ToneFiddler
New member
never directly compared the 85 to the AHB-1b but i tend to agree with Rex_Rocker here.
I had the blackouts in an explorer style guitar which is not very bass heavy but mostly mids (tuned to c or #c).
Installation order: AHB-1b -> EMG 81X -> AHB-3 -> SH-6
The AHB-1b was super bloated and crazy hot and not really tight. Maybe it's just my amp that doesn't like this high of an input?
I have the SH-6 in there now and the low end is strong but i don't have the unmanagable feeling like with the AHB-1b back than, but it's some years gone by.
The swap from AHB-1b to EMG81 made me realise what a bloated mess i was fighting before. EMG81 felt like low output and super defined, but after some time i think the guitar needed a lil more balls. It sounded kind of anemic to my beafy LP with EMG81 (which really profits from the Lowend roll off of the EMG81).
The AHB-3 sounded really good in this one. But it took me quite some time to do the swap so the comparison to the EMG81 wasn't to drastic so i don't remember the first time i played it after the swap.
It did fix everything i asked for with the EMG 81 setup and most of the dislikes with the AHB-1b where gone. Don't play the guitar to often, so i hate to adjust the amp for this still very high output pickup, although better than the AHB-1b
I did the EMG 81 / 85 comparison in another guitar with is a superstrat style guitar with a floyd. The EMG 81 lacks quite some balls in this one, so the EMG 85 is better and sounds best on it's own (but EQ wise sucks with the EMG S singles). It's not loose at all (in this guitar).
i did mess around with AHB-1n in the bridge some, but don't remember too much. still too high of an output for me, although not as hot as the AHB-1b, but otherwise nothing bothered me, but didn't blow me away either.
I had the blackouts in an explorer style guitar which is not very bass heavy but mostly mids (tuned to c or #c).
Installation order: AHB-1b -> EMG 81X -> AHB-3 -> SH-6
The AHB-1b was super bloated and crazy hot and not really tight. Maybe it's just my amp that doesn't like this high of an input?
I have the SH-6 in there now and the low end is strong but i don't have the unmanagable feeling like with the AHB-1b back than, but it's some years gone by.
The swap from AHB-1b to EMG81 made me realise what a bloated mess i was fighting before. EMG81 felt like low output and super defined, but after some time i think the guitar needed a lil more balls. It sounded kind of anemic to my beafy LP with EMG81 (which really profits from the Lowend roll off of the EMG81).
The AHB-3 sounded really good in this one. But it took me quite some time to do the swap so the comparison to the EMG81 wasn't to drastic so i don't remember the first time i played it after the swap.
It did fix everything i asked for with the EMG 81 setup and most of the dislikes with the AHB-1b where gone. Don't play the guitar to often, so i hate to adjust the amp for this still very high output pickup, although better than the AHB-1b
I did the EMG 81 / 85 comparison in another guitar with is a superstrat style guitar with a floyd. The EMG 81 lacks quite some balls in this one, so the EMG 85 is better and sounds best on it's own (but EQ wise sucks with the EMG S singles). It's not loose at all (in this guitar).
i did mess around with AHB-1n in the bridge some, but don't remember too much. still too high of an output for me, although not as hot as the AHB-1b, but otherwise nothing bothered me, but didn't blow me away either.
