EMG 81

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson SLMG Soloist, Ibanez Sc420, Ibanez mike mushok mmm, SRV strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ and Duncan Dimebucker
Other pickups on guitar: 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica,Slayer,Slipknot,BLS,Shadows Fall, and enough others to if you wrote their names on my dick it would be long enought to strangle and beat a lot of these people that say EMG sucks when they have a Mini Marshall 3 watt piece of shit. Learn how to dial in tone. You cant just throw an EMG in your guitar that had Passive pieces of shit in them and expect them to sound great on your original passive settings.
You musical style(s): Anything Metal, Blues, Classic, Neoclassical: pantera, metallica,srv,bb king,fear factory,zeppelin,floyd,shadows fall,lynch,dream theater,yngwie,all the way to bto and bach motzart beethoven
Reason for pickup change: Active put more sound out without noise.

Perceived output level: ultra hot
Tone: it can do everything
Sonic evaluation: Everything from Bogner Uberschall to Fender tremoverb,mesa rectifiers,marshall 2203 jcm800 and plexi and AVT, Laney VH100R (Great)for the low price,to crate Blue voodoo and it sounds great on all of them. As long as you have an ear for music you can dial in a good tone 90percent of the time

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: metal blue classic neoclassical suitable for all position, although i prfer a 60 on the neck

Comments: Been playin about 16 years now and im completely satisfied. If it were stolen i would kill the person and take it back or run out and get a new one as fast as possible

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Designer Flying V 1987
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Original Gibson Dirty Finger bridge pick up (passive)
Other pickups on guitar: Original Gibson Dirty Finger neck pick up (passive)
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, Zakk Wylde, Kerry King, Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein
You musical style(s): Instrumental Rock, shred, but mostly Metal when I first got it
Reason for pickup change: No reason, came with the guitar!

Perceived output level: Tons of output, think 400 mV pick ups with steroids!
Tone: Very trebly, lots of mids, but not much bass
Sonic evaluation: This is a pretty heavy (mahogany body/neck) Gibson with an ebony fretboard, so it's not likely to turn very trebly. It did with this pick up though! I liked it at first, it gave me the Kerry King tone, not very Hammett with my set up though. The harmonics were ok, but the overall sound kept bothering me. It sounded so pumped and compressed! Very artificial and sterile, so it especially got on my nerves when I started playing more melodic stuff like Megadeth, Savatage, Marty Friedman, George Lynch, Satriani and stuff. It didn't clean up well, it was totally unbalanced and artificial. If you wanna be able to get a good sound out of this thing, you'll need to adjust everything to this pick up. And after you've created that bulletproof rig, I'd suggest trying another guitar or other pick ups and use it on that exact same rig. I'm sure it'll sound terrible with those settings! If you have the money, time and effort to do this, I'd suggest doing it, but for all you others: DON'T! I know Zakk Wylde gets a hell of a sound out of it, but believe it or not, he kinda overpowers it with his rig.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play (Instrumental) Rock most of the time, I already told you about my styles at the Sonic evaluation. I don't think it's suits any position or any guitar for that matter

Comments: If it were broken or something I surely wouldn't buy it again. I'd probably get a Seymour Duncan Distortion or a Custom. I replaced the EMG 81 and it's electronics with the original ones and a Bill Lawrence L500XL. My sound suddenly got character, while still maintaining output. Sure less output, but enough for my liking! The pick up now really corespondents with the tonal woods and sounds beefier, more kicking with better harmonics. I also own a vintage Fender Stratocaster made in the late '60's or early '70's, and an Ibanez RG3120 Prestige with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a DiMarzio Paf Pro in the neck. The Flying V also has a Seymour Duncan George Lynch Screamin' Demon in the neck. I'm completely satisfied with my sound right now. If I were to try another active pick up it would surely be the EMG 85 or 89, these sound much more natural and have more character. Though I don't think I'll be switching to active pick ups during the next decade or so.
If you're a high school kid, looking to impress your classmates with superhard overdriven sounds, so they won't even hear your playing but will just be impressed by you're overdriven sound, get this thing! Most unsuccesful Metal bands turn to this pick up, and I can promise you only 5% are realy musicians, and 10% play music of which you can actually hear the notes. It's up to you!

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: jackson sl-4
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: alot
You musical style(s): alot
Reason for pickup change: alot

Perceived output level: way too hot
Tone: thin and trebly,no lows, real clear though, almost silent
Sonic evaluation: these are for metal only. they absolutely suck in the neck position

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play 70's,80's,and 90's metal and hard rock

Comments: i would not buy any emgs again, they are not versatile enough

Pickup features: humbucker, active....blah blah
Impedence or other specs: 10 k ohms?

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Limited Edition
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Emg 85
Artists using this pickup: Fuel, Nickelback, Zakk Wylde,
You musical style(s): Alt. Rock
Reason for pickup change: the never-ending quest for tone. It didn't end here.

Perceived output level: about the same as stock....
Tone: These have tone? Sounded sterile, cold, blah
Sonic evaluation: Using my trusty Les Paul and a Mesa Dual Rectifier, these produced a very blah tone. Almost as if you turned all the mids down, the treble up, and cut out the bass. There is NO BASS!!!! You can hear the low tones, but with the Recto's bass all the way up, it's not enough to please me. If you like Slayer, Mudvayne, and anything with a chainsaw tone to it, then this is your pickup. Don't get me wrong....I like EMG's, but they will not be used in my main guitar. They have a sound all their own, which is hard to put a finger on. Maybe I'll keep them and put them in another guitar....or they might go back up on eBay.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Alt. Rock - that's a big no-no. Metal - Surely!

Comments: Still searching for THAT sound....
Liked my stock EPI's better...so out come the EMG, back in goes the stock...
They might find a home in my old Yamadog (Yamaha)

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD EXP
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan designed.
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-60
Artists using this pickup: Too many to list
You musical style(s): Metal, blues, classic rock
Reason for pickup change: I kept seeing all the bands I like using the same pickup.

Perceived output level: The output is more than I could get with any passive pickup
Tone: Very controled, with a massive amount of upper and a little decreasing down the scale, less mids than highs, less lows than mids.
Sonic evaluation: I have been using the same ESP LTD EXP through a Line 6 Flextone for the last 6 years now. I am a big fan of using a model of the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. Fantastic clarity and punch can be heard. The crunch is expected, but as I have noticed with non-active pickups, under high gain they become sloppy picking up the strings and just abount everything else. The interference on the 81 is somewhat muted and the sound eminating from the guitar is only what I play, nothing else. That is the reason I think a lot of big bands use this pickup, soley for a built in background noise gate. Add to that the great crunch and screaming highs and this is a fantastic pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I like playing metal with this pickup, but I have also found it useful in making a nice dirty southern blues sound with a clean channel in the amp.

Comments: This pickup is defitely a one trick pony. That is fine, as it's trick is fantastic. If I need a nice jazz guitar, I will use my Gibson Les Paul. Anyone buying this pickup for a metallic sound will definetely be satisfied. This is the gold standard in metal/hard rock pickups. If you want to play other styles of music, don't get this. A good thing to know about this pickup is that the battery for the electronics lasts a long time. But just don't forget to change it, or you will end up like my friend who forgot about changing it and the battery melted in the guitar. That was not pleasent to clean up.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

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

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: I just wanted to agree with the guy who wrote the review after mine. You can get TONS of Bass from an 81, if you know how to properly EQ your Amp and/or Modeler/EFX Unit!!!
These Pickups can make ALMOST ANY Amp or Guitar sound GREAT.

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

Comments:

Pickup features: Active Humbucker blah blah
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Various ESP/Ibanez/Gibson guitars i own
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: All stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81
Artists using this pickup: Any serious hi gain user
You musical style(s): Metal/Rock/Anything (session playing)
Reason for pickup change: EMG rules basically the best sounding and clearest pickups available.

Perceived output level: High output
Tone: Balaced, very sharp attack.
Sonic evaluation: Mesa/Boogie Dual rectifier various effects mesa tri-axis, mesa boogie Mark IV, ADA-MP, krank revolution, peavey 5150, marshall Super lead plexi, mesa stereo 50:50 (these are all the amps/pre amps/power amps i've own/have owned if only for a few months in the past few years)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: ALL/ALL if you know how to use AMPS and GUITARS! not that hard!

Comments: I've just had enough of complete rejects bitching about this pickup i use it in all positions and if you know how to EQ your amp you roll down the volume and change the guitars tone you can get beautiful cleans, fat distortion ANYTHING!!!
Some complete reject saying theres no bass a couple of reviews down, have you ever heard of a band called metallica or slipknot? would you say there sound wasn't bassy? get a good set up good speakers (i use V30s) and learn how to eq your dads stereo! These work beautifully with gain are silent and capture your playing style and amps charactor. It sounds gorgeous on the neck with the volume rolled down with a bassy tone, clear, sparkling and fat and perfectly balanced. What do you expect when you play it at full volume through a crap clean channel? its breaks up and sounds driven....thats how gain works you see overloading the preamp! so learn how to use your amp and guitar well and don't expect this pickup to turn your marshall MG15 into a mesa/boogie triple rectifier! OK!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Tone Control is set at a lower frequency than passive Pups.

Model of guitar or bass: Currently residing in an Ibanez RG550
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: God-Awful Ibanez "A"-series pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG "H" model single coil in a Humbucker housing.
Artists using this pickup: If I had a dollar for all the players using it, I could retire at 32
You musical style(s): Dark, Moody, and Gothic Super-Blues.
Reason for pickup change: The guitar had Ibanez pickups; need I really say more?

Perceived output level: Balanced output level. I'm not using tubes, but I hear they overdrive a tube amp nicely.
Tone: Clear, present, and QUIET when not played! Even freq. spectrum
Sonic evaluation: Bought the 81 and the H model to replace bridge and neck pups in a RG550. Run my guitars through an Amp Modeler/Effects Unit, then straight to a 450-watt Carvin FET series Amp. Stereo signal is then routed into two Behringer 4 X 12 Straight Cabs. A simple setup that gets the job done.
I bought the H pickup figuring I would need a single coil sound as well as the Humbucker. The H is lower on the output than the 81, and is really noticeable; not a great match volume-wise, but that's o.k., and here's why:
I can thankfully say that I am done searching for pickups; I've found what I needed in the 81 alone.
I keep my tone knob around 6&1/2 when playing distorted rythm guitar( which is 90% of the time ). When I need a clean tone, I change patches or toggle channels with my Modeler, and turn up the Tone Pot all the way. For a humbucker, the 81 gets a great sound when used for attempting Sparkly clean tones. Just make sure you're clean channel E.Q. is set right, and the 81 will deliver. I just LOVE this pickup, and I do not forsee any changes in my setup any time soon.
GREAT JOB EMG!!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For Rock and Rock clean tones, you just can't go wrong.

Comments:

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: dont know

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: thousands of metal players
You musical style(s): all
Reason for pickup change: i just wanted to try it in my guitar

Perceived output level: slightly more than a SD invader pickup
Tone: trebly,strerile, no BASS!
Sonic evaluation: it doesnt matter

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play rock to metal, blues to jazz...everything

Comments: i just have to agree with a previous review by a guy named edward, he?s absolutely right.ok , YOU THINK this is a good metal pickup...but that?s just your opinion.IN MY OPINION,this lacked warmth and tone.too much treble, not enough bass.You?ll sound like everyone else in metal...that?s pretty good if you?re a kid playing in your bedroom,but not for someone who is searching for his own and personal sound...of course it will depend on your rig too , but remember that after the strings it?s where it all starts.if you crave the slipknot or slayer sound ONLY, this is a good pickup for u,but i can?t understand why copy another guys sound, when you can at least try to innovate...but of course...that?s just my opinion.

Pickup features: Humbucker- Active
Impedence or other specs: emg.com

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 2020
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez
Other pickups on guitar: Emg - 81
Artists using this pickup: Kirk, James, Kerry, Hanneman...
You musical style(s): Heavy Shit
Reason for pickup change: I thought it would be asskicking

Perceived output level: MegaHot (VERY high Output)
Tone: Big Bass, mid mid, mid treble
Sonic evaluation: + mesa Roadking combo+ tc electronic g-major+ rocktron Hush

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: May be it's good if you have a RACK-WALL, Like Metallica had. With my equipment you can hear and Very GOOD hear the ACTIVE disadvantages!! Very Glassy and flat.

Comments: Wanna know how the 81 truly sounds??
listen to Metallicas Master of Puppets(NOT LATER ALBUMS!!!!)
or to Slayer (for instance Diabolus in musica)
you WILL hear the cheapness of the sound!!
After that listen to St. ANger. Can you hear the difference??
The main part of St. Anger was recorded with Les Pauls with PASSIVE electronics. But at all, metallica isn't a good example for 81 Pickups (Don't forget: except MASTER of puppets