jb59 vs emg81

pau_leader

New member
Hi, im new to this forum. I am in the process of getting an esp deluxe ec1000
The guitar is awsome. I tried out the one with the jb59's and it was very nice. The guitar can be bought with emg 81's as well. I play indie,punk,garage with a touch of emo(not a lot). I want a heavy sound but not to heavy like metal. PLENTY OF SUSTAIN AND CRUNCH. Whats the differance between the jb59 and the emg81? I am currently playing a mesa boogie F50 amp. ANY OPINIONS OUT THERE WOULD be helpful Thank you.
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

You won't want the emg's for the genres you just described the jb will sustain just fine with your amp.
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

Actually I think you could do Indie or punk just fine with emg 81's... The emgs will have alot more output and crunch than a JB...maybe too much for what you want...The JB/59 combo will be alot more versatile and be able to do a wider range of sounds... If it was me I would go with the JB/59's just for versatilities sake
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

Well thanks for the advice ill most definitly get the jb59's. Plus i figure using the guitar with my mesa will pump out enough gain. I really dont want a high output of a pickup for the amp im playing, it just sounds too muddy in my opinion. Btw this is a cool forum thanks guys.
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

just so you arent getting things confused, the Jb and the 59 are 2 different pickups
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

For the different styles you play, go with the JB '59...

More versatile and you'll get that 'crunch' your looking for...
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

BigBazz said:
just so you arent getting things confused, the Jb and the 59 are 2 different pickups

lol... i do get cunfused thanks for the tip. I am starting to get into pickups. :smack: So much to learn.
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

I, for one, am not a fan of the EMG81 in the neck position. I think the 59n is a much better choice, especially for those times when you're playing with little to no gain.

The 81 is a great bridge pickup, but it does like a lot of gain to be dialed in on the amp. The JB is high output for a passive pickup. Not as hot as the 81, but still hot. I have found that I have a lot more control over the tone in my JB equipped LP than I have in the 81 in my Ibanez.
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

pau_leader said:
Well thanks for the advice ill most definitly get the jb59's. Plus i figure using the guitar with my mesa will pump out enough gain. I really dont want a high output of a pickup for the amp im playing, it just sounds too muddy in my opinion. Btw this is a cool forum thanks guys.


In my opinion the EMG 81 is much less capable of getting muddy than a JB or 59.

That said, I wouldn't suggest an 81 for the styles of music you're describing. I would suggest a JB however.
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

Well, when i tried the guitar with the jb 59 it sounded awsome with every amp i played at the store. AND ITS TRUE, SOMETIMES YOU WANT A CLEAN sound, so thats why i want to go with the jb 59. plus i eventually want to expand my musical abilities and do other types of music. So i definitly need more versatility. whats the differance with jb and 59? can someone let me know how pickups work? Meaning the jb? and the 59? is half of the humbucker jb? and the other 59? or is one humbucker jb and the other 59? Im still new with the pickup thing so excuse my idiotic question lol :wink:
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

screamingdaisy said:
In my opinion the EMG 81 is much less capable of getting muddy than a JB or 59.

That said, I wouldn't suggest an 81 for the styles of music you're describing. I would suggest a JB however.


what other pickups would you suggest for the type of stuff i do?
 
Re: jb59 vs emg81

pau_leader said:
what other pickups would you suggest for the type of stuff i do?

While I'm not really into Indy and Garage, I do play alot of punk (think pre-Y2K type punk), and that's one of the sounds I'm into.

For that type of stuff my favorites are the JB and the DiMarzio Super Distortion. I've also feel the Duncan Distortion, Jazz, Pearly Gates, and DiMarzio PAF Pro are excellent pickup choices for various reasions, but those first two are my favorites. Normally, I'd also suggest neck single coils for cleans, but since you're looking at a double humbucker guitar, I'd suggest either the 59n or a Jazz.

The EMG 81 you were asking about above is probably my favorite pickup of all, but when playing indy/garage/punk/ect you want to sound atleast a little sloppy, and the 81 is way too tight and articulate, so trying to play sloppily ends up sounding like ass.
 
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