EMGs vs SK custom handwound vs dimarzio x2n

[p00n]

hi,

was thinking of new pickups to invest in after i got bit more capital so was was deciding about the pickups in the title
oh and i like a more warm but heavy distortion and perhaps like the one in the SK (dualtone dynamic range soundclip) like sort of a light grit / fuzz in a different setting

my opinion of emgs is not really good now after hearing what people say but what do you mean by 'sterile sound'?

and hear the SK pickups here theres only soundclips for the dualtone only but it sounds good too and the guy handmakes it so he can customize the output etc but as all boutique makers, the problem is $$$$ $90 USD for ONE
--> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/skgs/sk/clips/Dualtone_soundclips.htm

oh i heard good stuff from the dimarzio x2n but havent really heard soundclips or the real stuff anyone knows where to find clips?

the SK and x2n are both bridgeso any good neck ones? i would like a nice clean from the neck and nice distortion from the bridge[/url]

 

[Lifehouse]

Seriously, USD90 for a boutique pup, is really considered cheap. There are boutique stuff that goes for USD300.

EMGs are a mixed breed thing. It's just like some people like PC, some like Macs. EMGs are pretty high gain stuff compared to other high output pups. As for stertile sounding, think of it as analog vs digital pedals. More organic sounding etc.

Personally, i will take the hand wound pups, followed by the EMGs. My 3 cents worth.

 

[p00n]

haha but $90 is stretching my budget a little already... for the emgs i was thinking 60 neck and 89 bridge dont really dig shrill stuff so skipped the 81 would go for a nice full and rich distortion

 

[subversion]

i'm impressed with the tone of the EMG for high gain settings but i can never embrace an active unit- it's a personal preference really, it may be your cup of tea...

many have cited the EMGs as 'sterile' mainly because it makes any guitar sounds like... well, equipped with an EMG. it doesn't let the guitar's body resonance through well enough simply because it has a life of it's own. i'm of the opinion that light bodied guitars benefit greatly from the active pickups & they excel at what they are good for- high gain. embrace active units if you benefit from what they offer.

i'm a Duncan fan... 8)

 

[metallibeast]

I think it really depends on u....some Jazz and Blues guitarist swear by EMG and I personally use EMG and have tried Dimarzio, one thing about EMG that is defintely better is the noise issue, it is so god damn quiet, hands down EMG will WIN.

As for the whole tone thing, it depends on u.

-Beast

 

[penguin]

hi Poon
The X2N is retailing at ard 150sgd w/out installation...
i`ve tried this pickup on diff guitar...jackson,wasburn ,ibanez...
on the ibanez guitar it sound real good...
but i`ll really prefer a duncan or superdistortion..pu

Being a high output pu...it easily "clip"my podxt...and tremendous feedback..so there`s pros and cons...

 

[p00n]

thx for the feedback... actually what exactly does clipping the sound mean btw? anyway i forgot to mention that its a epi lp standard im finding pickups for.. i intend to coil split the bridge, which most probably would be the custom SK one cos can set the specs and stuff to my liking and also has a 90 day exchange programme should you not like it. so thinking of a neck one.. any suggestions for a good clean pickup? but preferably with good distortion too, not those sharp shrill ones but more of a chunky rich distortion.. would a gibson neck one do?

 

[Rossie]

Yeah, EMGs sounds the same no matter what guitar you put it on.
Les Pauls, Jacksons, RGs, ESPs, Fenders......

I really like the bottom-end of EMGs, really bassy and punchy.
If you play metal, you would love it.
The only downside to it is that it has highput, too high. A little too trebly on the highs.

I heard that more and more people are switching to DiMarzio's active high output pickups... It has the same bass and mid as an EMG-81, but less trebly. That's what I heard.

Hoped it helped out a little

 

[p00n]

the treble is my main thing that i fear about emgs but i would love more bassy and stuff.. what are the models of the dimarzio actives?

 

[metallibeast]

Personally, I think doing some EQing can make ur guitar sound less harsh....of course to use EQing to make a humbucker sound like a SC would probably be impossible.....

Pt. is as long as u know how to do ur EQing properly, u can almost make any pickup fairly verstaile

Rossie are u talking bout SD? Cuz I've not heard of Dimarzio producing any active pickups unless its a new model......

-Beast

 

[Dawn]

Hmm, don't know if I've repeated this before. But curious as to what's the main advantage or disadvantage of High out-put Pick-ups VS Low output pickups?

Other than the High ouput PUs being able to overdrive an amp more easily, better signal strength, what else is good/bad about em? Low output PUs ?

Thanks

 

[fretless6]

Hmm, don't know if I've repeated this before. But curious as to what's the main advantage or disadvantage of High out-put Pick-ups VS Low output pickups?

Other than the High ouput PUs being able to overdrive an amp more easily, better signal strength, what else is good/bad about em? Low output PUs ?

Thanks

If your pickup output is too high, it'll leave u with less headroom for clean tone. Basically more prone to getting overdrive.

 

[p00n]

any idea what would happen if i put a dimarzio virtual paf (bridge) into the neck?

 

[JMguitars]

any idea what would happen if i put a dimarzio virtual paf (bridge) into the neck?

It depends .... theres no right or wrong.

Try it and see how it sounds, it may sound great , then again, it may sound horrid.

One thing is for sure, you gonna have to set it lower to the body in order to have a clearer tone and to allow your strings to vibrate (breath).

 

[p00n]

is there any way to like temporarily connect the wires? i don't want to solder then find out that it sounds horrid.. would crocodile clips do?

 

[JMguitars]

Hmm, don't know if I've repeated this before. But curious as to what's the main advantage or disadvantage of High out-put Pick-ups VS Low output pickups?

Other than the High ouput PUs being able to overdrive an amp more easily, better signal strength, what else is good/bad about em? Low output PUs ?

Thanks

Actually, we could even sub-divide the question to high impedence vs low impedence pickups, active versus passive and high output versus medium and low output.

There's lots of material on the web from experienced players / pickup designers so I'll leave you to research more.

However, just to answer your question with a ballpark answer ....

High Output Pickups (humbuckers)
- harder to balance with single coils.

- restricts string vibration and therefore sustain if set too near the strings.

- many can split effectively for single coil sound (after split, output is near that of a medium output strat/tele pickup).

- sounds good with gain, may sound a bit middy and lacklustre with clean tones.

- requires 500k pots vs 250k for SCs.

- high output PUs compresses the sound. Low output PUs may compress the sound somewhat but may still sound a little more dynamic.

- may not clean up as well as low output humbuckers when the volume knob on the guitar is turned down.

 

[Ablue]

Yeah, EMGs sounds the same no matter what guitar you put it on.
Les Pauls, Jacksons, RGs, ESPs, Fenders......

This is a common 'gripe' about EMGs but I wonder how this is possible. EMGs are some of the most transparent pickups and have very little coloration unlike passive pickups. If anything it should highlight differences between guitars even better than passive pickups.

I replaced a strat with EMGs recently and it still retained the strat characterisitics. When it comes to 'tone shaping' the amp plays a far larger role. Using pickups to shap tone is sometimes an expensive and futile pursuit. Its fun for folks who lik to tinker though.

"If donald duck spoke through a Shure, sennheiser or AKG mic, he'll still sound like donald duck."