EMG 81

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 500t
Other pickups on guitar: 490 that's not connected
Artists using this pickup: God Forbid, As I Lay Dying, The Black Dahlia Murder
You musical style(s): metalcore
Reason for pickup change: The 500t was rad, but got mudded up with lower stuff and was feeding back quite a bit too.

Perceived output level: It's hot, but stays clear on everything
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the epiphone with the 81 at the bridge straight into a Peavey 5150 and a mesa 4x12. The 81 is only wired to the volume and tone knobs, and nothing else. I still have my old neck pickup in place, but none of the wiring is connected.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, hardcore, 80's cock rock

Comments: If this pickup were destroyed/stolen I'd definitely get another one. I've been playing for 7 years. The only other guitar I use besides my epi with the 81, is a fender telecaster with a hotrails in the bridge. I was worried about what a pain in the ass putting active stuff in my guitar was going to be, but it was relatively painless. Just take your time. If you tune low, and still need clarity, these are the way to go. Just eq your setup right and the 81 sounds awesome.

Pickup features: 9 volt dc active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez 450dx
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: infinity (ibanez)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG SA (middle) EMG 85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: see www.emginc.com for EMG's homepage for a list
You musical style(s): rock/metal
Reason for pickup change: Delusional psychosis. But seriously, chances are if you buy a mass produced guitar you are gonna get bad pickups, change those suckers!

Perceived output level: HOT pickup, to the point of breaking up in clean mode but not quite.
Tone: Balanced, bright, punchy.
Sonic evaluation: Digitech 2101 -> ADA Microtube 200 -> two 4x12's.
I have a complete section of presets I dialed in for active pickups, they really do respond/sound in a totally different way than passives do. The pickups have a weak magnetic field so you can set them SUPER CLOSE to your strings, the weak signal is then boosted by the battery.
Distortion -> very balanced, all notes ring out when big chords are played, harmonics jump out with the greatest of ease. This pickup is for 80's style metal, you will not get any "wolf" out of these pickups...but you can solo all over the fretboard on -any string- and it won't get muddy, which is the very reason I bought this pickup.
Clean -> who cares? Really though, I always combine pickups (neck-bridge, bridge-middle, middle-neck) for my clean tones, by itself it's ok, much closer to a "Best of both worlds" than you will ever get with a passive pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: if you like to play fast without any trace of mud, slap this puppy in.

Comments: Several other -very- important things...
(1) If you do home recording I'm sure you will notice a horrible static/white noise whenever you get to close to your monitor with passive pickups in your guitar (unless you shield the crap out of them). With active pickups I have almost no noise at all!!
(2) Gonna buy it? Replace all of your pickups if you don't want to do a major rewiring job. EMG Active and (other brand)passive pickups don't work together on the same circuit.
(3) I'm happy with this pickup combination in my guitar. I don't know if EMG has changed their set up as I bought these pickups about six years ago, but they came with the volume and tone pots already wired up...for Les Paul spacing, Ibanez volume and tone pots are spaced farther apart, but being an expert with a soldering iron I had no problem modifying it.
Remember... no -one- pickup does all styles of music "the best". When you read these reviews beware the hype! But ALSO beware the bashers!

Pickup features: Active humbucking
Impedence or other specs: read their website...

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD MH-301
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG-HZ H-4
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: doh...
You musical style(s): almost every
Reason for pickup change: old PUps sounded DEAD!!!

Perceived output level: Hot (not something to die for...)
Tone: Alive
Sonic evaluation: Rocktron VooDu Valve Online
BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer
Behringer FCB1010
2x12 Combo (various)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Any style

Comments: I'm sticking with these... clear... high output... phew!!! If I was hot, passive PU, I was jealous... Muddy? NO WAY!!! Alive'n'kicking I'd say! Along with the 81, try 60 in the neck position... WOW!!!

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 10 kohm

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Gibson 498T
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 490
Artists using this pickup: don't know...I think the two guitar players in this famous heavy metal band...what was name again??
You musical style(s): many different, let's name it fusion
Reason for pickup change: wanted to try something new, check out the hyped product

Perceived output level: not as hot as many people here claim, about as hot as the stock passive Gibson. Against the opinion of many other people here, I am 100 % sure that the output level only perceived louder at high gain because the pickup has a much different frequency response than a regular passive pickup.
Tone: sounds very balanced, definitely different from the original Gibson. The clean is very transparent, it seems to be a little less shiny and silky but it has its qualities and also it DID NOT overdrive the clean channel of my amp. At middle distortion I was surprised how good they actually sound with my main amp, a Hughes & Kettner Triamp. Even though I have 6L6 tubes in it, I got this true AC/DC-sound that I was just unable to achieve with my old pickup and the american-style tubes. It just has this treble punch that was incredible to me. Turning up the gain farther up showed me how much bite this pickup has. I usually play with the gain on 10 but for the EMG and the music I mainly play it was a lot too much so I had to turn it down. Not because it sounded bad or because the pickup's output made my amp burst but it was too clear and dominant, again great dynamics and treble. The low end sounds very clear either. It's amazing for high-gain leads because it just cuts through and has a lot of bite.
Sonic evaluation: My main guitar is a Gibson Les Paul. It's played through a BOSS Wah, an Ibanez Chorus into a Hughes & Kettner Triamp (an amazing amplifier) with a rack-mount digital delay in the serial effects loop. The amp is connected to a heavy Orange 4x12 cabinet with vintage 30 speakers.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As said before, I play all kinds of music, well maybe except for free jazz, with a great amp that really allows you to tweak your sound the way you want it to, you have a huge range of possibilities with this pickup. It's especially great for the heavy stuff I play.

Comments: I've been playing for almost 8 years and I've heard quite a few different setups. I'm still in search for the ultimate sound, knowing I will never be able to achieve it. That is because I'm not stuck with one type of music and don't need THAT special sound. What I need is a great and flexible sound overall and this pickup can cover anything you want to make out of it. You just have to know how to set your amp. What is not true about the pickup is the legend that it's noiseless (it does have a little less hum than the other passive pickup in my guitar but then it puts out slight hiss if you turn the gain all the way up). Also it does not deliver INSANE amounts of output. As I said, I am 100 % sure about that because I adjusted the string distance of the EMG to be exactly the same as I used to have it with my Gibson stock pickup. The result was unexpected: The neck pickup was still a lot louder (I prefer it to be louder) than my newly built-in active EMG 81. Also, it DID NOT break up the clean channel on my amp using my regular settings, still super-clean. But as a matter of fact, if you play at high gain levels, the frequency response of this pickup gives you the impression that your amp distorts heavier than with passive pickups. The sound has more bite and punch to it, it's more aggressive, more edgy but at the same time very defined and clear. I might not be as hysterical about the EMG as many people in this forum because the Gibson pickup I replaced has a lot of output and great tone itself but also because after using it I can't see why there is such a hype about them. I wouldn't say my guitar sounds better or worse than before, just different. Tone remains a matter of taste, don't believe people that tell you this thing or another is 7th heaven.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking Pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Special "Bonneville" (My signature guitar!)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone Special Stock Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: Epiphone Special in the neck
Artists using this pickup: The only ones who matter: Kerry King and Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Metal/ Southern Metal
Reason for pickup change: The Epiphone pickups sounded okay but got muddy with age and play.

Perceived output level: Very very high output. The right amount of attack without clarity loss.
Tone: This thing is the perfect pickup for anybody. I get good blues sounds with this thing as well. Many, many tones can be accomplished with the 81. It's really incredible.
Sonic evaluation: I use Epiphone Les Pauls (I know Gibson owns Epiphone but I want to be different and root for the underdogs!) with BOSS pedals and Randall amps. This pickup kills on any setup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Perfect match for my tone. This pickup is only for the bridge.

Comments: If it were stolen, I'd buy another one. These pickups can be costly but they're worth every penny.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SA360EX Limited Edition
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Duncan Designed Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: 2 Duncan Designed Single Coils
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Kerry King, to name a few
You musical style(s): Metal, Punk Rock, Rock.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted improved clarity sustain and smoothness

Perceived output level: Because of all the hype, it was not as hot as I expected. However after a couple of days use I am beginning to appreciate the big difference in clarity the EMG has given me. Really, really smooth distortion which was what I was primarily looking for.
Tone: It needed very little EQ adjustments on my amp/FX setup, and it seems very balanced with lots of low end and middle.
Sonic evaluation: Using an Ibanez SA360EX Limited Edition guitar, into a Jim Dunlop original Crybaby, to a Boss DS-2, to a Behringer V-Tone GMX212. I have used this setup live with excellent results. The EMG really cuts through the mix when needed.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It suits my musical tastes very well.

Comments: I would put another one in my second guitar if I had one. I have been playing for 2 1/2 years and this pickup has finished my search for tone for now. I would recommend buying a 2x12 amp before going with this pickup otherwise it may seem too trebly, and you will no benefit as much from the improvement it makes. Bottom line is this is a great pickup, and all those who have slated it either did not do enough investigation of the musical styles it is suited to or are using poor amplification. Another point I would like to make is do not expect this pickup to make you sound like Kirk Hammett if you are using a Marshall MG15 and a ?100 starter guitar.

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): All
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: same as passive
Tone: tinny
Sonic evaluation: I put this in the bridge pos. of my Kramer Focus 3000. I run a Digitech 2101 into a Mesa Strategy 400 Stereo and 4 Marhsall 412's. The tone is tinny and ugly. I prefer passive.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: If it were stolen I would not replace it. I've been playing 25 years

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Limited
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: stock neck
You musical style(s): metal, mostly
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups had nasty, nasty microphonic feedback problems. And lacked clarity for the amount of distortion I use. (i.e., more than blues, but less than, say, Smashing Pumpkins.)

Perceived output level: hotter than stock, that's for sure. But not by much. The stock open coil pickups on my Explorer put out a lot more than these do.
Tone: I don't know where people get off saying this thing has no bass. It DOES. It's just really tight. I could finally hear my triplets in the end riffs of Metallica's "One". I don't think it's particularly trebly, either.
Sonic evaluation: I run my Les Paul into an ADA MP-1 into the effect loop in of a Roland JC-120. This pickup handles just about anything I throw at it. I can even get a decent AC/DC sound out of it if I roll off the gain and work the mids up a little bit. The clean sound is to die for, especially through the chorus of the Roland (can anyone say Metallica?)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I haven't been able to try it in any position but the bridge, but it's fantastic there. As far as styles of music, I'd say go ahead and try it in whatever you play, and fiddle with your amp until you get it where you like it (as you would do with ANY pickup). It's more than just a metal pickup. Really.

Comments: I've been playing for about 10 years. I have 2 other electrics (a Squier Strat with the EMG DG-20 set, and an Epi Explorer with stock pickups) and an Ibanez acoustic.
This guitar, with this pickup, though, will be my main guitar, probably forever. If lost, I will replace it. No question.
But the best thing about it: it looks so badass. Just one even, black piece of hardware, unassuming, not distracting from the finish of your guitar. :-)

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: jackson ke2, alder body neck through
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: SD JB
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Metallica ,Six Feet Under, the list goes on....
You musical style(s): brutal metalcore like superjoint or eyehategod, death metal, black metal, thrash metal, PANTERA
Reason for pickup change: heard good things about it (ultimate metal PU ect.)

Perceived output level: so-hot-you-dont-need-an-amp
Tone: extreme trebly and sharp, no bass, weak distortion. sounds very thin and cheap the worst sound i've ever heard
Sonic evaluation: i'm using a ke2 thtrough a marshall jcm 2000 dsl 100
guitar->crybaby->marshall

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play hard hittin metal and this crap is the worst choice for that

Comments: i'd never buy an emg again they suck. i reinstalled the SDs and am happy. get SDs they got much more balls and are real heavy

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson KE2
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer, Six Feet Under, the list goes on...
You musical style(s): metal... real extreme metal not this nu-metal sh** for whimps
Reason for pickup change: heard good things about it (ultimate metal Pick up etc.)

Perceived output level: The hottest I've ever played
Tone: extreme trebly and harsh and veeeeeeeeeeeery thin. can't get any good palm mutes out of it NO BASS WEAK DISTORTION sterile
Sonic evaluation: Jackson USA KE2 alder body w/ quartersawn maple neck through body and floyd rose bridge
guitar -> dunlop crybaby -> marshall jcm2000 dsl 100 half stack

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play extreme metal and this pick up is the worst i've ever heard in my whole goddamn life i don't know why people say its good for metal its total crap

Comments: IF SOMEBODY STOLE IT I'D PAY HIM FOR GETTING THAT PIECE OF CRAP AWAY FROM ME! I'D NEVER BUY IT AGAIN. DON'T BUY IT GET A SEYMOUR DUNCAN INSTEAD THEY GOT BALLS GAIN AND CHUNKY PALM MUTES AND ARE CHEAPER