Replacing emg 81/85 combo

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Lux84

New member
I want to replace active emg 81/85 combo in my LTD deluxe electric guitar. Want to replace it with another, also active, but more of a mellow output emg. Don't wanna change the electronics in guitar at all. I want less bass response and less output, and guitar is mahogany body, maple cap, floyd rose.. Wanna be capable of getting wider range of sounds.. Which one should i get?
 
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Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

The fishman fluence and the Duncan blackouts are drop ins for these too. I just put a set of fishman fluence classics in one off these. The main harness plugs in the same, but I added a push pull for the second voice. So far they sound great!
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

Live Wire 2 might be your ticket then. I'm not sure about the Duality set but maybe someone else here has tried them.
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

I think i decided.. gonna put EMG Fat 55 F-spaced set in. it's solderless, so i am gonna replace it easily. no man, blackouts are too much, livewire is too much, even emg 57 is too much. i am gonna go with these. will report how the sound is.
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

I have an old EMG 60 in the bridge that is doing exactly what you are talking about (with S middle and S neck). Maybe your 85 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck? This is a popular set and you maybe able to test at the music store before committing.
I like my EMG set since I discovered playing with the volume pot way lower than what I'm used with a passive (2-4 for almost clean, 4-6 for blues, 7-8 for rock and 9-10 for heavy). Give it a try.
 
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Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

Had 60 on the neck for some time and i liked it.. i already have a high gain amp, and i want to mellow it a bit. i will not do a mistake again and sold this 81/85 set before i got the new set, as is wouldn't be good for a guitar. i don't know, as seymours go, i really liked sh5 custom & pearly gates combo. i didn't liked sh6 distortion, and dimarzio super distortion. i have a jb on the bridge of one guitar, don't like it as much as sh5 but is also a good sounding pickup to me. want to have more versatility, so i am going to give those emg active retro series a shot.
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

85/81, also maybe @18v.

1) Swap em in place of each other, with quick connect it's a 5 min job
2) does your guitar have a harness in the electronics cavity or a dedicated 9v battery box? If harness, going 18v is also a reversible <5min solderless job that requires zero parts... if box, then there is a tiny bit of soldering involved, but you can also make it solderless-reversible after that (using 1 split clip or 2 clips, one of em with the [+] & [-] soldered togethed for install in place of a second 9v battery to reverse the mod at will)
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

dave47: found out that these emg active retro series are made in indonesia. don't know.. don't wanna pay that much for indonesian made product. i can't find those live wires ii where i live, are they relatively new?
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

Lux84 said:
dave47: found out that these emg active retro series are made in indonesia. don't know.. don't wanna pay that much for indonesian made product. i can't find those live wires ii where i live, are they relatively new?
Click to expand...

Fairly new I think, as are the Duality series. You can always order direct from SD.
The EMG 57 is still very "emg" toned, although they do have a little more beef than the 81. Still a very fast attack and compressed dynamics.
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

Duality are big on the bass. Skip those.

Blackouts are higher output than your EMGs. Skip those.

Adieu was quite reasonable in suggesting simply swapping the 81 & 85 (i.e. putting the 85 in the bridge and 81 in the neck) and running them both at 18V (i.e. 2 x 9V batteries). As he said, it's different than the typical 81/85 combo with 85 in the neck and running at only 9V!

The 57/66 set is an "ok" option if you insist on staying EMG, but the 57 is warmer than the 81, in my experience. For a crisper sound with less output, you might actually enjoy a 60 in the bridge with a 60A in the neck...or vice versa.

Fishman Fluence are also a great choice. Many EMG fans, including some major players who truly know good tone, have moved to them for a reason. Fishman has lots of options, as well, including pickups that will give you an EMG sound in one setting and a less intense, more passive response in the next. The "Classic" set is much more mellow than the 81/85 and a great place to start. However, you may have to add a switch or push/pull to access the second voicing available on each pickup. Kind of a waste not to take advantage of that feature if you ask me!

Lastly, the Livewire Classic II pickups are really nice. Definitely overlooked far more than they deserve to be. I blame SD's poor marketing. They're not as readily available as some of the other pickups mentioned, but really a great option if you want a more passive-like experience in actives and don't want to bother with the voice switching options of the Fishmans.

Don't have experience with the RetroActives, but I see them go for really reasonable prices used sometimes. That said, no way am I paying "Made in USA" prices for what are essentially just an Indonesian-made SRO pickup (older EMG open coil passives) with a preamp.
:)
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

Ok, so right now i even have no money, so all i can do is to swap emgs from bridge to neck positions.. the question i have is: emg 81 (bridge) vs emg 85 (bridge), which one has more bass response? because i don't need more bass response..
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

85 has more lows, but the lows are more rounded and relaxed. You can also always roll the volume off a little to lessen the output/jolt.
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

Thinking more and more about TB5 & Pearly Gates 4 conducor combination as a long term solution. the coil split functions would be superior. also, i liked this combo i had in the past the most. i already have electronics that i can use, but unfortunatelly i don't know knothing about soldering and wiring. thanks to everyone for recommendations.
 
Re: Replacing emg 81/85 combo

You should try leaving your pickups the way they are and trying the 18V mod first. The difference is subtle, but you might appreciate how the pickups "breathe" a little more and it would get you by. Also, swapping the 81/85 is easy to try and easily reversible if you don't like it :)

Do you know anyone you could swap your 85 with for an EMG 60 or another 81? That could be a low or no-cost way to change your sound, as well. Still recommend the 18V mod, regardless of what you do, assuming you stick with EMGs.
 
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