a bolt-on Jackson Soloist copy with Warmoth parts, and plan to use the EMG 81 (bridge) and 60 (neck), wired at 18v series. I play thrash and shred.

the guitar will have a maple neck, ebony fretboard, and a Schaller Floyd trem.

for the body, which of the following woods would you recommend for the 81/60 combo?

Alder
Mahogany
Basswood
Poplar
Maple
Ash

?????

thanks a lot!!!!!! :)
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

Wood doesn't really matter when you play EMGs, no matter what it's gonna sound like the pickups, not the wood.
There will be minor differences, but nothing big
 
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Re: EMG users, need your opinions

I don't use EMGs but honestly I'd go with Mahogany or Alder. A lot of thrash players use both. Kirk Hammett uses Alder bodies and Maple necks and uses EMG81s and in some newer guitars has EMG60s. Zakk Wylde uses Mahogany bodies with Maple necks and uses EMG81s and 85s. James Hetfield uses Mahogany bodies and necks and uses EMG81s and 60s.

IMHO Mahogany is the best for metal cuz of the warmth but Alder is more balanced in the middle of the warmth and brightness spectrum. Mahogany leans way more to the warmer side.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

Mahogany. It's the only wood of your choices that will impart a little bit of lower midrange dynamics and power that will counteract the Maple/Ebony/Floyd Rose's tendency to get brittle. If you were going to use passive pickups I might have a different recommendation but with the EMG's I think it's an easy conclusion.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

oilpit said:
Wood doesn't really matter when you play EMGs, no matter what it's gonna sound like the pickups, not the wood.
There will be minor differences, but nothing big
Click to expand...

Gotta call bull on this one. EMG's tone changes with each guitar as much as any other pickup, be it passive or active.

As far as the wood, I'd go with a mahogany body and throw a SPC controlin there.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

I'd go for mahogany. I've played several guitars with the emg81 (alder, basswood and poplar bodies) and only liked it on my Flying V Gothic (mahogany body & neck, ebony fretboard). Can't comment about the 60 in the neck though. Only played 85's in that position.
So EMG's definately sound different in different woods imo.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

El Supremo. IMO, you are thinking about this the wrong way about. Build the guitar from the timbers you desire then chose the pickups to enhance what the wood can do.

Are you going for EMG-81/-60 HBs because a famous artiste endorses them or because you have tried them and like the way that they sound through your amplification?

I own an LTD EC-401w. The stock pickups were EMG-81/-60 HBs. In my opinion, they did not do the guitar justice. I exploited the Quik Connect wiring system to change to Seymour Duncan Live Wire Classic II HBs. I am pleased with the result.

As for the old chestnut about EMGs making everything sound the same, I would like to offer the following observation. At the time of this posting, I have two near-as-possible-identical Ibanez RG321MHBK guitars under my roof. One is totally stock. The other is my modified example, currently sporting EMG-H neck and SD LW C2 bridge pickups through an EMG-SPC midbooster.

Whichever way one changes, active to passive or passive to active, there is a noticable difference. Either you think that your treble has been robbed away or you think the tone has become "sterile". There is also the undeniably irritating hiss from the battery-powered pre-amp circuitry.

Neither system is perfect. Both have their uses.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

I agree with Funk. Starting with the pickups and then building the guitar is like picking out a microphone and then choosing your lead singer.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

Funkfingers said:
El Supremo. IMO, you are thinking about this the wrong way about. Build the guitar from the timbers you desire then chose the pickups to enhance what the wood can do.
Click to expand...

Hey Funkfingers, I'm not the OP! Eddie Nash asked what type of wood would go with the 81/60 combo. It's seems easier to me to swap pickups than guitar bodies, so this wouldn't be the way I'd go around doing things. But... to each his own.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

El Supremo said:
Hey Funkfingers, I'm not the OP! Eddie Nash asked what type of wood would go with the 81/60 combo. It's seems easier to me to swap pickups than guitar bodies, so this wouldn't be the way I'd go around doing things. But... to each his own.
Click to expand...

Shucks. A senior moment. Must wear my right spectacles next time.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

I've gotta agree with oilpit on this one. Passive pickups will help give you the tone of the wood, but active pickups like EMGs will give you the pickup tone and little to nothing else. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think I agree with the statement that you shouldn't be building the guitar around the electronics. Build the guitar first, THEN if you want EMGs in it, put in what you want, because the wood won't make that much difference.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

There's definitely a difference in tone between different woods with actives. It's not as pronounced as passives but it's absolutely there. I say go mahogany.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

I can't believe we're having this discussion again. EMG pickups do indeed sound different in different guitars, just like passive pickups. They also retain and contribute their unique tonality to each guitar, just like passive pickups. A JB will sound like a JB in any guitar, so will an 81. The thing about an 81, unlike a JB, is it will sound pretty neutral with any wood, whereas the JB will love some and hate others. I used the 81 as an example because it maintains a pretty distinct voice across guitars like the JB. The 89 and SA are more neutral.

So, my recommendation is to pick the wood you like. You know you want the tonality of the 81, the 81 will work well in just about any guitar(if you like it's sound). Pick a wood that has the response that fits this guitar's application.

Alder: pretty even, medium-tight chug, nice harmonics
Mahogany: dark, chocolate smooth rich tastiness - likes a maple top
Basswood: dry, woody, tight bass but midrange bloom, very 80's shredder - likes a maple top
Poplar: pretty bland IMHO
Maple: tight, bright, pingy, think Randy Rhoads
Ash: scooped - solid lows, sparkly top end, normally used for lower gain
Limba/Korina: solid midrange voice, good chunk - like a dryer, more open mahogany

Note: above descriptions as per mine own personal observations. Corrections appreciated.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

Going to jump on the "you're doing it wrong" bandwagon - pick the woods you like, first, and then decide on pickups afterwards.
 
Re: EMG users, need your opinions

Benjy_26 said:
Gotta call bull on this one. EMG's tone changes with each guitar as much as any other pickup, be it passive or active.

As far as the wood, I'd go with a mahogany body and throw a SPC controlin there.
Click to expand...

+1. I've had EMG's in all sorts of woods and some sound much different than the other. EMG's that sound pretty much the same in all woods to me is an old wives tale. If EMG's sound the same in all woods, then how come EMG users and artists pick their own specific woods? I agree with mahogany. A favorite among EMG users for metal or hard rock.
 
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Re: EMG users, need your opinions

to summarize:

High-output pickups (81's, Invaders, X2Ns) color the tone of a guitar moreso than low-output ones.

Mahogany will balance out the construction of your guitar more.

There are already about a trillion guitars in the world with a Soloist body style, Schaller Floyd Rose and EMG pickups...you can probably test an alder one and a mahogany one then sell them both and build your project KNOWING what you want.
 
Build the guitar first.

Build the guitar first.

I have to agree with those that have said select the wood you want first, then the pickups...as all the previous analogies suggest, doing it the other way is just kind of ... a**-backwards... :9:
Having said that, the only woods I tried an 81 in back when I was using EMGs were Ash and Maple, and it sounded much better in the Ash body...probably would sound good in Mahogany too.
 
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