A friend of mine wants to buy a BC Rich(I think it's a shitty low end warlock) and stick a EMG 81/85 set in it. I laugh at the fact that the pickups will probably cost more than the guitar itself. Is he making a good choice or should I slap some sense into him into getting something better?

Okay I'm sure you've heard these questions loads and loads of times, and if that's the case, then I'm sorry but i gotta ask:

1) What's the difference between actives and passives?
2) Are actives better than passives(or vice versa)?
3) How do you switch batteries on an active?

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Since I know you won't use the search thing, much less read this whole thread:

1)Actives = use a battery to get more output, high gain, more power and shit.
2)Actives and passives are just... different. It's a personal preference. EMG's certainly sound better for death metal though.
3)I don't know myself, as I've never done it, but I think all you have to do is unscrew a compartment open, remove the old 9v battery(square ones) and stick the new one in.

Anyone mind answering my previous post?

Thanks.

I think in the end it's up to him. What i did with my ibanez RG (which didn't cost much but didn't sound too hot) is just stick an 81 in the bridge and leave the stock neck and middle pickup in place. My local guitar store wired them so that the stock single coil and humbucker still operate. If your friend does something like this he might save some of his cash.

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If you use only one of two EMG's does this drain the battery less? Just curious.

I don't think you do, because the battery wire is always hooked up to both.

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If he really likes the guitar then I say go for it, it will only be an improvement soundwise.. of course it will still play like a peice of cardboard.

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Yes, I was going to tell him that they might not play well, but to my surprise he had already bought a different guitar. Yesterday he bought an Ibanez RG321(magohany) for 200$. He doesn't know if he should get EMG's or passives, since it's magohany...

why should that matter?


besides, there is different "quality?" mahognys.. I doubt for exampe gibson would use the same graded mahogny they use un their cheaper guitars as they use on their expensiver high end ones

It would be hilarious if they really did and you spent $2400 for a Les Paul made out of the same grade mahogany as say, an ESP or Schecter, etc. and you bought it based on the Gibson name.

You would be surprized. They will mass market anything as long as the name will sell.

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i tried looking for the answer on this, and i am not sure if this has been asked yet, sorry if it was, theres just so many pages on this. what kind of batteries are better for emg active pickups? what brand or style of 9volt? regular ol batteries like duracell or energizer? or those hi whatever ones they sell at music stores, one guy told me those are good for pedals and stuff, but would it make a big difference?a regular battery or one of those .. for your active pickups?

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I don't think it really matters.

A plain old energizer or duracell will last a longass time as it is.
Dont waste your money on a $12 9v.

It matters, but only for better battery life and more consistent supply of power. Normal 9V batteries lost power slowly over time and lower output from the EMGs. The best ones I have found are the OOber 9V batteries that they sell at Radio Shack behide the counter. They run about $10 but will power EMG pups for nearly a year without any drop in output due to a weak battery. I can't remember the brand of the battery but just go to Radio shack and ask for the 9V digital battery that cost about $10. It is the only one they carry that cost that much so they will know what you mean. Don't be surprized if they want to know why you want such a high tech 9V battery, because I get asked that myself. Tell them that in order to build a reliable bomb one must have a reliable battery.

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thats tho thilly i hate you.

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my dad says that actives make everything sound the same.. is this true?

EDIT: by everything i mean if you put two EMG 81 actives in two different guitars they will sound the same

and wich EMG's sound best in what possition?

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Well, listen to Vader's 1st and 2nd albums and Obituary's "Cause of Death" album. They're using different guitars, but they have EMG-81's. They do sound pretty similar. I think they're using very similar amps too, since the amp you're using molds most of the distinguishable sound, right?.

I think someone already said that it's not a good idea to have two identical pickups in one guitar. Something for leads and cleans at the neck and rythms on the bridge. My guitar(currently shipping) has an EMG-60(jazzy/cleans, lots of mids) on the neck, and an 81 on the bridge. I decided to get this setup since everyone else has an 85 with an 81. I may change it to an 89 someday if I like how they sound.

You can always toggle to use just a single pickup or both simoultaneously. Hence why having 2 of the same might not be too cool.

My question is: can you toggle the position of your p'ups? Like... Make the 60 sound like it's on the bridge when it's really on the neck?

Not unless you have a Star Trek transporter for a pickup selector.

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Lmfao... I was actually about to search google for that before I reread your post. xD If this forum had a rep system, you would be earning some right now.

hmm

im considering for my next guitar, buying second hand guitar (a copy) in a style i like, in good condition. And wacking some EMG 85-81's in it. It would cost less than finding me a good cheap Ibanez or strat or something.

I guess ill have to see, and start saving

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Depends on the price of the guitar you're going to buy. A 81 and 85 together will cost you $200(US dollars), maybe a little less. An Ibanez RG321(no tremolo, magohany, wizard II neck) costs $270. So in the end you'd be paying $470 tops for your axe, or more if you get a pro to install the p'ups for you. I would do this myself, but I don't trust the bridge on the RG321, and the paintjobs look boring, so I'm going with a high end ESP ltd. with a 81/60 as my first axe.

Does the 85 really suck for cleans and leads? Is it used at the bridge in a 85/81 set, or is the 81 still kept at the bridge? I've heard that the 81 is the most versatile, 60 being better for mids and cleans, and the 85 with a chuggish sound. Which of the 3 has the most cutting, grinding tone?

how much would 1 EMG 81 cost? im getting the DXMG Dinky when i get the monewy but it has 2 HZs in it, i want the bridge PU to sound different...

Jeff Hanneman uses an 81 in the Bridge right?

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Do the Zakk Wilde pack(81-85) fit in a IBANEZ S series pickup cavity???

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An EMG-81 costs $100 new, with all the parts and stuff. EMG 81/85 will fit any double coil pickup cavity. If the Ibanez S has a single coil cavity at the neck or bridge(middle doesn't matter), then it's going to have to be modded.

I don't have any emg pickups and I just use the humbuckers that my guitar came with. Do all active pickups use batteries and all passive pickups don't use batteries. So I'm guessing my pickups are passive cuz they don't use batteries. So I'm wondering since active pickups use batteries do the batteries run out like normal batteries and you have to keep changing them?

all Active pickups have built in preamp which require power, usually from a 9v battery, Passives need no power.

and yes the batteries eventually run out and then the tone starts to suffer, so you'll need to replace the battery.

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I use passive pickup and never used active pickup. But if your using active pickup does that mean the battery for the pickup is constantly on even if your not using it? How often do you have to change before the battery start to die of.

I just bought a Jackson JS30KE, whose stock pickups I'm planning to change in the future. I'm definately putting an EMG-81 at the bridge, but I'm not sure if I should also get an 85 for the neck or leave the Jackson stock pickup(CVR2). Why? Because I'd like to be able to get at least some good bluesy cleans and leads, and I'm not sure if the 85 is good for that. Should I check out some different passives for the neck to replace the Jackson stock pickup or is it a bad idea since the guitar has an alder body? Suggestions please.

Unfortunately, the store I ordered my ltd with an 81/60 set was out of stock for a month, and I desperately needed cash for some shit regarding school papers, so I had to reduce my costs for my first electric by a half so I have to settle with a JS30KE. But I didn't buy this guitar blindly, I tried several others in the same price range and this was the one I liked the most, besides some Ibanez with a tremolo.

No. The input jack doubles as an on/off switch. When no cable is plugged into the input jack, the battery is off and not being used.

The batteries last about 3000 hours of playing, so you'll probably have to change once every two years, if you play 4 hours a day.

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It will be hard to mix an active with a passive. The actives usually use 100k pots, and the passives 500 or 250k. Just get an 81/60 combo. the 60 is good for cleans.

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If I were to provide a guitar technician with the pickups and all the other parts, how much should I let him charge me? Nothing above $20 I assume? I'm just afraid of doing it myself.

One thing I've noticed is that each EMG's comes with 1 tone and 1 volume knob, so that would total up to 4 knobs if decide to install 2 EMG's. It would be necessary to modify my guitar's body to do this since it only has 2 knobs, right? Or could I sacrifice the tone and volume knob for each individual pickup, having one tone and one volume knob for the whole set?

For now I'm just going to buy an 81 and stick it in the bridge as a single pickup, perhaps I'll do it myself if no soldering/cavity modding is required. I'll probably invest in a 60 in the future.

You can. You don't have to have 4 knobs.

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[QUOTE=Soeru] One thing I've noticed is that each EMG's comes with 1 tone and 1 volume knob, so that would total up to 4 knobs if decide to install 2 EMG's. It would be necessary to modify my guitar's body to do this since it only has 2 knobs, right? Or could I sacrifice the tone and volume knob for each individual pickup, having one tone and one volume knob for the whole set?
QUOTE]

Just say I bought an 81/85 set, would I have to install 2 knobs per pickup??

And how does the 81/85 sound clean? I play a lot of heavy distortion and clean music, so would i be better off getting the 81/60 set? and are the 60's fit single or double cavities?

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i was looking at the ESP Jeff Hanneman and it says EMG 81/85. what possitions are the PUs? 81:neck and 85: bridge or the other way around?

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The 60 is a double-coil, looks just like the 81, 85, and 89. You're getting confused with the EMG-S, which is a single coil.

Your question about knobs, that has already been answered. You don't need the 2 extra knobs to control the pickups individually. Just your basic tone and volume knob controls the entire guitar.

I've heard that the EMG-89 is like 2 pickups in one. With a little switch it can work like a dual coil sounding like the 85 or like a single coil like the EMG-SA. Does anyone here use it and how does it sound? I assume a 81/89 combo is more versatile than a 81/85 and a 81/60? If so I'll get a 89 instead of a 60 for the neck.

You only need one tone and one volume pot on your guitar to control both pickups.

The 60 is humbucker-sized (double). The 60 will sound better than the 85 clean. I don't mind 81/85 clean, but I'm not picky and I don't play anything that requires a good clean tone.

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i have an 81/85 now, and it feeds back on the low end like a motherfucker... my ibanez RG doesnt feed back at all compared to this... like i stop playing for 2 seconds and it starts humming... i guess somebody lied about the preamp putting a dent into the feedback loop.

another thing... somebody lied about the sweet low end... i only hear it when i downtune really far... and then it sounds realllly nasaly and twangy anyway. Would thicker strings fix this?


emg's are /over-rated/

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Sounds like you need to adjust the height of the pickups and perhaps get new wiring or something.

Soon my EMG 81 and 85 will be coming in the mail.
To avoid losing more money, ill ask you guys a question.
I have vaguely looked through this thread.
I have a Bronze edition Warlock ; EMG's are obvious upgrades.
My Warlock has 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob and a 3 way switch.
Has anyone got schematics for setting up EMG's to this?
Has anyone got expierience with my type of guitar?
And for 2 9v batteries connected in Parralel.. what would be the effects?

Sorry for not researching more and searching more, but time is something i have little of...

This may be a stupid question, but from reading posts it seemed that passive pickups use the guitar wood shape itself to produce the sound and active pickups use a battery that power a preamp to produce its sound. So does that mean any guitar with a certain active pickup would sound the same in any guitar in the world since it doesn't use the guitar but a battery?

To keep my strings in top shape I use a certain oil to clean the strings which helps the guitar string life a lot and it makes the strings really easy to play fast. I use that oil to clean the body as well and it makes my guitar look really shiny and feel really smooth and a little slippery cuz the oil sinks into the wood of the guitar. So my question is; is the oil I used to clean the body of my guitar effect the sound of my guitar since my pickups are passive and use the body of the guitar to make its sound?

Well yeah, an active pickup can make guitars sound identical if it's the same exact setup(amp, pickup positions, strings, intonation/action, etc.), regardless of the kind of wood the guitar has. Hence why I'm spending $300 on an agathis guitar to later mod it instead of $600 for a mahogany with EMG's that will sound the same as soon as I mod mine.

FYI - My EMG Zakk Wylde set (81/85) came with 4 "Audio Taper" 25K POT’s. I went from 250K in my EMG-HZ equipped Jackson to 25K with the active EMG's. That’s a pretty big difference in my book.

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It will come with the schematics you need. By running 2 9v batteries in parallel you will still have just 9volts powering your pups but the batteries will last twice as long. The only problem might be finding the room in the guitar to keep 2 batteries.

Just try not to wire the batteries in series or you will have 18v powering your pups. The EMG are designed to handle over 24v, I believe, but the only benefit from doing that is more output. 9v is planty enough output for EMG.

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I doubt it will sound the same.

Plus, more expensive guitars tend to have better construction(not always true though).

the 81, being the only pickup i use, is about 2 mm from the strings, maybe even less, so thats out of the question. When i bought it, the shop guy rewired it... but i took a look and it looks like the holocaust in there... but everything is soldered in really heavy like, so i dont think that would be the problem either.... im thinking of just getting a huge EQ... like a 10 band so i can rape the tone.

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Well I'm not saying that a shitty-ass Squire or Wal-Mart guitar with EMG's is going to sound exactly like a high-end ESP with the same pickups, but it can get damned close.

Is it just me, or does it seem that EMG's are only meant for replacement of shitty stock pickups?

Okay, hopefully i'll soon be able to buy some EMG;s but first I got some questions(sorry if you've heard them before):

1. I visited EMG;s homepage and i looked at the faq about active pickups. They said that over time the sound gets more and more shitty. Does that mean that i have to switch batteries once a week to get a good sound?

2. I've got a Les paul special(Gibson) and there was a question in the faq that said something like this: '' I have a Les Paul and the pots don't fit through the top. Do you have pots that will work for the Les Paul? '' Does that
mean that i have to buy some extra shit to make an active work in my guitar?

3. If i don't buy those actives, then which passive is best for:
a)bridge
b)neck

passives... avoid emg passives, they reallly blow.

seymour duncan has a huge range of sounds for you, but from what i've heard, but the Invader pickups are really muddy. Metal bands generally use the duncan distortion, or jb jazz.
If you hate duncans, go for dimarzio's... i think the x2n is a good pup... but i've never tried it.

my personal favorite sound, were the duncan designed pups on an alder jackson... but thats me... i'm not a fan of the warmness of a mahogany body, it cuts off the crunch in distortion....

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it will..... you can put emg in plywood and itll sound the same, the battery pre-amp pretty much totally knocks away any tonal differences you might get from differant woods.

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Depending on how much you play, or how long you keep the cable in the guitar, the EMG will last way longer than a week. If you get a good battery, like these rechargable nicade(sp?) i think.... well anyways they will keep the same power going through till the end, then itll die, so itll always sound the same till the battery is dead.


Yes, the LP's require long pots, thats why the EMG-ZW set is good, (since zakk has EMGS) it comes with long pots and short pots incase you want it in a LP or flattop guitar. If you have a les paul get that set, it comes with all you need, no hassle of ordering extra parts.


I like passives, i used to like EMG's, but i relized there really thin sounding. When you get EMG's its like haveing a piece of popcorn skin stuck in your tooth, you know theres that little annoying feeling you cant get your mind off of. Passives rule.

Good Bridge pups would be...
SD JB- Mustaine Uses it, Jeff Beck uses it, good Lows, Good Mids, lots of High's, very versitile pup IMO, one of my favorites.

SD Invader - Its an ok pup, its a little muddy, but gets the job done, lots of chunk, very good lows, and can pull off some good highs.

DM x2n - Havnt really tried much of it, but heard its very good.

SD Distortion - Like the JB, except lots and lots of highs, pushes the limits for me, makes it seem like theres not enough punch or lows in it. All in all its a good pup if you like those highs.

Thats all i can think of for bridge right now.


Neck.....

SD '59 - One of my favorites, the first one i ever got and popped it in my LP, very warm and pretty hot.

SD Jazz - Havnt played one, but heard they are very good, they also go hand in hand with the JB, there outputs are matched up really well for neck-bridge combo.

Thats about all the neck i know for now.


Hope this helped.

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Okay so if i play about a little more that an hour a day, how long will the battery last before it starts to sound like shit? And BTW they said that it wasn't good for the guitar to use rechargeable batteries.

i dunno.... i dont think you have to worry about it. Hour a day, maybe every month and a half or 2 months would be good. Its a fricken 9 volt battery it costs like 2 dollars. Take into consideration what i said about those passives though. I didnt write that whole thread replying to you for nothing.

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I play an hour a day and my battery last over 6 months. I also use a special 9v battery that they sell at Radio Shack. It is the only one they carry that cost $10 but it is worth it. I have never killed one yet. They are the boss of 9v batteries. Sorry I don't know the brand but I don't have to buy them often.

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For a Les Paul,

A Duncan Custom, JB or Distortion. Paired with the Jazz.

The crunch I've heard from the Distortion has always been a 'fine' crunch, whereas the Custom has a more raw, in your face crunch. The Custom and JB are both very versatile. For melodic metal, I'd choose the Distortion. For a wider variety or heavier styles, I'd choose the Custom. It has more crunch than the JB, and the JB has an annoying upper-mid range spike that I no longer like. The Custom has tighter lows, too.

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Okay now this may be an totally stupid question, and maybe i already got the answer, but i really gotta know. My Gibson LP is made out of mahogny. So then is it okay to buy an emg passive? Cos i heard that the h4 sounds like an 81 without the ''active''. And if i don't buy an emg, then I was thinking bout putting a SD full shred in the bridge and some other pickup in the neck. What do you guys think?

i was looking at the stats for the DKMGFF and it says this:
CONTROLS Master Volume,
Master Tone,
Active EMG® TurboCharger® (0-20dB Gain Control)

what the hell is a "turbocharger" and what does it do? also, it says active, does that mean its battery powered too, like active PUs?

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What pickups does your Gibson LP have? Chances are... they already kick ass. EMG passives are still crap, even if your guitar is made out of mahogany. SD fullshreds aren't as good as a JB/Jazz combo, and I have the feeling your LP already has that...

I have an alder Jackson... Naturally, I'm thinking of buying an EMG set, most likely an 81/89 but I'll start off with just an 81 at the bridge.

A X2N/PAF pro passive setup is much cheaper and is probably sounds much better, but I'm afraid that it wont sound too great on an alder guitar. I'm also interested in the JB/Jazz combo, is it even more versatile than the X2N/PAF?

Should I get this passive setup or should I just go with the actives, since my guitar doesn't have that much of a tone-quality wood?

Is it a cheap alder jackson? If so, go with the active emgs. It might sound a bit sterile in an SS amp though. The 85 may be better in the bridge than an 81 in some alder guitars. You'll have to figure it out by testing them both. It's easy to swap the pickups because they have some kind of quick connect system.

The jb/jazz is probably a lot more versatile than the X2N/PAF. The X2N has coil tap though, I don't think the JB does. I could be wrong.

There's lots of Duncan and EMG clips available at the seymour duncan forums, in the tips & clips section. Have a browse, and search the forums if you like. Half of the links to digitalsoundplanet and other sites still work.

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No matter how sterile an EMG active set will sound, it will still be way better than my current stock humbuckers(Jackson CVR2's). It's a JS30 series Kelly, they go for $300. I thought actives didn't take anything from a guitar's wood, so why would a different position sound better on an alder? I'm not getting an 85 btw. Just an 81 at the bridge for now if I stick with EMG's.

I have a 490R and a 498T in my LP. The thing is that the neck pickup is breaking and i always have had thoughts about buying emg;s since i started playing metal.

All right. That's it. You talked me into it. I'm going to swap my 81 and 85 next string change (this weekend). As it currently stands, I hate the way the 85 sounds in the neck (love the 81 in the bridge). Muddiest thing I have ever heard this side of the delta.

I'll give it a try before I throw it out and get another 81 or 89 (hell, even the HZ sounded better in the neck than this thing). Only thing is, my guitar's body is mahogany - weird huh?

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EMG's don't produce 100% of the tone. It still relies on the tonewood, just not as much as passives.

A different pickup position will produce a different tone, no matter what pickups or tonewood you have. The bridge will be brighter and the neck will be warmer. It has nothing to do with the wood or pickups, it has to do with the strings vibrating differently at the bridge than at the neck. Try unplugging your guitar, then strumming the strings very close to the bridge. Then try strumming the strings over the neck. You'll hear the difference.

Some people with Alder guitars put the 85 in the bridge because the 81 might be too icepicky and compressed. Some people find the 85 in the bridge to be too muddy, and prefer the 81.

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If I get an 81/85 -which is unlikely- I'll try the 85 at the bridge at some point. But I'm getting either an 81/60 or an 81/89(because of the single-coil capability, I want good cleans too). How would the 60 sound at the bridge?

No idea. Sorry.

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If I were to buy a passive set, say an X2n/Paf pro, would it include wiring/pots other stuff like the EMG's or do I simply keep the guitar's own wiring and stick the new pickups in place and wire them? And do passives require any soldering? I'll probably leave it to a professional to do it for me, but if it's not a hassle I'll do it myself.

use current pots or buy seperately

Installing any pickups require soldering.

I'd suggest replacing your guitars electronics as they're probably shit anyway.

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i just got this idea yesterday to kill the mudd.... maybe lower the 85 on the low string side, and raise it on the high strings... so its kinda slanted... maybe that might work.... anybody tried it?

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You know, that’s something I haven’t tried. I’ve raised and lowered the PUP’s to make room so that my pick doesn’t strike ‘em, but I raised and lowered them evenly. When I raised and lowered them to make some clearance I didn’t notice any change in tone or dynamics - but admittedly I wasn’t listening for mud.

I didn’t get around to changing strings and switching the PUP’s last weekend but I plan to tomorrow. But before I do all that, I’ll give your idea a shot.

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how are the EMG single coil? ive never seen the anywhere besides in Jon Levasseur's (ex-Cryptopsy ) Strat...

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The active EMG-S? I heard some samples at the site and it sounded pretty nice and warm, very good cleans. Perfect if you only have single a coil cavity, but if you have dual coil cavity at the neck I suggest the 89, since it's like a 85 and EMG-S in one, which can be tapped.

i have a jackson dinky with humbuckers do you think i would get a death metal sort of tone if i got an 85 at the bridge and a kerry king preamp? oh and where can i get the preamp?

The 81 is supposed to be better and more clear than the 85. Of course, an 81 with an 85 would sound brutal. But an 81 by itself will probably be better than just a 85, the 85 is very chuggish and hard to get really clear notes. Why would you want a preamp with it? The 81 by itself will do you just fine.

Damn,


I just read like 19 pages of replies. Awesome though, I wanting an EMG 81 in the bridge of my Ibanez RG. It has a basswood body, so I figure the 81 will help what lack of sound I still can bring from basswood. I seen the link for the wiring schemes I was wondering if someone could tell me which one I want. My Ibanez is H-S-H, all stock passive PU's, 5-way selector so if I change the bridge only, I'd have a mixed active/passive setup. Question is, I have 1 vol and 1 tone knob. Can I still wire it up without having to purchase extra hardware. I'm very electronic savvy, and have done much much tedious soldering jobs, but I'd like to get off cheap. I read you guys talk about trashin the tone pot? For it's not really needed? Can I rig up the tone knob to control vol for the passive(s)? And if that's possible, do I have to change the 5-way selector. I read where it becomes a 3-way but that's for 2 active PU's? I just want one active and 2 passive or active H - passive S - passive H well for now anyways, will prob upgrade the rest later. Thanks!

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get the preamp, i have one and i never turn it off. Without it, the pickups just sound so dead.

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i dont know if you can connect actives and passives at the same time... the preamp in the actives will probably drive the passives to hell... and i dont even want to know what that will sound like. but if you figure a way to keep the battery out of the passive circuit... i guess you're good to go.... about all of your other questions... i have no idea... i just used the wires that the pickup came with.

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This might be a stupid question, but how does the emg 85 sound like in the neck? Cos it would e kinda nice to have a ''real'' neck pickup sound like the one Slash has in the beginning o'sweet child o mine.

i have an 85 in the neck, sounds like shit... the heavy strings drown out the light strings... and its pure fucking mud. you cannot play any clear chords. it fucking sucks. i hate it.

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Would an 81/81 or 81/60 combo be better than an 85? If I go with EMG's I'll probably get an 81 and a 60/89 or maybe I'll look into their p90's or something.

Here's the wiring diagram (from EMG, PDF Format) for an Ibanez RG with H-S-H config, upgrading the H in the bridge to an active EMG. This is a hybrid active/passive config. Enjoy!

Attached Files

Ibanez RG Active-Passive Config.pdf (23.6 KB, 80 views)

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Okay I have a few questions on installation. I have a jackson right now with 2 EMG-HZs and they sound like shit, so Im gonna upgrade to an 85/81. Its a 3 way switch, 1 volume, and 2 tone. The question here is on one of the tone you pull knob out as a switch (stupidly, I dont really know what it does, I just know what it does for the sound) but there is a 9 volt battery in the back and presumably the switch has something to do with that. Will this switch make installation more complicated? Will two 9-volt batteries even fit in my guitar? Since the new pickups are active anyway, will I even need the switch? (since it was built in, the 9 volt has a nice slot, and if I dont need to keep the switch it'd be a nice spot to put it). Thanks for any help.

Edit: Another question I have is on the position. I think I read that the 81 is a bridge pickup and the 85 is a neck pickup (dont bite me if I got it reveresed). I play 90% lead and I was wondering what positions would be best metal soloing, or if I should even get 85/81 and maybe get 81/81 instead or maybe something entirely different.

If after reading all these messages about how the 85 sounds like a pile of muddy shit you still want one, I will sell you mine so that I can buy a good pickup.

I think lately Jackson is installing a little preamp in some of their HZ equipped guitars called the Active EMG TurboCharger (0-20dB Gain Control). You would not use that with an Active pickup set but you could reuse the battery to power the Active set. Even if you mixed Active and Passives and kept the TurboCharger for the Passive circuit you would still only need the one battery.

The switch you speak of probably engages the Turbocharger and it could make installation more difficult (depending on what you install because there may be more soldering needed).

Personally, I would go for an 81 in the bridge and an 89 in the neck and use the push/pull pot to tap the 89.

81 = normally installed in the bridge but can also be installed in the neck (think Kirk Hemmett).
85 = normally installed in the neck although some have installed it in the bridge.

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I've noticed that every EMG-equipped guitar has a cover in the back in which you can access the pickups from behind. Wtf... my guitar has no cover in the back, only for the pots. Will this mean the body must be modded or is it unnecessary? And how much would having the body modded + getting the pickup installed cost? No fucking way I'm doing it, I can even change a fucking string right.

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For all you people that are bitching about EMG 85 in the neck. Are you diming the fucking thing? I have no ideal where all this, "It sounds muddy" shit is coming from. I have used EMG 81/85 for years, even before there was a ZW set and I have only ever got muddy if I dime the volume on the 85. DON"T DIME THE FUCKER! The 85 sould be used to compliment the 81 in mids and bass. I can use the 81/85 with just 2 vol and 1 tone perfectly but I have got even better tone variation with 2 vol 2 tone. Try to adjust the knobs on the guitar for once. Even the knobs on the amp.

I'm done

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I agree...an 85 may not track as well during a fast run...but its not muddy...anything but...and anyways...thats what your 81 is for...

?

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hah yeah... i talked a little bit of shit about that... i was fucking around last night and figured out how to get it to sound good. little or no distortion, a bit of reverb, and cut some low end out with an eq... sorry about that hehe heh...

other things i changed.. string guage, and tuning... but i dont know if that helped...

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Do the EMG's require a body to be modded if it doesn't have an electronics cavity behind where the pickups are?

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depends on the guitar. mine did, an sg

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i dont completely get what ur asking but.

usualy the battery fits in the part where the pots are for volume tone etc, if not they kan make it a little bit bigger, shouldnt be that big of a problem, and emg fit in a guitar that was exuiped with seymour duncans without modification, i dont know if thats the same for other pickups though.

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I'm not worried about the battery, I know it can fit in the pots/knobs compartment. Take a look at this pic, this is what I'm talking about: http://i15.ebayimg.com/03/i/04/8a/3e/dd_1_b.JPG

That's an EMG-equipped guitar. My guitar doesn't have that back compartment. Is it necessary for EMG's? What I don't understand is those springs...

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whaha now i get what u mean, that space were the srping are, lol, the srpings are attached to the tremolobar, theyre there to make the bar balanced, and i wouldnt put my battery in that place.

so the space is pure for the tremolo, doesnt mater for pickups and whatever else

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I finally figured out how to get the 85 to sound good as well. I put it in the bridge position. Now it rocks! Super high output (it added about a 15% increase to the input meter on my GT-6 over the 81), it almost doubled sustain and there is a noticeable decrease in noise. I’m still tweaking it but so far, it sounds pretty damn good.

BTW – on my guitar, the only way I could overcome the mud was to cut the 320 Hz frequencies which produced a loss in dynamics - all the while making sure I didn’t “dime” (dim) the volume or tone.

I think my electric guitars pickup layout might be enhancing the muddiness of the pickup in the neck. It’s a two humbucker layout that has only 3-1/8 inches separating the centerlines of the pickups. The neck pickup is almost in a hybrid neck/middle position location. Don’t know, I need to measure my other guitars.

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This is speaking from inexperience with the 85 in the neck, but I have a 60 in the neck and it is excellent for legato style runs distorted, and even better clean. It is a minihumbucker housed in a full size frame. Here are some links to soundclips that I recorded (btw I play an Epi Les Paul, and you need RealPlayer to play the clips):

clean dry
clean wet

I wish I knew what the ESP ltd ec-1000 comes standard equiped with. . . I know it's an 81/60 set(ESP says) but I only use the treble and bass side I never hit the mid side. . . . because I switch a lot while I am playing I made that a personal habit if 1 person know compile knowledge and send it to me about what my set is until then I'm going to try to find out on ESP's site. . . man I need a PRS(custom 24 ten top(in tobacco burst or a really dark color like black or dark gray)) then I won't have to worry about EMG's. Someone should tell me which is in the bass and the neck it's still just factory but yeah. . . I want to know. . .

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It looks like I will soon join the club of EMG-heads. At the moment, I don't have enough cash to buy two pickups, so I'm just going to buy one for now 'cause I REALLY need to get rid of my stock pickups.

My question is: which should I get first? I'm thinking the sticking a 81 in the bridge until I have enough for an 85. Apparently the 85 is better at the bridge than the 81? By better I mean that it can cover a wider spectrum. Since I'm only changing one PU for now, I want the one that can do the most as a single pickup, covering lows, mids, and highs, and can do high gain and cleans. I'm guessing that the 85 is the best choice for now.

I've heard that the 81 has like very little lows/bass, but this doesn't mean it can't do br00tal shit right? I mean, bands like Vader and Dies Irae use only the 81 at their bridge and their tone is ballsy...

Also, is it hard(from an complete n00b's point of view) to install and wire the PU's properly? What I'm worried about is installing the pots... How the hell do I remove the old ones from my guitar? There are no screws inside that hold it in place so do I have to rip it out or something? I'm very scared of doing the installation myself but I have no other choice.

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