what do you prefer???give reasons why
i will post my opinion when i get my emg loaded Warlock Tomarrow(then i will have tried both)

EMG's.

more output, more tone. less good clean tone though.

depends on the sd's too.

I have NO experience with SDs, but I have not found anything to complain about on my EMGs (an 85 at the neck and an 81 at the bridge), except for the logo sometimes looking upsidedown. But soundwise, they're the best I've heard so far, and I don't feel that there's anything they lack. The clean is good too, IMO.

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I only own EMG pickups (81 and 85) and they have to much output in my opinion. I like the SDs that I've tried better than the EMGs...I don't know the actual models though. I think it was the Screamin Demon

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i think the only reason why people know emgs are good is because thats the only thing people buy and they are influenced into getting them by professional artists who get them for free and people on a forum like this tell you to get them because there the best. ive never played emgs so i cant really talk but my invader SD sounds fine, it holds its moneys worth plus its cheaper. I bounced back and fourth through pickups for like 3 weeks. if you find a pickup that sounds good to you buy it. I didnt go with emgs because i heard the only thing they were good for was live concerts. (once again my sources were weak on emgs so i cant rate them myself because ive never played them)

I have both a SD and an EMG on my guitar; an active Seymour Duncan Heavy Metal Livewire at the bridge and an EMG-60 at the neck. I also used to have passive SD's before I upgraded them.
In terms of pure heavy metal overdriven sounds the Livewire is incredible. I've not actually played with an EMG-81 but I know the output level is a lot lower so I'd imagine that it wouldn't compare with the Livewire.
The EMG-60 has an amazing clean sound though, better than all the SD's I've played and heard.
So in my opinion if it's a heavy sound you're looking for go with an active SD, but EMG's provide a much better clean sound if that's what you're after.

Or you could just get the best of both worlds like me

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Xythen:
The Livewire doesn't give any nice clean sound though, does it? I'd say the 85/81 combo is more versatile than what you've got, but that's ok, I guess, if the narrow variety of sounds your pickups give is what you're looking for.

Couldn't we make some kind of "pickup reference thread", where the pickups we use are described, so we could get rid of all those "is this a good pickup for metal?"-threads? Or is that a bad idea?

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That sounds good to me...

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cool, that would get rid of the repeating threads too, go ahead and start it up, we'll all contribute and I'll make it a sticky too so it stays on top.

If you got a guitar made of good materials and componenets, and maybe neckthrough body, I would say SD...

But if the wood ad components is not so good... EMG gives bether sound. They can make allmost everything sound great.

EMG is the most popular though... And the cheapest.

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CHEAP?!?!

What a cunt

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me? why

i prefer sd's because most of the bands i know use emg 81/85 or somet in their guitars and they all play and sound the same. Also when i played a guitar with them on it. I just dint think they were as good as what people sed they were. So i prefer sd's because they are different, most of them sound great especially the active metal livewire , theres more pickups to choose from and they give you a better allround sound .

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I said cheapest

EMG costs 1300norwiegen, and SD cost 1700...

I got the picups who came with my mexico fat-strat, won't buy any bether, they sound good enough.

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