Anyone Keep Going Back To EMG?

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buriedoutback

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It seems like a lot of people have fallen for prejudice against the 81.
The above is definitely true in many cases.
For me, my ltd explorer came with an 81 in the bridge. After I compared it to another 85 loaded guitar I had, I immediately purchased an 85 for it, and sold the 81 :)
 

Emperoff

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I was wondering... Do you guys have guitars with EMG81 and EMG81-7? I see everyone loves the 81 but really couldn't get along with the 81-7. Perhaps they're different? I know that happens with a lot of pickups...
 

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HeHasTheJazzHands

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I was wondering... Do you guys have guitars with EMG81 and EMG81-7? I see everyone loves the 81 but really couldn't get along with the 81-7. Perhaps they're different? I know that happens with a lot of pickups...

I find the 81-7 is a bit lower output with more mids. It still sounds a lot like an 81 to me.
 

mnemonic

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I remember looking into the seven string EMG’s a while back, from memory, the soap bar 81-7 is quite different from the passive sized 81-7 and six-string 81-7.

That being said six and seven string pickups tend to have some differences anyway.
 

HeHasTheJazzHands

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I'm wondering if the 81-7 is still a tweaked bass pickup like the 707 is? I'd be curious to try the 81-7 when I get my LTD M-207 in if I don't get the 57/66 set for it.
 

HeHasTheJazzHands

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I have other guitars that sound a bit deeper than my SC-607B. But then again, I have an EC-401B that has even less low end than the SC. I just know that the SC-607B sounds perfect to me. The first time I ever had a 7-string I actually love.

t I decided that I'm getting the 81-7H/60-7H set for my upcoming 7-er. Rather wait and try the 57/66 on one of my existing 6-strings. Like the before-mentioned EC-401B that can sound really thin.
 

Necky379

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I hated the 81-7 so much when they first came out but I've grown to love them. It's really like HeHasTheJazzHands said, your settings have to change. The 81-7 has a lot of upper mids and the bass cut is aggressive, it's very tight. They pound through looser amps/settings. I find they make scooped settings sound really good too. When I first tried them I was (still am) a 707 user which is much different.
 

Emperoff

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I just know that the SC-607B sounds perfect to me. The first time I ever had a 7-string I actually love.

Wait, weren't those all-maple construction (besides the fretboard)? I'm having a hard time finding a pickup for an all maple guitar like that, and the 81-7 went straight out of the window the moment I got the guitar. Nevermind if it's the natural mahogany one.

The 81-7 has a lot of upper mids and the bass cut is aggressive, it's very tight. They pound through looser amps/settings. I find they make scooped settings sound really good too. When I first tried them I was (still am) a 707 user which is much different.

Yup. That's a very accurate definition. I actually got a 707 to replace it since it was tight enough for me and didn't have those extreme high mids. It definetely cut like a chainsaw for sure, though.
 

lewis

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Wait, weren't those all-maple construction (besides the fretboard)? I'm having a hard time finding a pickup for an all maple guitar like that, and the 81-7 went straight out of the window the moment I got the guitar. Nevermind if it's the natural mahogany one.



Yup. That's a very accurate definition. I actually got a 707 to replace it since it was tight enough for me and didn't have those extreme high mids. It definetely cut like a chainsaw for sure, though.
have you tried using the RPC knob with the 707's to dial in the perfect amount of "tight"?

Cuts lows and boosts highs at the same time and the more you turn it the more it does that.
Off is normal sound. Better than a regular tone knob for 7 string playing
 

HeHasTheJazzHands

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The Sc607b is alder with a neck thru maple neck. Although if you get the old natural one or the recent Fishman-loaded ones, they appear to have mahogany bodies.

Also the 707 is like the opposite of the 81-7. While the 81 is a midrange heavy chainsaw, the 707 is a scooped sledgehammer with the EQ focused in the lows and highs.
 

Curt

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Having recently had both an 81-7 and 81-7H, they aren't very different at all to my ears. There is the expected difference between 25.5" and 27" guitars, but its not worlds apart. I guess the low end is a little closer to the 6 string version, but I wouldn't say its a night and day thing.
 
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Necky379

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Wait, weren't those all-maple construction (besides the fretboard)? I'm having a hard time finding a pickup for an all maple guitar like that, and the 81-7 went straight out of the window the moment I got the guitar. Nevermind if it's the natural mahogany one.

1C4C4005-0C68-4921-B38A-D28784229DB5.jpg



I kept the 81-7 in my maple 607 and swapped a 707 into the bridge of my mahogany 607b. When I purchased the maple 607 I just automatically ordered a 707 off eBay thinking I’m going to hate the 81-7 in maple. I had sold the exact same guitar years before because I thought it was unbearably harsh. The guitar arrived, I plugged into a recto preamp, never took the pickup out and now I have an extra 707. I thought about it, when I sold it last time I was playing exclusively through a 5150 dialed in as tight as I could get. These days I have other amps to play through, my 5150 settings are looser and I love the 81-7. What are you playing through and have you tried an Invader or 707 in the guitar yet?
 

Spaced Out Ace

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The above is definitely true in many cases.
For me, my ltd explorer came with an 81 in the bridge. After I compared it to another 85 loaded guitar I had, I immediately purchased an 85 for it, and sold the 81 :)
I have 85s in the bridge of both of my guitars, and 60As in the neck. Prefer them over an EMG 81 in the bridge and 81, 85 and 60 in the neck.
 

HeHasTheJazzHands

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I feel like an ass for hyping myself up for getting new EMGs for this guitar. :lol:

It came in and feels solid as fuck... But it turns out it already sounds fine as fuck. Turns out the bridge pickup wasn't a Duncan Designed, but a legit Seymour Duncan. Sounds like a Distortion.

I'm still probably gonna get an 81-7H/60-7H set down the road, but for now it actually sounds legit. :lol:
 

Spaced Out Ace

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Never forget kids and kidettes: If your tone starts sounding like shit, don't forget to change the batteries in your gits.
 
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