Guitar for an EMG set

Sleeping Martyr

Sleeping Martyr

New member
So I had a Zakk wylde set in my Les Paul for years when I just fell out of love with actives and went back to passives a couple years ago, totally happy. BUT I have a set of Zakks staring at me doing nothing which makes me tempted to get a guitar to put them in. Other than a Les Paul (though never a bad idea) what would be a good choice? Or do I even need too and should save spending the money and leave em be, always to tempted to spend money on gear haha. Thoughts??
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

I wouldn't buy a guitar just for a set of pups, maybe you should just trade them for some other gear in the trading forum.....
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

I know, I'm a sentimental fool though haha. So expensive, would be easier if I just had a crack habit or something haha
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

You *could* always do a pawn shop crawl, see if a double humbucker guitar fits your fancy for cheap.
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

LatsMcGee said:
I wouldn't buy a guitar just for a set of pups, maybe you should just trade them for some other gear in the trading forum.....
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Really? Pickups are usually my main reason for wanting a new guitar.

I'd get a Strat with a swimming pool rout. Maybe I'd look for a used G&L Legacy Tribute. They are good guitars with poor resale value, which benefits buyers. And they are a classic design and already have the swimming pool rout. You could keep the guitar for life just for the purpose of loading it with various pickups.
 
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Re: Guitar for an EMG set

Cheap squier tele or something. Get it set up. A set of actives in a tele sounds very unique. Even more so playing through an orange. (I saw a guy with this setup playing in a band live)
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

The Squier Vintage Modified Tele Custom would be a good candidate. The pickup routs are already generous enough to accept the EMGs. You can upgrade the pots to 25k and still have room for the 9v alkaline pile.
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

The work nicely in an Epiphone SG or Les Paul. Hate to hack up a tele.
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

Dude, EMGs sound the same no matter what guitar they're in.
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

Funkfingers said:
A slight overgeneralisation, methinks. :)
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maybe, but certainly not in my experience, and especially listening to dozens of professional musicians (i'm talking touring bands at huge venues, not local fellas playing in a bar) playing EMGs live through a range of different amps, I can always instantly tell if they're playing EMGs cuz it sounds exactly the same.
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

This is what 81 bridge, 85 neck? Or was it the other way round? Sorry not familar with poser setups :D
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

I would suggest getting something with enough room in the control cavity for TWO 9v batteries though.

I rigged an unused mini toggle in my BC Rich Virgin to a second battery so I could do an A/B comparison between the EMG 81 and 85 at 9 volts to 18 volts. To my ears, the 18 volt mode IS more dynamic. The mids and highs do not clip under hard picking. The low end is tighter and more powerful. EMG humbuckers were intended to run at 9 volts only in single humbucker guitars. Any dual humbucker guitar or additional gadgets will benefit from the added voltage.

I still find the Duncan Distortion more balanced in my guitars, but the EMG 81 is VERY nice and sounds more like a pickup should when you juice it with 18 volts.
 
Re: Guitar for an EMG set

I like EMG's for what they do, and I keep a couple of gloss-black superstrats with some combination of the usual high-output humbuckers in them.

I think a neck-through Jackson or LTD, maybe a set-neck Schecter, would be nice to have EMGs in. But a Les Paul with hot EMGs sounds like fun, too.
 
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