Emg....

[Boleslaw Gers 666]

I was trying to decide between the 85 and the 81 in the bridge of a Les Paul. Is an 81 ceramic or alnico magnet? I was thinking the 85 may be too hot? Anyone have experience with both, preferably in a Les Paul? And another question: can you have an active EMG humbucker in the bridge of a Les Paul and have a passive Seymour Duncan humbucker in the neck?

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Emg....

the 81 is very edgy and agressive which can be good for metal...the 85 is a more rounded full sound with a bit more low end. myself, i like the 85 better since i's a bit fatter sounding.

and you can miz active and passive...i'm no wiring guru so i'll let another person cover that.

-Mike

 

[scooter]

Re: Emg....

The 81 has a ceramic magnet and the 85 alnico. I've had an 81 in the bridge of one of my guitars for about 15 years. Very crunchy under high gain and very clean sounding. It picks up every nuance in your picking. I have played guitars with the 85 in the bridge although it was in a flying V. This pickup is has a thicker tone. Really a crushing metal sound with high gain. I guess I would say that the 81 is heavier on the mids than the 85. You can wire an active with a passive but I'm not an expert in this area.

 

[HarrisonDavid]

Re: Emg....

They are both great! I prefer the 85 for the Harmonics/and fatter sounds. You can mix a passive but im not a wiring guru to help you out there....Artie too could help you. Though he probably isn't a fan of EMGS. ha ha hah a

 

[itbepopples]

Re: Emg....

one way you can hook up a passive with an emg is using one of their PA2 accessory circuits. the circuit is made to change signals to low impedence and then boost them. technically it IS a booster but if u hook up an emg with a passive u might end up using a little bit of the booster to match the neck with the bridge. just one idea...

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: Emg....

I've run passives with actives simply by wiring each to their own pots and it worked fine. Passive neck bucker got the 500k and the bridge EMG got the 25k, then to the stereo input jack.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Emg....

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=40511

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: Emg....

I like a 81 in the bridge spot the best
it just has a certain demonic quality that i have not found in any other pup :dance:
the 85 in the neck is just a perfect match to it too