I still love EMG's, anyone else feel the same?

[metale]

I've had EMGs for 10 years. Had the 60, 85 and 81.

I've gone from having them on my giging guitar, to having them relegated to my s#itiest $70 guitar. They sound the same, there.

The 85 was the best of them, I don't have it anymore. Should have sold the 81 instead of it. I don't understand the hype that the 81 has got all these years. The 60 is lots better for everything on the neck (even Hammett realised that after what, 30 years?) and the 85 is much less sterile on the bridge.

I do still like them, and go to that guitar from times to times when I'm feeling Hetfieldish or Wyldish, but it's not "my tone" as it used to be.

 

[Dayn]

They're incredibly versatile. I replaced my old six-string's bridge pickup with an 85X and it was incredible. I then decided to replace my 808s with 808Xs, and it was definitely the correct choice.

 

[Purelojik]

out of all the EMGS i've used over the years, the one that i still swear by is the 60x w/18v mod. i recommend it to everyone, its by far theere most versatile pickup. i love it spongy and responsive bottom like the SD distortion and a smooth top end.

 

[DslDwg]

out of all the EMGS i've used over the years, the one that i still swear by is the 60x w/18v mod. i recommend it to everyone, its by far theere most versatile pickup. i love it spongy and responsive bottom like the SD distortion and a smooth top end.

So did you use the 60X in the bridge?

 

[Stuck_in_a_dream]

I LOVE my EMGs, 81x/60x, I also liked the 81 pair they replaced but when run on 18v.
The X pickups I have now sound really spectacular clean, and I like the distorted tones as well, I think they are awesome. I still have Tone Zone/Air Norton in an RG420 and I was never that impressed with either of them, it might have been the guitar itself, but still, I'll take my current EMGs over the TZ/AN any day.

 

[iRaiseTheDead]

I have to jam on my best friend's guitar when I wanna shred the 'ole 81/85, but I love them.

 

[AcousticMinja]

I really love them now. Before I thought it was just a hype, but I realized pretty much all my favorite tones are used with EMG's so I got a guitar with them in it and do not want to change them for anything else. The 81 stays crystal fucking clear at low tunings, too. I adore it for that. The 85 is great as well...but I prefer it for anything above B. Amazing and almost jazzy clean. The 60 is, well, my favorite of the bunch! I really think that one is the most versatile. I've heard it do rock, blues, metal, jazz, etc. One of my top 5 favorite pickups of all time is the 60.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

I can't live without them (as far as guitar-life goes).
It's definetly worth taking the time to experiment with height adjustment.
Many of the players who hate them simply haven't played around with the settings, which is often the case with any pickup hate.

 

[Dayn]

Oh, there's also the quick connect system as well. Replacing 808s with 808Xs? Slacken strings, unplug pickups, plug in new pickups, retune. Replacing all the electronics in a guitar? No worries!

 

[Don Vito]

Hate the 707/808(in the bridge), love everything else.

 

[Purelojik]

So did you use the 60X in the bridge?

yeap 60x in bridge and 60x neck. love that so much. im gonna find a guitar i can do that with again .

 

[xxvicarious]

I do not own a guitar that DOESNT have EMGs in it haha.
I was against them for a looong time, too. And as soon as a
buddy told me to swap the 81 into the neck and 85 into the
bridge, I was addicted. Went through all my axes and did it

Like the OP, I've had guitars with BKP, every kind of Seymour Duncan
pickup imaginable, some Dimarzios, OG Gibson p/u's....

Settled down with EMGs

 

[Decipher]

Another EMG lover here as well. I've been using them for 12 years now. 81/85 combo in my old RG320QS. I had a SC-607B with the 81-7's which I loved, a BC Rich Mick Thomson Warlock with 81/85 combo and now the RG2228 with 808's (which were switched to Blackouts). I have however taken a liking to the Blackouts over EMG's though and am switching my EMG's over.

HOWEVER, I love EMG's. I love active guitar pickups. The majority of my favorite tones have been EMG's. I love them for their sound, feel and also their look! I hate pole pieces LOL. It's silly, but I like the sleek look of these black boxes over passive pickups and their exposed pole pieces.

I can't get along with passives. I've tried with some Dimarzio's and Duncan's and have absolutely no interest in the BareKnuckle/boutique/over-hype'd craze. I'm an active pickup player through and through.

 

[WhiteWalls]

The anti-emg craze has ended? OMG

I have had only good experiences with EMGs, the only exception has to be my RG2228 but that's more of a wrong pickup choice for the type of guitar, considering what it's used for, rather than a problem of the pickup itself. The new versions with d-activators make more sense IMO.

I can absolutely understand getting tired of the EMG sound after a while, but that's true for any pickup. I love my Crunchlab but it felt great to go back to playing an EMG guitar after I've been without it for a while.

 

[mcleanab]

I just put in a 60a (Alnico magnets instead of the ceramic of the 60) in my newly acquired Aria...

Wow...

Bright pick attack, warm overtones and damn near has a single coil feel too it but it a "thick" way. Not nearly the output of the 85 (which I love) but interesting in it's own way...

I may grab another 85, but for now, it's very fun...

Awesome for leads...

Oh yeah, a slight turn of the tone knob on the guitar, and it's HANDS DOWN, one of the most interesting cleans I've ever heard...

Rock on 60A... and I'm also a fan of how they look...

 

[no_dice]

I love the 81, but I hate 707s and 808s. Those are the only ones I've tried.

 

[7stringDemon]

I hate the 81/85 combination.

However, I swapped them in my rhythm guitarists Schecter Damien Elite 6 so that the 85 was in the bridge and the 81 was in the neck and wow. Sounded so much heavier! And the best part was that we didn't plug the 81 100% in so now it's an instant (and very nice) clean channel.

But I'll give their 7 string pickups a chance when I don't have to permenantly rape my guitars to put them in.

Until then, Blackouts are the only actives I'll use. In 6 and 7 strings. But passives are the way to go!

 

[Choop]

EMGs are great! The 81 is still boss in a downtuned guitar like previously mentioned. I recently put an 81-7 in the bridge of my Hellraiser C7 and it's exactly what I expected (and wanted) in that pickup. Much tighter, not super harsh, still very clear sounding. I will echo something though, in that the emg's do tend to sound a little more harsh or fuzzy through my pod HD compared to a guitar with passives, and it's difficult to dial out for me.

 

[mcleanab]

Curious for all you 60, 60x, 60a users out there...

How many of you try it out in the bridge?

I am digging the tones of the 60a in the bridge, but find the output to be very low compared to the 85. Since I've played the 85 almost my whole life, I've grown accustomed to it's output...

With the 60a, I feel like I'm playing much harder with leads, chords, chugging, everything... (as Jack White says, almost pickin' a fight with it).

Does anyone else feel this way? It's an awesome sound, but I think the high output-slam-the-front-end-of-the-amp workings of the 85 have spoiled me...

(I'm betting the 60a works well with lower gain amps)

 

[TRENCHLORD]

^bump for the above question to 60 users.

Also, this is likely a repost, but I can't help myself.