EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

[octavedoctor]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

As I used to be a tech with the former main UK importers of EMG i am naturally biased, but actually, i don't think you can compare them in the same way that you can't compare, say, a pipe organ with a technics keyboard.

I like both...

 

[Robbiedbee]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

EMGs do not agree with me. They don't give me what I want. They are too narrow and 1-dimensional. Plus, active pups, nah.

SD pups all the way!

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

I heart EMG's and DiMarzio's.

 

[Akrin]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

emg's arent bad pups. i still have a pickguard loaded with an 81/sv/sv set with a spc and pa2 but i couldnt tell ya the last time i even thought about putting it in

I'll give ya $10 for it :laugh2:

 

[APB_4]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

Well rumors are things that aren't true right??


Sterile means "Lacking imagination, creativity, or vitality"......the last thing that EMGs lack is vitality or "life" in their tone.

I thought sterile meant there wasn't anything living in it?!?

 

[Pecan]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

Overall EMG's are probably better for metal. But for my metal preferances theres not enough highs in them and they seem to flat. I prefer SD for a few reasons, the first is that they make awsome sounding pickups without making them actives, and i prefer using passives, but i suppose it depends if you care or not. The second is like i like SD versatile sound, and even their hotter pickups still have a jazzy metal quality to them which i love. And thirdly i believe SD metal pikups are sharper, oh and the fact iron maiden one of the coolest metal bands ever use them finishes it of for me. I wouldn't use them if i was going for a metallica sound, but... i prefer a jazzy metal sound, and on the occasion something that leans towards iron maiden.

 

[aldu74]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

+1 for Duncans.

Don't care for active pickups much.

 

[bigred]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

I prefer Duncans, but i do have a set of 81/85's in my pickup stash.

 

[Varg]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

6 year thread zombie.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

SDs... the only EMG I liked was the 85 and even that one I would take a SD over....

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

Even if it was an EMG vs. Duncan vs. DiMarzio, the all mighty Seymour product will win.

Imho, Duncan is just that great.

I want to make a blind statement that i 'think' (i can not prove this) Duncan sells more pick ups per year than EMG and/or DiMarzio.
I wonder who will have these type of sales figures of all three Co ?

 

[LReese]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

Even if it was an EMG vs. Duncan vs. DiMarzio, the all mighty Seymour product will win.

Imho, Duncan is just that great.

I want to make a blind statement that i 'think' (i can not prove this) Duncan sells more pick ups per year than EMG and/or DiMarzio.
I wonder who will have these type of sales figures of all three Co ?

AFAIK, all 3 companies are privately held so if that's indeed true that info is privvy to the shareholders of the 3 companies.

That being said - I've also had this thing against Dimarzio... Don't like the creme bobbins thing but that's not it - it was the way a product with DMZ's was pushed to me when I was a kid. The pickups were always built OK and sounded OK to me.

Emg's were IT in the 80s. I wanted to try an X-series, but I did not get quite the response I was looking for when contacting their support. My other option if i wanted to use X-series is to have Suhr wire a Strat harness for me, no need for that not knowing if I'll like the pickups.

Duncan has always been consistently good and highly respected IMO. The most recent new unused sets I've purchased were Duncans.

 

[Khriss Bliss]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

I tried Emg & loved the chunky attack & harmonix... But then I slowed down & let a chord ring out... Kinda like drinking hot water...
If you ask me it seems like it over accentuates the harmonics til so pure and lowers the rest of the tone... I can see the appeal to post Zakk post Pantera metal players, but if you have to consider EMGs, I'd say check out SD actives first cuz it's SD.
Whenever guitar players in concert, like onthe Testament live DVD, or Reb Beach in Dokken live DVD, go from passive to EMGs, I always hear a noticeable drop in richness and complexity

.( And btw, If I'm not mistaken
Slayer didn't use EMGs til after the classic stuff.)

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

I use EMGs when I want to sound like I'm using EMGs. OTW, Duncan FTMFW.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

( And btw, If I'm not mistaken
Slayer didn't use EMGs til after the classic stuff.)

I haven't followed their equipment usage in any depth. What's the last Slayer album you consider "classic stuff"?

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

EMG's sound awesome with the 18V mod, but the highs sound way too thin/shrill otherwise. I'd pick my Blackout AHB-2 (metal) over an 18V modded EMG 81 ...but only just.

Not going to compare EMG's to SD passives...(apples and oranges)

 

[verbotenco]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

I think the pickup market has been polarized into Dimarzio and SD. All others are just complementary. Unless one wants to look 'intelligent' or 'unusually different', there is no reason to try Bareknuckle pickups, Lindy Fralin, Rockfield, etc. Besides their stuff are more expensive too arent' they?

 

[OsvyRock]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

Duncans feel ALIVE, responsive, etc! EMG's just feels like ''preset settings, preset sounds''. They sound good, but just not enough for me!

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

The EMG 85/81 is one of the perfect pickup sets IMO. Sorry Seymour, your actives still kick ass.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: EMGs VS Seymour Duncans

I have uses for both brands …and several others besides.

My preference is only of relevance to me and my guitars.

This poll ought to have a Rob option.