question about emg pickups!

[rock_hard55]

Hey guys, i play heavey music, hatebreed throwndown..
I find the emg 81 a little bit thin and i want that full distorted tone man, that crushing sound! Which ive nailed apart from that little bit of thinness! The pick up will be going in a gibson les paul, and be played thru a marshall tsl /100 So 81 or 85?
i know this is the SD forum, but i gota ask somewhere sorry!
Any help before i buy the pickup will be a help!

 

[pinto79]

Re: question about emg pickups!

You might want to consider a Heavy Metal LiveWire instead. It sounds huge and thick in my friends Epi Les Paul.

 

[knucklefux]

Re: question about emg pickups!

81. the 85 is traditionally a neck pup. if you peruse the tone chart on the sd page, you will get a good feel for what is offered by the co. i say you should try te duncan distortion, which sounds great in a paul, or maybe the invader...but i haven't ever use one myself.

on a different note, and this may need to be a new thread, why isn't the dimebucker on that damn tone chart yet??? i want to know where it stands. if anyone can give me some clarity on that, it would be much appreciated.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: question about emg pickups!

81. the 85 is traditionally a neck pup. if you peruse the tone chart on the sd page, you will get a good feel for what is offered by the co. i say you should try te duncan distortion, which sounds great in a paul, or maybe the invader...but i haven't ever use one myself. ....

The 85 is traditionally an active version of a PAF, not a "neck pickup"...most people prefer a PAF Style at the neck, and put one there, but the only EMG ever designed with the neck pos .specifically in mind is the 60

IMO the Distortion and EMG 81 are semi-similar, in the sense that the 85 and DUncan Custom are their "fatter brothers"...I personally don´t like either the DD or the 81 as a bridge pickup, but the Duncan Custom and 85 are my main Bridge pups.....

I´d try an 85

 

[ztevie]

Re: question about emg pickups!

Have you found the 81 to be too bright in a LesPaul? The difference will be huge when putting the 81 in different guitars. I use the 81 as bridge in a mahogany Schecter, and a 89 in the neck(which is supposed to be a 85 in HB-mode)... I don't find it too bright, but I would definitely say the 85 is a LOT bassier than the 81. In fact for me there's too much bass so I'd rather play distorded rhytm with my 81 in the bridge. Can't get the same attack with the 89...

If you've got the possibility to borrow them both from somewhere it's pretty easy to test them. You don't have to solder anything to change between them...

 

[Imp]

Re: question about emg pickups!

bjorn from inflames uses an 85/85 set, through a 5150.. saw them live, best metal tone i've heard in a long while! great bridge pickup IMO, i used to use EMGs all the time, but my music tastes changed hehe

tom

 

[Zerberus]

Re: question about emg pickups!

Have you found the 81 to be too bright in a LesPaul? The difference will be huge when putting the 81 in different guitars. ....

If this was directed at me: Yes, I have an 85b/81n in my Gibson LP Gothic and an 89-SA-SA Set in an ´88 USA Soloist. The Soloist runs on 18V as well.

 

[rock_hard55]

Re: question about emg pickups!

Well i havent put it in my les paul yet, i have 2 81's in my ec 400 and its a lil thin, will it sound different in my les paul? Will i still get the same punch with the 85 as i do with the 81? Bearing in mind i go strait into my marshall, no dist pedals man.

 

[HarrisonDavid]

Re: question about emg pickups!

The 85 is traditionally an active version of a PAF, not a "neck pickup"...most people prefer a PAF Style at the neck, and put one there, but the only EMG ever designed with the neck pos .specifically in mind is the 60

IMO the Distortion and EMG 81 are semi-similar, in the sense that the 85 and DUncan Custom are their "fatter brothers"...I personally don´t like either the DD or the 81 as a bridge pickup, but the Duncan Custom and 85 are my main Bridge pups.....

I´d try an 85

I have noticed this as well. Go with the 85 in the bridge....it seems fatter a little punchier. Where the 81 has got more of a HIGH percussive. Anybody agree with that?

 

[MikeS]

Re: question about emg pickups!

I have noticed this as well. Go with the 85 in the bridge....it seems fatter a little punchier. Where the 81 has got more of a HIGH percussive. Anybody agree with that?

I'd agree on your comparison between the two, yes. Although, I am a bigger fan of the 81 than the 85. My 81 is in my Ibanez, which gets its fair share of 80s style metal. If I were to play a more modern, thicker toned metal then I'd definatly throw an 85 in there.

 

[ztevie]

Re: question about emg pickups!

will it sound different in my les paul

Almost certainly!

Will i still get the same punch with the 85 as i do with the 81? Bearing in mind i go strait into my marshall, no dist pedals man.

The 85 is punchier, fatter, bassier as everyone else here says, so you won't loose any punch. You might feel you lose some "bite", or that you get a "muddier" sound. But then again, what everyone consider to be good sounding "punch" and "bite" may vary from person to person.

I think your LesPaul is more dark sounding in itself than your ec 400, so the best thing you could do is: Try the 85, if you'd feel you're not that happy, it's a piece of cake to exchange it in the future, you don't even have to resolder....
I bet you could find people all over who'd be willing to take a 85 and give you a 81 in return.. Good luck!

 

[HarrisonDavid]

Re: question about emg pickups!

Almost certainly!


The 85 is punchier, fatter, bassier as everyone else here says, so you won't loose any punch. You might feel you lose some "bite", or that you get a "muddier" sound. But then again, what everyone consider to be good sounding "punch" and "bite" may vary from person to person.

I think your LesPaul is more dark sounding in itself than your ec 400, so the best thing you could do is: Try the 85, if you'd feel you're not that happy, it's a piece of cake to exchange it in the future, you don't even have to resolder....
I bet you could find people all over who'd be willing to take a 85 and give you a 81 in return.. Good luck!

Id be willing to part with my 81 for another 85. If in the future I want an 81 i'll just trade again.

 

[rock_hard55]

Re: question about emg pickups!

I think the best solution for me here is to get the zakk wylde set man, that way if the emg85 isnt my game, then i can just swap em. Whe we recorded about two weeks ago, i used my esp ec 400 with 81's and fair play it was crushing, it very well may be the fact that my tone when on my own seems rash and harsh simply because theres no bass or drums. My les paul is a beast man, its so dark and heavey.. So i think the 81 will be fine, as i am a fan of both i think the ZW set will be awsome. Thanks for everyones help man!
James

 

[WICKED LESTER]

Re: question about emg pickups!

Almost certainly!


The 85 is punchier, fatter, bassier as everyone else here says, so you won't loose any punch. You might feel you lose some "bite", or that you get a "muddier" sound. But then again, what everyone consider to be good sounding "punch" and "bite" may vary from person to person.

I have heard that the ONLY difference between the 85 and 81 is the magnet?
the 85 uses a 5 and the 81 is ceramic?

here look at the specs?
http://www.emginc.com/specindex.html#81

 

[fenderiarhs]

Re: question about emg pickups!

Go with the 85 at the bridge.........i was wondering who told everybody that the 85 is a neck pickup?????i am using it for more than 13 years as a bridge pickup and i am perfectly happy with it.

 

[ztevie]

Re: question about emg pickups!

I have heard that the ONLY difference between the 85 and 81 is the magnet?
the 85 uses a 5 and the 81 is ceramic?

From gak.co.uk homepage:

The 85 uses two Alnico magnet loaded coils with a wide aperture to maintain a beefy low-end and a fatter top end.
The EMG-81 has the familiar U-shaped humbucking structure but replaces the pole pieces with steel bars and a smaller ceramic magnet.

I think the best solution for me here is to get the zakk wylde set man, that way if the emg85 isnt my game, then i can just swap em

Yeah, you can't fail if you buy em both...
And don't forget to post here to let us know how it all went, alright?