Emgs

SlashRules

New member
Is it worth putting EMGS in a Strat or would I be better with Duncans or Marzios. With is better with the Strat the Eric Clapton Boost or the EMG AFter burner
 
Re: Emgs

that's kinda like. Hey guys should I eat a banana for lunch or a cheeseburger? Really different tones, really different groove. what are you looking for?
 
Re: Emgs

hey i ve just had a brilliant idea i could have a EMG 81 humbucker in the Bridge and have two single coils im looking for a metal and Classic rock sound
 
Re: Emgs

SlashRules said:
hey i ve just had a brilliant idea i could have a EMG 81 humbucker in the Bridge and have two single coils im looking for a metal and Classic rock sound

EMG makes a drop in set complete with the pickguard the 81 and two SA single coils. That combo rips I tell ya. all you have to do is screw the pickguard on and solder up to the input jack. If you feel like going back to passives, do the same thing again. It's a completely noiseless, good sounding setup.
 
Re: Emgs

SlashRules said:
hey i ve just had a brilliant idea i could have a EMG 81 humbucker in the Bridge and have two single coils im looking for a metal and Classic rock sound

It is very difficult to mix passive duncans with active emgs. You need to choose 1 or the other. Both would sound very good but different. It you do choose the emgs I would highly reccomend doing the 18 volt mod. My friend has an 89 in the bridge and 2 SAs in the front and middle and it sounds excelllent.
 
Re: Emgs

do not underestimate the emg85 at the bridge position it's an awesome pickup and it's warmer than the emg81 and more natural sounding.(or the emg 89....it is like the emg 85 but it is splittable)
 
Re: Emgs

SlashRules said:
Do you lose the strat sound with the emgs


no, but it's definately different. Listen to dark side of the moon by pink floyd, that's exactly what they will sound like.
 
Re: Emgs

After having the Dave Gilmour DG-20 set in my MIM strat, I can give you the lowdown.

Advantages: they're the only things that go with EMG humbuckers, which I think are pretty nice, (had a EMG ZW set before too). I would go with an 81, because some of my favorite bands use it (John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls being one) and I think it is very articulate and outstanding with high gain. The single coils (the SAs that are in the Dave Gilmour set) work VERY well with effects and different setups. They're pretty versatile. The set I had had an EXP expander circuit and something else that could change it to emulate humbuckers. Worked pretty decently.

Disadvantages: It may be considered sterile to some. They're pretty plain to be honest. Dave no doubt loves them because it provides a perfect platform to add crazy effects to. IF YOU ARE EXPECTING THE "NATURAL" OR "TRADITIONAL" STRAT TONE, LOOK ELSEWHERE. These are not the chimey, brilliant pups that you've heard all the great vintage players use. With the right setup, I'm sure they can really work well... aka Gilmour's crazy setup. Otherwise, they will only give you decent strat tones.

I have never tried the 18v mod with either of those sets... as they were both sold (MRID has my ZW set). I think for a general versatile set, the 81-SA-SA set could perform it. However, you have to bear in mind that these are separate from the passive pups of the past. They do have a bit of a "colder" feel to them (kinda like comparing modeling amps to real tube amps). I think the 81 is the perfect metal pup and the SAs will add some cleaner, clearer flavor. Just some food for though :) (I realize not everyone has the same opinions, but after trying various pup manufacturers, I feel this is pretty accurate).
 
Re: Emgs

Xeromus said:
no, but it's definately different. Listen to dark side of the moon by pink floyd, that's exactly what they will sound like.

No one will ever sound EXACTLY like Dave Gilmour unless you ARE Dave Gilmour. In the event that you are Gilmour, I'd like to welcome you to the forums and beg you to please get another Floyd album out.

EMGs in a Strat probably won't give you a classic rock sound at all. Gilmour had EMGs in a Strat, but he doesn't have typical Clapton-esque classic rock tone.

If you don't know what the tonal differences between actives and passives are, you should hang out in the Pickups forum and ask around a bit. Actives give you a brighter, glassier sound that is stronger, but less dark and gritty. Most of the guitar players you associate with classic rock use traditional passive pickups.

I don't even know where to begin offering recommendations because there are too many variables. I don't know exactly what you prefer, so it's hard to say for sure. The banana vs. cheeseburger analogy is perfect.
 
Re: Emgs

Gilmour uses EMGs pretty much all the damn time. I could have sworn he had a signature set, but I might be wrong. If you really want to get a taste for what they sound like, I would check out one of the newer live albums, like PULSE.

It boils down to this - you're not going to sound exactly like Dave Gilmour and you're not going to sound exactly like anyone else with EMGs in their Strat. You could use him as an example of the kind of tone you will approximate, but you'll invariably just sound like yourself. Your guitar, however, will take on tonal characteristics that are unlike a vintage Strat and unlike vintage sounding guitars, period. You can't get vintage tone out of EMGs, but you CAN get really cool tone that you'll like if you appreciate active pickups. If you like actives, give it a shot. If you don't, then skip it entirely.
 
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kill_your_scene is right on... that's what I was getting at. Do you want vintage strat tones or do you prefer active sounding pups? What kind of setup do you have and what is it you want the pups to do? Those are all questions you need to answer SlashRules before we can definitively tell you one way or the other what pups to get.
 
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