Emgs to choose from

[Nicholasim]

hey guys , i am wondering which emg pick up to get for my guitar .. its an epiphone custom ebony chrome les paul.. i only want the emg for the bridge .

i checked the website and they said active pickups are better than passive and the batteries will have to be changed only twice a year ..

i am thinking of the emg 81 and 85 ( used by metallica )

i play mainly metal and hardrock , anyone has got any idea on which pickup will suit my les paul and the kind of music i play ?

dosent have to be the emg 81 or 85 .. if u have anything better pls post it thanks


and one more question .. fast frets , can it be used to clean the FRET BOARD? .. nt the strings

 

[Crawldaddy]

Hmm.

Any company marketing their products are obviously going to pitch their products as superior to any of the current products being sold elsewhere.

There are passive pickups which can give the active units a run for their money. So perhaps you could do more research on this topic :wink:

 

[Nicholasim]

i mean like .. emg makes both active and passive and they recommend the active more

 

[Crawldaddy]

Hmm.

Well in that case, almost everybody would recommend the 81 and 85, as you had mentioned. The rest of your sound would boil down to your amp, pedals etc.

However, if you're looking for more versatility, you can check out Seymour Duncans, Dimarzios, Gibsons, Lace Sensors if you might want more versatility.

Correct me if I'm wrong, guys, but active EMGs... *shurgs* tend to be one-trick ponies?

 

[Nicholasim]

haha sorry but i dont understand haha my english abit .. yah ..

whats versatility ?

and whats one trick ponies ?

 

[remy]

fyi
kirk uses dual 81
james uses 60 81

 

[Crawldaddy]

Hmm.

well versatility is jhow your pickuos can handle different genrtes, gain levels etc.

So a pickup which is designed (either intentionally or not) to suit a myriad of playing styles or perhaps just one or two. If that one pickup can only be good at that ONE sound, then it's a "one-trick pony".

 

[Nicholasim]

ouh ... like .. the thing to do the trick for the genre .. ouh .. oko i c

 

[trianglebiscuit]

theyre fine, not one trick ponies.

just different strokes for different people.

what is wrong with the current pickups/sound?

if you want to go EMG, get a 81 in the bridge (great with that huge slab of mahogony) and a 60 in the neck.

 

[Nicholasim]

my pick ups like ... i duno if its the pick up but sometimes its loud .. sometimes its soft ... the sound

i got it 2nd hand so .. yah ..

its ok to get 1 active and 1 passive pick up on the same guitar right >?

 

[Everdying]

i had a 81/60A combo in my LP, replaced the 81 with the 85.
maybe i should put the 81 back in again, cos another guitar needs the 85 more

 

[Nicholasim]

did the les paul sound good with the 81 ?

 

[kerplunk182]

i'd choose the 81

 

[ShredCow]

I played an Epi with 81/81 before.

Yuck. :lol:

But why yuck? ah... then you'll have to delve into my 4 stomachs to figure it out!

 

[Nicholasim]

i cant hahaha .. so can you tell me ?

and ur epi is what model ?

 

[Everdying]

you cant trust someone who eats grass for main meals

 

[Nicholasim]

lol grass shredder , anyways ... everdying .. how much u bought the 81 ?

 

[Everdying]

my 81 is part of the Zakk Wylde set, which i got for about $250.

or you can get brand new EMGs for $135 each at davis.

but anyway, the 85 in bridge goes better.
less shrilly highs, slightly smoother sound.
while the 60A is a very good neck pickup.

 

[Nicholasim]

i heard the demo clips .. the 81 is kinda muddy ... the 85 is .. umm .. the output is higher and more brighter tone if thats what u call it .. i duno .. lol