EMG 81

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Bleh bleh bleh

Model of guitar or bass: Kramer 1988 Focus 4000 (RR with Floyd Rose)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Children of Bodom, Shadows Fall
You musical style(s): Metal, metal, and some more metal
Reason for pickup change: Needed a pickup in the first place

Perceived output level: High
Tone: More treble than anything else, but also lots of mids
Sonic evaluation: My gear blows, but this pickup is the only thing that allows me to play the shit I want to play. Harmonics fly out of it, and the tone is 110% balanced. I keep my gain down a few notches compared to using DiMarzios/Duncans. The transistions from rhythm to lead is so smooth, it's like you have Dave Mustaine's tone and Paul Gilbert's solo tone in the same pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Now how would I know that?

Comments: Everything about it rules. Too bad there's not an 11. I've heard some people saying that you'd have to change the battery in it a lot, not true. The site says if you play 8 hours a day, you're set for a year, and it's true.

Pickup features: Active HB
Impedence or other specs: ??? im not good with this stuff on active electronics

Model of guitar or bass: Peavey V-Type EXP
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stocl passive ceramic
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Tons, from all spectrums of music.
You musical style(s): Metal, Blues, Experimental, Classical, Shred
Reason for pickup change: stock Pups lacked dynamics, tone, and harmonic response

Perceived output level: its pretty hot, but i have heard hotter in passive
Tone: clear, emphasis on the upper end, and harmonics
Sonic evaluation: Depending on my mood and time of day depends on what I use. I have 4 amps that I use it with on a regular basis: Crate Blue Voodoo 60w combo, Kalamazoo Model Two (really old all tube amp from the 60s i think), Roland Micro Cube, and a Fender Studio Lead. I also use any combination of effects consiting of: an MXR Dyna Comp, Boss Metalzone, H@O Liquid Chorus and Echo, and Ibanez Weeping Demon Wha Wha. How ever, i do like to plug directly in too, depends on my mood. This Pup is very dynamic and clear, but it still packs some punch. I also have 2 Jacksons. A dinky with a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and an SL3 with the stock Duncan JB in the bridge. The 81 has more balls than the JB but a much more balanced tone. However my Tone Zone whoops the 81 when it comes to output.
I thought that i had put in an old battery at first but then I read that active Pups distort w/ a drained battery. it also sonded really thin at first. I went onto the EMG website and read up on thier Pups a bit. i learned that they are rated at 27 volts and that if you add and extra 9 volt in series it will add some more to the bottom end, out put and clarity. They werent lying, it made a world of difference. It honestly sounded weak and thin before the change for what I thought it should be. The Tone Zone still has more out put, but it has a different flavor to it. Much more vintage sounding and a bit muddy at times. The 81 sings and accentuates every aspect of your playing.
In other words this is not the pickup you want to start with, it is the one you want to hone in on your skills with. It is very smooth clear and will show all of your nuances and all of your faults aswell. If you do a sweep and you don't quite hit a string right or with the right preasure, you hear it, and it almost hurts to have bad technique. In fact i never realized i had bad technique till after i got this Pup, but it has helped me fix that too by allowing me to hear what I was doing wrong. You will either learn to have good technique or you will get rid of this pick up.
1 thing i have noticed that alot of people dont mention is that you have to find the right strings for EMGs, more so than any other Pup i have ever used. Since they pick up every thing going on with the strings you have to find the right brand and gauge for your guitar, your style, and your technique. You also have to keep them clean. I won't say what I use bc What I like will Probably be totally different to what you want.
Onto the amps and effects and how it reacts with them. It likes the Blue Voodoo the best. The clean channel remains that untill very late, around 8 or so it just starts to clip a lil. I havent tried with the Duncan but the Tone zone starts to make it clip around 6.5. Maybe it is the overwhelming mids coming out of it? It sounds very good for a bridge bucker on clean, which isnt saying much. (i did try it in the neck for like a week, it was odd tonally. I recomend against this. The 60 in the bridge was the best shred Pup ever though) The Lead channel it really lets loose. If you arent familiar with the Blue Voodoo, it is kinda like a Boogie tonally, but i have EL34s in it so mine is like a Marshall Boogie (ha ha ha!) It gets some awesome tones just about every where on the knobs, especially with the "boost" on (it is a boost in the mids before it hits the drive section, idk how it works but it sounds more full this way, even wit the gain down) I can get any thing from blues to black metal, and every where inbetween. The Kalamazoo is kind of indifferent to it either way. clips around 4 (it is a very low wattage class A amp designed for vintage Pups.) It gets a decent vintage blues tone, but not as good as the DiMarzios or the Duncans. After all Active Pups weren't even thought of at the time it was built. The Fender hates all of my guitars unles

Comments: I would definately but this again. I wish it had a way to coil tap and link in parralell though :-/ The 89 has a SC and HB in it and you can switch between, but the HB is much more like the 85, which is good, but more suited to classic tones than the 81 I feel. I am going to put 1 in my SL3 when i get some spare cash. I am very satisfied with the 81, it does what I want it to, especially after hooking it up in an 18 volt configuration. it helps me get some of "those sounds" you can't have just 1 sound after all, where is the fun in that. ohh it matches very VERY well with the 60, please see my review on that. any questions, feel free to email me. i can also send sound clips if wanted.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson DK2S
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan designed stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan designed single coil
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Zakk Wylde, and a shitload of other metal bands...
You musical style(s): Metal, blues, and jazz
Reason for pickup change: I couldn't stand the low output of my old pickups so I needed a change and heard that an EMG is what I needed.

Perceived output level: An EMG definitely delivered what it promised. PLENTY OF OUTPUT!!!
Tone: Extremely trebly but once you dial in the right settings on your amp, you can get an amazing sound.
Sonic evaluation: I wanted this pickup for my "metal guitar". If you play a style that requires you to play without distortion, stop reading, this pickup is not for you!!! Simply put, this thing sounds like ass when it's on the clean channel, it's strictly geared towards a heavily distorted rig. Now that we got that out of the way, metal guitarists will love this thing. I'm running my guitar into an all tube Carvin MTS3200. When I first plugged it in, i never thought i would say this but there was to much distortion. I actually had to turn down the gain, bring up some bass and bring up the mids (Bass-8, mid-7.5, Treble-8). The result is almost a fucking dream. With most pickups, turning up the bass gives the overall sound bass without much change to the tone. With the EMG, it gives it a really awesome boost to the low end that gives you this rich, full distortion that I've always looked for. So once again, If you need a cleaner distortion, this pickup is for you. Even with all that gain, you can understand every note that you're playing, even with chords! Back to it's downfall though, i have other guitars to play different styles with, if you don't and want to play different style, this thing isn't for you.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, rock.... anything that needs distortion. This pickup was obviously designed for the bridge position but there are a few bands that put it in the neck because they wanted a weird sound so I don't recommend it unless you have some cash to play around with.

Comments: I'm giving it a 10 based on what it was designed for. If I were rating it from a blues or jazz standpoint, it would receive a negative score. I can't stress this enough, it's strictly a metal pickup that can only be used for distorted playing. It's clean and extremely defined. The thing that I love most about it is how responsive it is to tonal changes on the amp. Unlike most pickups, if you slightly turn up or down the bass, mids, or treble, you're gonna hear and feel it. Because of this, you get huge range of tonal possibilities. Hope I was helpful!!!

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: low impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SF-470, Hamer Studio Gatasso
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: Ibanez had an 85 in the bridge, I believe both are 81s in the Hamer
Artists using this pickup: See other reviews. The list of endorsers would discourage me from buying this pickup...
You musical style(s): all breeds of rock, lately early country, bop, and early blues
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Hard to tell because the tone is different too; bigger closer to the strings; output is hotter than the average PAF, but not distortion-inducing on all settings
Tone: extremely balanced; very string-y, very articulate. sensitive, but not colorful. kind of sizzly on top of every note. many have said bright; I feel that's true of top frequencies, but there's an overall darkness that i'd guess comes from an emphasized bass but less emphasized low-midrange. punchy but not overwhelming.
Sonic evaluation: My 2nd guitar was an Ibanez SF 470 w/ EMG 81/85s and a single coil. I played that for years, dumped it for a Guild, and recently picked up a Hamer loaded with EMG 81s. I use a Mesa MkIV and Rivera M60, and an old Magnatone Custom 440 for more vintage sounds.
There is a lot of great information in the reviews, but a lot worth skipping too. These pickups are more like microphones than other pups. On clean settings, the acoustics of the strings come through much more so than on passive pickups. You can hear the windings and metal.
There are some pros and cons of these pickups; They emphasize some aspects of your playing really nicely. For example, picking nuances are all there, even at high gain settings and low tunings. Hammer-ons and muting are very percussive and don't pop unpleasantly or lose volume. Legato playing is easy and there's an overall smoothness to the pickups that makes you want to play to them, if you follow me. They bring out the character of the amp in a different way. Distortion has an edge to it, but also is very singing and gliding. They seem to round out every note. What happens differently with these pickups seems to be somewhere in the middle of the frequency spectrum. On a micro level it almost sounds like the notes are scooped. I know there's an active preamp in each pickup, and i'm not sure how they're eq'd, but i'd guess their great clarity comes from cutting some frequencies in the low mid area and boosting the very bottom and top, giving that shape to the notes. I don't know this, and if I'm wrong and they do nothing of the kind, that's still the way I would describe it. I'm *not* saying that you can only get a scooped metal sound from them at all. They're very responsive to amp EQing like any other pickup.
They may change the way you play. They feel and sound different than anything else, and you'll have to tweak your normal settings, possibly your signal chain and even your guitar setup, to find a sweet spot with them. I find that I listen to different things about the guitar when I play with these. Especially on the lead channel, I want to add more vibrato to string bends because of the way the notes ring. They have a very characteristic way of emphasizing harmonics that make pinch harmonics a lot of fun. You can be very selective about which harmonics to bring out by changing your hand position. It sounds like there's more of the fundamental in the harmonics. You can really hear it when tuning by harmonics, they're very pure and easy to identify.
That can be bad if it's just not the sound you like. These pickups are not chimey and full of character. They sound very unlike an alnico pickup. They take out a lot of the overlapping ring and dynamics of passive pickups. This means you hear everything you play and nothing you don't. There's less noise from other strings when doing runs across the board, where on other pickups there might be some lagging ring.
I tend to miss that sound after playing these pickups for a while. They're a lot of fun to shred around on. The 81 in the neck sounds great for leads, unlike the mushy darkness of a PAF. It sounds thick but still defined and grinding. When I sold my Ibanez w/ EMGs and got a Guild with 70s Dimarzios, I missed the EMGs at first. I learned a lot playing on the EMGs and got very used to the sound. I was more focused on technique and speed with active pickups because you can hear everything so clearly, but wit

Comments: This is all a matter of taste, but I wouldn't buy these new and put them in my guitar. I've got a tele with fralins, and the harmonic depth of those pickups is unreal. I've got a set of fralin humbuckers coming, and they've gotten mixed reviews on HC so I'm anxious to see what I think. If I had a guitar to keep setup for the EMGs and detuned, I would. It's a cool sound that I want some of the time, but not the first thing I wish for on a daily basis. If I had that hypothetical rig with EMGs on tap all the time, and someone stole that guitar and I had to choose between active pickups to try and get that sound back, I'd definitely go with the EMGs. I personally would not go with these pickups if you have only one or two guitars and you need something versatile to grow with you as your tastes change. Grab them if you know that you like what they do and wake up wanting to hear that sound. If that's you, I might sell mine... (I'm still debating, but drop a line.)

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ???hu??? its active and powerfull nuff said

Model of guitar or bass: 2004 B.C. Rich Bronze single humbucker Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: BCR-6 (Pice of ****less tone)
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Just about everyone, Metallica and Nickle back just to name a few
You musical style(s): late 70's, 80's, 90's hard rock, heavy metal and some rockabilly
Reason for pickup change: the BCR-6 isnt even good enough to be shit on.

Perceived output level: Very fucking powerful (touch a string and break you're ear drums)
Tone: Perfect ballence
Sonic evaluation: i have a little pice of shit B.C. Rich 10watt pratice amp(man i wish i had money) and like i said above, a warlock

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: his sucker is perfect for everything unless it requires that tele tone, because this seams a little muddier then a tele but still nice for my style.

Comments: I love this thing, i went from no tone to HOLLY SHIT! Its just great, hitting the strings hard on a clear channel gets very very punchy, but lightly struming sounds nearly as good as good as a single coil, and it has no hum what so ever, its honistly the perfect pickup, i think for death metal the S&D Invader would be better, but for that thin 80's hard rock sound, this is it, the ONLY option.

Pickup features: humbucking/active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson USA humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Shadows Fall, Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Mostly metal
Reason for pickup change: I needed something with more bite to it. Since I use straight up Dual Rectifier distortion and no pedals except a tuner I needed a little more boost to my sound.

Perceived output level: High output for the high player
Tone: It's really trebly and middy, not much bass though. But then again the guitar isn't supposed to be bassy, it's supposed to be trebly and middy.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the pickups in an epiphone Les Paul Standard, plugged straight into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier which is hooked up to a Behringer Stereo cabinet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal, it's perfect if your using the right equipment. Don't think just because you have an EMG in your axe that your going to sound like Kirk Hammett.

Comments: If stolen or destroyed, I would definetely replace the pickups in the same guitar. I've been playing for about 10 years and I use a fat strat with a Dimarzio super distortion in it. I realize these are two different guitars but the Dimarzio sounds like dogshit for the style of music I play compared to the EMG. I'd like to take this time to point out that this pickup is not intended for the player that plugs his guitar into a Boss distortion pedal and runs it into a small combo. This pickup was intended to be used with a guitar plugged straight into a stack using the amp distortion. The pickup has a built in pre-amp to drive your AMP more, NOT your distortion pedal. In fact you can get more treble using a passive pickup guitar and a Boss metalzone (which personally, I think sounds like a digitized piece of garbage). This pickup in combination with my Dual Recto half stack and Les Paul gives me the sound I need and want. NO PEDALS EVER, in my opinion, if your using a distortion pedal to get your sound, you still don't own the right equipment for you, because somewhere out there, there is an all-tube amp and the perfect guitar for you. So go find it. YOu should buy this pickup only if you have the sound you completely desire and your just lookin for that extra bite to it. This pickup will do it.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: US Masters Artist
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-SA
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer, Zakk Wylde, metal heads around the world...
You musical style(s): Rock/hair metal/speed metal/thrash/death/black
Reason for pickup change: wanted something with a beefier and more precise tone than the stock pups

Perceived output level: very hot...will overload some pedals if you're not careful about your guitar's volume
Tone: I found it to be balanced..it can sound very different depending on your setup
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing through a US Masters Artist guitar (ps--check out these guitars!) into a Radial Tonebone Hot British tube distortion pedal --> various effects units-->Roland JC-120H (this is the head version of the well-know Roland Jazz Chorus 2X12 combo)-->Kustom tuck-n-roll 4X12 (original Jensen 50watt speakers in it)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Play a variety of rock and metal, anything from hair-band stuff to death and in between, also like to play spacey clean stuff ala Satriani. I'm very happy with my overall sound. With the right amp, I can get beautiful and heavy tones out of my guitar.

Comments: If I somehow lost this pick-up, or even worse, destroyed it, I would probably replace it. I've heard very good things about both Dimarzio and Seymore Duncan pickups, but I just don't know how they could sound much better. However, my one gripe about this pickup is its apparent difference in volume over the active EMG-SA's I have installed...when I go from heavy on the 81 to clean on the SA (at the neck), the drop is pretty noticeable. Minor gripe though, as I can get around it. I've been playing for about 14 years now. I own an ESP F-207 with active EMG 707's, an old Yamaha RG fat strat, and an Ovation Celebrity CS257(an incredible guitar when amplified!), a Vox AD120VTH amp (absolutely killer amp!)
I really enjoy the clarity I can achieve with this pickup. As long as you're using a distortion that allows the nuances of your playing to come through, this pup sounds beautiful. I know how inflated these ratings tend to be on this site, but I'm not kidding about this pickup. It is a seriously good unit that can really make your playing sound more organic. A common concern I've heard about this pickup is its tendency to sound a bit more sterile than others. I'm convinced after spending some time with this pup that the fault lies with the user. It does sound different than any other type of humbucker I've tried. It does take some tweaking and getting used to (particularly the added sustain). The utter noiselessness of this pickup can also fool the ear. I was confounded the first time I plugged in after having it installed. I thought it sounded awful. Turns out, my amp was a big part of the problem, and my eq setting was another problem, and my strings still another. Once installed, your eq settings will have to change to match the character of the 81. You'll begin to hear more of your signal and playing come through. Honestly, folks, the EMG 81 forced me to pay much closer attention to my entire rig and overall sound, and I've become a much better sounding guitar player as a result! Word of warning: watch out for your gain settings! You won't need as much gain to get a good heavy sound. You volume control also will become more important with this pup. At full volume, it can distort your clean tone. Also, the clean tone of this pup, even in the bridge position, is vastly underrated. Don't be fooled by people who tell you that EMG's lack warmth. It's a myth perpetuated by purists with bad ears and an unwillingness to take the proper time to alter their setup. The 81 will give you great tone, but you have to pay attention to how you handle it and how it interacts with your rig.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Stagg R500
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: some stagg humbucker, that sucked
Other pickups on guitar: one more stagg sucking humbucker
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammamet, Wes Borland
You musical style(s): Hard-rovk
Reason for pickup change: My previous humbucker was so bad, so i must have changed it. I couldn't even use my boss DS-1, because of to lot of noises...:( It was so disturbing, even when used noise gate:)

Perceived output level: Sound is very strong...and it's just waiting for your distorted amp, or effect:) It's so nice, it's heaven for your ears!
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: I'm using my PRS copy guitar Stagg r500 with MARSHALL Valvestate 8280...and it absolutely rocks...even with my guitar:)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play hardrock, like CKY or limpbizkit. I had problems with playing slower ballads:) So I stopped to play it:)

Comments: I'm so glad that I bought it. Now my gear is quite more proffesional that I was in the past. My rock band sound good now. The only disadvantage of usiing active humbucker is that you must have a battery to play...Once playing at the concert i was out of energy in battery and I had to borrow guitar from other guitarist:)

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich NJ KKV
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ
Other pickups on guitar: The other stock EMG HZ is still in the neck
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer, Static-X, and alot of others
You musical style(s): Rock, Hard rock, Metal, anything from soft instrumental to full blown take no prisoners metal.
Reason for pickup change: The stock HZs didn't fit mey needs at all. I couldnt get any kind of tone or sustaine out of them.

Perceived output level: More so than most pickups out there. They're not INSANE, but there isnt much that beats them
Tone: very balanced - The highs are a bit more present, but its very clear
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Bc Rich NJ model KKV and a Marshall 100hdfx half stack. really I just keep it on the clean tone 24/7 and rely on a DigiTech RP unit for everything I need. Basically Ive found everything I need

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Ive got my own personal style, but I play the heavier stuff most of the time. Megadeth is a personal favorite. The EMG 81 fits this fine. Ive seen it in the neck position also, but I recomend you put it in the bridge cause thats what it does best.

Comments: Ive only had this thing a day and Im very happy with it. I really wanted a DiMarzio Evolution, but if I ever get one of them It'll go in my Dean ML. I actually went to the store to buy a Gibson 500T but they were fresh out so I had to make a second choice. I had always thought about buying an EMG but wasnt sure if it was the best choice. Damn, Im glad the store was out of 500Ts because I love this thing. It is mainly a rock/metal pickup but it fits different styles very nicely. I would recomend that you be fairly experienced if you want this pickup. It is much more sensitive and clear than many passive humbuckers and if you screw up, you and anybody listening will probably be able to notice. Overall a very balanced humbucker. Also keep in mind that it is Active, so you're probably going to have to tweak some settings if you're used to playing with passive pickups. I only had to turn a few things here and there and then I was set. Ill give it a 9 cause it doesnt do the job for EVERY musical style, but for basically any type of rock at all, it fits in very nicely.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP EC-1000
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81
Artists using this pickup: Whateva
You musical style(s): Lots including metal, hardcore, blues whatever
Reason for pickup change: WOnt change them. Well maybe put in an EMG 85 sometime..

Perceived output level: High output with distinctive clarity
Tone: Id say this pickup is very trebly compared to some passive pickups (Seymour Duncan Invader for example) Personally I would prefer more bass although this amp is very clear but loses some clarity at high levels
Sonic evaluation: I use my ESP EC-1000 with EMG 81's in all positions which then just goes to my Fender Deluxe 85 or my practice Orange Crush 15.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is a perfect match for the styles of music i like to play. (Heavy music mainly)

Comments: These pickups are very good. I would not say amazing or brilliant but still very very good for a high active humbucker. Quite trebly but can be balanced by simply turning down the tremble on your amp. I've been playing for about 4 years and about 1 year with these pickups. The output is perfect for metal or hardcore music. But it is still quite versatile (not so much as a Fender or single-coils but good enough)