EMG 81

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: www.emginc.com will tell you

Model of guitar or bass: ESP F-200 (2002 model)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG-HZ 4
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-60
Artists using this pickup: Pretty much everyone
You musical style(s): Too much to say.
Reason for pickup change: EMG-HZ 4 was a bit flat sounding.

Perceived output level: Hot enough to overdrive my crybaby (ie, smudge too much)
Tone: Beautifully bright, not harsh sounding.
Sonic evaluation: I use an ESP F-200 (2002 model) with either a Peavey BAndit 112 (100watt solidstate amp) or a Laney LC50 (50watt tube amp) either straight into or though my uber-pedalboard. If you really wanna know the full extent of it, email me and I'll send you the full list.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I have many styles. I have only tried it in the bridge position, and it works well there. Would imagine it would be reasonable for the neck.

Comments: This pickup is very bright (in a good way). Problems though. Its too hot for me (adjusted the pickup height to fix that though) and the clean tone is kinda nasty sounding. The clean is very good when coupled with an EMG-60. The harmonics are fantastic, they will satisfy you way more than a good woman (or man, depending on your gender and orientation). I do love this pickup, gives me a fantastic lead sound. Been playing for 3 years (ie, not very good), but I imagine this pickup will be with me for many years to come. It has a nice shiny silver logo as well :)
(gets a 9 because of the nasty clean sound, its a fantastic distortion pickup though)
Email me with any questions

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 3000 hours of battery life

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson DK2S
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Jackson USA J90C
Other pickups on guitar: duncan design single coil middle, sustaniac in neck
Artists using this pickup: Metallica ,Slayer and ME
You musical style(s): Thrash, Speed Metal
Reason for pickup change: Played it in a similar guitar to my jackson and loved it

Perceived output level: You wouldnt want it any hotter
Tone: balanced and tight with a touch more highs and mids
Sonic evaluation: my guitar goes through a Ampeg VH140C head, Genz Benz 4x12 cab,Digitech 256XL,Rocktron 360Hush/Compressor and a Sonic Maximizer. Of course this is a metal setup and the EMG is a metal pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: metal in the range of Metallica to Slayer. perfect for the bridge.

Comments: C his is one of the pickups that anyone in their right mind will buy as many times necessary. Now that its part of my tone its never going to change(at least in the Jackson). The USA J90C pickup that was in it is one of the best passive pickups I ever had(it put alot of seymour duncans to shame) but the EMG was just more alive,sensitive, and more clear. It wasnt a quantum leap from that pickup but defanetly a great buy. The EMG 81,simply put is the pickup if you want to play metal.

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs: see others' submissions

Model of guitar or bass: 96 Jackson Kelly Standard (bridge), 00 King V (neck), 01 Dinky Reverse (bridge)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: various Duncans
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60 (Kelly Standard), EMG 89 (V), S/SA/EXG midrange scooper (Dinky)
Artists using this pickup: would be redundant to say
You musical style(s): metal
Reason for pickup change: needed more harmonics, clarity during distortion, sustain.

Perceived output level: probably would have considered them hot if I played with Duncans or Dimarzios a lot, now EMGs, and even Mastertones, just sound average
Tone: middy, very Slayer drone to it. Would like less mids, more response to harmonics
Sonic evaluation: 2000 Carvin MTS3200, BBE Sonic Maximizer in loop

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: European death metal, like In Flames. Sounds more like a Paul when in the neck.

Comments: I've a pretty serious posting of complaints at http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=491557&perpage=20&pagenumber=1. I don't know how people can say anything about harmonics "leaping" off of fretboards, but in my opinion, a decent lead pickup should sustain pinch harmonics as clear and as naturally as natural ones and sustain should be as long as 30 seconds or more. Not so with the 81. I've links to various soundfiles in that thread demonstrating my frustration with the 81. The only reason why I continue using it is because it's better than any passive I've heard. I disagree on the remarks about a terrible clean (although it is pretty sterile),and think that, for what it does, the 60 is a much better clean pickup than the 81 is a "metal" pickup. If you guys think an 81 is hot, then show me how Slayer sustains for 30 seconds or more or how Arch Enemy gets harmonics on every fret on every string. It may be my technique, or my guitars, or my gear, but in my experience, I have to fight the 81 to get a lead tone and must generally resort to a line-in device to get decent sounds or rely on a wah wah pedal's trebling effect to get any kind of response to nuances, tapping, trills, etc.

Pickup features: active humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: hight out put, muddy, and powerful!

Model of guitar or bass: ESP - Ganesa
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: well....u know
You musical style(s): japanese hard metal...and anyother metal style music
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: i have to say..i didn't know that EMG can be so powerful!! be4 i bought this guitar, i heard a lot of ppl saying about thsoe pups, but i was never realli into EMG, these active pups are so hot it would realli blow ur mind away.
Tone: for the 81 it delivers a bright, and a punchy sound that is so loud, it will blow women's cloth off!!! as for the 85, it has a nice worm tone, and a punchier sound.. great for soloin in my opinion...
Sonic evaluation: the ESP goes to a Boss V-Wah - Line 6 DM4 distortion modeler - Ibanez Tube Screamer - DigiTech turbo Flange - Boss CE5 chorus Ensemble - Boss DD5 Digital Delay - Vox Volume pedal - Mesa/Boogie amp (forgot the model #)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i am japanese, so ESP all the way, they make the best quality/look guitar EVER...if u don't believe me go check out the Japanese wed site www.espguitars.co.jp...anyways i listen mainly to japanese metal/rock and i play a lot them...and of course American metal, as well as Rock' n Roll...so these pick ups have wide variety of tones..it is just depend on how u set it up to extend to the pup's full potential

Comments: ..acutally...i bought the guitar the ESP "Ganesa" that came with the set of 81 and 85, the grand total was 506,000 yen, the price is about US $5,060...i bought it in Japan...it is 100% ESP made in japan. However,this review is not about my guitar, its about the pick ups.
like i said...i don think there is any HOT or a everyone-should-get-it pick up out there. overall, pick ups are just tools that help u in order to achieve the tone YOU seek, and more omportantly the tone that BELONGS to YOU...not Kirk, not Zekk...so if you want something that sounds more hardcore, or metallic...then these are the ONEs...but it all depends on how u set up ur other equipments as well as ur guitar...i have heard the 81's sounded worse than the HZ's cuz they weren't set up right to use their full potential...
my guitar has a alder/quilted maple top body, Maple neck w/ Ebony fingerboard...Bolt on...Oringal Floyd Rose, 1 volume, 1 tone, 3 way switch...i think it's a guitar worth of putting the 81 and 85. i absolutly love the guitar cuz it has the sound that i have been searching for a long time plus i have never seen any guitar that is made so sexy and beautiful something u can't find in US. one thing i might point out is that i didn't know Kirk and Zekk and other artists use these pick ups after i got the guitar...i am also a Seymour Duncan pick up lover...so i know some of you out there hates EMG, and some hates SD...i am not goin to argue which is better...but jsut remember...gettin a these pick ups won't take u anywhere close to being Kirk...so if u r thinkgin about gettin either the 81's set or the 81/85 set...make sure u try it out..hear the sound...love the tone...compare the prices...and then decide...thats all i can say about these pick ups...peace!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Output Impedance 10, Output Noise (dBV) -91, Battery Life (Hours) 3000, 25K ohm pots

Model of guitar or bass: ESP V-350
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Designed
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Designed- Neck (to be replaced)
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Metallica, Zakk Wylde, Dino Cazares (demanufacture) to name a few
You musical style(s): On this guitar, Metal
Reason for pickup change: Needed more attack and clarity

Perceived output level: More hot than passives, passives don't compare
Tone: More trebly than passives
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a ESP v-350 into a Marshall. Totally changed the overall vibe of the guitar. Pickups are more bright and trebly than passives and don't have that warmth/thickness of passives. They have a much better attack and sustain. I also like the clarity it brings when playing with distortion. The pickups are also very quiet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mainly Metal. It's excellent for this style if you're looking for clarity and a tighter attack. It's unsuitable for clean guitar work and blues work as it lacks that warmth.

Comments: I've been playing for 10+ years and these are, in my opinion, the best pickups for metal players especially if you're recording, they are quiet. I prefer the vibe of these pickups over invaders and screamin demons. For this style I'm extremely satisfied and this is it for "that" sound for me on the guitar. I'd also like to add that EMG's customer service is superb and helpful.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez Stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Zakk Wylde and every sreious player in the world
You musical style(s): Metal!!!!
Reason for pickup change: Stock Pickups were dead.

Perceived output level: It's an ACTIVE pickup so it has a built-in PREAMP which supplies TONS of output level, so don't give me shit about Gibson 500T or Seymours.
Tone: It's a trebly pickup with blistering tone!!! Just listen to Zakk Wylde, Metallica and you'll understand!!
Sonic evaluation: I am using this pickup o an Ibanez RG470 and I'm planning to add one to my Gibson Les Paul Standard which I'm getting right now!!I plugged it in a Marshall DSL-100 with an 1960A cab with Boss Metalzone and Dunlp Wah-Wah all the way and the pinches of Zakk were piece of cake!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Metal(metallica, megadeth, iced earth, black label society) and rockies(AC/DC, Zeppelin) and it's heaven!!!I use it in the bridge and it's awesome.I believe it's only for the bridge.

Comments: I will buy it for every guitar I am gonna use.I've been playing for 4 years.ITS ACTIVE!!!! It HAS THE BIGGEST OUTPUT, 10 TIMES BIGGER THAN OTHER PICKUPS!!!!

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 25K ohm pots

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SC620 prestige
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Ibanez pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81 neck
Artists using this pickup: Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein (Rammstein)
You musical style(s): metal / modern metal
Reason for pickup change: wanted to upgrade electronics and heard alot about EMG's.

Perceived output level: pretty high output
Tone: trebly, with fair amount of mids and good bass.
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez SC620 *thin bodied mohagany with flame maple top* with dual EMG-81's into a Mesa Single Rectifier and vintage 30 cab. these pickups sound a little bright and trebly. i have to cut my treble on my amp to about 12 o'clock and the presence at about 9 o'clock otherwise it is just too bright. they have a lot of output and remain clear, but the overall sound a little sterile. the volume and tone pots are very sensitive and reponsive, and seem to taper pretty evenly.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: again i play metal, some Nine Inch Nails, to modern stuff like Mudvayne and tool

Comments: i've been playing about 5 years, and have finally gotton a nice setup that i'm pretty happy with. these are a little too bright and a bit sterile in my opinion, but are still a very good metal pickup. i'm going to keep them around a while longer and play around with them. if they were somehow lost or stolen, i'd prolly try a warmer less bright pickup like maybe some duncans.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Deluxe Double Fat Strat (Alder Body)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan JB
Other pickups on guitar: Emg 85
Artists using this pickup: Zakk, Hammet, others
You musical style(s): Blues, Hard Rock, Metal
Reason for pickup change: The JB was very nice but in a strat it can be rather trebly. I was looking for something more capable of getting a bassy sound.

Perceived output level: Fairly Hot, More than the JB
Tone: Trebly, yet very balanced, the bass end is definitely there and mids are cut but not too much. This thing kicks ass!
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a deluxe double fat strat into a korg ax1500 to a fender princeton '65. My guitar sounds f*ckin great now. People say that the clean tone on this thing is bad. Not in my opinion. It was real easy to get a great clean tone, however, i will say that the clean sound can be a little thin though. So Clean is suitable, but distortion is fantastic. You get alot of room to work with, the sound is fat, VERY clear for soloing and can pound out some mean f*ckin riffs. I have tried many pickups (mostly duncans), while most of them were nice, the emg best suits the sound i'm after. This ones staying in for a long time.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal and hard rock and this thing definitely gets the job done.

Comments: I have been playing for 7 years. I actually have been shopping around for a good set of pickups for a while now and i finally found what i'm looking for. If it were stolen i'd kick that unfortunate person's ass and put it back in my guitar in a second.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat (made in mexico)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock single coil
Other pickups on guitar: just the two stock bridge postion pickups
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Zack Wylde
You musical style(s): metalcore
Reason for pickup change: I needed a cleaner crunch sound for muted strumming, and individual notes

Perceived output level: you don't have to try hard to get a big sound out of this. It makes my old strat pickups sound very weak
Tone: Alot of treble- Stephen Carpenter from the deftones uses this- thats about the sound i get from it. listen to the "adrenaline" album
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a fender mexico made strat, through a peavey blaze 110, and also through a fender 112 chorus(older model)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup sounds pretty close to bands like undying, seven day curse, caliban, autumn to ashes

Comments: I think i would probably get this pickup again if it were stolen. Its definitely the best pickup i've ever played through. I've been playing for almost 8 years, and i own a '72 restored guild acoustic (d50?), a yamaha rgx series electric with george lynch screamin' demon humbuckers, and a dod grunge pedal, that i use for all my distortion needs. The only thing more i want from this pickup is more of a compatability with the sound of bands like lamb of god, and shadows fall. it has more of a cutting deftones sound, whereas the seymour duncan (george lynch) has a more warm sound. Other than that, this pickup is awesome.

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Charvel: Model 4
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Jackson: J-50-BC
Other pickups on guitar: Jackson stock single coils
Artists using this pickup: Mudvayne, Slipknot, Metallica, Ozzy, Slayer, Static-X, and more!
You musical style(s): Heavy Metal, Altrative Rock
Reason for pickup change: I heard alot about the 81 and I figured that I needed a new pickup for this guitar.

Perceived output level: This pickup is WAAAY hotter than any other pickup I have used.
Tone: My other pickup was ALOT more bassy than this one, personaly I think its a little bit too much trebly.
Sonic evaluation: I am using a Spider212 with Dunlop Wah & BOSS TU-2 Tuner, along with a FB4(foot switch).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Well, its not as chucky as my old pickup, but I do not think that the problem is this pickup, I think its my Floyd Rose set up, I'm gonna play with it a little bit.

Comments: Personaly, I am looking for the Godsmack(Awake) and then Mudvayne(LD50) sound thru a cheap amp, (laughs) so, I got a Recto rip off, now all I wanna do is get my pickup hotter to make it a little bit more hi-gained sounding like so then I can get my chucky plam mutes the way I want them. Kinda like Greed by Godsmack.