EVH with high gain??

[cracka]

I've recently acquired an EVH bridge pickup for a price that was too good to turn down. I'm taking an EMG 81 out of the bridge position and replacing it with this. Here's the question......how will this pickup perform in high gain applications? I'm using a Peavey JSX and an ESP JH 600, and I'm aware that I'm not going to have the same sort of output with the EVH compared to the EMG, I'm just curious if I can get away with using that pickup and still get the same Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth sort of output from it, by increasing the gain on the amp. I'm concerned that it's such low output that I won't be able to get any sort of heavy, driven tone from it at all.


Thanks!

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Actually, in some ways it should perform better under high gain than many high-output pickups. It's hotter than vintage, but it's still pretty mild. You should retain clarity quite well.

Enjoy it, and let us know how it turns out. I've actually been meaning to take mine down and try out a JSX with it.

 

[cracka]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Thank you, that's really good news! I got it for $20 more than what I would have paid for any other SD pickup, and based on what I've heard about this pickup, it's very, very good if you're into that sort of tone. My problem is that I want it both ways, I want the high gain aspect, but I want the clarity and definition as well, which don't always go hand in hand.

It's a mahogany bodied guitar as well, and apparently that's not a bad choice of wood to use with that pickup, so I'm hoping that I've got a real winner on my hands.....that EMG just had to go, it did NOT do my rig any justice whatsoever.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: EVH with high gain??

It worked for Ed. LOL

 

[cracka]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Yeah it did, but I'm sure he wasn't playing with the sort of gain you'd expect from a rig used by Metallica, Slayer or Megadeth. I was just worried about the amount perceivable gain that I'm losing. The JSX isn't THAT much of a high gain amp in the first place, it's no 5150 or Dual Rectifier.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: EVH with high gain??

It sounds great under gain. The biggest thing you'll notice is going to be the loose low end. That will probably either make it or break it for you. Is it double blacK?

Luke

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: EVH with high gain??

The great thing about the 78'(EVH) is that it has great clarity and cut. It's not overloaded with lows and murky mids. It's one of those pickups that really sings when you throw gain at it. It won't have the low end tightness for chugging or heavy palm mutes that you are used to with the EMG, but it won't be horrible either. Just something to keep in mind as you're putting it though its' paces. That's where a lot of folks get the wrong impression about a pickup, comparing it to something totally different, and expecting the unrealistic.

Let us know how you like it!

 

[fab.regnaut]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Having an alnico 2 magnet the pickup should be a bit loose on the bottom end , and this is not good for heavy metal and chug chug .
If it turn to be like that , I highly recommand to swap this magnet for an ALNICO 8 .

 

[walt]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Having an alnico 2 magnet the pickup should be a bit loose on the bottom end , and this is not good for heavy metal and chug chug .
If it turn to be like that , I highly recommand to swap this magnet for an ALNICO 8 .

I would suggest you put the EMG back in your guitar and sell me the 78 :laugh2:

 

[cracka]

Re: EVH with high gain??

I'll miss the chug for sure, but at least it will be a quality tone, not that of an EMG 81. I like the looser bottom end actually, I found that the EMG was too tight, as well as sounding like absolute poo. I'm expecting a lot of the opposite I got from the 81, which is exactly what I was hoping I was going to get. IMHO, it's a shame that EMG pickups even exist, they make some of the sweetest sounding rigs sound like fingernails against a chalkboard.

It's double white, which doesn't really go with an all black guitar, but hey, that's a small price to pay.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: EVH with high gain??

You can always put a black plastic pickup cover that doesn't affect the sound and you'll have the look of an EMG (Recomended to me by a guitar tech-builder...I'm thinking on it).

 

[benniej]

Re: EVH with high gain??

i m still wondering what a evh(78) pickup would sound like for metal. I mostly play metal and shred myself and have a custom/custom on one of my guitars, and although thats got a lot of mids and treble, the bass is too relaxed and not tight enough , hopefully the 78 wont be the same. I ve also heard good things about the genesis mr browney pickup which is like the 78, so maybe try that to :banana:

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: EVH with high gain??

If the 78 doesn't do it for you, try the Custom 5 next. It's one of the best pickups at bridging the gap between vintage and modern. It has a low end that feels and sounds great.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: EVH with high gain??

If the 78 doesn't do it for you, try the Custom 5 next. It's one of the best pickups at bridging the gap between vintage and modern. It has a low end that feels and sounds great.

Definitely. :fing2:

 

[cracka]

Re: EVH with high gain??

It will be interesting to see how it does for metal-type tones. If I don't like it, I'll just put something hotter in there and I should be happy. I really hope it works out though, it's the amount of output that I will be losing that kind of worries me. Oh well, I'll see how it goes when I get it back from the shop. At this point though, anything is better than the EMG was!

 

[Mephis]

Re: EVH with high gain??

IMHO, it's a shame that EMG pickups even exist, they make some of the sweetest sounding rigs sound like fingernails against a chalkboard.

How is that humble?:smack:

Anyway, why wouldn't the EVH be good for high gain? I doubt many people buy them to play clean.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: EVH with high gain??

IMHO, it's a shame that EMG pickups even exist, they make some of the sweetest sounding rigs sound like fingernails against a chalkboard.

Some people have trouble setting up their rigs when using EMG's. Perhaps you were in the same situation.

 

[Majestic]

Re: EVH with high gain??

It will be interesting to see how it does for metal-type tones. If I don't like it, I'll just put something hotter in there and I should be happy.

If the EVH doesn't work, maybe you'd consider DiMarzio's new "D-Activator".

Check it out at their site, they go into detail regarding the "angle" they're taking with it.

In fact, I'm wondering what a D-Activator would sound like with an Alnico 5.

 

[cracka]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Well, we'll see how it works out, if it doesn't do it for me, well then I'm up to exploring just about any other possibility. Based on what I've heard from other people, I won't be disappointed with the tone, it's just how the pickup sounds when faced with a lot of gain.

 

[cracka]

Re: EVH with high gain??

Here's an interesting one.......the pots that are in my guitar already were the ones that came with the EMG pickups I'm assuming (since it was assembled that way from the factory). Since I'm switching pickups, should the pots be replaced as well? What affect will it have if I don't?