EMG vs. Dimarzio

[Destructone]

greetings fellow metal players! i have an EMG 81/60 and an Evolution set lying around. now, i am contemplating to put either set in my PRS for kicks. I have a show coming up in the 28th of oct. i play death metal... but i just dont know whether i'd go back to active or stay passive.

how would you compare the two? rhythm-wise, lead-wise... tonal-wise and harmonic wise.... tnx!

 

[frehley]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

Destructone,
Greetings . I voted for the EMG 81/60 set because that's what I use for my set-up and it's the best set-up i've ever had because it gives me the most powerful output, definition at extreme gain & volume levels and they have a crunch that no other passive pup has been able to produce. Overall, they sound great at hi-gain, clean, for solos and have more than enough power to push even the weakest amps into overdrive (especially useful if you're on tour and you're not using your own rig) which has happened to me when I was playing a yearly festival in New England with my Death Metal band and we had none of our gear except for our guitars. My EMG's saved my a**!!!

 

[Destructone]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

tnx frehley!

but how would you compare the EMG's with the Evo's?

 

[frehley]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

Well, I think the evo's sound muddy especially in hi-gain. Clean, they sound OK and for solos, they sound fine but they suffer from a lack of clarity & definition at hi-gain which IMO is very characteristic of Dimarzio designs. I really don't think I've ever played a Dimarzio I liked quite honestly. Plus they simply don't have that crunch EMG's have. No passive pup seems to.

2 things that I like on passive pups a little more than EMG's is that passive pups with pole pieces (as opposed to bar magnets like on EMG's) have a more pronounced pick attack, and when one combines two passive pole piece equipped humbuckers together, it gives one this crystal clear warm tone that is tough to get with EMG's.
But the pros overweigh the cons and I go with EMG's for the rhythm tracks when I record. For solos I want more pick attack, I use my Duncan equipped guitar with a Full shred in the neck and a Duncan Distortion in the bridge. The best PASSIVE pups ever!!!

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

LMAO sorry, but that's retarded. Not clear under high gain? That's what DiMarzio is practically known for.


If you're more of a lead player, go for the Evo's. More of a rhythm player, go for the EMG's.

 

[Archer_of_Fish]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

LMAO sorry, but that's retarded. Not clear under high gain? That's what DiMarzio is practically known for.


If you're more of a lead player, go for the Evo's. More of a rhythm player, go for the EMG's.

I disagree, the dimarzios I have played have had a very strange midrange honk that to me isnt as clear as other pickup makers.

To the original poster: Both of the pickups you are looking at can function just fine for high gain. And both sets you are looking at are equally mediocre. My suggestions are Fralin humbuckers, a 9K bridge and 7.5K neck. OR a Duncan Custom Custom/Alnico II Pro set.

 

[MDS]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

I had an Evo for awhile. It was a little over the top for me in terms of mid range in your faceness. It was easy to get a Vai tone though. I found it kind of nasty and preferred some of the smoother offerings from Dimarzio like the ToneZone, Fred, or Steve's Special.

 

[Destructone]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

I had an Evo for awhile. It was a little over the top for me in terms of mid range in your faceness. It was easy to get a Vai tone though. I found it kind of nasty and preferred some of the smoother offerings from Dimarzio like the ToneZone, Fred, or Steve's Special.

I happen to like the Steve's Special (well, the Petrucci-nized version in his signature axe anyway), and LOVE the Tone Zone. how would you compare these pups to the Evo's? how do you define "nasty"? because "nasty" can be considered a good thing when playing death metal.

ive only had the Evo's for 2 months in my RG... and havent touched the Evo's for almost a year now. Im just guessing that the Evo's will sound different in my PRS since, my Reed is unusually fat-sounding.

 

[Destructone]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

bump!

anyone else want to share?

 

[tfb1990]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

personally i think the evos sound.... wierd... i cant describe it

 

[BetaCAM]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

Well....

I had Evolutions on my Peavey V type for a while but I've removed them and sold them eventually.

I don't feel these pickups lacked crunch or sounded muddy under hi gain which I liked to play a lot.
But I feel they sound too much Vai like which is what they are about anyhow.

I would prefer the EMGs for death metal and heavier metals brands,
they simply have better output and they cut through just about anything out there, I attend to agree that no passive pickup is that powerful enough.

However, as far as clean sounds go, I never liked them.
I used to have a Jackson Dinky STD with SA SA 85 installed on it,
I never liked its Clean sound, but the distortion was dead on.

Like I wrote on my request for a good pickup for strat, I tried the Dimarzio Cruiser neck version and it sounded just like someone said above me.
They have an extremely ANNOYING lack of midrage and they sound so treile that you can't feel if it's really working, no dynamics what so ever.

I've come to the conclusion that this is the Dimarzio way.
For some it would work right, for others it simply won't cut it, and to be honest I'm quite tired of Dimarzio, I've had my good and bad expiriences with it but I feel I need a change as well.

Cheers!

 

[ranalli]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

Well....

I've come to the conclusion that this is the Dimarzio way.

I don't think that the Evos are teh "Dimarzio way" at all.....each of their pickups is different and the Evos are so much different than let's say the Super3 or HFH, etc...

 

[roadstar II]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

I voted dimarzio since i HATE EMG actives!
they sound like they have a overdrive pedal on all the time! :gurmpy:

 

[ParameterMan]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

LMAO sorry, but that's retarded. Not clear under high gain? That's what DiMarzio is practically known for.


If you're more of a lead player, go for the Evo's. More of a rhythm player, go for the EMG's.

Now that's retarded. :bs2: :butkick:

 

[Destructone]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

dumb question, but can you get alexi laiho tones out of the Evo? Alexi's tone sound very similar to that of Vai's...

 

[mind_transplant]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

I don't think that the Evos are teh "Dimarzio way" at all.....each of their pickups is different and the Evos are so much different than let's say the Super3 or HFH, etc...

Couldn't agree more, I think the "Dimarzios all sound the same" theory is based on people only trying a narrow selection of their pickups. Sure a number of them share some tonal characteristics, but so do SDs, EMGs, and countless other pickup brands.

LMAO sorry, but that's retarded. Not clear under high gain? That's what DiMarzio is practically known for.

I see what you're saying, though 'retarded' probably isn't the best way to put it... I also find the Evo very articulate in almost any situation, but can certainly understand a lot of players (and amps for that matter) not getting along with it, I can't really think of a more 'niche' pickup. I also can't really picture it as a 'death-metal' pickup, but I'm also not at all versed in the ways of death-metal.

 

[Vincent]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

I prefer the evos myself. In the right guitar they can sound incredibly hot and have a distinctive 'vai-esque' tone that's quite unique. On the other hand, in the wrong guitar, evos can sound painfully thin and 'whiny'.

Some guy here ( I cna't remember who) had a very good experience with evos in his hardtail strat.

 

[Destructone]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

any of you guys find the Evo dark at all?! or is it bright like the JB?

tnx in advance.

 

[ranalli]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

any of you guys find the Evo dark at all?! or is it bright like the JB?

tnx in advance.

Bright like the JB.

 

[Destructone]

Re: EMG vs. Dimarzio

did Vai use the Evo's on the song "The Boy From Seattle"?! the clean tone on that song sounds AWESOME!