i dont nkow anything about passive pickups. i have been using a guitar with na 85/81 setup and my next guitar will probably have passives in it. so this thread was helpful
another con of 81s is the routing, pain in hte ass

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Bump Bump...


Me either. I'm researching for a new pickup. Either the EMG 81, or now this passive? X2N. To my knowledge, I can't have active and passive together, something about the active will interfering with the circuit. Plus all the routing, my Ibanez doesn't have a pickguard or the electronics cavity to nicely tuck the battery away. I want some brutal tone, but I still want some clean tone. Anyone got an EMG 81 in an Ibanez RG? Did you have to do any modifications for the battery placement? Is the setup all active, or did you mix the config with some passives.

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is it worth to change a tonezone for a x2n??, just wondering, im happy with the tonezone. and i dont have money anyway

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Some people carve out a space for the battery in the back of the guitar's body if it's not there. Take a look in the compartment where the pickup switch and pots(tone/volume knobs) are kept, it should be able to fit there. I'm just worried that the Quikconnect wire's head won't fit through the hole going towards the pickup cavity?

It IS possible to correctly wire an EMG active with a passive, I've seen that guy from Kreator with a RR with an 81 at the bridge some passive single coil at the neck, it's probably just more of a hassle, that's all.

Thank you, Great Info. I would like to try an active/passive hybrid setup. I'm gonna contact EMG and get some info.

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i was told passives dont work with the EMG setup, complete bullshit.
ive got a HZ4 in the neck and an 81 in the bridge, they work just fine.
the HZ4 sounds like a cross between the 85 and 81, except in the neck, so a little muddier.
i assume it was wired up as usual.
so as far as EMG passives and actives go, they should work fine together.

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I can only wonder what would sound better: an EMG-81 + PAF Pro or an X2N + PAF Pro. :P

I'm going either all active or all passive, but I haven't decided yet. Will somebody please tell me if some Dimarzio passives(X2N/PAF) will sound better than an active set in an alder body guitar? I understand it's a matter of personal preference, but I don't know jack shit/can't tell much of a difference. I've only listened to people/bands using EMG's but I'm not sure if I've ever heard an X2N before.

I can't directly jump on the actives because I'm afraid it will be necessary to mod up my guitar a bit for the battery and cable(not sure yet), but I would be getting a kick-ass tone from such a relatively cheap guitar. Dimarzio passives are much cheaper and will definately be a simple installation, but will most likely require new circuitry, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to get a sound as good as the EMG's because of my guitar's wood(alder). Will someone please help me out in making the best choice?

Also, could someone please link us to some X2N and PAF Pro sound samples? I can't find any anywhere.

It is possible to mix passives with actives, but you'll have output matching issues.

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EMG just e-mailed me back, they dont' recommend mixing active with passive. But he says alot of folks still want to do it. He also sent me the wiring diagram for mixing an active PU in the bridge with a passive single coil and humbucker in the middle and neck. Gonna also post this in the EMG thread for anyone wanting to know about active/passive.

Soreu:

I would go for the active PU's. I'm not sure how good alder sounds, but it seems to be the low end price for jackson models. Prob wouldn't get that brutal of sound using passives with alder as you would using active EMG's. I'm in the same boat. Mine is basswood. Think I may try the hybrid setup, and if I'm not satisfied, I'll prob just go all active.

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What we should do is make up a story about how the EMG 81 said something about the X2N's mother, and then make up a story about how the X2N slept with the EMG 81's girlfriend, get them together in a parking lot and see which pickup is really the best ...


We'll settle this once and for all!

andras said in some post that his X2N in some cheap shit guitar sounded much wilder than the EMG-81. I PM'ed him asking what wood his guitar had. I still can't decide... going with an X2N or an EMG-81. I really want the X2N but I'm afraid it won't be as brutal in my axe, hence why I'll probably end up with the EMG-81(though it's not a bad alternative at all). Let's see what he replies with...

No guitar shops that carry the X2N in any guitars? Probbalby not, since it's never a stock pickup. Ask around for metalheads in your neigbourhood, maybe on of those plays it. Try dimarzio website, i'm pretty sure they have sound samples.
You have an alder guitar right? I have an JB/'59 setup in my alder guitar, it doesn't sound as full as it would in a mahagony one, but it's still pretty sweet.

My tip: buy it 2nd hand, from ebay or such. If you don't like it, you can sell it again for pretty much the same price, or you can trade it with someone. Orrrrrrrrr, you could keep it until you have a mahagony guitar and put it in that. Plenty of options...

EDIT: and i just remembered, higher gain pickups (like X2N and Invader) are lesser influenced by your tonewoods than the more mid-gain types. Even tough the X2N and Invader are a lot more influenced than the EMG's, the difference should not make you think differently. You should be more concerned that your lesser-gain neck pickup is matched with your tonewoods than your bridge...

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Hey man how is the tone zone for brutal shit,

i was gonna go with the X2N but def told me to go with the tonezone, musically we arent EXACTLY on the same page, but close, and def was sure as hell right when he told me to buy the ibanez

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X2N