EMG 81

EMG-81 Active Humbucker...the rest you should know or you wouldn't be here.

I installed a Kerry King set (81 at the bridge, 85 at the neck, and the pre.) in a BC Rich Platinum Pro Beast. This was to replace the stock BDSM pups.

I play mostly Metal, thrash/power. I plug into a 6505 atop a Randall 4x12 cab. I don't use any effects, except the occassional Crybaby, or Flanger. For Raw Thrash, these things are KILLER! When I practice alone, I also toy around with other styles, hard rock, 80s metal, some classic rock, and rock'n'blues. This loaded beast is the only guitar I use, I have others, but ONLY play this guitar. If you make use of the knob thats on the bottom of your guitar, just under your strings, slightly left of the bridge, then this pickup is VERY versatile. The 81 has killer sustain, harmonics, and if you play with feedback, it allows you to control that feedback, and whammy it, shape it to your heart's desire. If set right. These pups have a sweet spot on height.

If this pickup was stolen, I would definitely buy it again. I've been playing on/off for over 15years. I have played around with several different pickups: BDSM, Duncan, DiMarzio, Lace and out of all of these, these pups sound the best for what I play, Loud, High-Gain, Raw, Thrash! But as I said, if you use your volume knob, you can acheive Awesome tones in virtually Any style of music. Cannot comment on Country/Bluegrass/Gospel/Pop/Classical/Funk/Rap/R&B as I do not play these styles of music. I would recommend going to your local guitar store and playing a guitar loaded with these to see if you like them, some stores have a room/area you can take an amp to try out something. Just have someone check the battery, or your not going to be impressed. Battery life on these, with a Duracell, or Energizer is surprisingly good though, so no worries there.

Humbucking active pickup.

The EMG 81 came stock in the Schecter hellraiser c1 along with an 85.

Used in the neck position.

This pickup is used by Metallica, Zakk Wylde, Kerry King and many various metal players.

For a start the output on this pickup can only be decribed as hot!
I use it through a Mesa Boogie dual rectifier and occasionally through my little cube 30.

This pickup sounds best when played with high gain settings. This pickup absolutely screams when playing leads. The sound this thing puts out is amazing.

I find the tone to be fairly bassy but with a real tone bite to it.

I play Metal, hard rock, alternative, post hardcore and jazz. This pickup suits everything but jazz but thats what the 85 is for.

The pickup is bridge on my guitar. I have heard of people that install two EMG 81s on their guitars. I assume it sounds decent as a Neck pickup...

Amazing sound but theres always room for improvement.

If this pickup was destroyed or stolen I would definitely install it on one of my several guitars or buy another with it. I would probably try the Seymour Duncan blackouts.

I have been playing 8 years I have owned lots of guitars over the years but currently I only own A Gibson SG, a Schecter hellraiser (Amazing guitar btw) a mexican telecaster and an Ibanez RG.

I love the sound it blew me away. It even sounds great through small practice amps.

Definitely has an amazing sound but I will always be looking for different sounds.

Being a very curious person I tested what it sounds like without a battery in it. The sound it very weak but that all changes when you put in the 9V battery...

9 volt humbucking pickup for guitar. Has a built-in preamp.

In terms of output, it is medium to high.

I've tried a lot of different pickups. My points of reference: PAF-style p/u's are low-output, pickups like the Dimarzio Blaze and Seymour Duncan JB are medium-output, p/u's such as Seymour Duncan Distortions or Dimarzio Super Distortions are high output, and p/u's like the Seymour Duncan Dimebucker and Dimarzio X2N are extreme-output.

This particular 81 is in the bridge position of an Ibanez MMM1 Mike Mushok signature guitar. This axe is heavily customized... the neck p/u has been removed and filled in, the p/u switch and tone control are gone, and it is equipped with Schaller locking tuners and straplocks.

This pickup replaced a "Super '58" covered humbucker. I never had the pleasure of playing the guitar with the original pickups.

Lots of artists use this pickup. Grab the metal yellow pages and flip to a random page. That guitarist probably uses an EMG 81/85 set.

It has a built-in preamp. The EQ curve has a sharp spike in the mids. Fairly balanced highs and lows.

Has a distinct midrange grind in a mahogany guitar. Very djenty and percussive.

I play a Fender MH500 through cabs loaded with Celestion 100w V30s.

I plug straight into the amp. No effects between the axe and the
head! (a few in the loop , tho)

I play metal. Lots of tremolo picking, palm-muting, power-chords, and harmonics both natural and artificial.

The EMG 81 has very recognizable mids. I play with flat EQ settings (5,5,5) and I like the djentiness and in-your-face grind of the EMG 81. I also play an Ibby with PAF7's. The tones are worlds apart.

High-gain tones destroy, "classic" overdriven tones are unconvincing, and clean tones are kinda harsh and brittle. Definitely make use of your volume (and tone) controls.

I tend to play solely with high gain. I play the occasional clean part, and the 81 handles that well enough.

I would be willing a try a Seymour Duncan Blackout (AHB-1) if the EMG 81 was somehow ripped out of my guitar :P

I love the surgical precision of the EMG 81 under high-gain. It has a lot of natural compression, which takes a lot of the unusable "grit" out of my distorted tone. Power chords, even when tuned very low (I play in A# Standard) are very clear and punchy.

Nothing I hate about this pickup. Clean and overdriven tones are not what the EMG 81 was intended for.

I gutted a Epiphone Les Paul Custom and put this and an 89 in it. I have the splitable version (TW).

The out put is strong but not overbearing. It is not like a passive pickup (which historically I prefer) where if you have a hot pickup that has nice harmonics and dynamics, you also have a pickup that sounds dull and terrible clean - no sparkle or high end clarity (this is my pet peave with high output passive pups). This pickup has changed my mind about active pickups. In the past, the ones I have used have seemed a little dead and w/o a lot of individual character. This pickup is great. Very dynamic, but controlable. I can hear the Les Paul tone, characteristic of maple and mahogany - so this pickup takes on the coloration of the body wood. But, the cool thing is you can get a good clean tone, even in the humbucker mode. When you turn down the volume it doesn't kill all the highs, but acts almost like a gain knob, just knocking down some of the output while retaining the tone - very usable, even w/o splitting it. When in single coil mode it works well to ball park an out of phase sound with the 89 in single mode as well. There is a big drop off in output and the amp vol. needs to be adjusted most of the time to compensate. It certainly doesn't sound as good as my Strat, but it can work in a pinch in a live situation where you don't want to change guitars. This is a great, dynamic, versatile, pickup - more so than high output passive pickups that generally sound like crap when played clean. I'm sold and it ain't coming out of the guitar anytime soon.

I've heard some people say Les Pauls are versatile. I disagree. I sold my Gibson Les Paul, because I was always switching between guitars to get a good clean sound. You either had to set up your amp to play a good distorted sound or set it up play a good clean sound and it was difficult to pull any sparkle or clarity out of the clean sound even when you worked at it. (I play through a Mesa Boogie Triaxis midi preamp and can set up channels however I want and still struggled to get a decent clean sound out of my Gibson Les Paul.) With the Epi Les Paul I had no problem gutting it and putting in the EMG's. And to be honest, I have been very pleasantly surprised with how versatile and dynamic the sounds are, and with it being splitable, I can even fake a halfway decent Strat sound. I am not a metal head, but it can rock with the best of them, but unlike hot passive pickups, it cleans up well too. I play this guitar the majority of the time, now.

Passive humbucker for the lead guitarist, so it has fairly high output. Completely black with the little "EMG" logo on it.

Came on an old Jackson DKMG I had. Didn't like it, and this neck pickup is a bit why. I'll get to that in a second though.

It was paired with an 85, but I don't do rhythm, how do you say? It is a very quiet pickup, handled distortion, and could tolerate very high gain and volume without picking up too much hum, which was nice. It was definitely made for playing at high gain at a live performance.

Now here's the bad part, this pickup sounds...well not like garbage but...dead. Once you play with one for a few minutes, monkey with the pickup height and the tone/volume knobs, no matter what, you're still gonna have that deathly bland taste in your mouth. This pickup is like the zombie version of a passive, dead but alive. Just...no personality, at all. Just what you think a guitar should sound like, driven or clean. I was actually very disappointed to hear the oh-so-famous EMG 81.

The clean sound this pickup got had no personality either. Not round, not warm, not fat, not weak, not ANYTHING. Just...there. It did sound a LITTLE better driven though, a little warmer, but was still pretty bland.

Since I traded the old Dinky back in for my Strat, that's a fairly good sign there that I'd never shoot for this pickup EVER again. I've been playing for a year now, but I know a good guitar when I hear one, and a guitar with the EMG 81 in it is NOT a good sound.

This pickup was meant to be stuck in a guitar that was built for ONLY playing live and for metal. It sounded better driven than it did clean by a longshot.

You know the specs or you wouldn't be reading this. A rail-magnet hot active humbucker. Low impedance output.

Bridge position of a Jackson RR1. I have an EMG 85 in the neck (my rants on the Volume knob also apply to the 85 and all other EMG pickups). I also have a PA-2 and EXG installed on this, and I have had this wired for both 9V and 18V setups. Currently I have it wired for 18V which to my ears does improve the sound of this pickup a wee bit...I'd recommend that mod to you if you can do it, but the pickup sounds great in either 9 or 18V config.

READ THIS!!!!!

Okay, here is the gig with EMG pickups people...and some other reviewers on here have stated this as well, but this importance of this can not be overstated- USE THE VOLUME KNOB!! People bash the cleans of this (and other EMG) pickup(s) without fully realizing their potential through changes in the volume knob. At '10' it is LOUD and extremely hot- exactly what it should be. However if you roll it down to say '6' or '7' you're going to be in more of a hot passive pickup zone. I often play distorted tones with the volume at 2.5 (yes, 2.5), which sounds GREAT. Turning the volume down also does wonders for clean tones- again this is applicable to ALL EMG pickups. There are so few of us guitarists that actually know what a volume knob is for...it's time to develop some maturity in your skill here my brothers and sisters- use that volume knob!!! :)

Overall, withOUT any volume knob tweakability, i'd give this an 8, because it's sold as a lead pickup, and it is a fantastic, hot lead pickup- however the added versatility delivered with manipulating the volume knob without question gives this a 10- extremely viable and useful tones for virtually any style can be pulled from this baby- but USE THAT VOLUME KNOB!!!! :)

Its an active humbucker...not much else to it.

Was already installed in a Jackson DKMG I once owned.

What it like? Whats it like??? Its boring! There's no zing or personality to it. Its just a pickup. Sure it sounds better than something from a Squier Strat Pack or something like that, but dang, there is NO personality. No matter how you monkey with it, lowering it, raising it, mixing it with another pup, its BORING. It makes your guitar sound like everybody else's. Yuck.

I traded in the guitar this pup was set in for a Mexican Fender Stratocaster. I got a better bang for the buck for the Strat. The std. Strat pups had a LOT more personality and tone that was much fuller and powerful than the 81. Sure, the 81 is a lead pickup, but I'd rather play with a single Telecaster pup than I would the 81.

Unless you just like a Zakk Wylde or Slayer kinda sound, then this pickup is for you. Otherwise, the pickup itself has no real personality or even its own distinctive tone.

Active Humbucker

I replaced the stock Ibanez V8 in my Ibanez RG470XL With the EMG-81
in the bridge position.
my guitar is Tuned to drop C.
I changed to this pick up to get a more aggresive sound.
Bands that use this pick up include.
Chimiaria..Machine Head..Metalica..ETC..

The output level is high.
I am using a Peavey 6505 Head with a marshall cab.
My guitar i tuned to drop C (Low CGCFAD High)
I am in a hardchore metal band, and my amp only ever see's the dirty channel.
For the kind of music i play and the tuning and amp i use the pickup is perfect.
I dont play any other kinds of music so i cant comment on the versitilty of this pickup.

If i lost my guitar i would get another with this pickup in it.
I have been playing on and off for 15 years. I know what i like, and i like this pickup.
The only thing i dont like about this pickup is the price

Active humbucker. Very high output.

I installed this on a ESP/LTD M-200 guitar in the bridge position. I replaced a crappy duncan designed pickup with this EMG. The other pickup is a EMG 85. Artists using this pickup are Kirk Hammett, Zakk Wylde and Bj??rn from In Flames among others. I changed the pickup because I like ZW and Hammett's lead sound and have read that it has a very good tone with tight bass and a fat top end and quick attack which is great when you play fast.

The output is very high. It can push a clean amp into overdrive if you play hard but if you turn down the volume knob it is very clean and sounds a bit like a vintage clean sound. You can get more distortion on a lead channel with EMG's than other pickups. I think the tone is balanced. Lots of mids and treble and when playing palm muted riffs you get a t??ght and punchy bass. I play rock and metal and it fits very good. It suits fine in all positions but I wanted a fatter sound with a bit more bass in the neck so I put a 85 there. I have tried to put it in the neck position and it sounds great, have actually a great clean sound!

If it got stolen I would be surprised that they didn't take the guitar and only the pickup :-). If my guitar got stolen I would get a new guitar with EMG's because I don't like passive pickups like DiMarzios and Seymour Duncans. I don't hate anything about it. Everything is great. If you would like to hear how this pickup sound I recommend you to visit my myspace at
www.myspace.com/peterholmgren
where you can listen to some instrumental stuff played on a 30 Watt 10" Marshall with a DOD YJM overdrive in front of it.

active humbucker

i installed this pickup in my jackson warrior mg in the bridge position.i replaced my emg hz because i always wanted to see how my guitar would sound with active pickups.artist using it are ppl like kerry king,zakk wylde..

the output level is higher compared to all the pickups ive used b4.ive used this with my rocktron rampage,metal muff,marshall guvnor..the amps ive used it with are my fender fm65,roland cube 30,fender twin reverb and marshall jcm 900.the tone cuts thru any mix and i could get any tone I wanted by just fulling around with my amp n pedal settings.I play all kinds of music ranging from death metal to blues.well its certainly more versitile than ppl here made it out to be.i use this in my bridge position

if it was stolen ill probably get the emg Hz4 n see how it compares to this..ive been playing guitar for 10 years I own an Ibanez rg370,a totally modified squier strat,as well as a fender american std strat.what i love abt this pickup is it sounds great no matter what style of music i play and it has excellent harmonics.what i hate about it?nothing ;) Compared to the pickups in my ibanez and the dimarzio tone zone n megadrive which are in my squire.. this totally kicks ass big time.If i want my guitar to sound how ever i want it,ill just play around with my amp settings and this pickup will respond to my liking alwayz.

Active Humbucker, ceramic magnet - high output I guess.

Installed in a BC Rich Warlock in the bridge to begin with, but I moved it to the neck... swapping the 85 to the bridge.
Replaces stock BC RICH BDSM Bucker.
A great number of artists endorse this thing, Im a metal player and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I wanted some ******* tone out of my new crimbo pressie from my girl!

High output, when used with my ENGL in a live situation it sounded OK, but not life changing... when used with my ADA it seemed to clean up a little more... a little less mushy (not muddy). When I recorded with it, it sounded sucky, so I swapped out the pickups and switched 'em round! BOYAH!
It's quite trebly... not to much mids going on which suck because thats where the tone is and the bass is quite artificial sounding Overall i'd guess it sat B/6-M/3-T/7, quite scooped so live it sounds ok thru the monitors but in the crowd it would probably sound like a big pile of old nappys.
I play thrash metal mainly... many people said Id love this pup... but it was just, average... not bad though! The 85 is a better fit for me, it's got some more balls to it, id go for Double Whammy or an X2N any day!

STILL GO DIMARZIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overpriced... i've payed ??60 for pickups which have walked all over this, plus you've got to wire these hombr??'s up which is somewhat annoying at first because if you're playing for long periods at a time, the battery does tend to die... unexpectedly a couple of months down the line. LAME.

Overall, id go passive. I've kept the EMG's in my Warlock because it's simple to keep em there... i wouldn't use duncan's because their metal pups are pipes. Dimarzio or Bare Knuckle... thats what you want!

This is the **** with a brand new battery but only for the first few hours of play, after that it looses the added active heat and sounds just like a high output passive, which isnt in itself a problem, but the fact that they are much more expensive than passives makes it a complete scam. I want to replace this some another acitve, maybe a SD Blackout or a high output passive. I think if you can afford to change the battery everytime you play then you will get a killer and consistent sound but as the battery dies, the sound changes, my guitar has an entirely different sound each time i pick it up so i have to constantly tune my amp settings. I would not really reccomend this pickup as i think you could get close to or the same ammount of output from a passive which would respect the tone of the wood much more instead of putting out a lifeless, although awsomely brutal, sound that would make a guitar made from high quality wood sound the same as some cheap plywood thing

Normal EMG 81 bucker

I have these in a Jackson JTX and a guitar I built from an old Charvette modding the hell outta it - conversion to hardtail etc.

The 81 is very hot and powerful, brings amps to OD easily.
I'd say they are definitely on the bright side though; rather clear and articulate yet pack a punch; great for chording and rock. They make playing with less distortion much easier as they do pack a punch; you'll notice you need less drive and they still sound powerful indeed.

Because they are a bit bright, I'd bet they would work the best in Les Pauls etc. my Jackson-style strat-like light guitars that don't have a lot of low end anyway can sound easily rather thin, but I still prefer them to my other PU's like Duncan JB's or Jackson's own ones for they are pretty noiseless and - can't stress this enough - very articulate and easy to get a huge crunch from. I suppose in a darker axe they'd get a ten; now they get an eight just for needing some added warmth dialed from the amp. But I won't change them to any passives any time soon.

Gotta remember that once you go active, it changes the sound and response of your entire rig, so once you dial these in well, passives will sound weak and dark with the same settings. The problem being that your backup guitar needs the same pickups too...changing to a passive guitar on a gig is just too much difference in sound. Can't mix the use with passives on same settings.

Yep, I like 'em and will be using EMG's from now on. What they lack in the warmth and 'organic' department is well made for in their clarity, punch and noiselessness.

If I only played studio gigs, I'd rather use a selection of passive pickups, but live I find these cut thru so clearly and so punchily there's no comparison.

I also used an EMG active preamp (PS2?) in my Les Paul and that was somewhat similar, but a bit more noisier along with the original gibson buckers. A good match, though, when you have EMG guitars and need bakcups brought to same level, I'd recommend adding that.

Pretty much the standard in modern active pickup technology.

Came stock in ESP-MH400NT and KH-602. In the MH400 it's in the bridge and the KH it's in both bridge and neck positions. The MH-400 has a EMG 60 in the neck. Just about everyone using EMG's in heavy music uses this pickup.

The output on this is through the roof in stock configuration, run it at 18 volts instead of 9 and it's twice as loud and responsive as before. I'm running these guitars through a peavey valveking 212 and a crate vtx 212 with a bad monkey in front. The tone is pretty well balanced but can be really bassy or sometime have to much scratch treble but it is overall pretty well balanced. I play heavy metal, death metal, metalcore, thrash, and hard rock and this pickup delivers in all areas from the heavy riffing to the shredding. I think it's best in the bridge but it's decent in the neck just not as warm as I like a neck pickup to be. Never have used it in a guitar with a middle humbucker position so I don't know about that.

I'd probably buy it again if it broke but I doubt someone would steal the pickup and leave the guitars but I might want to try some more of EMG's humbucker line and see if there is one that suits me better. I've been playing 7 years. I've already mentioned all my gear except my ESP LTD EX-260, Fender Standard and American Strat, two washburns, Dunlop 535Q wah, and my Line 6 POD XT. I love the super high output and clarity of this pickup. I hate the fact that I have to replace two batteries everytime they need changed but you give more you get more and that is true in this case. Well it was either a guitar with these or seymour duncans and I've never had actives before so I thought I should try them out and I'm really glad I did. I don't wish it had anything else I could think of except maybe if it could block feedback more which cause it already blocks most of it really well already except when really loud in smaller areas. I think I've found my sound with this pickup for now but I'm always developing my sound more with different tubes and effects. If you want to get the tone that you commonly hear in modern day metal check these out cause they're not for everyone.

Active EMG-81 humbucker

Installed in my Jackson DKMG in the bridge position. This is the only pickup in the guitar. Replacing the stock EMG-HZ H3 and the turbocharger circuit. I may yet reinstall the turbocharger or go the route of the 18v mod.

A high output pickup, no question-but far from the highest output pickup I have come across. Currently in use with a Line6 Spider 2X12 combo and a Crate PowerBlock run thru a Genz-Benz G-Flex.
What strikes me first and foremost, is the incredible balance of this pickup-no string overshadows any other. I play everything from Incubus and Counting Crows to Venom and Death Angel-as far as I can tell, it's a perfect match for all musical styles of these and more.

If stolen, I would almost certainly buy another. In fact, I'm liking this so much in my alder bodied Jackson that I may well purchase another for my Washburn 332. Further, I was mightily impressed with what came with the pickup itself. EMG makes your pickup replacement experience quite easy by providing a volume and tone pot, and a stereo output jack. All solder joints that could be performed in advance are already done for you-a very nice touch.

I've gone thru a great number of pickups in a great number of guitars and I must say that my first experience with the EMG line has been a very positive one.

High output active pickup.

I have used this pickup extensively in BC Rich guitars, Fender guitars, Jackson and Ibanez. This is a review of my opinions on these guitars.

Just to start off, this pickup despite others claims will not magically "replace" the tone of any guitar. This pickup will react to body and neck woods the same as any passive pickup. I play rock/metal.

For basswood Ibanez guitars, this has got to be the best upgrade. The riff tones are uncomprimising, rich, full and most of all dynamic. It does not over-compress when reacting with bassier sounding guitars.

I had mine in several strats also. Some fared better than others. If you're looking for a good upgrade to your squier, or to a cheaper fender line, this is ideally where you should be looking. However, the American strats I have always found to not be too happy with the EMG pickups. My old Standard Deluxe was a good contender, however the straight standard was a no go. Over bright and a bit buzzy.

The most foul sounding guitar it was in was an old 80s Jackson Stealth XL. Ash body, maple neck, rosewood board: The EMG 81 was harsh, sterile, and everything bad that I've ever read about this pickup. However, in my Jackson DX10, it produced quite the opposite result: Brutal, melodic and very toneful.

So what is the conclusion?

Well, if you own a guitar that is overly bassy, warm and generally hard to get any articulation from, this is well worth considering. If you have a typically bright guitar (And I have found most guitars made of ash to be the case) I would look elsewhere.

The EMGs still have a residance in my Ibanez, however the Jackson got an DiMarzio Air Norton and its tone and playability improved 1000%.

Similarly, you need to think about what amplifier you are using as well. I wouldn't recommend this pickup to anyone using a high gain amplifier - you just don't need it. My Jackson now sings with my VHT CL. However, its a little wimpy with the JCM800. However, the Ibanez is much nicer with the JCM800 given the extra output from the active electronics.

So think about your hardware setup before you buy!

Good in the right places. Don't expect to sound like Metallica or whoever just because you have an EMG81 and let me just reiterate that this pickup will not magically "replace" the tone of your guitar. Everything still matters from your guitar to your amp to your cabinet!

I love it in my darker guitars, ones that I have had issues trying to clean up, however in my naturally middy and trebly guitars, its been one to avoid like the plague.

I also think its that without this knowledge lead many players to completely dismiss this technology as some buzzy POS form metal players.

I have been playing for a little over 19 years and have been a technician and repairer for 10 and a luthier for 7. I have toured with big-name acts and had my fair share of television and session work.

Sure the EMG has appeared at times but as I said, you need to evaluate your setup before you buy this pickup - or indeed any pickup.

Active humbucker.

Came installed as a bridge pickup in my Fernandes Vortex Elite. This guitar has a Fernandes Sustainer in the neck position. Plenty of artists are using EMG-81s. I wanted to have much sustain and a heavy tone.

The output level is the highest I've ever heard, it's simply amazing. Pinch harmonics are very easy to do, even at lower distortion levels, and the pickup has a great sustain.

I use it with a PODxt and a Fender FM65R combo amp.

And now for all the haters of the EMG-81's trebly sound: you have to tune your guitar down to C for example to have that bassy sound this pickup can deliver. In E tuning it will sound too trebly. Clean sounds cut through almost everything, but it will never sound "smooth". It's just sharp.

I mostly play hard rock, and metal (not death and black). This pickup does its best as a high-gain metal pickup.

If it was destroyed or stolen, I think I'd buy something else. Not because the EMG-81 is not good (it's amazing), it's simply too much for me. I've been playing for 1,5 years now, I had lots of different guitars with different pickups (I play very good for my 1,5 yrs...anyways), and I have to say this pickup is the best if you want to make heavy and sharp sounds out of cheap amps/effects. The incredible sustain is simply amazing, and it works even at bedroom levels.

I'm still searching for my sound, what is something like YJM's (a half year ago when I bought this guitar, I was into heavier music, my style is changing so fast...).

Anyways, I'd recommened this pickup to everyone who REALLY needs that VERY high-gain, death or black metal sound. You'll not regret buying it!

Active humbucker

Bridge, mahogany Fokus JCK 52 (v-shaped). I used DiMarzio Evolution 2 and it was too muddy for me. I took out the neck pickup and replaced it with plastic cover. Didn't use it anyways...

Balanced tone, strong output (but I've had stronger passive pickups).
Excellent for metal, but for other styles too I guess.
I use Rocktron Piranha -> Boss VF1 -> Marshall 9200 -> Framus 2??12 Vintage 30

No point in describing this superb pickup again. I just wanted to add a few answers and tips:
1) Someone mentioned this pickup has an awful feedback. Yes it has, if set badly in the guitar. If it's too tight in there, it catches vibrations and makes a strong howling. It also happened to me at first. Just dig a bigger hole in your guitar, so that it sits freely on the springs and the howling is gone completely!
2) I found a notice at EMG website that you can get even better sound from this pickup when powering it with 18V. And works really! Try to add another 9V battery and you'll see the difference! Much fuller sound!

Its a active humbucker as i'm sure most people know by now. Not a lot of features, its a pickup...

I put this in the bridge position of my Fender Blackout set neck tele. I have a 85 in the neck. I replaced the stock pickups which were a Duncan 59 in the neck, and a pearly gates in the bridge. They were nice pickups but i wanted a different sound.

They do have a lot of output, but not as much as people like to think they do. I've played passives before with the same or more output. I like to play heavier stuff sometimes tuned down to C or C# so i really like their clarity and tight definition. The harmonics of these are great and a cinch to pull off, and their virtually noiseless. The sound is very distinct, mid scooped with tight bass and focused on the higher freqs of the treble. At first i didn't really care for their sound but after tweaking for a while i found it. Their pretty much a one trick pony though, they don't do clean well because their too compressed, and the mid gain rock tones just sound dead flat. High gain metal riffs is where they Shine. Oh yeah, i'm playing on a Engl Thunder amp, with some various pedals.

if something happened and i had to replace them i would get them again. I think their the ideal pickup for the lower heavier tones. for drop D and standard i like a passive, but below that i go for the EMG's. You just can't get the clarity and string definition anywhere else.

active humbucking pickup

ESP-LTD deluxe EC1000VB
stock pickup in neck position, paired with an EMG60

the output isn't high as most people say, at least in terms of volume... compared with other passive-equipped guitars i own EMGs don't scream as much as i expected, wich isn't a bad thing at all, i love swapping guitars onstage and there's not need to turn volume down to balance the overall volume. they're very quiet too. In terms of saturation YES, the EMGs DO definitely scream...
- the 81 in bridge position has very definite and bright clean sounds, although it lacks the classic crystalline tone of a Strat single coil, of course... it sounds more metallic but it's still a nice and usable sound even for arpeggios. plenty of treble and some bass, but it cuts EVERY mid from the sound. as I said before this pickup can saturate the dirt channel (or the dirt settings, i usually play through a PODxt) much more than other pickups i'm used too, with interesting results. you can play rock and get sharp attacks full of clarity and definition (absolutely not muddy!), like a distorted Strat - without loosing any of the saturation that just humbuckers can give - and just by turning a bit down your guitar volume you can have bluesy dirts with no loss of volume.
And here come the bad news, at least for me...
if the 81 works well with dirty sounds it's almost completely useless when it comes to heavy distortions. i know, maybe i'm the only person in this world who dislikes the way this classic METAL pickup behaves in metal! it could be a question of personal tastes, but i simply hate the distorted sound of this thing... it remains very definite and never buzzes, even with HEAVY metalzone distortions, but it completely lacks sustain... it cuts like a knife on the treble range but kills even more mids than in clear settings. the only thing i was able to do with my 81 were palm muted rhythms, a thing i don't do very often... i play many different things, but my own style is based on gothic rock/metal. i'm basically a lead guitarist, and i found this pickup completely unusable for solos and smooth lead riffs... i love mids (LOTS of them!) and the 81 has got none. It completely killed the warmth and personality of my Eclipse (that is basically a mahoganey built Les Paul-style model), and gave me the kind of tones thet should appeal much more to brutal-death rhythm guitarists... it could sound well (although a bit too cold) in thrash metal too, but definitely not in melodic death metal and similar genres...
should a pop-rock guitarist buy it? to be true i was quite impressed with the powerful bite of its dirty sound, so i'd say yes, but it sounds way too clinical for my tastes even in rock... i love vintage PAF sounds, after all!
i don't dare to imagine it in neck position... i would be curious to try it but i've got no expectation...

for sure i'll never buy an 81 anymore (i'm still a bit perplexed on what to do with the one i still own!), and to be sincere i removed it from my guitar after 10 days of extensive play... i replaced it with an EMG85 (that thing has got great singing mids, at last!) and i have to say, after 8 months, that i've done the right thing!

Active humbucker, with ceramic casing.

I have dual EMG-81's on my ESP EX-250. They were replacing the horrid, passive "Duncan Design" jobs that were stock. I changed the pick-ups, because at the time(2000), I was really into Metallica and wanted Kirk Hammet's tone.

These pick-ups are really hot. When used with a tube amp, they push like no other pick-ups I've used. That said, sometimes it can unintentionally overdrive on clean settings. But when you're playing lead, these pick-ups have excellent sustain and clean break-up. On solid-state amps, they tend to push too hard, depending on the model, resulting in a somewhat muddy sound. They sound terrible on modeling amps, in my opinion.

As for my rating, I'd give it a clear 10 for tube amps, and maybe a 7 for all other types.

I love my EMG-81's. It's tough for me to play with passive pick-ups anymore, especially I since I usually play high-gain rock. I would buy them again in a heartbeat. The only thing that's a pain is changing the batteries. Each pickup has its own, and on my guitar I have to physically unscrew the neck pickup and lift it out to change the battery. ARGHH. But overall, they rock. If you want and insane lead tone, this is for you.

Humbucking (obviously) and active

Guitar: Ibanez GRG 270
Position: Neck
Replacing stock pickup (Ibanez PWSND)
Other pickup: stock pickup (Ibanez PWSND)
Artists: on neck, Hammett. On bridge, Hammett, Hetfield, many others
Reason for change: needed better quality on rythmics and palm muting

Output level: very very very high!
Amps: Washborn
Tone: maybe too bassy on clean tone, but good on distortion
Style of music: metal, hard rock, but I experimented chorus, flanger and phaser effects with Pink Floyd songs
Suitable: it's not bad for neck position, I think it's better to install two 81 in both positions than a 60 (85) in the neck and 81 in the bridge, to avoid differences in output level

If it was destroyed or stolen, I would either buy another one or install two 85, but I wouldn't install two different pickups.
I play guitar since 1990, and play different kinds of music, not only metal. I use Boss analogic pedals, a Korg AX-1500G digital pedalboard and Dunlop Crybaby Wah Wah.
For this pickup I love the clarity when performing palm muting, and the only drawback is that there are too loud bass frequences. Anyway I have satisfied with the overall quality, and can't wait to install another 81 in the bridge, to get a very very cool guitar

active humbucker

model: cort kx-5 katana
position: bridge
replacing stock mighty might motherbuckers
emg 85 in the neck
artists using: too many to list
reason for change: i wanted more gain, better harmonics and more clarity (and the emgs delivered!)

output: fucking hot like the sun crahsing into the earth man, this thign evn distorts my solid state clean channel!
rig: i usually plug my katana straight into my peavey bandit (yes i know i want a tube amp lol)
an sometimes run the preamp out of my bandit into an old yamaha tube combo my uncle gave me for that tube warmth an extra gain
tone: this is not a clean pickup, this bitch will tear your head off for anything high gain. the harmonics jump out i can get loud clea rpinch harmonics like nothing now, playing rhythm with this pickup gives a razor sharp crunch that im certain could cut through any mix and leads growl with a lovely blend of trebles and high mids but just enough bottom end not to tip the scale.the pickup also has amazing clarity when distorted you can play a chord and hear each note ring with endless sustain through any amount of gain. the clean tone (or lack thereof) is why i took off a point in this section. as i said before this pickup so hot it even manages to overdive my peavey bandit solid state clean channel but wihtout the gain this pickup adopts a more jangly brittle tone. doesnt bother me that much i usually dont use bridge pickups clean anyway and the 85 in the neck is gorgeous clean so im all set :P.

style of music: melodic death metal mostly, but i'll play anyhting if i like it, this is a perfect match for my style and the distorted tone ive had in my head for ages.

positions: kirk hammet an some other folks seem to like her in the neck but i can only comment on bridge position for now an i say this pickup is a bridge pickup at heart. i was thinking though of switching my 85 tot he bridge and 81 to the neck just to compare, its quite easy to switch them wiht the qwik connect clip, and for height i just went as close to the strings as i could get without touching them, pretty simple procedure.

if any douchebag took the time to steal my pickups an leave me with an empty guitar i would probably cap his ass haha, but i would definitely buy this pickup again.

i played bass for 4 years before switching mostly to guitar 2 years ago, ive listed all my gear here, i dont have any effects yet

comparison: the only comparison i did was through the reviews on this site and by memory comparing it to my old pickups, i was thining of going the dimarzio routebut after seeing how many of my major influences use emg 81s i though i just had to try one an now i understand

i am very satisfied with this pickup in any distorted setting, it has brought me closer to "the sound" then ive ever been

Active Humbucker.

I installed it on a Schecter Omen 6 on the bridge along with an 85 in the neck. I replaced the crappy pickups that came with it.

The pickup is pretty hot. The fact that it doesn't make much noise is nice. The tones are unbelieveable for hard rock/metal. The clean tones can use some work, but you need to know that before you buy this pickup. It works great for crunch to high gain sounds. The tighness of this pickup blows me away.

I installed this pickup along with the 85 almost 2 years ago and I play it very often.. sometimes hours on end. These pickups have never given me any problem and get this, I have never had to change the battery!! Everybody thinks it's a pain to have a 9v to change, but it lasts a flippin long time. Great pickup for rock, but if you want this sound and clean, go with the 89s, I just got those installed on my new schecter and those do clean sounds very well.

Active humbucker.

I have EMG 81 on the bridge position in my Jackson RR. I replaced Duncan Design (something with 103 in a signature).

Here comes real metal. The rhtyhm is just smoke. Solos are amazing. Great dynamics and compression. Harminocs are faantastic.

This thing is balzing, it's what I wanted! I've never had a singl problem with this pickup. It looks great, it sounds great! I'd definately buy it again.

Active, high output, ceramic pickup; cannot be split.

ESP Eclipse

Compact, thight, with transparent mids and tight bass. Works especially well with highgain; clean sounds are flat and lifeless and it could use more warmth.

Use this if you want superior definition and transparency for highgain. Do not use it if you want an organic and warm tone.

It's a standard for highgain pickups, yes, but there are meanwhile more pickups that do it at least as good and have more warmth and a more natural sound.

Active. Very low noise. EMG logo in silver on black casing. Vacuum sealed.

The 81 came stock in the bridge position of my Jackson DK1 USA. In the neck stock was an EMG 85. Judas Preist, Metallica, and Kerry King of Slayer are among heavyweights playing the 81 in the bridge.

The output level is high and allows extreme gain, but still feels rather conformed. I'm playing it through an MXR Smart Gate into a Marshall MG50DFX- which sounds very good, but I'd prefer a different speaker maybe, but the EMG 81 still sounds very good clean and distorted.

The 81's tone has a sharp metallic sounding top end with all the frequencies sounding compressed and fat. The pickup sounds balanced but with highs being the most present, followed by crunchy and chunky mids, and lastly a small amount of bass. This pickup was designed for lead guitar so it seems these fequencies mentioned are as alloted for exceptional lead guitar qualites. For Heavy Metal leads this pickup excels. For other styles, which I've heard it can be used for, I never used them for besides clean a distorted heavy rock style.

I play high-gain hard rock and this pickup makes my slinky lead lines sound solid, loud and clear consistently. Allowing extended sustain, transparent articulation, and unbeleiveable crunch. This pickup took me by suprise and effectively ended my pickup search. I am stunned. The 81 I'm sure would sound as good in the neck as it does bridge. The 85 sounds very clear and unmuddied in the neck unlike some pickups. The 81 is great for my playing nuances and needs: clear, solid, articulate, consistent, and clean/distorted lead lines and the ultimate in crunchy,crushing power.

My Jackson is very balanced in sounds and has a biting midrange, fat, clear highs, and equally good lows. Very balanced like the 81.

This is my pickup of choice now and don't see any changes in the forseeable future. I've been playing for 13 years and love the pro factor of the EMG 81 and it's ability to reciprocate my experience level. I don't hate anything about it- it's would kinda be hard to.

I say this pickup excellent under high gain to the point of compresssion. I didn't compare to any other pickup as I would relly be hard to.

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

Model of guitar or bass: B.C. Rich Gunslinger
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: many
You musical style(s): rock, especially 80s stuff
Reason for pickup change: came with guitar

Perceived output level: Loud and clear high output .
Tone: Clear, round, crunchy, and sweet balanced sound.
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing my B.C. Rich Gunslinger with the EMG-81 staight into my Marshall TSL 602 into a Marshall 1960A cabinet. It's an awesome sound. Besides having a great crunchy low end without any mud, these pickups have a great singing round lead guitar tone. Maybe the best I've ever heard. I just love it. I bought another one even though I don't have a guitar to put it in yet. I just wanted to have another. These pickups sound so good. And they have such a high output. That I don't think you need any effects pedals to enhance your tone. I mean I don't think it can get any better than this. The pickup I'm reviewing is about 16 years old. I hope the specifications are the same. They sound great with tube amps. This may be the best pickup ever made.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock and shred. And it's great for that. I'm using it in the bridge. It's slanted like a Baretta' s pickup is.

Comments: Sure I'd buy it again. I already have. I've been playing about 29 years. I own three Marshall amps, seven guitars, various pedals, etc.. I love the tone. I don't dislike anything about it. I also have a DiMarzio X2N. It also has a lot of overdrive. But it seems to lack bass. The EMG seems to have a wider frequency range. This pickup has a very crunchy rhythm tone and a round sweet lead guitar tone all at the same time. It doesn't have any sssssssssss noise that some pickps have in the higher frequencies. The lead guitar solos almost sound like an organ. But better. It's a very musical pickup.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Dont know

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SZ520
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez SZ pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Ibanez SZ pickup
Artists using this pickup: Zakk wylde, ME
You musical style(s): alternative rock, a lil bit numetal, pop rock
Reason for pickup change: THe original pickup didnt have enough gain that I want and didnt have enough bass. I want BASS, lots of bass ...

Perceived output level: Way more than Ibanez SZ pickup
Tone: Bassy but very clear on the high notes
Sonic evaluation: I use this pickup with Ibanez SZ520. THis guitar is heavy solid like Les paul Gibson. After I changed this thing screams, growl, cry .... very good. I use marshall MGseries head n box

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play alternative rock, metal, pop sometimes ... definately bridge position but some people say neck id like to try that sometime

Comments: If it were stolen or damaged ... man who would steal pickup, anyway if this happens definately ill get it again. Ive been playing for 12 years or so. I have Ibanez SZ520, Yamaha AES620 and Godin freeway classic marshall amp mgseries, boss gt8 fx processor.
Im very satisfied with this product ... only if i could get it cheaper would be good

Pickup features: HUMBUCKING
Impedence or other specs: OUTPUT IMPEDANCE ( Kohm) : 10

Model of guitar or bass: CUSTOM GUITAR
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 89 NECK HUMBUCKER
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): THRASH-POWER METAL
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: I THINK EMG 81 IS THE BEST PICKUP FOR METAL GUITARISTS.
Tone: GREAT SUSTAIN, HIGH OUTPUT,VERSATILITY
Sonic evaluation: I USE A MESA BOOGIE TRI-AXIS 2.0, A MESA BOOGIE RECTIFIER STEREO 2 : ONE HUNDRED,MESA RECTIFIER 4x12 CABS (CELESTION V30),EVENTIDE DSP 7500,SPECTRAFLEX CABLES, DBX 266 XL,CUSTOM AUDIO ELECTRONICS 2 x 4 AUDIO CONTROLLER+RS 10 MK 2. I HAVE A CUSTOM GUITAR WITH EMG 81 BRIDGE,EMG 89 NECK, ACTIVE CIRCUITS : PA2,EXG,SPC,DMSK(FOR EMG 81).KAHLER 2300 TREMOLO,GROVER MACHINE HEADS.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: THRASH-POWER METAL .

Comments: I WOULD BUY MY EMG PICKUPS AGAIN AND AGAIN, THESE ACTIVE PICKUPS
HAVE A SOUND THAT SETS THEM APART.I THINK DI MARZIO,SEYMOUR DUNCAN DON'T HAVE A GOOD SOUND LIKE EMG.AN ADVICE FOR ALL METAL GUITARISTS :
USE MESA BOOGIE AMPS AND GUITARS WITH EMG PICKUPS,IT'S THE BEST .

Pickup features: Active Humbucjer
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Multi ESP LTD'S, F-200,F400,KH202,EX400BD
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ Passive
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81's or EMG 60's
Artists using this pickup: Metallica!!!!!!!!, and loads of other metal bands
You musical style(s): Metal,Rock,Blues
Reason for pickup change: They are great pick-ups

Perceived output level: Great,slightly heavier then HZ's
Tone: Very bassy and Crunchy, some times palm muted courses a bit of too bassy effect,so you just have to fiddle with the amp settings
Sonic evaluation: Playing throught a very large pedal board into a Marshall AVT275 With 6 speakers connected up "Loud"

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: metal, perfect match, its not brilliant if you're playing varied styles with it,but luckily i have PRS Soapbars to do that!

Comments: Great i'd always choose them over HZ but if HZ's are all you got and u cant afford an upgrade they are a perfeclty good subtitute to use.

Pickup features: active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Resonant Frequency (kHz) 2.25;Output Noise (dBV) -91; Output Impedance (Kohm) 10

Model of guitar or bass: ESP KH602
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: -------
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: me^^/ kirk hammet/ james hetfield/ zakk wylde...but who the fuck cares
You musical style(s): some clean stuff, Rock and Metal babeee
Reason for pickup change: i didn't change them ^^

Perceived output level: really HOT (yeah it's an EMG81 and they are HOT ;) )
Tone: too bassy in neck, but really nice balanced in bridge maybe a little bit trebly but i LOVE that
Sonic evaluation: ESP KH602----> KORG AX1500G -----> ENGL 50 screamer tube amp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: it's unsuitable for LOUD clean stuff! if you want to play clean stuff which is TOTALLY clean use the EMG60 in the neck (which i do)! the emg81 is everytime a little bit overdriven when you play loud (neck or bridge)! but it's fuckin' perfekt for distortion, solo and overdrive sounds in the bridge!

Comments: i would definitely buy it again for the bridge! in my opinion a EMG 81 in the neck SUCKS! but in the bridge this baby rules :)! perfekt for fuckin' awesome solos, metal and rock sounds! i love the loooong substain (neckthru :P) the tone, and the brightness of the sound! and i think active pickups DON'T sound sterile! when you play it the right way theres a looot of feeling in this sound which makes you wanna cry ;)!
(my rating is for the EMG 81 ind the bridge position! in the neck i would give it a 4 :P)

Pickup features: Humbucker, Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 500T
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Zakk Wylde, Slayer, metalheads...
You musical style(s): Metal, Rock, a lil blues, learnin some jazz hopefully
Reason for pickup change: 500T are PERFECT for rock n' roll in my opinion, but i needed heavier sounds because I play metal mostly

Perceived output level: First of all I HAVE to recommend having a 7 band equalizer with this pickup, it makes it much easier to tone down the treble and turn up the lower midrange. Other than that, the pick up in my LP sounds like the distortion off of Master Of Puppets. The sound is a bit trebbly but with the EQ u can really balance it out. Its good for speed playing and such, but those who are into really downtuned nu-metal may feel its a bit too bright for their tastes...try an 85 maybe for that. I was really hung up on whether or not to get an 85 or this but I think I made the right choice. For rock they are still a bit overthe top and its harder to get that "pushed" sound out of them (as if the distortion is naturally breaking up). For metal though they are great.
Tone: With the EQ mine is beefy with a good amount of low mid and treble. Without the EQ tho it is a bit too trebly
Sonic evaluation: Gibson LP Classic with 81 bridge, 60 neck into marshall avt 50...soudns great..too all of who are reading this, check out the emg 60 for ur necks..teh sound is really glassy adn also warm, through a tube amp it sounded great...to me sounded like a cross between fender and gibson cleans, if u can imagine that. Been playin for about 6 years and am really picky about my sounds. def check out the 60 though. For those lookin at the Zakk wylde set, i think teh 60 is better than the 85 as teh 85 is a bit dull and muddy in the neck. Dont take it from me thouhg, try to find a guitar in the store with some of these pickups (81 is more common) in them

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal..yea great match

Comments:

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Scecter v-1 plus
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: duncan designed 101 n&b
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): all types
Reason for pickup change: Had all types except for active; wanted to add to my collection

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: Schecter V-1 plus w/ Crate GFX 120 & 1967 Sears Silvertone twin 12

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: tweakable for all types and styles

Comments: Been playing over 30 yrs, some say use 85's in the neck. I disagree.
The 81 in the neck is voiced right; any deeper would be too bassy.
The 81 in the bridge is perfect! It gives my distortions a smooth yet cutting grind like none other did. It sounds good clean & with chorus, phasers, flangers, etc; I can "pinch" easier, I'm in hog heaven!! It's hot (not mega hot) not too trebly, no muddiness!

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: samick artis series LP
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock pups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: kirk hammett, kerry king, hanneman, jon donais, mick thomson
You musical style(s): metal, shredd, rock
Reason for pickup change: not enough gain with stock pups

Perceived output level: the sound is so hot!!! very sharp, like a rezor blade into your ears!!! the clean sound is amazing
Tone: the sound it trebly, not so bassy
Sonic evaluation: i use samick les paul, not the low end one. with roland cube 15 and line6 POD, this pups will kill anything that stand infront of him!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: yep, suits my style.

Comments: well, if you like sharp sound, this pups is for you. if you want well balanced pups, go for dimarzio's X2N

Pickup features: Humbucker/Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone (Semi-hollow) Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epiphone Pickups
Other pickups on guitar: I also replaced the stock epiphone pickup in the neck position with an 85 (DEADLY COMBINATION!)
Artists using this pickup: Who gives a ####. Anyone using something just because they want to sound like someone else should be hung.
You musical style(s): Hard Rock/Metal
Reason for pickup change: Epiphone stock pickups SUCK! The feed back sucks, the sound sucks, the tone sucks, everything about them sucks.

Perceived output level: Smokin'!
Tone: A little on the trebly side but I'd say it's pretty balanced. It's perfect for heavy distortion!
Sonic evaluation: Right now I've got this crappy tube works combo. My setup goes: Guitar<Boss DS-1(or a boss ME-50, which ever I feel like using)<amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Hard Rock/Metal

Comments: I would defently replace it if it got lost or stolen. I love the clarity I get when I play with heavy distortion. If you get the 81 you should defently get the 85 on the neck postion (81 on bridge)! The 85 has an AWESOME clean, warm tone. Perfect for when your not using distortion or overdrive. I love these pickups and would'nt give them up for the world.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 10 (Kohm)

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez IC 400 (Iceman)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio Evolution
Other pickups on guitar: PAF Pro (Also replaced by EMG 60!)
Artists using this pickup: Does it matter?
You musical style(s): Melodic/pure black metal, death metal
Reason for pickup change: I tried my friends ESP with these pickups and I could not believe how clear it sounded. Passive pickups sound shitty when you use alot of gain. These seem to have a way of clearing it up and make the overall sound bore brilliant. Also VERY sensitive to your picking attack, if you pick sloppy, your sound will reflect that you suck! I would say they are more sensitve than the Evos and not as bassy either. Kind of reminds me of a mix of a good compressor and a sonic maximizer!

Perceived output level: It seems to have more output than the Evo, but does not feed back as much.
Tone: More trebble than mid, more mid than bass.
Sonic evaluation: I use an Iceman with a B-52 Tri-Mode Rectifier, it's an all tube amp by the way. These pickups are by far the best tone I have ever had. I went through many DiMarzios, Tone Zones, Super Distortions, PAF Pros, Evolutions, the Fast Tracks, and played some Duncans too. Dimarzios have more of a mid quality while the duncans are more scooped. Both to me sound muffled, grainy, and dark. They dont handle alot of gain very well, the 81 has a way of making sense of all the grit! And I LOVE TREBLE!! Think Dark Funeral, Immortal, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon, Lord Belial, 1349, Dark Throne, the real shit!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is an excelent tool for forging black metal riffs, good for bridge for me. Cleans in bridge are not great, that's why you get the 60 in the neck.

Comments: I will MOST DEFINETLY put the 81/60 set in every new guitar I will get. This is a great tool for trebble worshiping metal players, if you play shred, or anything articulate with alot of gain, trebble and mids and need the most clear sound, this is like hi-def clear. Sure it needs a battery, but the tone you get is incredible. Buy them you moron.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: JACKSON FUSION HH PRO. JACKSON RANDY RHOADS RX10D
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: SEYMOR DUNCAN
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: METALLICA,, SEPULTURA
You musical style(s): DEATH THRASH
Reason for pickup change: DESIRED THE ULTIMATE METAL PICKUP

Perceived output level: VERY POWERFUL
Tone: FINE FOR METAL
Sonic evaluation: I USE A BOSS VF-1 WITH A LINE 6 SPIDER 212. I HAVE 2 GUITARS. BOTH JACKSONS. (1) RX10D RANDY RHOADS. (2) FUSION HH PRO. I PLAY METAL (SEPULTURA, METALLICA). THIS PICKUP IS SO OVER THE TOP. IT IS THE ULTIMATE METAL PICKUP. BUY, BUY, BUY. IGNORE OTHER BRANDS IF YOU PLAY METAL. THERE IS A VERY, VERY BIG DIFFERANCE FROM OTHER PASIVE ( SEYMOR DUNCAN) PICKUPS. SELL YOUR BODY PARTS TO GET THIS PICKUP.

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

Comments: OK THEY ARE A LITTLE BIT EXPENSIVE. BUT AFTER YOU HAVE THEM PUT IN YOU WILL KICK YOURSELF FOR NOT DOING IT SOONER. BUY NOW!

Pickup features: HUMBUCKING/ACTIVE and very low magnet pull has to be set close to strings
Impedence or other specs: 10K Resistance /Resonant Frequency (kHz) 2.25 ,wound to a low impedance for clarity then boosted by preamp, result is PERFECT!

Model of guitar or bass: zakk wylde LP, custom 57 re-issue LP, wine red LP custom and a lone star strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock pu's except the zakk LP which came with the 81 stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85's,60's andEMG S A single coils
Artists using this pickup: a s**t load!
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: the 81 SLAYED everything passive i
tried the duncan distortion,JB,custom,DIME
dimarzio EVO,super 3,tone zone.

Perceived output level: High output and very clean,driving
Tone: harmonically very rich and present, very tight and not a real lot of bass like a tone zone,this is real good to keep things from getting boomy or muddy, very punchy mids
Sonic evaluation: I play professionally and use a marshall jcm 800 zakk wylde stack
i use a rack eq and a G-force rack as well as a eventide H-3000

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play 99.9% metal and there simply is NO BETTER than a 81 for this

Comments: What makes me really bust up laughing is when i read other players say the 81 is all treble and it is thin
well if you know what you are doing you would not have this problem
the EMG was not made for your squier guitars and crate amps and digitech pedals
it has to be set pretty close to the strings for maximum effect
it is for the pro player who knows what they are doing
first off most dont even know these are wound only to 10K which is the same as the resistance on a dimarzio fred or a duncan screamin demon(LOW OUPUT PU's)
they are then boosted by being active.
actually IF you used a duncan screamin demon and boosted it with a clean boost it would be similar to the 81 but no where near as quiet are tight.
the 81 is very responsive and has harmonics galore all over the spectrum(more than any passive i tried)
even dimarzio "dual resoncance" models cant compare

Pickup features: Active Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Ultra Low Impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Strat Plus Deluxe with Warmoth Neck
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Carvin Holdsworth
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Heaps
You musical style(s): Anything EXCEPT Metal
Reason for pickup change: Heard all the hype, was re-doing my Strat with a Warmoth neck... Got the KH-21 scratchplate which is 2 81's wired to a 3 way switch.

Perceived output level: Pretty hot but not completely over the top as some would have you believe
Tone: Very balanced actually. Scooped in the mids for sure. Slightly compressed but in a very musical way.
Sonic evaluation: Ok. First up I AM NOT INTO METAL OR METALLICA! Seems that every man and his proverbial dog is buying EMG's to sound like the aformentioned band. Not me!
I'm using this setup with a non-master volume Marshall and some Boss Pedals. They do react very differently and as mentioned compress your signal slightly.
I would TOTALLY disagree with people who say they can't get a clean sound out of these pickups.
The 81's do clean really really nicely! Very spanky and articulate and you can hear every note in the chord.
Cranking on a light overdrive works well too and as expected they scream with some gain.
You will need to Eq your amp differently tho... takes a bit of time to get used too.
A nice bonus with actives is that you keep your tone when you roll off your volume. It's all there just quiter.
I'm still getting used to them but I'm now a believer in these. Don't believe the high-school droputs on here who tell you they can't do clean, they're obviously still trying to find the channel switch on that 32 knobbed Mesa POS they have!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Suitable for all styles - NOT JUST METAL

Comments: The Holdsworth pickups honestly sound a lot like these 81's, just not as bright or crisp.
Yes, I would buy these again.

Pickup features: Humbucker: active; ceramic; wax-potted; epoxy-sealed.
Impedence or other specs: Super-low impedance, very low noise, but very touch-sensitive.

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone G400
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: James Hetfield (Metallica; both pickup positions); Kerry King (Slayer; both pickup positions); Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society; bridge position, with an EMG-85 in the neck position)
You musical style(s): Hard/Classic Rock, 80's Metal
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were anemic and I wanted pickups better suited for metal. These aren't precisely perfect for the 80's metal I prefer--you're probably better with Seymour Duncan's if you want to be a hair-metal cover band--but these are perfect if you want to be up on the times.

Perceived output level: Well...hot. They're very quiet until you touch a string, even at very low levels you can clearly hear the strings.
Tone: Clean, they're a little muddy, with relatively low bass, and more mids and far more trebles than most other pickups. Driven/Distorted this comes in very handy, you get a mostly-warm, lush sound at lower notes up to a piercing shriek at higher registers.
Sonic evaluation: Crate BV120H/Crate 100W 4x12" Combo; Vox Wah-Wah pedal; Ibanez TS7; Digitech Metal Master. Pickups would be better in an alder-bodied axe, they're a little out-of-place in a mahogany-bodied guitar. However, if I EQ the Crate right (and I don't even need either pedal) then I can get a very warm Marshall-ish sound like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, or new-style AC/DC rip-offs Jet (seriously...most of their riffs were from a boxful of notebooks of "tired riffs" made by Angus Young and sold to Jet in a yard sale of sorts). I also have a Crate BFX15 15W bass amp, and if I use the TS7 with this amp, I get a very Zep-ish sound with emphasized bass and low-end. Since reading reviews about how good Mesa/Boogie's sound with pickups very similar in sound to EMG's, I plan on getting a M/B Triple Rectifier Triple Channel head with Marshall, Crate, or M/B 4x12" or maybe 2x15" cabinet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Pickups go well in either position; Hetfield (Metallica) and King (Slayer) use 81's in both, but on much "hotter" guitars--no mahogany! For a warmer, more classic sound, use these in a mahogany-bodied guitar--Zakk Wylde uses a Les Paul, but still gets a very good sound with these pickups. It's a lot more about what amp you have than what your guitar is.

Comments: I've been playing about 2 1/2 years, not terribly much but I like to think I've covered a lot of ground in the rock/metal genre. This pickup crunches very well and retains plenty of note definition even at extreme distortion levels, but it comes nowhere close to being as good as the EMG-85 when played clean. The two balance perfectly in a two-humbucker guitar, place the pup selector switch in the middle and use both volume and tone knobs to fully customize the sound you want. These pickups are awesome, you can really get pretty much any sound you want out of them, and if you're searching for some particular, arcane sound, buy these pickups and then just demo a lot of different amps. I live by active California-made EMG's now and will never use anything else.

Pickup features: acive humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: see previous reviews

Model of guitar or bass: RG 2620
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: breed dimarzio DP165
Other pickups on guitar: emg 85 bridge position
Artists using this pickup: huge list from metallica to slayer
You musical style(s): metal, progressive, funk....
Reason for pickup change: although breed PUs do wonder ful job on my esp guitar (alder body), they do not suit with the ibanez model I have.

Perceived output level: hot but not that hot in neck position, ideal for multipurposes
Tone: Wonderful, really balanced due to my gear set up I guess.
Sonic evaluation: I plug my guitar on a Pod XT 2.0 version (this last update gives at last a significant enhancment for the overall sound)which is connected to a laney combo TFX 320.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pick up is far more flexible than it was said in ealier reviews. You can have tasteful sound with a clear sound, enjoy funk syncop. However you need to have a configuration gear which is good otherwise this "baby" would not offer you all its capability. Active rules,especially in live!!!

Comments: This PU is fantastic. There is no "add-on" like other PU which gives you more than you desserve. It gives geat overall clarity. I do not recommend this Pu for beginners or for person who are not good enough in technics because all your defects will be multiplied with this pu, no way to hide them!!! But for others playes, it is like a paradise!!!! Quiet, smooth, no bright tone (in neck position), perfect for rusty cooley licks. For one time, I can really play fast without noise, every note is clearly distinguished and sing by itself without yelling or "overllaping" other notes.
Combined with EMG 85 you can turn into blues or arpeggios.For the moment I do prefer clear sound from EMG than Dimarzio Pu I have previously installed.
Try this PU in your configuration first because the subjective features I mentionned may diseappear with your gear.
Definetely , this PU appears to be not cold ( except for unappropriate configurations or for beginners), smooth and with a terrific tone. Why others companies do not try to developp active PU? Bass guitar are more desserved than guitar ones in this case (who says in advance?).
I play for 14-15 years and I teach guitar technics since 2003.

Pickup features: humbucker (active)
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Dean Avalanche (strat copy)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Distortion
Other pickups on guitar: stock single coils
Artists using this pickup: lots, but who cares?! you should use it because someone else is
You musical style(s): classic metal, classic rock n roll
Reason for pickup change: I was hoping to find a more "alive" sound.

Perceived output level: extreme. I dont know technical info, but it is very hot.
Tone: MIDS, MIDS, MIDS!!! and nothing else!
Sonic evaluation: Ive used these pickups while playing a variety of amps including Marshall and Peavey. Its great for new school metal, but not much else. These pickups seem to take the life out of the sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is only useful if you play new metal. other than that, check out dimarzio.

Comments: the goods: this pickup takes all of the effort out of playing. it has very sharp pick attack and sounds great with distortion. they are extremely easy to install and will most likely last for a long-ass time. also, harmonics leap off of the fretboard.
The bads: the low end and high end are sacrificed. I was looking for a great solo voicing and this wasnt it. they have to take batteries (which isnt really a big deal, i just dont like knowing my guitar is only as good as the 9V within it.) also, it makes the clean channel sound lifeless. bottom line... check out Dimarzio (bad-ass).

Pickup features: humbucking Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez js 1000
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Bill lawrence L500XL(Best pickup in the world!)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: zakk wylde, metallica etc
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to try an active(have always been a passive user). It sounded good on the website.

Perceived output level: ULTRA HOT(very noisy on stage with lot of static)
Tone: trebly (aint worth the money)- so bloody overrated
Sonic evaluation: Guitar- Ibanez Js1000
Amp- 5150
effects- Complete analog setup

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Testament,Satch, Death, Friedman, Chris poland

Comments: I am serious, this is probably the worst pickup I have played. SO BLOODY OVERRATED! I personally love smooth flowing solos(i mean melodic with a touch of heaviness) and a really heavy clear rhythm. This does not serve my purpose. Have been playing metal for 16yrs and I have never come across a noisier pickup than this.
Comin back, u cannot gig with this coz it feedbacks like crazy. A small pause and it screams.
Kirk Hammett has probably the worst tone in the world and this pickup is the reason for it. DON NOT BUY THIS!
Go for a Bill Lawrence L500XL. Has great output, great tone and aint noisy one bit.

Pickup features: ACTIVE HUMBUCKING PICKUP
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: LTD E C 400
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: NONE
Other pickups on guitar: just the emgs
Artists using this pickup: ZACH WYLDE< METTALICA< NICKELBACK, ATREYU
You musical style(s): I play all styles besides country because i hate country music
Reason for pickup change: I BOUGHT AND ESP GUITAR JUST SO I COULD HAVE A MAHOGANY BODY WITH THESE PUPS

Perceived output level: they are very hot giving a tube amp a good enough push for that mettalica sound
Tone: very trebly but tone can be changed simply by changing the settings on your amplifier
Sonic evaluation: As of right now I am playing out of and ESP EC 400. I am running this into a marshal JCM 2000 DSL 100.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play everything from blues, metal, nu metal, hardcore,reggae,hardrock

Comments: I AM GOING TO KEEP THIS REVIEW SHORT AND TO THE POINT.
IF THIS PICKUP WAS STOLEN I WOULD MOST DEFINITELY PURCHASE IT AGAIN. I CANT STRESS HOW GOOD IT IS FOR THE LEAD HARD ROCK OR METAL GUITARIST.
I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR SEVEN YEARS VERY SERIOUSLY AND I OWN A MARSHAL JCM 2000, A BASIC RACK SETUP AND SOME CRAPPY EPIPHONE GUITARS.
THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE PICKUP BUT I WOULD STILL LIKE TO TRY THE 85. THIS PICKUP SOUNDS VERY VERY CLEAR AND IF YOU PLAY WITH GOOD TECHNIQUE AND ATTACK IT WILL DO YOU WONDERS. FOR PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT THINK GIBSON PICKUPS ARE GOING TO BE SO MUCH BETTER, AND YOU ALSO PLAY HARDROCK I SUGGEST YOU TRY THESE OUT. THEY ARE DEFINITELY AS GOOD AND BETTER FOR MY TASTES THE ONLY THING IS THAT THEY MIGHT JUST BE TOO HEAVY FOR YOU AND THEY ARENT AS WARM. THIS IS NOT WHY PEOPLE BUY EMGS THOUGH.
AS FAR AS BAD CLEAN TONES..... THIS IS THE MAIN REASON I WROTE A REVIEW. IT DOES NOT HAVE A VINTAGE CLEAN SOUND BUT IF YOU ARE DOUBTING GETTING THIS PICKUP BECAUSE OF THIS I SAY YOU NEED TO TRY IT FIRST. IF YOU USE GOOD TECHNIQUE AND PLAY CLEARLY THE NOTES RING LIKE A DREAM AND YOU CAN REALLY PLAY SOME BEAUTIFUL MELODIES YOU JUST HAVE TO APPROACH YOUR STRUMMING A CERTAIN WAY, NOT TO HARD NOT TO SOFT AND YOU WILL BE AMAZED. GO TRY ONE OUT YOU WILL SEE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: low

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez S serie 470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: standard ibanez humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: standard ibanez single coil (middle) and humbucker (neck)
Artists using this pickup: a lot of people
You musical style(s): metal (black/death/trash/gore)
Reason for pickup change: i bought recently a new head, a Marshall JCM 900 4100 and i didn t get the distortion i wanted using simply the head without any effect. It was only not enough loud on the overdrive channel for what i play. So before getting in expensive modifications on the head, i just tried it with an active pickup first. My whole opinion on the amp just changed at the exact moment i plugged the EMG-81 in the guitar, THIS PICK UP SOUND AWSOME. There's just not enought words in the dictionnary to explain how great it is...

Perceived output level: LOUD, LOUD, and again, LOUD as hell. The pre amp in the pick up sound incredibly clear .
Tone: The whole thing is pretty well balanced, some will say that the clean suck, but i like it that way, a bit trebly. And anyway if you want more tone on the clean channel, buy a EMG-85 to plug at the neck pick up position. Nothing to say about distortion, coz this baby is ALL ABOUT distortion.
Sonic evaluation: As i said earlier i m using this pick up on a ibanez S serie (bridge position)plugged directly in a Marshall JCM 900 head hi-gain dual reverb and a randall 4X12 cabinet loaded with celestions G12T-80 and it just fits great to my style which is mostly metal. The distortion is LOUD, what can i say more? You could use it without any pre-amp and this baby will scream out loud. This pick up isn t for everybody i suggest you try it on your own gear before buying it.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Defenatly at bridge position and to use for extrem distortion only

Comments: If it were stolen or lost (even if i can t figure how somebody could loose a pick up while he s using it on his guitar, anyway....) i ll probably want to kill the thief, and after this litlle crisis, i ll run to the store to buy another one for sure. I ve been playin for around 10 years by now and i ve owned a couple of amps, guitars, and effects and i ve never find anything that get closer from the perfect tone and sound as the EMG-81 for my style. I m plenty satisfied with this piece of gear but i still have problems to fit the battery inside the thin body of my ibanez S (something Ibanez should think about) but that s not reliable to the pick up itself. It s close to be a 10 but hey, perfection isn t part of this world.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: dont now dont care

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson dr-3
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: duncan designed
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Slipknot,Machinehead,Zakk Wylde,even chubby Michael Romeo of Symphony -x
You musical style(s): Trash death metal
Reason for pickup change: I wanted the EMG sound

Perceived output level: Hot,but not too hot.,cant really compare
Tone: Trebbly, and upper midy,great for downtuning.very clear
Sonic evaluation: My guitar is made out of mahogany and i tune to C;i think the wood affects the choice of pickups allot,i would never put an 81 on a guitar that is made out of a light wood such as alder ,poplar ot maple(maybe an 85).I love the tone i get.I use it with a J-station amp modeler going to a PA.My friend thought we had a bass player when he heard us but it was just me and the drummer,i turn the bass on the J way up and i get incredible palm mutes,definition and growl.People say the are sterile and metallic .And the answer is yes ,yes and yes.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For hi-gain metal these pickups are the best,rock,blues,etc. look elsewhere

Comments: Either you like em or you dont!take a listen to bands that use it and the decide..
i am currently building a custom guitar and i am going to have only 1 pickup............. yeah,you guessed it..................EMG81!!!
If it were stolen i would buy a sawed of shotgun and find the *!?*&%#&*!!!If you like tatoos,piercings,Jagermeister and grouppies and of course metal then this is the pickup for you.If your a pussy go buy some di*dos and be all sensitive and shit!!!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson SG Standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Alnico passive (Stock)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Eighteen Visions, Finch, Metallica, MPB
You musical style(s): Metal, Punk, Metalcore etc
Reason for pickup change: Wanted something a little different. Made MY guitar MINE!

Perceived output level: Seems a little more than the stock pickup's. It's powerful but in a sharper way than passive pick -ups. (less airy)
Tone: Middy at first but after a play around, it covers a range.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Gibson SG Standard through a Marshall AVT 150 stack. I also sometimes go through Line 6 POD on the rectifier setting. Am currently shopping for MESA triple rectifier As I feel that this will truly push the tone of these things. When I first fit these pickups I was very happy. At my first band practice and when cranked through a half stack in the studio, I started to miss the passive tone as it seemed to provide more of a full sound. After playing around with my settings (essential!)I am once again very happy with the pickup. There is tons of tone waiting to be let out and a little patience as well as some fiddling and you soon realise the capabilities of these pickups. The first thing you notice is the silence. No unwanted noise even at gain 10. They have a sharp underbite as well as a distant rasp to them. The clarity even at high volumes is immense thus the reason for the MESA and playing passive afterwards can seem messy at first.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal/punk/ metalcore music. Think 36 Crazyfists, Eighteen Visions. These pickups suit that style very well as you get all the flavour of passive but with added clarity. I wouldn't, despite what others have said, buy these pickups for just clean playing. They are OK for a bit of clean here and there but it lacks the rank - a - chank of passives. Maybe I just need to play around more. I have these fitted in both neck and bridge and they give a nice clean (not sterile!!!!) tone in both. Friends advised me not to change my "precious" passives on my "classic" guitar but forget that! This is my guitar and my tone! I want something a little different! One shop even told me that two 81's wasn't possible, That they would sound awful, ahem Hammett?!?!. BOLLOCKS! They sound great.

Comments: If these were destroyed I would replace them, I would like to try SD's at some stage but these are the buiseness for now. I have been playing 7 years and own several guitars so I have the passive sound if I want it. The sound on High gain is immense and they eat down tuninig for breakfast. Great clarity and they look awesome! I would have liked more from the clean sound but honestly that's not why I bought them. If I play around with the clean settings then I'm sure i'll get there. I am very satisfied and I think that most guitarists will never truly find "that sound" as it changes all the time. For now this is that sound! Get these if you think you want to play at high gain and get the bite and clarity. DOn't expect them to completely re invent you as a player. These pickups are hot but I like the way they keep some subtle passive qualities. The one piece of advice I would like to share with anyone thinking off installing these pickups is do your HOMEWORK! I fit these myself, Quite a task! (7 hours!But I now have a deeper understanding of my guitar) The SG wasn't designed to take these and it got quite disheartening at times. The back plate was a problem when fitting the battery in and the spring in the brigde was too long (cut it in half) the closer to the strings the better the sound (they aren't magnetic). The biggest problem was the new "stereo" jack input. It wasn't long enough and I had to leave a washer out. It's all good now though. Take it in to be fitted, if you have a trustworthy guitar store nearby. I don't! I give them a nine! cos if it were a ten it would be perfection and nothing is!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: its active... enough said

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson SLSMG
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ-3
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Me and the people below me
You musical style(s): Hard Rock and Metal
Reason for pickup change: HZ's suck ass!!

Perceived output level: Hot as Hell
Tone: Balanced with High Gain
Sonic evaluation: I use a Crate GFX 212 as a cab but run the following through it: ada mp-1,Behringer virtualizer pro, alesis meq-230, BBE sonic Maximizer, DBX compressor.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Metal and Hard Rock music which this pickup does wonder for me, its best in bridge as the 85 is also great with it in the neck position.

Comments: I wouldn't change to another pickup cuz this pickup does wonders for my SLSMG. I've been playing for 8 years and notice how well this pickup has surpassed the Dimarzio X2N that I used to have on my first guitar. I own a DK27 that has Duncan's in it and man the emgs blow it the fuck away. I love how my harmonic squeals rip through the mix and also they work well with effects which is a plus for me. Im going to have Karosa Guitars build me a custom guitar and Im still wondering if I should stick with the emg's or try something new like the bill lawrence L-500XL.

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)

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

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

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.

Pickup features: humb
Impedence or other specs: specs ...

Model of guitar or bass: Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: whatever that was (duncan something)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: i dont know
You musical style(s): Blues, metal, alternative
Reason for pickup change: Because i needed high level output

Perceived output level:
Tone: mids and treble
Sonic evaluation: Peavey 5150 combo w/noise gate , volume, and chorus

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

Comments: Great for some leads and mostly rythm crunchy saturated sounds, sucks for clean sounds.
Thats why i got myself a EMG 85 at neck, for nice cleans.
So i give it a 10 for its metal sound, 2 for clean.
I use the EMG 85 for leads and clean for warm bass and lower mids
And by the way, you dont have to waste all the review space with little personnal issues.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs: sheilded/

Model of guitar or bass: 80's model plywood Kramer
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: emg select
Other pickups on guitar: 85 Emg on neck
Artists using this pickup: Hammet, Zack, me
You musical style(s): name one
Reason for pickup change: looking for more more more!

Perceived output level: very hot
Tone: mids/ trebly with a bit of mud
Sonic evaluation: Kramer mid 80s through a Cry baby into a dbx noisegate into a Alesis midverb4 into a kawai eq 8 out of a Crate BlueVoodoo212.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play country to metal

Comments: I would replace if stolen. I have been a guitarist for at least 18 years, I like the way harmonics leap off the fret board. This pick up has a great sound coupled with my cheap plywood guitar. I was going to replace the guitar but could not find a guitar with the same "Kramer" sound. A Emg 81 can alter the sound of your ax but not in a bad way. If you like the voice of your ax go with a less hot pick up. If you like a balls to the wall wail, this is your ticket.

Pickup features: active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: bc rich warlock, gibson ORIGINAL 61 sg, fender double aft strat (with the floyd rose)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: yet another gibson paf
Other pickups on guitar: gibson paf
Artists using this pickup: too many
You musical style(s): hard rock
Reason for pickup change: took a BOYS opinion

Perceived output level: "HOT"
Tone: "BALANCED"
Sonic evaluation: GUITAR-AMP-PEDALS

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: "GOOD FOR EVERYTHING"

Comments: i just want to add some things to my past review (look for the guy named Edward). listen people, dont get angry with someone just cause they dont like the pickup. mind you these are all OPINIONS! for all you metal wannabes who all have the same stupid guitar sound (emgs and mesa boogies), relax and consider what YOU think about the pickup. so what if someone doesnt like it? its our opinion. im stating this cause some nerd thinks i cant play guitar...lemme tell ya, i aint no 3rd rate malmsteen, and i sure aint no cheap rip off of hammet. emgs are for a specific sound. "metal." not hard rock. i do play metal (anything iron maiden) and i also search for their sound SOMETIMES. but to be successful in the business, you cant have someone elses sound. you cant get famous playing someone elses solo. think about it. if john sykes were to play everyone of jimmy pages solos, someone is gonna notice and say "hey, those are jimmy pages." my point is that im looking for a specific sound too, and emgs are not my way of going. so please, all you dipshits who sit in your room and play guitar with your practice amps dancing around thinking youre kirk hammet, ease up. and remember, these are opinions. if everyone liked the same stuff...well...every other company would go out of business. i took this guys advice about putting the emg in my gibson. lemme tell ya, i take back everything i said...and i will say it again and mean it twice as much. HORSES SHITTING SOUNDS BETTER. dont ever try and confront me thinking youre all tough...emgs....HAH! seymour duncans are way better. I KNOW SEYMOUR DUNCAN, he custom makes my pickups now. listen, i know all you morons like emgs, but dont get on my case. after all...theyre only words!
"we must fight and defend the name of our great leaders! EMG!" i mean cmon, how and why would you defend a pickup. if i hurt someones feelings (somehow your brain is attatched to the humbucker) im sorry. please forgive me. i didnt mean to make you cry. after all your pickup almost made me cry. ive NEVER modded or opened or anything like that my gibson sg. ive owned it for 24 years. i think i accidently stated in my previous review that i had been playing 7 years. i meant 27. so, dont think im new at this stuff. ive owned about 6 guitars, but i sold them because i had to help my nephews out. so i kept it to my best 3. yeah most of you would think "you kept the bc rich? what an idiot!" yeah, but none of you would have known that i had it handmade in here and i watched it get made. its not made of that chesswood or whatever. its made of MAPLE. can we say "expensive"? i paid more for that than i did for my car. (71 boss mustang, orange and black, its beautiful) alright, but anywho, i hate the emg. it sucks to me. may sound good to everyone else, but im not everyone else.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Output Impedance (Kohm) 10

Model of guitar or bass: ESP V350
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ H4
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Hetfield, King, Hammett, Borland, slipknot, Wylde
You musical style(s): Rock, Metal, anything!
Reason for pickup change: The EMG HZ H4 pickups were absolutely useless!

Perceived output level: Hot Very good treble cut
Tone: Very well balanced more to the side of screaming treble than bass, crunchy
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing into a Marshall Mode 4 with MF400 Straight cab, Crybaby Wah, Digitech Whammy, Ibanez delay/echo & flanger/Chorus and Boss Advanced EQ20.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I tend to play more metal or rock than anything else and this is an amazing bridge pickup its the most amazing pickup i've ever heard with gain, TURN IT DOWN FOR CLEANS!

Comments: I Love the in your face cut of this pickup its even nice clean its not bassy but just tweek the tone n eq n TURN THE VOLUME DOWN on the pickup and its crystal clear. This pickup practically overdrives itself when turned up! There is NO better rock metal pickup than this, hearing is believing! Good with an EMG85 on neck, the 85 has a lil less treble cut but is massive sounding on the bass and nice clean TURNED DOWN! I've tried EMG, Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, Gibson & at the end of the day EMGs just blow them out of the water! Overall Especially at high gain!

Pickup features: active HB
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Squier stagemaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: bust stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: hehe a nice big gap where an EMG-85s gonna go
Artists using this pickup: Tom morello! woo!
You musical style(s): broad term - 'experimental rock'
Reason for pickup change: bust old pickups. sounded terrible anyway.
needed heavier tone.

Perceived output level: *much* hotter than any stock ive ever tried (but not an EVH stock)
Tone: treble heavy, mid weak.
Sonic evaluation: stagemaster (+EMG) -->Jim dunlop wah --> EH muff reissue --> fender frontman 15

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: sweet for most rock/metal sounds - covers shred and hair metal :D

Comments: if anything happened to it, id have a good look at SD's or dimarzios - i aint played em much
i own a fender strat, one i made (crappy), a squier strat, and a mountain of parts. theres a hohner copy in there somewhere...
i love the distorted tone, but hate the treble. it really needs an 85 to counter it.
i wish the tone control was a tad more flexible,
i have loads of new sounds that i didnt have before. it makes any guitar sound twice its value

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson SL1
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: 2 EMG SA
Artists using this pickup: who cares who uses them.
You musical style(s): Metalcore
Reason for pickup change: Needed a good metal pickup.

Perceived output level: Very high output pickups, feel like im straining to play louder on my guitars with Passives, to equal the output of the 81.
Tone: Has a very good balanced tone, not to middy, good bass, highs come right through.
Sonic evaluation: I use a 5150 head and cab with 4 Svetlana 6L6GC power tubes and 5 Sovtek 12AX7 preamp tubes. I also have it modified with an adjustable bias to get out of crossover distortion. This pickup screams, i have to turn down my amp when I use this guitar. It has great output, but still remains clear for intricate guitar work, very good sounding.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metalcore, perfect pickup for the style. This pickup is best in bridge position.

Comments: I'd buy EMG 81 for all of my guitars, and then for the new ones when they were stolen. I've been playing for 8 years. I currently own a Jackson Custom Shop Dinky, a Jackson USA Soloist, a Jackson USA Dinky, a Jackson USA DR2, a flamed koa Warmoth Dinky, and a Neal Moser custom (you guessed it) Dinky. I love how high output it is, it can pick up on the slightest movements, while thats probably not good for begginners, it's great once you know how to play guitar. This pickup is really clear even under heavy distortion. I found that sound, and it's an EMG 81.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: see: http://www.emginc.com/specs.html#EMG81

Model of guitar or bass: Cort M-500 "Mirage" (love it!)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Mightymite Vintage alnico
Other pickups on guitar: none (for now, will put in a second EMG81 soon)
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammet, James Hetfield, etc. etc.
You musical style(s): Heavy Metal/Speed Metal/rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: I recently accuired myself that nice PW-10 v-wah boss makes, and no matter how much I loved my old mightymite, it was never going to scream like this baby does.

Perceived output level: This would be in the so-hot-you-break-sweats-hearing-it, so-hot-your-crowd-gets-scared-by-your-output-they-start-running-during-the-soundcheck-your-roadie-is performing
Tone: This pickup is so versatile by means of tone, not as versatile as you'd like if you are an allroud player. I have never ever seen a pickup that gets affected by the tone knob as much as this. I'v got one pickup in the bridge (read this people...). When turning the knob to 0 it's to bassy to play rythms, when turned to 10 it's almost too hot for soloing. I wondered how the hell kirk hammett got his first ESP signature with one single pickup in the bridge. I was wondering about the rythms & stuff, now I know...
Sonic evaluation: I play this badboy on my cort m-500 (prs-style guitar, cool!) through the boss v-wah and through a tube-emulating solidstate (yeah kinda sucks saying it, but it's a good sound). The distorion is so crispy and sounds so natural. No more tone worries for me, every guitar I have/will have needs the emg's from now on. Superb lead-screams, heavy palm mutes. (I'm actually affraid of my own guitar tone, and wonder what will happen with another pickup in the bridge :))
You will have to adjust your gain settings because the emg distorts more easely that any pickup I've heard.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is definately a good metal-pickup. Cleans work ok, but I wouldn't recommend them to jazz players and effect guru's.

Comments: Doesn't need to be stolen, Definately gonna get more of those things anyway. After a tone quest for the last 7-8 years of playing I finally found something to rely on. Just lay back and enjoy my tone when playing, it's an awesome feeling. Stock pickups, or even other great pickups didn't give me THAT sound, when playing you always hear a note here or there that doesn't sound crispy enough, hot enough,.. bassy enough... Now I have total control over my tone, the great attack-response of this pickup helps you to shape your tone with a standard distortion... all you have to do is... FEEL IT. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go enjoy some guitar ;) Peace!
btw us-people... your president's a fucking idiot! ;)

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Pickup is coverd for less noise.

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Gothic V
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 500t
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 496n
Artists using this pickup: Metallica,Slayer,Machine Head,Dino Cazares.Lots of Metal bands
You musical style(s): Anything Metal except that fake crap.
Reason for pickup change: Always wanted to have a Emg-81 cause of its great sound.

Perceived output level: It didnt totally destroy the 500t in output but theres definatly more.
Tone: Its very thick sounding but has better clearity in the highs than the 500t.
Sonic evaluation: Well I'm using the Gibson V in either a J-station or a Crate Combo with a BBE and Metalzone.And I know how much better my guitar sounds in a amp of higher quality like the Engl Savage120.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For my style oh yes perfect not much better Ive heard yet.

Comments: For this guitar or any guitar with a Mahogony body Im putting the 81 in them.For its overall clearity in low tuning.And its overall character.For anybody who thinks they cant get good cleans roll your volume down man.If it were Destroyed that would probably be my own fault.But I always keep my guitar in its case when I dont use it.Oh yeah always unplug your guitar when not in use to save battery life.Ive been playing for 3 yrs and Im very satisfied with my guitar now.It definatly helps me in being a better player

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: NO clue BUT F******** HOT

Model of guitar or bass: guitar
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock jackson peace of S***
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Zack,kirt,Mudvayne But not my favort john Pertrucci :(
You musical style(s): Progressive,Metal,Rock
Reason for pickup change: The other stocker sucked

Perceived output level: So hot it makes my guitar Bleed my guitar
Tone: it is verry trebly and not to much bass but just the rite amount :)
Sonic evaluation: My rig OOOOO boy hear it go's A peavey XXX head>Lany 412 loaded with 30's>donlop wah>Boss Flanger>Boss Nosie supressor>into my Shure wire less>in to my guitar!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Progressive,Metal,Rock

Comments: If this was stolen i would cry theni would kick my cat then i would cry somemore and finaly buy a new one. i have ben playing for 12 years and this is the best pickup i played. TYO ALL U DREAM THEATER FANS LET THE SPIRIT CARRY ON!!!!!!!

Pickup features: i dont know
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: bc rich custom usa warlock
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: gibson paf
Other pickups on guitar: sd jazz neck
Artists using this pickup: weird people
You musical style(s): hard rock
Reason for pickup change: wanted to try it

Perceived output level: i thought it would be as said...to be "the best"
Tone: ugly
Sonic evaluation: my axe>ds1(with the mod!)>chorus>phaser>delay>randall head, peavey 4x12. it sounds....not good with everything ive tried. ive tried it with....countless distortion pedals (i never buy an amp for the distortion...what a waste of money), and every wah pedal i use doesnt like it. its too damn...ugly! no mids! too much highs! and....lows that make me look bad on stage!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play 80's hard rock, classic metal, classic rock....this pickup doesnt work. all the "Gods" used seymour duncans and gibsons...i wasted too much money on this piece of crap.

Comments: if it were stolen...hell id pay the guy for getting it off my hands. if it were destroyed....well....id be the one to do it. ive been playing for 7 years. i own 3 other guitars, and one other amp. oh and a whole shit load of effects. i hate everything about it. not only does it sound ugly...but it looks ugly. not just too plain, but too...harsh. compared to a horse ass, this thing is total shit. i wish i bought a seymour duncan screamin demon. i know they sound alot better. dont waste good, valuable money on something that will/can get you booed off stage. if youre some dumbass numetal/detuning/7string/raprock/punkshit/deathmetal/grindcore idiot who likes to look and sound like a goat pissing into a can, then be my guest and buy a few. but for that much money, it aint worth the shit out of jimmy pages ass. i wouldnt buy emg pickups if i had to waste 100 dollars. id at least buy something worth anything. like seymour duncans."emg"...hah! whats that stand for?! Electric Mouse Guts? its not even worth a 1. its worth...id say a....-75, only cause im nice.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Shit, I don't know...

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez h/s/h Copper flake finish
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez V8
Other pickups on guitar: Emg 85, Ibanez S1
Artists using this pickup: Shitloads
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: Bought them for a guitar I was making. When it fell apart I put the pickups in the Ibanez.

Perceived output level: Way more output than stock pickups.
Tone: Trebly in the bridge, but middy if I turn down the tone knob.
Sonic evaluation: Through A 200-Wat Carvin amp alone it gets great distortion. Throught a Toneworks GNX3 it sounds outstanding.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is great for metal, but it gets a descent clean tone when treble is boosted.

Comments: This is the ultimate pickup for metal and is better than most for any style of music. I have stopped searching for the best metal pickup.