EMG 81

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.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanex RG270B
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Ibanez Passive
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Lead metal players
You musical style(s): Hardcore, Metalcore
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a hotter, crunchier sounding palm mute.

Perceived output level: It's an active pickup - meaning it's really, really, really high output.
Tone: This pick-up is all crunch, no definition. The bottom end sounds like shit. The top end is nu-metal hiss. The middle is nonexistant.
Sonic evaluation: Really the stock passive Ibanez pickups put these EMGs to shame. I'm running my Ibanez RG270 through a Peavey 5150 with Electro-Harmonix tubes and a Mesa Rectofier Traditional 4x12 cabinet. I really, really, don't like the pickups for ANYTHING. They just don't sound right. The attack is absolutely awful sounding. I think that's what ruins it for me, it sounds like a amazingly high output single coil. It sounds like I'm playing slap bass on my guitar almost. That's how bad the attack is. If I could somehow kill that attack it wouldn't be so bad. It sounds downright spongy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play hardcore and metalcore. No, not a good match AT ALL. The EMG 85 is a little better is you like sounding like eighteen visions. This pickup is unsuitable for pretty much every position, but most people run it in the bridge.

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen I would probably buy a set of passive pickups or stick my old Ibanex pups back in.
I've been playing for about 5 years now, I own a bunch of junk that doesn't really matter.
The thing I love about this pickup? It looks really slick. What do I hate? How it makes me sound like I'm playing Slipknot covers with a slap bass. It really sounds terrible.
I wish it had better tone. I'm not satisfied at all.
Anything else I'd like to share? Well, I hate this pickup. HATE. It's no good, trust me, it sounds like crap.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Dinky Reverse, Jackson Rhodes Pro, ESP eclipse custom
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG-HZ in the Jackson Dinky, Jackson stock in the Rhodes, pickups came stocked in the ESP
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Thrash metal/ hardcore/ crossover
Reason for pickup change: I wasn't getting the sound i wanted out of the EMG HZ. They weren't hot enough. The Jackson stock pickups in the Rhodes were shot.

Perceived output level: The output level was much hotter than the emg-hz and the jackson stocks in the rhodes.
Tone: The Emg 81 really beefed up my sound. It gave me a nice tight bottom end crunch and more kick to my highs.
Sonic evaluation: Right now I am using mainly the ESP eclipse w/ emg81's in the neck and bridge through a marshall TSL half-stack. The Jackson dinky is my backup. The rhodes was basically old and broken down so I figured id fix it up and throw in an 81 and try and ressurect it. It sounds like a completely different guitar. It really made a huge difference. The first time i showed up to practice after i put the emg's in my first Jackson, my bass player asked me if i had set my amp differently because my guitar has sounded fuller and had a tighter bottom end. Thats when i really first noticed the difference between the active and the passives when i had my amp cranked. After that i bought the eclpise with the emg's stocked and put them in my rhodes. From now on all my guitars will have them in it. They really won me over. I had a gibson Iommi put in my strat a few years ago, but it never completely made me happy like the emg's have.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: In my guitars with the EMG's i play mostly thrash metal (no nu-metal garbage). i also play other styles with the eclipse that has one in the neck and it sounds great as well. It should suit most styles pretty well

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen I would totally get another one. I am sold on these pickups from now on. I have been playing for 10 years and these are the best pickups i have used. I resisted buying actives for years, i wish i would have gotten them sooner. Great pickups, well worth the money!

Pickup features: Humbucker Active pickup
Impedence or other specs: loud

Model of guitar or bass: Dxmg Jackson guitar
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock emg hz
Other pickups on guitar: Emg 60
Artists using this pickup: Metal Gods..........
You musical style(s): metal, jazz, classical, blues
Reason for pickup change: My Reason for the pickup change, well the ones that came in the guitar were stock Emg-hz. they sounded good but it wasn't loud enough.

Perceived output level: These Emg 81 pickups are well made they sound Amazing
Tone: The tone is clear, balanced, smooth distortion. crunchy heavy palm mutes just like metallica I can see why the metallica boys use this pickup. When you crank you amps full blast these pickup sound clear and thunderous.
Sonic evaluation: my guitar is hooked up to 6 Marshall full stacks hooked together with a eq system. and wireless cable. with effects. when its cranked its loud as can be. The 81 pickups are just as loud as the Duncan heavy metal live wire pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Heavy F@#$##@ Metal Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments: If these pickups were stolen I would buy 30 more of them.
The Emg 81s are a lot better than the Duncan live wire metal pickup.
The duncan live wire metal pickup is for rythm players only. If you have the 81s you can Play rythm and solo parts Live and they sound Awesome.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: go to emg.com

Model of guitar or bass: guitar
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Ibanez
Other pickups on guitar: disengaged stock ibanez on neck
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wyle, Kirk Hammet
You musical style(s): all types of metal
Reason for pickup change: Ibanez pickups were shit

Perceived output level: This pickup is extremely hot and has very high output. It is on the verge of crunchy on my clean.
Tone: a little trebly....but not too much...Just perfect. Has the added distortion from the high output, and way more clarity than my old pickups. I can actually hear the notes when I palm mute in dropped c. Has great secitivity to the notes. you can hammer on pull of the whole is that's your style. Has great sustain.
Sonic evaluation: I'm going through an Ibanez GAX, to a original crybaby wah, to an Ibanez smashbox, to a fender deluxe 112. It has great sound. It's still the same tone....but better definded through the amp. Keeps clarity no matter how much distion. I play everything from metallica and megadeth, to godsmack and mudvayne, to Zakk Wyle and Dime. This suites my every need. A freaken wall of distortion. I was thinking about puting an afterburner on it before I bought it...but i don't think I need it, that's how sensitive it is. Make sure you put it as close to the stings as possible. I get the freaken greatest fade to black solo sound if I turn my crybaby on, rock it all the way bass side, and leave it and solo away.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: bridge, great metal pickup

Comments: It's a great pickup, perfect for you metal heads out there. I've been playing every day for ten years..and this is as good as it gets. I also got a nice price on it too...so I'm completely satisfied. Installed it myself, not too hard. I would recamend it to anyone, the best $80 you can spend on you guitar.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich N.J Ironbird
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock
Artists using this pickup: Everybody (which is shame)
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: Wanted better pickup than BC Rich stock...

Perceived output level: Not as hot that I've heard. In fact EMG-81 is pure shit compared to SD LiveWire Metal humbucker!!!
Tone: Tredly... The pickup has too thin sound. I wanted something with crunchy palm mutes and dark bassy sound, but no!
Sonic evaluation: Laney amps.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I Play Black- and Deathmetal like Immortal, Dark Funeral, In Flames, Dimmu Borgir etc. This pickup is a metal pickup, but still I'm very disappointed with the sound.

Comments: If somebody would stole it, I would get a Seymour Duncan LW Metal humbucker which kicks the living shit out of this!! GET LIVEWIRE METAL HUMBUCKER!!! It's MUCH better than this piece of shit!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Dunno....lol....

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson USA Custom Randy Rhoads 1
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Seymour Duncan TB-4
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60 (neck) / EMG Afterburner / EMG-EXP Expander
Artists using this pickup: Hetfield, Zakk Wylde, etc...
You musical style(s): Heavy Rock
Reason for pickup change: I wanted something with more sensitivity, harmonics, heaviness, etc. The duncans weren't hot enough.

Perceived output level: High Output
Tone: Balanced. I'm very happy. The only time I get some mud is if I have the afterburner cranked...so I just back off a little...cranked it's a little too much anyways..
Sonic evaluation: I've been playing through my Jackson and Marshall JCM 900 "Hi-Gain Dual Reverb" head since '97 I think. My signal chain goes like this: guitar-->boss TU-2 tuner-->Morley Bad Horsie Wah-->Amp. In the effect loop I use a boss dd-5 delay and a boss ch-1 super chorus. I am one of those "tube amp" kind of guys (always use the amp's distortion and clean, etc) and I like to keep everything simple. Anyways, I used the stock pickups (Duncan SH-2 jazz <neck>, Duncan TB-4 trembucker <bridge>) all these years and when I finally had some extra cash I decided I wanted to change my pickups. I was looking to get more of a massive crunch through my Marshall, etc. I don't know if that happened much (basically Marshalls and their valves always sound like Marshalls), but I instantly turned into Zakk Wylde with my leads! lol. I got all that super sustain and crazy harmonics and awesome hammer-on sensitivity. Pretty much you can let your fingers fly around the fretboard and don't have to pick as many notes for them to be heard. This rocks. Fingertapping sounded good on the 1st and 2nd strings, not as good on the 3rd string as with my old trembuckers...got a tad muddy. But I was able to clean it up some with my technique. The cleans on the 81 sounded great (I'm a marshall-clean type of guy); even more lush on the 60 in the neck. The cleans are much better than the Duncan TB-4. However, without my EMG Afterburner engaged, everything gets a little bit duller sounding and less sensitive...I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this addition.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a great match for just about anything I could dream up. Works well for me.

Comments: This is a great match for just about anything. With the 81/60 combination, I get Zakk Wylde, I get SRV, I get Hendrix, Gilmour, etc, you name it. What it DOESN'T do is instantly give you James Hetfield's TriAxis Boogie heaviness. If you want that, get THAT AMP. Basically your amp tones stay the same, different pickups just help you get more out of it. And it REALLY helps if you're a decent player because the magic happens with your hands...these pickups just give it that added boost and sensitivity so it makes things happen MUCH easier! There are other products out there...Duncan makes a Live Wire Heavy Metal pickup which I think is the hottest one on the market, but I didn't want to expand the cavity in my guitar to hold an extra battery! So I don't know how these may sound...I'm betting much sicker than the EMG's. Anyways, to make sure I had gained out everything, I threw on an EMG afterburner to give it a some more boost. This helped with all the harmonics and sensitivity. As I said before, I am happy with the sound and would never see the need to spend hundreds of dollars to change pickups again. Do they sound processed? Probably a little. Does it matter for my style or ear...NO!!!! And I'm a purist freak. Basically, you know what humbucking pickups sound like, and you get that with more sensitivity and gain. I want to get a 7 stringer in the future and hope the 707's sound as nice as these do. Well done EMG!

Pickup features: A humbucking ACTIVE
Impedence or other specs: ACTIVE=NEEDS A BATTERY(but thats a good thing), Low impedence

Model of guitar or bass: RG270
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: middle: SD hotrail neck: Dimarzio Evolution....passive pickups
Artists using this pickup: Hammet, Wylde, and pretty much anyother metal guitarist you can think of
You musical style(s): Extreme Metal, Particularly in the style that albany, ny creates it.
Reason for pickup change: Well im a gearhead, and every guitar i own must be Fucking jacked! Also the EMGactives were the only high output pickups i have not installed, so i figured i just had to give it a try on my RG.

Perceived output level: extremly high and clear. it's like having a fernandes sustainer with the sweet spots always on with the harmonic switch, For those who may relate.
Tone: i would say it is the best well balanced high output pickup ive played. and i own a sh-6, invader, and X2N(all bridge pickups)
Sonic evaluation: Randall Cyclone head, through the cheaper Marshall cab. And like i said, this pickup is installed in my Ibanez Rg270.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Many styles, such as classic badass rock(Zep, Sabbath and so on), and all kinds of "shred" metal, whatever metal it is, its gotta be SHRED and be technical. Im not sure how this pickup would sound in the neck, but kirk hammet has it installed there, so it must splice rather well.

Comments: In the un-godly instance of the pickup being gone, i would buy another one, because this pickup is just way too cool. Here's the deal, if you are looking at this than you are probly thinking about purchasing one....BUy IT! Its the best pickup i have played, period. Ive been playing since i was 11 years old, now im dawning on the age of 20. Through everything i have tried..this is the best overall pickup i have played through, What i currently own, is a fernandes retrorocket with a X2N, a Fender Strat with a invader, and a ESP m252 with a Duncan distortion. So its fair to say when it comes to high output pickups...not only have i heard them all, but i pretty much own them all. It is extremely obvious why Zakk Wylde and hammet use these pickups, and you'll see what im talking about when you play through them. However for the people out there that install their own pickups and are looking to start going active, there's some things you should know. The EMG's are low impedence, which gives its ability for the amzing clear output, but this means they have to be connected to 25k pots, as aposed to 250k-500k pots that passive pickups must use. so there is a problem if you plan on splicing the two. If you wire the passive pickups, say neck, and middle, with a emg in the bridge...the passives are going to sound like shit and barely be noticeble. NOT COOL. and if you use 250k or 500k pots, you'll kill the emg. So i didnt find this out until i was checking the wiring diagrams at emg's website, and then noticed a FAQ question about mixing the two. So before you buy one of these, take that into consideration...what i plan on doing is installing a EMG afterburner, and then maybe buying a seymour duncan pickup booster pedal. If that does not help my situation, than more than likely ill buy a emg neck and middle for my RG, and then transfer my evolution neck, and hotrail middle to another guitar. Now if you are maybe thinking twice about going active, a pickup that comes the absolute closest in quality of output mixed with clearity, for technical metal...would be the seymour duncan sh-6, the invader is a great choice too believe it or not, however your sacraficing very little clearity with the higher output, but either way its some brutal shit. ROCK ON!

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

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG something or another.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Crap Ibanez pickups that came with the guitar
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-60(neck)
Artists using this pickup: Metallica and musicians better than them.
You musical style(s): Doom/Sludge and Grindcore
Reason for pickup change: Needed better pickups.

Perceived output level: More output than the stock pickups I replaced but not by leaps and bounds.
Tone: Well balanced for my setup.
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez RG through several distortion pedals and EQs out of various different heads and amps. I live in Japan so all the amps I use are what the practice studios and clubs have in supply.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play "earth aging slowly" drone doom to noisy grindcore. This pickup is ideal for both styles.

Comments: If this thing was lost, stolen or destroyed(most likely of the three) I'd replace it instantly. My only gripe is with all the soldering and drill work I had to do to get the things installed. I couldn't use the jack that came with the EMG since it was too short for my Ibanez but luckily I was able to solder the battery to the jack I had already. Distance between the tone and volume pots was too short too and I didn't feel like extending the distance so I drilled a new hole for one of them. Works good since I was able to put a separate tone for my neck EMG-60 in the vacant hole.
I tune waaaaaay too low for a 6 string guitar(Low G) and use heavy gauge strings so I needed something to pick up the low frequencies enough so as not to be a muddy mess. The EMG does this perfectly. I also distort my sound to the point that it's a cacophony of noise and where before notes had difficulty being heard above the droning chaos they now rise through it while not destroying the shit awful sound I've cultured over the past 10 years. This thing is amazing. I've tried quite a few pickups, both active and passive, and the EMG is by far the best I've used. For a harsh, fucked up sound this is the pickup.

Pickup features: Active humbucking pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 270
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: emg 85
Artists using this pickup: U know
You musical style(s): Metal rulez
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups made alot of noise and were sucks

Perceived output level: the pickup issss hotttt it has powerrrr
Tone: balanced - its very good for metal solos if u pick a tone it last for atlist 10 secondes and thats on clean!!!
Sonic evaluation: i am using this setup:
ibanez RG270 ----> zoom 505II -----> ibanez dt7 -----> washburn amp 45W
my amp is vintage from england ( from marshall days)
its not vulve buy its still rocks!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play metal shit and this is the pickup for me

Comments: for does how have any ibanez rg - they have the same wood so its sounds good on 270 - 570 - its doesnt metter its sounds the same
my guitar sound better then the 570 and cost me less

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: No idea

Model of guitar or bass: ESP M252BB
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock EMG-HZ
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 humbucker in the neck, SA single-coil at the mid
Artists using this pickup: Hammett, Wylde, King...basically any metal player with an awesome tone
You musical style(s): Rock, metal, blues, jazz, funk, trance, instrumental
Reason for pickup change: It's a stock EMG-HZ...need I say more?

Perceived output level: Definitely one of the hottest pickups out there
Tone: A lot of treble balanced with a lot of bass
Sonic evaluation: I'm running my ESP M252BB through a Line6 PODxt, either directly into my computer or into a Carvin SX200 half-stack.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I use my ESP mainly for high-gain, heavy-metal kinda stuff, but it can get a surprisingly good clean tone as well. Do NOT put this pickup in the neck.

Comments: This pickup is simply awesome; if something happened to it, I'd definitely buy another one.
I've been playing a little over two years and own an Epiphone Les Paul 100 with Seymour Duncan pickups as well as a Fender Powerhouse Strat with an EMG David Gilmour system. For effects and direct-recording purposes, I use a Line6 PODxt with eMagic software, and when I want an amp, I have a Carvin SX200 half-stack.
When it comes to pure metal tone, this pickup is GOD. I absolutely love it! My only complaint is that it cost me more to have the Afterburner system in my guitar hooked up to it, but that's a very minor gripe.
I got this pickup because I wanted the 'EMG sound' - that exact, heavy-metal distortion I heard in my head. Paired with the right effects and amp settings, I got it and then some.
All in all a terriffic pickup. I reccomend it to anyone looking for an awesome heavy metal sound.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: no idea...but really hot

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone LP standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan SH-14 Custom
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio PAF
Artists using this pickup: bunch of metal guys
You musical style(s): blues, rock, jazz, funk, a bit o' metal
Reason for pickup change: wanted something a lot hotter and a little more quiet

Perceived output level: significantly hotter than the Duncan SH-14 or even my old Dimarzio Super Distortion
Tone: it's reeeeeally bright and it's got a lot of low end, too. Not a lot of mids.
Sonic evaluation: Using my LP through a solid state Crate 212 (not bad, but no so good), and this sucker pushes my tubescreamer like nothing else can. The pots that come with it have a completely smooth taper, which is cool.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is good for my rock and roll, and the metal sounds nice, but this should never be put in the neck (get a Duncan '59 SH-1 or a Dimarzio PAF)

Comments: I don't know if I'd buy this again, frankly...it's a little difficult having to deal with the lack of conventional wiring. Of coruse, it's a different beast, but I don't want to have to buy additional components just to split the coils or reverse the phase. But, it sounds nice. I wish this had more mids like my old Duncan, or even the Super. I'm thinking about trading this in for a dimarzio Tone Zone or Breed, which I hear are just plain old fat. I think anyone that scoops mids has an inferiority complex, and mids are the most important part of a lead. Anyway, rock on.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Parts guitar with an '80's Schecter neck and Chandler body
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: 2 x EMG SA
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammet, Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Hard Rock, Metal, Blues/rock
Reason for pickup change: These pickups were in the guitar when I got it.

Perceived output level: Very high output, noticibly more so than anything I've owned previously, can't compare it to much.
Tone: Somewhat trebly, but rather well rounded, compared to some high-output passives.
Sonic evaluation: The guitar is a mutant: Schecter neck, Chandler body (probably adler), lisenced floyd-type bridge. The pickups are wired like a normal strat; i.e. there's no tone control on the 81 in the bridge, it's like wide open all the time. The amp I use it with mostly is a Mesa/Boogie S.O.B. The combination is quite nice. It can either scream bloody murder or sing like an angel.
As you can tell, I am not really a big fan of high-output electronics, most of the time. To be honest, I've only tried two really high output humbuckers in the past, the DiMarzio Super Distortion and the Seymour Duncan Distortion, which when you get into specifics are 13 and 16 K ohms respectively. These are probably not the best examples of high-output passives, but they really turned me off to the idea. The 81 is really smooth, and I've been getting this very sweet tone something like Santana meets Metallica, smoother lead than Metallica, crunchier rhythm than Santana.
Other details, the amp has a limiter control which means I can run it hotter at lower volumes, which means quite a bit to my tone. Also I string with .011-.050 and tune a half-step down with this guitar.
I've also played this guitar through a Mesa/Boogie MKIIB, a Subway Rocket and a Fender Champ 12. I do not care for super-high gain tones with this (or any) guitar. Clean tones do seem kinda thin with this guitar, but not necessarily in a bad way, I'm sure if you worked with it, you could get a decent jazz sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This guitar with the EMGs is my workhorse, I play alot of things with it. I can't think of much you can't do with it. It might not sound as good in an electric 12 string.

Comments: I have already bought this pickup again. I'm in the process of building a guitar which is similar to this one. The new guitar will have two 81's, both neck and bridge. I've been playing for around 7 years. I've owned around 50 guitars in that time, no joke. I've been taking my search for *that* sound quite seriously. The EMG 81 and the Mesa/Boogie amp is an excellent combination.
I also think putting the EMGs in a guitar with a tremolo is a good idea, as trems tend to take away from the 'body' of a guitars tone. If this project goes well, I think my third parts guitar (second I've made) might have an 81 bridge and be a hardtail.

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 10 Kohms 1.25 RMS output voltage 1.75 peak output

Model of guitar or bass: all Jacksons
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan-Designed for Jackson (got a shit-ton of leftovers now)
Other pickups on guitar: Are you kidding?
Artists using this pickup: Everyone better than you
You musical style(s): Metal bastardized with neo-classical, blues, and clean textures
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups just cannot compare with these. Actives are better by far: you get great consistent badass tone, no noise, no string ground, near endless sustain, and gobs of POWER. Tim Allen would be proud!

Perceived output level: I've never heard/played another passive pickup that can drive like these!
Tone: Very well balanced and consistent, no sogginess whatsoever!
Sonic evaluation: Rig 1 ADA MP-1 rack preamp into Marshall VS100 head and one Marshall 1960A 4x12 cab (100 watts mono) Rig 2 ADA MP-1 rack preamp into Nady GEQ 215 rack eq , Rocktron Hush Super C, Rocktron Velocity 300 power amp with two Marshall 4x12 cabs (150 watts per side stereo) These pickups will drive a little 10 watter practice amp to "eviction" levels! Imagine what they do in rigs like this!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Awesome pickup for metal, I have 81s in both neck and bridge positions.

Comments: Steal the pickups right out of the guitar? Must be a very dim-witted thief, could only be a politician then! Wait a minute....those two ARE the same thing! Ha! I wouldn't give it a second thought about replacing these with the same, as I put EMGs in every "keeper" guitar I own. I'm that serious about it, its like crack for your ears. Once you have them, you don't want anything else. Doesn't work too good for clean tones, I admit, as it pushes so hard to the amp that the clean breaks up and distorts. You'd have to turn down the guitar volume a bit for that, but before you roll your eyes, keep in mind that the tone stays CLEAR and FULL even though the volume is down! Passive setups will lose the high end and become muddy when the volume gets turned down. Since EMG setups don't need to ground the strings, you won't get shocked from the microphone when you're playing either. Could save your life then. I've never, EVER had any problems with EMG pickups, and I have been using them since about 1986. So you have to change the battery about every 3000 hours of playing. Quit crying! Thats the nature of the beast. You would change the oil in your Lamborghini every 3000 miles and not bitch about it, wouldn't you? The tone, power, and sustain are worth it. If you are still searching for your magnificent metal tone and haven't tried these out, I think you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. $100 is cheaper than buying a new rig in your quest for THE sound. Look, if you honestly don't like them after you try them, you can definitely get your money back out of them by selling them to someone else! If your axe requires multiple pickups, buying them seperately at the same time will give you spare parts such as volume and tone pots, jacks, if you feel that you would need them in the future. So yes, awesome deal, awesome sound, none of the bad qualities that passives would have.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Fat Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock fender humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: emg SA in neck
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, hetfield, hammet, everyone
You musical style(s): Grunge, punk, some metal
Reason for pickup change: better distortion handeling

Perceived output level: Fucking Hot
Tone: perfectly balanced
Sonic evaluation: Fender fat strat with emgs into Peavy studio pro 112 and/or fender 72 super reverb

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play mostly havey punk and grunge, I saturate the hell out of the pickups with distortion, and the guitar handels it likeits a clean tone, its fucking amazing

Comments: Words cant describe this pickup. Ive tried everything, and nothing comes close to the way it sounds. clean or saturated. Ill say this: if you dont have an 81 in your bridge, your a fucking dumbass. pay the hundred bucks, and rock out.

Pickup features: humbucking, Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul, Speciall II
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock standard epiphone
Other pickups on guitar: stock epiphone - no longer in use due to wiring
Artists using this pickup: James Hetfield, Zakk Wylde, Kerry King(slayer), At the Gates, In Flames etc., (Mark Knoppfler uses EMG)
You musical style(s): classical, blues, hard rock, melodic death, metal
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to upgrade guitar without spending $3000 on a Gibson Les Paul Studio/Custom. Changing pickup first is the cheapest step before buying a through neck Les Paul. I'll have this pickup forever now.

Perceived output level: It's really hot. Very loud pickup being an active, as soon as you plug your guitar for the first time, you go WOW that's loud
Tone: I read all the reveiws for the EMG-81 under the sun, looked for sound samples (couldn't find one(depends on guitar). In the bridge position, in my epiphone it sounded basically like
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments:

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: emginc.com

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 620x(with piezo bridge)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez v8
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-60
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammet, James Hetfield, Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: The stock pu had no gain, crunch, no bass, no output, I wanted the sound.

Perceived output level: You can feel the gain flowingin there, woah, i am still shaken.
Tone: It is very crunchy, bassy , as clear as cristal, and a bit trebly.
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez RG 620x to crybaby wah to line 6 pod to peavey classic 50 212 combo.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal (slayer, megadeath, ozzy ,metallica...)and rock(van halen,led zepplin...)

Comments: It will not be stolen, but if it happened, I would buy the same dam pu-guitar configuration. These pu's are the best dam things i ever heard, there perfect. I love everything about thoses, i've been window shopping for 2 to 3 months and i allways came back to emg's for their sound and quality. I've been playing for 4 years and my setup is the best setup i've ever heard! I finaly got the sound i allways wanted! in short this pickup is a huge can of concentrated whopass! Yeah!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Schecter C-1 + and 006 elite
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Some crappy Duncan Designs
Other pickups on guitar: C-1 + EMG 85 (bridge)
Artists using this pickup: Lots of guys: James Root, Mick Thompson, Greg Tribet (Gurg), ect...
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: Wanted something with some style, and figured "hey some guys I look up to as guitarist use it so I might as well give it a shot."

Perceived output level: Oh god this thing is hot. This think sings greatly.
Tone: Tight and punchy
Sonic evaluation: Man this pick up is awesome. I use to have a Seymore Duncan sh-6 in my 006, so when I got my C-1+ guitar I wanted something different. So I had a Zak Wylde set put in (an 81 & 85). I liked them so much I had and 81 put in my 006. I play them through a Marshall AVT 150 head with goes through a Carvin stack. Wow, these pickups are awesome, in combination with the amp, they can play loud volumes and still sound great.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal, new, old it doesnt matter. You do not want this pick for alot of mellow crap like on the clean channel this pickup still sounds distorted it is so hot. And that is not always a good thing (but I play metal so it doesnt bother me too much).

Comments: This is the "METAL PICK-UP" I will from this point on probably put this in all of my guitars.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson DKMGT
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Jazz
Artists using this pickup: METALLICA, SLAYER, JUDAS PRIEST, SLIPKNOT. I know a lot of death metal artists swear by this pickup
You musical style(s): Metal, Hard Rock, etc.
Reason for pickup change: I love my Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion and would recommend it to anyone wanting a pickup comparable to an EMG-81, but if you want the actual EMG-81 sound, only an EMG-81 will do.

Perceived output level: Absoulutely hot. As hot as you can get in my opinion. As far as comparisons go, it sounds hotter than the SD SH-6 Distortion, but it does not completely blow away the SH-6. The EMG-81 has a different kind of hot. Very specific. It is so powerful that it makes playing easier. That is good or bad depending on your playing style.
Tone: This pickup is balanced. Anyone who says otherwise has something in their signal chain that needs fixed. Some people refer to this pickup as "sterile" and that is the worst description you could ever come up with. It sounds processed, but that is definitely not a bad thing. It is different, that's all. I think people who hate this pickup are the ones that want to "hear the reverberation of the wood from their 1964 strat" and "feel the warmth of a good strum". Give me a break. If you get an EMG-81, then you must know a thing or two about metal.
Sonic evaluation: I have not put this into my Jackson yet. The guitar I played was a Fender with the EMG's installed. The strings looked like they hadn't been changed in 10 years, but I still got a fantastic sound. Also, I think a Fender strat is the last guitar I would think about putting an EMG-81 in, so that really says alot about actives.
I took my rack into the store because I really wanted a good feel if they would work with my equipment. My rack consists of a TECH 21 PSA-1 preamp, Mosvalve MV-962 Power Amp, Lexicon MPX-200 effect unit and finally into a Marshall 1960 4x12 cab. The sound was amazing as soon as I plugged in. In fact, the pickup brought new life to a few of the presets on my PSA-1 that previously sounded harsh. Noise disappeared, as did the screechy type sound I was previously getting at high volumes. I obviously played some Metallica riffs, and I dropped the guitar's tuning to D, to hear if it could handle that. Both sounded excellent and very tight. Two words that best describe the sound I was getting is punchy and tight. I can see why distortion freaks like this pickup. It really cuts through. The one cool thing is that my "buzz" was gone. Since my setup is solid state, I sometimes get a buzziness to my sound. That is cool for certain styles, etc. but I come from a 1980's background so I like the tighter sound that bands like Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. had.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal and Hard Rock. I like playing clean stuff too and I think this pickup sounded ok clean also.

Comments: I think I got in-depth enough. Bottom line is that I have been playing since 1985 and although I have loved many different types of pickups, the EMG-81 is THE pickup you need for metal. It adds that certain sound that you feel has been missing for so long. I am really glad I made this purchase. Just a sidenote. My guitar originally had an active gain boost in it that I had disabled because I didn't want to change a battery, etc. The sound of the EMG-81 was so good that I don't mind changing batteries again. I give this section a 9 only because the price is high. They sell these things like hotcakes, you would think they would drop the price.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer Explorer
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Designed HB-103b
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, lots of dudes
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to try something new. You can never keep stock pickups for too long, no matter what they are, unless they're already top of the range pickups, but mine weren't, so i thought i'd change em :)

Perceived output level: A little hotter than the duncans. Approximately 15 times hotter than my fender's single coils :)
Tone: Very balanced, not trebly and sterile like everyone says
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Marshall JCM 900 50W Master Volume, through a JCM 800 300W Quad Box, with a BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor and a ZOOM Tri Metal

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This could be used for any style, seriously. A little tweaking and you're there. But it's totally awesome for metal

Comments: At first when i tried it out, i noticed that the output was lower than the duncans. Then i realised that the pickup was lowered and the action was super high (thanx to crappy guitar tech. He put 10-46's on it. 10's!!! And he tuned it E! Total blasphempy!!!)
So anyways, i fixed all that up, and i played it again, and WHOA! It's not the output that surprised me about this, like i expected. I'm very surprised at the balanced tone this thing has. I expected it to be kinda harsh and trebly, but it's not. It's very balanced and it's easy to make it trebly or bassy or anything. Very easy to equalise. And the other thing that surprised me is the clarity. I can't believe how clear this thing sounds at any end of the sound spectrum. You can dial in full treble or full bass or anything, and you can hear every single note you play. It's so easy to sweep and shred on this coz every note and nuance you utter from your fingers comes through crystal clear, it's incredible. Palm mutes are an absolute pleasure to hear, so much balls and gut wrenching fun. The other great thing about this pickup is the harmonics. I can get harmonics on almost every fret, it's great. And artificial harmonics are easy to get too. I can get 3 different harmonics for every note with absolute ease
I guess i should compare this to some other pickups now :)
Over the last year or so i've tried heaps of pickups. I've tried nearly the whole DiMarzio range, and a lot of the Seymour Duncans, and even some Gibsons. The only DiMarzio's i was interested in were like the Blaze, Evolution, and the other hot pickups. Their problem was that thru all the elevated output, they lost all their character and tone. Probably the best pickup i used was the Duncan Designed pickups i had on before i chucked the EMG-81 in. But they had the same problem as all the other hot pickups i tried. They tend to fizz up with high output, and they lose their character and definition, and tone. And the pickups i tried that weren't so hot, they had all the character and stuff, but not enough output. So i chucked in the EMG-81, i had tried it once before, but through a crap setup in a crap shop somewhere, and it sounded pretty alright. So i thought i'd take a gamble and stick it in there anyway. And i made a wise choice. Because it's active, the output isn't a problem. So that leaves it open for tonal tweaking, and this thing is perfectly balanced so you won't have any trouble with it. Next step: EMG-60 for my empty neck pickup slot!

Pickup features: Active Humbucking Pickup
Impedence or other specs: Impedience set to work prefectly with its internal preamp

Model of guitar or bass: 70's Gibson V
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: The black coverless thing that was in it when I got it.
Other pickups on guitar: An empty neck position waiting for an EMG-60
Artists using this pickup: James of Metallica, but who don't know that anyway
You musical style(s): Metal, Blues, Rock. Whatever
Reason for pickup change: The old 1 sucked

Perceived output level: A fair bit hotter than any passive pickup I've tried, the last one being a SD JB Humbucker
Tone: Nice smooth mid with a sharp attack, clear hi-end for string bending and the like. Very good bell like clean tone.
Sonic evaluation: Marshall Series 9001 Preamp and 9005 50/50 Power amp with a marshall 2x12. Loaded with g12h-75's I think.

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

Comments: I know this pickup if mainly associated with metal because of its hi output for driving the preamp but I would concider it a very versatile pickup. Getting a clean sound form this pickup is no problem at all. It has a slightly processed kind of sound to it but I wouldn't say it was sterile at all. The internal processing brings out the tone much better than any passive pickup I've tried.

Pickup features: humbucking active
Impedence or other specs: Read the spec sheets yourself. Let your ears talk to you.

Model of guitar or bass: gibson Les Paul Special solid mohagany
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson stock pups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Jazz,Rock, Heavy metal,metal,classic rock.
Reason for pickup change: To make the gibson become a metal machine.

Perceived output level: I expected a full out driven sound with control of the frequencies not all muddy and lost. This set of pups is a great solution for the guitarist that need more under the hood along with effects and amps.
Tone: Balanced, very articulate, great harmonics, great speeed. Responds well for mellow music, twangy stuff, Rock and metal. I guessd its a pretty good example of the best pickup around.
Sonic evaluation: I use a variety of guitars, but wanted my Les Paul to become a metal machine. The gibson stock stuff is good, but after changing them out I realized these are so much better. They made this guitar sound hot, but that's not to say it will not to clean riffs. They are very good clean riffs, may need EQing the sound to get really clean.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: A great pickup for everything. No Bull.

Comments: I rate this pickup system as one of the highest I have had the pleasure to use to date. I am sure in the future someone wil come up with a better one, however for now? I don't believe many companies are prod8ucing a pickup with this kind of presence, fat sound, clarity, sustain and overdriven sizzle that EMG has here. I am rating these as the best, because the p[assive pickups sound sort of limp after playing these for a few hours. It's like you changed amps or something. Or the tubes are still cold. Buy them and enjoy. If you want to do one pickup only do the bridge position first. that way you may enjoy the hybrid passive/active system.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Rhoads RR3
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60 in the neck
Artists using this pickup: A lot of people, but who really cares.
You musical style(s): Wicked fast, wicked heavy, brutal metal
Reason for pickup change: I had heard all the hoopla about EMGs and got a deal on a guitar loaded with an 81 and a 60.

Perceived output level: Runs circles around any other pickup I have ever used.
Tone: Very full, big bottom, bright top end. Very balanced, great range.
Sonic evaluation: I am running a Peavey Triple X through a Marshall stack (1960A/B). This pickup rules. I have used various Seymour Duncans, DiMarzio's, stock Jackson, and Bill Lawrence pickups (the real ones, not the crappy imitations). The only pickup that I have used that is in the same league as far as performance is the Lawrence L-500XL, which doesn't sound as good clean but can go head to head with the EMG when using high gain. Once I got the Rhoad's with the EMGs I had them put in all of my other guitars because they ran circles around the other pickups I had. I won't even touch a guitar without EMGs now because they all sound 2nd rate in comparison. Friends come over to my place with $2000 guitars and frown when they hear how much better any of my guitars sounds, and none of my guitars cost me more than $500. They all shake their head and ask why my guitar sounds so much better than theirs and I just point to the pickups. Needless to say, the majority of those people have run out and put EMGs in their guitars also. That's the biggest compliment I can pay the pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play old school metal, clean intros followed by the end of the world. The pickup handles both equally well. I use an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck, but some people use an 81 in the neck also.

Comments: I have a bunch of guitars, all of them are loaded with EMGs. I have been playing for 15 years and I consider these pickups the gold standard. My only complaint is that I can't play a guitar without EMGs now because they all sound like crap to me. When I plug into a guitar without them I just frown. It's hard to get into skanks at the local bar when you have a supermodel at home, and that's the way I feel when I play a guitar without EMG's. I can't speak for other styles, but if you play heavy music and want a brutal pickup this is the one for you. The 85 is comparable to the 81 with a little less top end and a little more bottom end, so if you wanted less treble that would be the way to go. My roommate has an 85 in the bridge of one of his guitars and it sounds just as good as the 81.

Pickup features: 9volt active
Impedence or other specs: dunno

Model of guitar or bass: Krammer neck thru w/alder body and maple neck
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG85
Artists using this pickup: Hetfeild,Hammet,King,ETC.
You musical style(s): ALL(mostly metal)
Reason for pickup change: I didnt change them cause they were in the fiddle when I bought it.

Perceived output level: Fairly high output but was hard to balance the output
Tone: Sterile
Sonic evaluation: First of I wanna say that I DO like EMG's, just not the 81's.
I like my sound to be vesatile, but I want it to be good at it all.
Pickup was kinda fuzzy through my Peavey Ultra 212 and was sorta weak through my marshall. The sound was really weird, it didnt really lack anything, it just sorta wasnt there,battery was still good and for the life of me I could not get it balanced with the output of the 81 at the neck. I dont know why all these big star players would want to use this,theyve all got great chops but this thing just lacks real TONE. Oh I forgot who reads these reveiws.....Nu-metalheads. Dont get me wrong...I love metal, I just like REAL metal(and justice for all,
satch,vai,zao,prayer for cleansing,extol,etc.). I like a good toneful pickup such as an EMG60...THESE THINGS KILL!!! Forget the 81s and get some tone with a 60.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Here we go(speed/death/thrash-metal,hardcore,metalcore,80's metal, hard rock,blues rock,blues,and praise and worship @ church)

Comments: Dont likem, wouldnt want another.....Just my opinion though.

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

Model of guitar or bass: ibanez rg 520 QS
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: ibanez stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: emg 85 in the neck
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Metallica, Nickelback, Slayer, me, and many others
You musical style(s): light styles to very heavy
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to try something new and get a better sound out of my guitar. One of my buddies said this pickup was the way to go.

Perceived output level: very nice, a little louder than my stock ibanez pickups
Tone: very clear, a little on the trebly side but in a very good way. Nice mids and great bass
Sonic evaluation: I play an ibanez rg 520 into a crate gfx120. For effects I use the behringer vamp 2 (very sweet),boss phase shifter, zoom 505 multieffects pedal. My guitar sounds awesome through all of this.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal so it is very good for me. Alot of people talk about how this pickup sucks for clean sound. it actually sounds good clean.

Comments: if this was stolen i would be pissed and try to find the bastard who stole it. i would definately but this pickup again. I have been playing for 3 1/2 years. I love its clean sound and the distorted sound is great. This is the sound i wanted and i wont need to spend money on other pickups.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Ceramic magnets, horseshoe shaped coil, 25k Ohm impedance I believe.

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Studio
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone stock "Gibson-designed"
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81 in Bridge position.
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Tom Morello, Slayer, et al.
You musical style(s): Metal, Rock, Blues, Funk
Reason for pickup change: Epiphone's pickups are not bad for stock, but for clarity and definition, aftermarket parts are the best.

Perceived output level: Much hotter than stock; clips the input circuit of my POD well enough.
Tone: Balanced, almost as if the signal has been equalized somehow before getting amplified.
Sonic evaluation: When I first fired it up after some wiring headaches, I was blown away. The highs ring out clear, the bass is full and defined, and the mids snuggle nicely in between. I can get a crisp bright clean single-coil sounds and when the overdrive is laid down, I get all the humbucker crunch I desire. I very highly recommend this to all the modern music fans out there.
I'm using my Les Paul with now dual EMG 81's through a Line 6 POD.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For what I play, I doubt I will never replace this pickup.

Comments: I give this a full score, but a slight caveat here.
I could really give a rat's ass if the next guy to flip through these review pages doesn't agree with me. This pickup is perfect for me.

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ibanez rg470
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: ibanez v8's i think
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: khary alexander and jeff miller of panofobia
You musical style(s): good
Reason for pickup change: old ones sucked balls big time

Perceived output level: they rattle my lower regions very nicely
Tone: see my lower regions tingling again.......yeah man thats EMGs for ya
Sonic evaluation: Mesa boogie dual rectifier
Mesa dual rectifier cab 4x12
ibanez
gibson <-------in a few months BIATCH!!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: we play everything even stuff ya momma would like the clean tone is a lil over powering but ...............................USE A JC-120 and its all gravy baby =P

Comments: If i gots my stuff stolen i dont know what id do ...probably get another clone but there would be that ten minute period where id be sad.....or something
ive been playing (self taught) 6 years.....but i still blow
other gear?...........*checks pants*.....not much of anything else
i love that it doesnt suck and i hate that khary and I dont have an EMG sponsorship........ya momma told us we should have one
When choosing this product we basically listened to alot of people on the "local scene" and said............nope we dont want tone like that
so khary (being the super cool genius guy that he is) went out and tried many many pickups........they all sucked until he grabbed the EMG and like he played it and it made his lower regions tingle and he bought it.......but then decided to explore more so gave it to me and i kept it and rocked the house with it now he's putting more in his guitar (cheap dude)
anything i wish it had?............hrmmmmm An advertisement with khary and myself on it holding an EMG with a cheesy ass "we making money" grin.
IM SATISFIED WIT IT!! ......khary strayed for a while hung out with the folks at ........seymoure duncan.........he said they smelled funny so he came back to hang out with the EMG addicts
anything else id like to share?....................WWW.PANOFOBIA.COM
WWW.MP3.COM/PANOFOBIA
and joel sucks he doesnt use EMGs cause he's a smelly and fat bass player END!!
www.panofobia.com www.panofobia.com www.panofobia.com

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Tech talk that has already been mentioned.

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Delray
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epiphone pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG89 coil tap/ neck position
Artists using this pickup: Too many to mention.
You musical style(s): Rock/Blues
Reason for pickup change: Looking for more output, and better overall tone. I wanted to make a fairly inexpensive guitar a solid sounding back-up.

Perceived output level: More crunch, and clarity.
Tone: Stock pickups were muddy. These pickups are well balanced from top to bottom.
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing a LesPaul, which I've also changed the stock pickups to an EMG81 in the bridge position, and a EMG85 in the neck position, also, I play my Delray. Both are played through a Marshall AVT275. After years of tone searching, I finally got "THE" sound to die for.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For the music that I play this pickup is perfect. Good bite on licks, classic crunch for rythums.

Comments: If this pickup were stolen I would track down the person that took my guitar and string him up by his nuts. This is a fine product and I would suggest it to all players.I love everything about this pickup.
Always remember, tone is a matter of opinion....what's good for others isn't for some.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: it's black

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD MH-301
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG hz
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: myself, slayer, zakk, het, meshuggah, machine head
You musical style(s): metal/funk metal/punk/hardcore
Reason for pickup change: I wanted more clarity, definition, and output.

Perceived output level: It slaps you like a bitch, this thing is pretty damn hot
Tone: trebly, mean, as rip glitter says, "slutbanging"
Sonic evaluation: See above for the guitar, i'm running it directly to a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 and a Marshall 1936 2x12" cab, miked with an SM 57.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: see above. yes it's a good match, suits metal well.

Comments: If it was stolen? usually people steal the whole guitar and not just the pickups, but hell, if that happened, yeah i'd buy em again. been playing for 6 years, i've tried a few different humbuckers, duncan distortion, duncan invader (which is a very shitty pickup IMO), this is the hottest one i've heard. NOT FOR CLEAN TONES. with the EMG 81, simply turn the gain up and crank that volume, you will not be disappointed, these things sound brutal as fuck.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD MH-300
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock EMG-Hz
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-60 (heard it was a good combo)
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Hetfield/Hammet, SlipKnot, Systematic, Nickelback
You musical style(s): Rock - from lighter more melodic styles to heavy detuned styles
Reason for pickup change: The HZ's were not only weak, but had a very hollow tone and hummed as bad as some single-coils I've played through.

Perceived output level: More output than the stock pickups by far, more output than Duncan high output pickups
Tone: Trebly but not too bad. The common complaint that these pickups are treble heavy is true, but a simple adjustment of your bass and treble nobs and they will sound just fine.
Sonic evaluation: I have an LTD MH-300 (Mahogony Neck-through), Schecter C-1 Elite (Mahogony Set-Neck), and a Washburn 7-string (Basswood, bolt-on) that I run through a Dunlop Crybaby into a Peavey Ultra half-stack.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is really good for heavily detuned and distorted guitar work. The active circuitry helps to pickup low end notes very efficiently and the fact that it's a little more treble balanced keeps the guitar from being muddy when you start dipping into baritone ranges. My one and only complaint about this pickup is the clean tone. It's simply too...nasally. A good deal of this, I realize, is my amp, but even played through other amps I prefer passive SD pickups for clean tone when compared to this.

Comments: If this pickup was destroyed I might very well go with passive SD pickups instead. These pickups have an amazing high-gain distorted sound that I love, but I need something that's a little more versatile. I know that many advocates of EMG products say that these pickups can be used for clean tones just as effectively as any other pickups, but I still find that the tone I prefer has more body and more crispness as opposed to the almost whiney quality this pickup can take at times. The stock duncan designed pickups that came in my Schecter sound more like the clean tone that I'm looking for. Someone said that these pickups sound good clean when run through effects and I'd have to agree, but I'd prefer something that could stand on it's own.
Overall I wouldn't say this was a bad pickup at all, but be careful before you buy one. If you play a lot of high gain distorted and/or detuned music then this pickup is definately a good choice. Probably the best, but if you tend to play more clean riffs and prefer a full-bodied clean tone then I wouldn't suggest going for EMG's.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson les paul custom shop all mahogamy classic and ZAKK WYLDE sig gibson.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: fitted when guitar was made
Other pickups on guitar: emg 85 at neck
Artists using this pickup: ME! Zakk (god) Wylde, The mighty Het and noone else who really matters!
You musical style(s): MMEEEETTTTTAAAAAALLLLLL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! waaaahhhh!
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Like a freight train hitting you in the face ! massive output.
Tone: Big round, punchy bass, Sweet mids and glistening treble.
Sonic evaluation: MARSHALL JCM 800 2203, Marshall 4x12 a and b. Boss OD1 and a jim dunlop cry baby.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: perfect match for metal and hard rock, but you can pull anything you want outa this baby.

Comments: Go and buy this pickup. Mind you, it will only sound good on a

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: i dunno

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock ibanez, i think it was a V8 pickup
Other pickups on guitar: stock V7 and a V1, all original ibanez crap pickups in my RG570
Artists using this pickup: everyone. and if youre not, you should be
You musical style(s): punk/hrdcore/metal
Reason for pickup change: i play sovtek mig100h through a 4x12 cab loaded with eminence v12's. i wasnt getting the crunch that i was looking for with the stock ibanez pickup, so i figured i'd give emg81 a crack.

Perceived output level: "very hot"...what ever that means. i dunno, my guitar sounds ALOT better now
Tone: this pickup gives an extremely balanced sound. there is just a perfect amount of lows highs and mids. couldnt ask for more
Sonic evaluation: so yea ibanez RG570 directly into sovtek mig100h. no fx loops, or digital processors or pedals. simple as it gets. this pickup was made to be played through a TUBE amp. i now get perfect overdrive distortion thats just right. not muddy, very crisp and defined. every note in the chord is perfectly heard. palm mutes come out awsome, growling lows, just like they should be. i also tried my guitar with emg81 through a solid state amp, my crate gx1200, and there was no difference at all. so if youre playing through a solid state, dont bother wasting the money on this pickup. but as i said, this pickup really defines the tone of the guitar through a tube amp.
this pickup is also meant to be overdriven....i personally prefer the sound of a single coil for clean tones, but i rearly use clean, so if doesnt even matter

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play fast punk/hardcore/metal...as i already said....this pickup suit everything....i dont even use the switch on my guitar its always inthe bridge position.

Comments: if something happened to this thing, i'd definitely get another one. this was the best mod i made to my guitar....from now on every new guitar i get, i'll get an emg81 at the same time. the tone is perfect. i also have an ibanez sc420 which i wish i could put an emg81 in, but unfortunately there is no room for the battery...so o well.
i compared this pickup to dimarzio evolution (which i put in my sc420) and this one is quite a bit louder and gives off more gain. very easy to do pinch harmonics.
i am indeed very satisfied with this pickup, highly recomend it to anyone looking for more gain out of their amp, and a more balanced sound in general. i guess this does get me alot closer to getting "that" sound, i think when i get a marshall 1960, cab i'll be there.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: See www.emginc.com

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Pro Reverse with maple fretboard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Unknown
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-H Neck
Artists using this pickup: Who cares?
You musical style(s): Primarily, I love power tube driven rock and blues with strats, but I have angry days reserved for heavy styles
Reason for pickup change: As a seasoned Stratist, I have a wanting for a second guitar with a completely differing character.

Perceived output level: Obviously hot.
Tone: Clear and hot without the overwound pickup muddy-mid soup.
Sonic evaluation: All of my guitars go through my own hand-crafted vacuum tube amps and a mesa or two. A good transparent tube or solid state amp will allow your guitar's true voice to be heard. These are the amps which use a minimum of gain-stages-so obviously, I'm not referring to certain Boogies, VHTs, and etc in this portion. That said, it is critical that you like the sound of that guitar straight into an amp before you decide on which step to take in regards to after-market pickups.
It should be noted that I grew out of metal guitars a long time ago and that I have come to love Fender strats for obvious reasons. However, when it comes to partaking of a crunch-off or getting down to the nitty-gritty and having it out with a Boogie or other square-wave generator, you cannot beat a loud, clear, and transparent humbucker slamming the preamp stages with a HOT SIGNAL.
I hated my friends JB's, EVH Musicman pups, and 490/590T's into these single-channel vintage amps. They had way too much midrange and were very muddy. These EMG's sound fantastic going into a Tweed Deluxe. Don't even think about playing it through a clean Twin or Super. A clean EMG-81 sounds like trash (unlike the H in the neck which is brilliant and sparkly). But throw it in front of an amp that reaches power tube saturation quickly or an amp such as a Mesa or a VHT, and you will be pleasantly stunned. I wanted to deny that it sounded incredible, but I couldn't. I didn't want to believe that an EMG could turn my Little Tweed clone into a demon.
It's a truly evil pickup indeed that doesn't muddy up your tone. On my Tweeds, it breaks up in a very compressed, jagged manner which is very "in your face" and tight. Through my boogies and vht, it's as tight, focused, brilliant, powerful, clear, and defined as I've ever (or never) heard. .
I don't care how many kids on this database say how great it is for metal or how Metallicunt uses them, it's an incredible pickup for Metal and Rock; both classic and new. Don't put them in a strat and expect sweet, delicate blues. Put them in a muddy Les Paul (and be amazed for once) and in your Jacksons and Ibanezes. This is where this pickup claims it's omnipotent and riteous position above the over-wound heaps of garbage on the over-flooded pickup market.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Hey kids and other folk: Overwound=muddy and middy. It's simple physics and you can't escape it. No marketing hype can change what is. Nu-Metal tone is cool as far as I'm concerned as I like heavy chunk, but don't let the passive guys fool you into buying an overwound pickup. All you are going to get is a muddy, mid-soup with increased string-pull which makes it impossible to raise the pickup closer to the strings.

Comments: I love these bastards, even though I was taught not to by morons on this board. Listen yourself and make your OWN decision. These are a fantastic value for clear, tight, saturated, overdrive or distortion. You purist freaks can read this and weep. I'm a 26 year old Electrical Engineer who can play the blues and metal. Good tone is good tone. Listen up, tone starts from your fingers and even these pickups cant mask that.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD M-100
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Many including myself
You musical style(s): heavy ballzy metal
Reason for pickup change: EMG HZ (or passive in general) just don't cut it for me in this guitar (basswood doesn't give good response from passives)

Perceived output level: Oh so hot..... hottest pickup i've ever tried
Tone: very balanced, a little on the trebly side.
Sonic evaluation: Now, let me say that alot of people criticize how the EQ is skewed to the mids and trebles. However, this is what makes this pickup the perfect soloing pickup! This leads me to believe that those criticizing this pickup either don't play live, or stick strictly to rhythm guitar. The mids and treble output on this guitar cuts through the rhythm perfectly for soloing! I've never tried a pickup that was so crisp even when you've got your gain dialed on 10. No where near as muddy as the 85 or 60. This is a great heavy metal pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: heavy freakin metal. I haven't tried this in the neck, nor do I want to, this is a perfect bridge pickup.

Comments: I'd buy this pickup again in a heartbeat. Been playing for 9 years, gone through dozens of different pickups before finally making the leap to try active PU's. I dont' regret it. This is great for making a guitar w/ crappy wood and horrible sustain sound like a $1000 guitar. I dropped these in my crappy backup guitar, now it sounds better than my main guitar.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Fucked if i know

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD V-350
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG-HZ H-4
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, Zakk Wylde, plenty of dudes
You musical style(s): Thrash and Melodic Death Metal
Reason for pickup change: HZ's just didn't have enough balls. they were like baby versions of the 81. good, but not great

Perceived output level: Pretty much the hottest pickup you can buy, as far as i know
Tone: In the neck it's kinda bassy, but clear and powerful. in the bridge it's trebly, but hella punchy
Sonic evaluation: I run the ESP into a ZOOM Tri-Metal, into a Dunlop 95Q, into a BOSS NS-2, which runs into a Marshall JCM900 2500, which runs thru a JCM800 300W quad box

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a metal pickup. It can pass for other things, but this is definately made for metal

Comments: I know people are cynical about this pickup, because they think it's too harsh sounding, or too loud or whatever. but remember, if it's too loud you can always turn your amp down. if it's too harsh, you can always turn your presence and treble down. once you configure your sound for this pickup, it is the greatest bridge pickup you'll ever hear. before choosing this one i played thru heaps of other pickups, such as the Gibson 500t, Seymour Duncan SH-6 SH-4 and SH-10, and Dimarzio Blaze, Evolution and Tone Zone
I found the gibson just didn't have any character to it. it was just loud, nothing else. the duncan SH-6 wasn't bad, but it mudded up a little. SH-4 wasn't hot enough, and the SH-10 was just a little strange sounding to me, not quite what i was looking for. The Dimarzios weren't bad, but the blaze to me wasn't hot enough, and the Tone Zone didn't get the 3rd order harmonics that i need sometimes. the evolutions were great tho, but the EMG shat all over it. it just gets everything. any harmonic, artificial harmonic, anything at all, it gets it. it has more balls than any other pickup available, and it just deals with the high gain like an absolute dream. you couldn't buy a better metal pickup for the bridge position. stay away nu-metal guitarists. this thing is way to clear and responsive for you guys. and punk guys, you need something gay like a strat single coil. it makes me shudder when i hear of a punk guitarist using EMG pickups

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 3,000 hours of battery life before battery needs to be changed. Thats approx 3 hours a day for a year!!

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul studio 2001
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibson pickup that came with my guitar
Other pickups on guitar: Coil tapped 85 in the neck
Artists using this pickup: Zakk wylde (Black Label society, Ozzy), Kirk Hammet (Mettalica), Kerry and Jeff (Slayer), the guy from Mudvayne, Mick and Jim (Slipknot), Dino C (Fear Factory), Robb Flynn ( early Machine Head)
You musical style(s): ROCK! ALTERNATIVE rock with my band, although I enjoy metal.
Reason for pickup change: The stock Gibson pickups are weak and really muddy, especailly with effects.

Perceived output level: Very hot powerful pickup. On smaller practice amps it can distort the clean channel.
Tone: Lots of midrange and treble. Can sound very nice if you spend the time to set your amp up just right. Great for playing pinched harmonics, tapping and really distorted leads.
Sonic evaluation: My Gibson Les Paul goes through a 80 watt Carlsbro GLX valve emulation amp. Effects include a Line 6 DM4 distortion modeller, Cry Baby wah wah and a boss tuner throught the front end of the amp. In the effects loop there is a Marshall Super Vibe chorus, Boss Flanger and Boss Delay.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I'm ABSOLUTELY sick of ppl saying this pickup is only suited to Hard Rock and metal. I play in an alternative rock band. The music is heavy in parts, but that is just only part of the bands style. There's alot of clean guitar stuff and loads of fx as well. I must admit with a clean setting this pickup by itself is a bit too shrill, but once i turn the tone down on the guitars bridge pot it instantly sounds fantastic. These pickups are great to use in with effects cos they clean up the tone making them not so muddy.

Comments: If this pickup was stolen I would buy it again without a doubt. Having an 85 that was coil tapped in the neck means there are a huge number of tones available. I've been playing for about 6 years now. I love this pickup because it is SO powerful and smooth.

Pickup features: Humbucking / Active
Impedence or other specs: Low impendance

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG - 320QS
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Powersound Pickups (Factory Standard)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde(Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) Kirk Hammet (METALLICA!)
You musical style(s): Hardcore Metal , Death Metal, and lullabyes
Reason for pickup change: Dude, they were factory pickups and sucked my asshole!

Perceived output level: Very High
Tone: High Treble
Sonic evaluation: I use my Ibanez through a Marshall 100 watt solid state head and 4x12 cabinet. I also use Dunlop Crybaby Wah original, a boss Flanger, Danelectro Fab Tone, and Ibanez Delay.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play death metal to its hardest from (think hatebreed on heroin) and this pickups sings as well shreds. It is a beatiful combination. I would probably not use this pickup in the neck position...

Comments: If this bad boy was stolen, not only would I find the guy that took it and kill him very very brutally...I would go buy a new one. I have been playing for about 5 years and like everyone else, looking for a pickup with the proper sustain and distortion for my style of music w/o it being muddy and unclear. Well this mother fucker has brilliant clarity for high levels of distortion. Thats why i love this thing so much...it could have a less powerful output though for clean tones, but it does get a nice crunch. Metallica's intro on the song "One" best describes that sound...

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1976 Gibson Explorer
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Gibson stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett (Metallica); Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society)
You musical style(s): Speed Metal (early Metallica, early Megadeth)
Reason for pickup change: Seemed like a good idea at the time!

Perceived output level: Just about the hottest available (just as long as you are using a good battery)
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: This pickup is meant for heavy metal and it is well suited for that. One of the major criticisms of the EMG 81 and EMGs in general is that it has an "electronic" and somewhat unrealistic frequency response. You can see this in the clean introduction off "One" or "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica. Personally I like that sound, so the pickup works well for me. Before buying the pickup listen to the sound of the guitar on those songs and see if it works for you. If you want a more conventional clean sound, try a Seymour Duncan JB or PAF.
The EMG 81 sounds best (and is probably mean to be played) with heavy distortion. This pickup sounds good with scooped mids and for obvious reasons is good for reproducing the characteristic sound of Metallica.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For speed metal, punk, or anything thing with heavy distortion this pickup is well suited. It would probably be unsuitable for classical or jazz or blues.

Comments: This pickup is really very unique and ought not be compared with Seymour Duncans or Dimarzios. If it were destroyed or stolen, I would by it again in a heart beat. I cannot over emphasize the importance of carefully listening to the clean sound of Metallica before buying this pickup! I know a LOT of people who bought this pickup and were disappointed because they didn't like the electronic sound when played through the clean channel!

Pickup features: Active Dual-Coil Humbucker (EMG "single coils" are humbucking too)
Impedence or other specs: Low-impedance...for more info, check out their website. They update it once a year!

Model of guitar or bass: Carvin DC127
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: EMG 60, Dimarzio Air Zone, Dimarzio Fred, Seymour Duncan Jazz, Dimarzio Humbucker from Hell, Carvin M22V (reverse chronological order)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: a bunch of metal guys...but they mostly use its bridge sound. Kirk Hammett's 81 neck tone is excellent though.
You musical style(s): Various Wall-of Sound styles: Dance/Goth/Jap Metal, Dance/Goth/Jap Pop, 90's Alternative (a la Hum, The Rentals, or some Smashing Pumpkins),
Reason for pickup change: I've been tuning lower and using a lot of two-hand tapping techniques recently. My other favorite pickup brand, Dimarzio, doesn't offer active pickups, which I've found really are necessary to give the high amount of clarity I desire in this situation. The EMG 60 I first put in after switching this guitar to be wired for EMG's was a bit too "classic", muddy, and trebly for me.

Perceived output level: Depends on how high you adjust it to the strings. It's the loudest pickup I know of other than the perhaps the Duncan Live Wire Heavy Metal (but that soudns like SHIT clean), but it doesn't have to be...you can lower it so it's more at the level of most other pickups. Mine is set medium-high, but a good amp will be able to handle the volume without distorting. Unfortunately, I prefer solid state, and I don't OWN a good solid state amp.
Tone: In the bridge, I find it to be too trebly, but in the neck, it's perfect: even balance across the board, with plenty of power in all registers.
Sonic evaluation: I have a Carvin Legacy 100W head that I like to use with a Metal Zone and the EMG's due to its clean headroom. I'd prefer to just get a solid state head though with the same characteristic. For recording, and as a backup live head, I use a Flextone II HD. My cabs are Carvin Legacies with Vintage 30's in them. Though this guitar sounds good through either of these setups, neither one is my really my thing anymore, so I'm playing mostly through the tiny Fender Frontman 25R in my aprtment, which is very good at showing the true sound of whatever you plug into it with. Initially, when I put them in my Ibanez RG470, I thought that EMG's made me sound worse than I was, robbing me of tonal nuances. However, putting them in a better guitar, and using a slightly unorthodox configuration (most people use 85 in neck, 81 in bridge), showed that they are actually quite remarkable. They are much better at picking up harmonics than passive pickups, but apparently, a bright guitar is needed to exploit this. So, I now have a super smooth, yet perfectly clear, tone with this 81 in the neck, and the 85 in the bridge gives more growl, which is reminiscent Tool, but sounds more ballsy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I disagree with most people here. I think the 81 is perfect for the neck, but is too trebly and lacks character in the bridge. I'm at Berklee now and have to play a lot of weird jazzy stuff, and it's smoothness and clarity are perfect for this. Very versatile when not in the bridge.

Comments: EMG's selection is quite meager, and as far as their humbuckers go, I only really like the 81 and 85, in the positions I mentioned. The 85 is even more muddy in the neck than the 60 is, so I guess I'd have to buy this one again if something happened to it! I've been through all the Duncan and Dimarzio pickups that interested me, and unfortunately, these three companies are the only ones that get stocked well at guitar stores, so the only pickup I know of that will work well for my all my neck applications is the EMG 81. I've been playing guitar for a little over six years, and in that time have become fed up with all the "classic" tones...they bore me. Learning at Berklee has allowed me to draw a lot more tones out of whatever equipment I use, so whatever "sterile" qualities this thing may have, I guess I fix with the way I play, because when I let other players try out my passive humbucker guitars through my tube amps, and then I use my active humbuckers through my solid state, I find that the soudn I acheive ends up being deeper and more satisfying. I have the EMG-S and EMG-60 in my $80 Kramer guitar now, which sounds like shit, but the active pickups do allow it to be a permissable backup for me, even if their tone does not suit me. The 81 and 85 have much better bass response than other EMG pickups, so they give me a huge-sounding heavy tone, even through the tiny solid-state amp I mentioned, with mids scooped, anyway, and with the mids up, in this configuration, they are very "toney" and sing beautifully. If you're fed up with not being able to get a heavy and bassy but clear enough tone, check these out. Seriously, you can play can even thrash metal in the neck position with the 81! I give it a 9 because it's excellent, but not a fantastic value. No pickup should cost $90.

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

Model of guitar or bass: B.C.Rich Gunslinger
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: came with guitar
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: almost everyone
You musical style(s): rock, metal and, shred.
Reason for pickup change: n/a, came with guitar

Perceived output level: Nice crunchy clear sound. It's a clean hot sound.
Tone: A nice even tonal response. Not the least bit muddy.
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing this pickup in my B.C. Rich Gunslinger at the bridge position. It's slanted like the Barettas used to be. The body wood is alder. The neck is all maple. I'm playing it through my Marshall all tube/valve Triple Super Lead 602 combo. It's a great sound. If I play this through a Wah wah, the Wah wah sounds it's best. If I play it through my Metal zone it sounds brutal. This is the pickup to get if you like using effects, because it won't muddy up.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock and this pickup is a good match. It's probably best in the bridg position.

Comments: Sure, I'd buy another. I've been playing electric guitar for more than fifteen years. This pickup won't sound muddy. It has a great note definition, and that's one of the reasons why it's so popular.

Pickup features: Hum, Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone G-310
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-81s
Artists using this pickup: The usual
You musical style(s): Anything from metal to blues
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a metal type of tone, and had heard good things about EMGs. I took a bit of a risk, only having played these pickups once before I bought them..
Boy did it pay off.

Perceived output level: Pretty damned hot, but not too much.
Tone: Pretty balanced, nice and smooth with tone rolled back
Sonic evaluation: Playing the guitar through my Flextone Plus.
The tone is great. The first thing I noticed is the precision and how articulate this pickup sounds.
The clean was surprisingly good as well. A bit of a twang on the bridge, nice and warm in the neck.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play a wide variety, and while this pickup is definitely on the metal side of life, it handles the more subtle stuff very well.

Comments: If ganked, I'd buy a new set, maybe trying an 85 in the neck next time around.
I've been playing 6 years, I own also a Gibson LP Double Cutaway.
I'm definitely satisfied with this pickup. Don't buy in to the common misconception that EMG clean sucks. Try it for yourself, and make up your own mind.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: low impedance (i think)

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich USA stealth, Gibson SG Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none in BC Rich, 498T in Gibson
Other pickups on guitar: none in BC Rich, EMG-60 in neck of Gibson
Artists using this pickup: Kerry King, Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, The Haunted
You musical style(s): metal with some hardcore
Reason for pickup change: 498T was too weak, good for classic rock, not what i play

Perceived output level: pretty hot, more than the stock gibson but not a whole lot
Tone: depends on wood of the guitar, middy in the sg, brighter and clearer in the Rich but with enough bass for palm muted parts and clearer
Sonic evaluation: I play both my guitars into a JCM 2000 Triple Super Lead, lead channel with gain to 10, treble to 5.5-6 (less with gibson), mid to zero, bass to 10 and presence to 9. i also use a boss super overdrive or sometimes a metal zone (but only when playing alone at low volumes for metal zone),. both with a noise suppressor

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup is great for metal but you need to know what you're doing because it doesn't hide mistakes and can take some fiddling with your eq's to get the right sound. some say not enough thud, but i think so- i tune cgcfad and the rich gives me thud out my ass plus super clarity and the gobson is a little muddier, i think i don't like mahogany (i had a hamer satf that was mahogany and i sold it, didn't like that sound, either)

Comments: i just wanted to speak my mind about the misconception that emg pickups are sterile- you don't have (1) a tube amp or (2) a clue if you think that. dave gilmour of Pink Floyd uses EMGs and he has some of the best tone ever. So do Victor Whooten and Les Claypool. However, before i got the JCM 2000 head, i was using a valvestate and the sound WAS pretty sterile. guess what- no tube, no tone. that's cool because tube heads are expensive so maybe you can't afford one, or maybe you play a style that doesn't require tone as much as brutality, but you must consider your other equipment before blaming the pickup. any distortion pedal changes your sound, that's why i only use the overdrive pedal for live situations- it adds thump without significantly affecting tone. so i would say that in the BC Rich (i think it's alder), i have THAT sound, for myself. in the gibson, it's a little mid-rangey for my tastes, i'm going to try out the EMG-EXG circuit which boosts highs and lows while removing mids, it got some good reviews. so keep playing and remember to consider all things affecting your sound before deciding your pickup is sterile- i had an ac adapter giving me 'unexplainable' hum for three months before i realized the adapter and not my amp was making the noise...

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: see www.emg.in

Model of guitar or bass: BC.RICH TYPE MOCKING BIRD
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG SELECT
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: ZAKK WYLDE,Bla...bla...and of course Me
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: When i used EMG select the sound is good but i want more powerful sound.So i decide buy EMG 81.But i buy used because i dont have much money to buy new pickup.Maybe if i buy EMG 85,i would buy it new.I used just EMG 81 Pickup in Bridge,in neck i dont use it.I conect EMG with just 1 vol pot and no tone pot.I conect with Rocktron Rampage dist stompbox and to my Marshall AVT 20.
The sound is so puch and powerfull,i feel this the sound i have been search for 8 years.I dont used many effect,because i dont much use it.So until now and if i died (if i can play guitar in heaven or hell)i just want use EMG.Baravo...for their Product.
Terima kasih

Perceived output level:
Tone: I cant explain because the good tone is the good tone.Nothing explained just buy ,install it,and play it..
Sonic evaluation: Marshall AVT 20 and Rampage distortion Stombox

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

Comments: If the pickup stollen i will find yhe stolen and kil him with active emotion.Because my heart it's a pasivve hahahaha..hahaha.No just kidding but i will take his heart and sell to market so i cant buy a new EMG 81..(this is not kidding).

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: no clue...i just play em, i don't make em.

Model of guitar or bass: ESP KH-2
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None, they came stock
Other pickups on guitar: Position : All Positions...durrr....
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, Jeff Hanneman
You musical style(s): Industrial metal, Nu-metal (Static X like)
Reason for pickup change: I didn't change any damn pickups, they came on the guitar!!!!

Perceived output level: Hotter than two rats humping in a wool sock
Tone: kinda trebly...not enough lows for my style. too 80's metal sounding
Sonic evaluation: ESP KH-2 with a Crate GFX 212+ combo, pro-co cables thru a dunlop crybaby wah.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal (industrial, real heavy shit like static x and FF). Completely unsuitable for this type of music, not enough lows for me...maybe it's the amp/guitar combination, but sounds shitty. Good for Metallica and Slayer, standard tuned stuff.

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen, I wouldn't give a shit. I'm selling this guitar anyway, it doesn't suit my style anyway. It's good for 80's metal and the like. I've been playing for 3 years, and the EMG HZ's on my LTD are better sounding for my style. I like a fuller sound with more lows. I have a PRS, and it sounds MUCH better than any other guitar I've ever heard in my life. If it had more lows, it'd be perfect for MY style. If you're a Metallica freak, and an 80's metal fan, get it. If not, the drop tuning doesn't help much, get a different pickup.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: No Idea

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard(Black)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Shite Stock junk
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Lots
You musical style(s): Everything from jazz to metal
Reason for pickup change: I honestly believe that Gibson spends more money on the box their pickups come in than the Pickups themselves. I was amazed I COULD NOT get a good sound from the stock setup.

Perceived output level: These things are HOT!!!
Tone: I feel that the tone is pretty transparent, unless you add a module they're flat.
Sonic evaluation: Les Paul into a Digitech 2101 Preamp into a 50/50w stereo tube power amp.(Re-built Carvin Tube 100) Out to a Marshall 1960 4/12

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Like I said, I play lots of stuff, mostly rock/metal though. I am going to get two EMG 60's and swap one for the neck PU in the LP cause this PU is just a little hot for the neck. I will then put the remaining 81/60 in my Hamer standard. The 81 is very hot but very clear. Practice, because you can't get away with sloppy playing.

Comments: If someone stole this pickup, I would head straight for the hardware store for some fishing net and cinder blocks (I have a nice deep river near by)
I have been playing about 12 years, as far as I'm concerned, this is THE pickup for heavy rock. I don't have any problems with the high output because my preamp has so many features. For clean sounds I just use compression. Like I said, I will be swapping the 81 in the neck for an EMG 60, and my Hamer will be setup the same way.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD MV-300
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ
Other pickups on guitar: EMG HZ single coil
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammet, Jeff Henemen (slayer), Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Metal, Punk, Hardcore
Reason for pickup change: Wanted something that sounded better.

Perceived output level: highest output I've heard on a pickup yet.
Tone: Trebly, yet it has a slight bassy attack.
Sonic evaluation: I run an ESP LTD MV300 through a Mesa Single Rectifier w/a 4x12 marshall cab w/celestion speakers. I put a 7-band graphic eq and a noise gate in the effects loop.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal and this pickup IS the metal pickup. It's best in the bridge position because it;s great with distortion for rythms. It's not the best with clean tones, but I hardley use them.

Comments: I've been playing for 7 years and was mostly searching through guitars and amps to find the tone I was looking for. I finaly found a guitar I liked and an amp, but there was still something missing. It was through this site that I read reviews on different pickups and found one that sounded like what I was looking for. It's deffinatley the final piece to my tone. I would deffinately buy another one or recomend it to anyone who playes metal, punk, hardcore, or any style with a lot of distortion. The only thing I don't like about it is the battery, because you have to change it every once in a while, but it's a small price to pay for the tone you get out of it. I just bought a Jackson AT-1, and I'm planning to put an EMG 81 in that as well.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Powersound-bridge
Other pickups on guitar: Emg-60 (not because of James Hetfield)
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, In Flames (i think), opeth
You musical style(s): Progressive Metal, Shred Metal
Reason for pickup change: because they're an improvement of the previous pickups.

Perceived output level: its "so-hot-you-don't-need-an-amp" hehe, anyone whos filled out one of these will get the joke.
Tone: very trebly
Sonic evaluation: ibanez rg>crybaby>danelectro fabtone>octave>PeaveyBandit>4x12 cab

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup is a little on the heavy side. Its great for metal rhythe (i hate spelling) or any metal for that matter. Way to trebly for clean sounds or solos, its way to piercing. If you want to solo use this pickup for rhythm and switch to another for so

Comments: If it were stolen, I'd try out a dimarzio steves special but probably come back to this pickup. I've been playing for 4-5 years. I love the distortion tone, VERY HEAVY. I hate its clean tone (sooo trebly). I chose this because of its reputation, and many of you helpful reviewers. I wish it had a little more low end. I quite satisfied with this pickup. All that its lacking can be made up with the EMG-60 in neck position. No, i'm not trying to imitate James Hetfield. He picked these pickups because they sound good together, and I picked these pickups because they sounded good together

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: explorer
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock pick up
Other pickups on guitar: emg 85
Artists using this pickup: MetallicaA, slayer, zakk wilde
You musical style(s): all metal
Reason for pickup change: stocks sounded too shit for me

Perceived output level: hotter than any others ive played
Tone: trebly but bassy when palm muting
Sonic evaluation: explorer to shit no brand amp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: old school metal suitable for this extremely well

Comments: if this was stolen the fucker that took it would have to go into the witness protection program because i would KILL them if they were caught. ive been playing for nearly two years and this is the best i have gotten my sound yet. if only i had a decent amp then they would be perfect

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: B.C. Rich American handcrafted bolt-on Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock B.C. Rich
Other pickups on guitar: Stock B.C. Rich (neck)
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Pat O'brien (Cannibal Corpse), Robb Flynn & Logan Mader (early Machine Head), Anders Bjorler & Jonas Bjorler(The Haunted, At The Gates), Kerry King and Jeff Hannemann (SLAYER), Kirk Hammet & James Hetfield (Metallica), Jari Kuusisto & Petru Kuusisto, fuckloads of other people
You musical style(s): Death Metal, Thrash and Speed Metal.
Reason for pickup change: Stock sounded like shit

Perceived output level: Very High, a lot hotter than the stock B.C. Rich, slightly hotter than my friends Seymour Duncan Invader.
Tone: Absolutely perfect for playing fast metal, trebly, which is good, but when palm muted is very chunky and huge sounding, very nice.
Sonic evaluation: Im using a 50watt Marshall Valvestate with a B.C. Rich Warlock (as stated above) I also run it through a BOSS CE-2 chorus and an Ibanez DS-7 distortion. The Ibanez pedal will be sold very soon, its shit.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is the perfect pickup for thrash and death metal. This is THE METAL HUMBUCKER!

Comments: If this were stolen, I'd hunt down the fuckhead who stole it from me, rip off his cock and jam it down his throat before stealing it back, I love it that much.

Pickup features: Humbucking active pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 450
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: the dafault ones on the RG
Other pickups on guitar: A single coil default pickup, EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield
You musical style(s): Metal, hard rock
Reason for pickup change: The old ones weren' cathing the harmonics and the tappings...
needed a change... and i wanted the metallica sound...

Perceived output level: IT catches all the highs more than lows... but it is really HOT STUFF!!!
Tone: as i said.. more highs than lows... I haf the 85 for the lows but i regretted it cos the 81 really kicks ass
Sonic evaluation: i'm using the Ibanez RG450 thru my ZOOM 4040 to my Yamaha 50 watts amp...
I mean.. even with this lousy amp i get that metallica sound (though the effects kicks ass too!)
Money well spent these pickups

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: SInce i play metal.. yea.. THIS IS A GOOD MATCH!!!! I feel that the pickup is suitable for both the neck and bridge positions coz it's great sound for soloing all over the fretboard!!!

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen.. I'd KILL THE ASSHOLE hu's responsible.. bt if i spoilt it.. i'd buy a new one..
i've been playing for 5 years now.. and i'm really satisfied with it and i'm sure it was money well spent.
i love the way i finally achieve that metallica sound i was looking for...
i hate the fact that i bought the 85! instead of both 81s!!!
THe 85 is too bassy for metallica and it doesn't compliment the guitar.. as in.. u haf totally two different sounds on ur guitar
so selecting pickups isn't smooth...
Well the pickup requires a battery which is the bad thing about it and my RG doesn't haf a battery compartment of some sort so the batts just are dumped in my machine.
I"M SATISFIED WITH THIS PICKUP!!!!!!!!!!
i'm telling ya... buy this pickup!!!! Dunt get the 85!!!

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

Model of guitar or bass: ibanez rg470 custom by myself
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: V8
Other pickups on guitar: fernandes sustainer system
Artists using this pickup: many
You musical style(s): classic to melodic rock, chinese and japanese songs also from steve Vai to X japan
Reason for pickup change: get the best sound without a ton of effect

Perceived output level: out and clear , good define on note, kind of hot , it is not muddy at all at least u use compressor
Tone: balance, boost note, screaming sustain
Sonic evaluation: ibanez rg470 custom by myself> crybaby> alesis 3630 compressor in the effect loop> BOSS DS-1, zoom gfx707> Digitech gensis 1> fender 30w .

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: actually this is good for every kind of music , you just have to do some changes on your effect.

Comments: if the guitar is stoleni would buy the ibanez Rg 570 and sustainer from Sustainiac not fernandes(because i don't have to make hole on my guitar shift the cavity) put emg 85 or dimarzio evolution.

Pickup features: Humbucking Active
Impedence or other specs: dont remember :)

Model of guitar or bass: PRS CE 22
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Dragon Bass and SD JB
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: ZAKK WYLDE! Metallica, Fear Factory, Slipknot
You musical style(s): All kinds (punk, pop, metal, rock...)
Reason for pickup change: Getting fed up searching for the perfect sound, thought that Zakk used em, and I love his sound (all the way from No Rest for the Wicked to now) and was like "what the hell?"

Perceived output level: well, theyre supposed to be super hot...to me, theyre a bit hotter than the JB but not "end the world hot". theyre hot, ill admit that (im used to hotter pickups, so thats probably why i dont think theyre super hot...LOL)
Tone: very middy and trebly...i wanted to get rid of some bass and gain mids...this did it!
Sonic evaluation: PRS CE 22 (alder body, no maple top) into 5150...all i can say is it is great! very clear and defined, heavy if you want it, and if you dont you can dial it out. some people have called the pickups sterile...i dont hear that. they sound great! dont push a high gain head too much, and they are clearer than any passive pickups ive tried!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: All kinds (read above) and yes they match perfectly. they would be great for anything, and EMG makes all kinds of differently voiced pickups, so they have something forever...and theyre not much more than standard PUs...so they're worth a shot!

Comments: Yes i would buy them again (but then id have to get a new guitar too or put them in my squier strat which has a JB Jr. which works for now...but when i can watch out, it will have dual EMG 81s too! ive been playing for almost 10 years. I love everything about it...its clear and defined, and can be super-saturated and still retain clarity (unlike most passive pickups ive tried) or be slightly broken up and sound heavenly! This is my sound, i may add a slight boost from an EQ pedal for solos, but thats it...might try out some other EMG stuff like the preamps or whatever, but im happy as a clam right now! and my PRS looks damn beautiful with them (dark red transparent color, black knobs and three way switch, and black EMGs, black headstock, rosewood fingerboard...think about it ;) I could die a happy man now!

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG270DX
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Metallica
You musical style(s): 80's Metal, But I like playing blues stuff too
Reason for pickup change: Needed a little more oomph, y-know

Perceived output level: kinda hot
Tone: everything but mids
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez RG270DX, with a Laney TF400

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

Comments: Thought it was great when I got it, but I played on some Duncan's yesterday, and man what a difference. I'm a changed man

Pickup features: Humbucker/Active
Impedence or other specs: 25K pots

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG-470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-SAV, EMG-85
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer
You musical style(s): Metal, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Blues,
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup sounded like shit.

Perceived output level: Pretty hot. Has the potential to distort your clean channel.
Tone: Balance is good, harmonics are great, and will give you all the gain you need, but this pickup lacks bass. There's a major emphasis on mids and highs. Doesn't sound to great in basswood bodied guitars with a Floyd Rose. This pickup would sound awesome in a Les Paul or Flying V. Something with a fat mahagony body and fixed bridge.
Sonic evaluation: Right now I'm running this right into a Carvin SX-100 (Excellent amp). I used to use a Crate GX-212 (dump that shit ass amp on some poor sucker for $200) and a Digitech RP-12.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I don't think this pickup would work for a clean country or blues tone. Thi pickup is hard rock only.

Comments: I wrote a review on this pickup a few years ago when I first installed it. Since then I've used variety of amps and pedals but could never really get the tone I was looking for. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent pickup, but not really meant for my guitar. The distortion I got out of this pickup was never a problem but It has always sound a little thin and trebly. Palm muting and power chords sound kind of wimpy, like I have the bass turned down to like 3 or 4 and the mids and treble up to 10. The clean tone from this pickup is not very good, at least in the bridge position. It sounds very middy and trebly. I don't know what it would sound like in the neck position. The bottom line is that I don't suggest buying this pickup if you have a guitar similar to the Ibanez RG series. You should probably try a DiMarzio Tone Zone or Steve's Special for some more low-end punch. This pickup belongs in something like a Les Paul or Explorer. Just because I have heard this pickup in a few other guitars, so I know it sounds good, I'll give it a decent overall rating.

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

Model of guitar or bass: Custom Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio Super Distortion
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Super Distortion (neck)
Artists using this pickup: ME, Zakk Wylde, Slayer, Metallica. Thats all that matters.
You musical style(s): Metal, Speed Metal, Blues, Southern Rock.
Reason for pickup change: I needed somethin' that actually sounded good in the bridge!

Perceived output level: This thing is HOT! I dont care if they dont want me to say that, cause you cant compare the thing to anything else!
Tone: Amazing!. I've read other people's opinions, and they said that it is trebly but I dont see it. Come over my house some time, and I'll crank the bastard up, do some palm muting, and you'll know this thing has plenty of bass when your balls start to rattle.
Sonic evaluation: custom les paul, peavey amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's good for all the styles of music I said i play! When played clean it is a bit dry sounding, but the simple addition on chorus or switch to neck pickup and it solves that prob. in no time!

Comments: To be stolen my guitar would have to be stolen, and if that happened, then the person that took my guitar better kill me to get away with it! nuff' said

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: i just play, i don't make them

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer Explorer
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Designed DD-103 set
Other pickups on guitar: I only have 2 pickups on it
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King
You musical style(s): Thrash, Death Metal, Speed Metal
Reason for pickup change: DD-103's were good, but the EMG-81's are a lot sharper. And the neck DD-103 was muddy as hell. You couldn't distinguish notes at all

Perceived output level: More, but not overwhelmingly more
Tone: Bridge pickup is trebly, not painful trebly, just nice for what i play. Neck is warm but far from muddy
Sonic evaluation: Well i run the explorer into a Marshall AVT150 combo, with a Jimmy Wah in the FX loop. It sounds incredible, clean or distorted, but beter distorted. There's no doubt about it, this is a metal pickup. It has good clean, but to get it you need to turn down the gain on the clean channel, and turn the volume up to make up for it. But even once you've done that it'll make jazz players puke. It's too bitey and harsh for anything but metal

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is an all positions pickup, and it suits both very nicely, unlike the duncan designed ones

Comments: I like the way it brings out the distortion. Because it's so hot it makes the distortion sound so much better. It's to do with the sound breakup or something. But i compared it to my stock standard strat...what a waste of time!! The strat just has no guts at all compared to the explorer!! The 81's just make this guitar so much better than it was. I was thinking of getting some Seymore Duncan SH4's, but i played them and the EMG's were far better sounding for clean and distortion. A lot of people also say these are very bad for clean, but until you actually do something about it, like turn the gain down, of course it's gonna sound bad. Distortion isn't an issue tho. And neither is the battery changing. If you're getting these pickups, make sure you unplug them after you've finished! The input jack acts as an on/off switch when you plug in or unplug!

Pickup features: ACTIVE PICKUP
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 79 IBANEZ ARTIST
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: STOCK =SUPER 80
Other pickups on guitar: SUPER 80
Artists using this pickup: DINO FROM FEAR FACTORY (A 81 AND 85 HYBRED)BUT THATS FOR 7 AND IVE ONLY GOT 6
You musical style(s): WU -TANG TO WILLIE NELSON BUT MOSTLY FUNK METAL
Reason for pickup change: DINO FROM FEAR FACTORY AND PAGE FROM HELMET USE THEM AND THEY GOT KILLER TONE.SO I BOUGHT IT.

Perceived output level: MADE MY SOUND THICK AND DEFINED. BIG IMPROVMENT==10
Tone: A LITTLE TREBLY BUT JUST CUT BACK THE TONE NOB ON YOUR GUITAR AND YOUR COOL.KILLER CRUNCH.DEFINIT 10
Sonic evaluation: MY RIG:79" IBANEZ ARTIST WITH EMG 81,60'S?EPIPHONE CORONET WITH DUNCAN JB,MESA TREM-O-VERB DUAL RECTOFIER,RANDALL 4X12 CAB,VOX WAH,BOSS PHASER,BUDDA DISTORTION,TC ELCT.CHORUS,UNI VIBE,H&K REPLEX DELAY,IN THE RACK BBE 482 SONIC MAXIMIZER,ALESIS MEQ 230 EQ,ROCTRON HUSH.THIS IS THE BEST SOUNDING RIG IVE HEARD.ID PUT IT AGAINST ANY PROFESIONAL SIGNED BAND.MY TONE IS AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN ANYONES.AND THE EMG 81'S GIVE YOU THAT STUDIO QUALITY SOUND,REAL DEFINED AND THICK.BUT THE DUNCAN JB'S RULE TOO.THEY GIVE YOU A DEFTONES,ALICE IN CHAINS KIND OF GRIND.==10 FOR THE EMG 81 AND FOR THE JB TOO

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: BLUES ,FUNK,METAL,MELOTIC SHIT,EVERYTHING-

Comments: ITS THE BEST SOUNDING PICKUP OUT IF YOU FEEL LIKE PAYIN 110-120$ FOR A PICKUP THAT YOU GOT TO CHANGE THE 9V BATTERY EVERY COUPLE OF PRACTICES.THOSE 9V ARENT CHEAP.BUT!!!IVE DEVISED A WAY AROUND THAT PROBLEM!I USE A SKB SIGNAL ROUTING PEDAL BOARD THAT HAS BUILT IN 9V FOR 6 THINGS.SO I WENT TO RADIO SHACK AND GOT 35 FT. PIECE OF 3.5MM WIRE FOR AC ADDAPTORS AND A 35FT LONG PICE OF RUBBER HEAT SHRINK TUBE AND USED THAT TO HOLD THAT TO MY GUITAR CORD.THEN I GOT A MALE 9V BATTERY CONNETOR AND SOULDERED THAT TO A POWER OUTLET FOR 9V.DRILLED A SMALL HOLE HOOKED IT UP AND IVE NEVER GOT TO CHANGE A BATTERY.IF YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT YOU DO THE MODIF NOT GET SOMEONE TOO ITS WORTH IT IN THE COST OF 9V DURACELLS.I SPENT AT LEAST 100$ IN BATTERYS BEFORE I DID IT>BUT DEFINETLY THE BADDEST FUCKING PICKUP IN THE WORLD

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Platnnium Series Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Stockin the bridge
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Zakk Wylde,Slayer,HammerFall
You musical style(s): Mostly thrash, power and traditonal heavy metal like Judas Priest,Iron Maiden,Manowar and old Metallica
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a very crunchy but at the same time well defined tone and the stock pickups were keeping me from it.

Perceived output level: Very hot, dosen't take a lot of gain to get some overdrive
Tone: Very trebly
Sonic evaluation: I play with ZOOM GFX 707 set to Heavy Compression and DOD Graphic EQ which leads to my Peavy 5150 Head and 4X12 cabinet. Got a great sound of it all so I see no reason to upgrade any further.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play thrash/power metal which this pickup was well designed for.

Comments: This is one of the best investmensts I made in my guitar playing.If this pickup was lost or broke, I would replace it ASAP. The sound it gave my rig was crunchy yet well tight which is the sound for true metal(not that muddy mall core).I plan to put an 81 into my other Warlock as soon as I get the money.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Check their site... I'm not a user's manual.

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Dinky Style
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Jackson
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 in Neck
Artists using this pickup: Lots
You musical style(s): PROG ROCK!!! Metal, Jazz, Fusion, Rock, everything.
Reason for pickup change: Stock Jackson pickups suck more cock than Monica Leuinski.

Perceived output level: Very high output. When my amp is a 0, you can hear it clearly.
Tone: A tad trebly, but not BAD trebly...GOOD trebly. They cut through in the mix. Very clear and balanced.
Sonic evaluation: Jackson through a bunch of effects to a Fender 65 watter.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play everything. This is pickup is excellent. Not just for metal. Very clear and responsive.

Comments: Amazing pickup. Very satisfied with this thing. I love the clarity, punch, balance... and... well... clarity. NO NOISE!!!! It's amazing. I dont like how I have to get used to unplugging my guitar so the batteries dont drain though... but that's a small complaint.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ibanez sa160
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock ibanez
Other pickups on guitar: 2 emg SA
Artists using this pickup: metallica, slayer, deicide, cannibal corpse, dying fetus, obituary, almost all death metal
You musical style(s): death metal, thrash metal, grindcore
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups suck! EMG's rule.

Perceived output level: Very hot, adds lots of gain and volume
Tone: trebly, but has good bass and mids.
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez sa160 with emg's, to a digitech rp400, to a crate mx120r 120watts 2x12's.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: death metal....this pickup is the only answer for the sucked out, brutal, all out insanity that is needed for TRUE heavy music. so if you like linkin park, disturbed any of that crap, go kill yourself.

Comments: this is defininently the pickup for me. allthough it's a great pickup, don't expect your squire and gorrilla combo to sound like slayer. i've spent over 1500 on my setup, and i'm finnaly VERY happy with it. they truely are at their best at high volume...i don't mean 50 watt 1x12 at 8, get a real amp.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock bridge (but not for long!!!)
Artists using this pickup: METALLICA, Zakk Wylde, Static X, many, many others...
You musical style(s): Heavy metal, cross between Metallica, Pantera, Taproot, and old Incubus, if you can imagine that.
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were okay, but not nearly good enough.

Perceived output level: Hot enough for any kind of metal.
Tone: Well rounded, everything comes out crystal clear, no matter how much dist.
Sonic evaluation: Exactly the sound I wanted (does Metallica perfect though a Mesa Rectifier) but gets close enough through my Crate (solid-state, ughh) half-stack. Despite other comments this pickup DOES get a very decent clean sound (think "one" by Metallica) and a kick-ass lead sound (think ANY Kirk Hammett or Zakk Wylde solo).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This thing is perfect for me, absolutely perfect, though I think I'll stick a Duncan Invader in the bridge to squeeze a few more tones out of my guitar.

Comments: I've been playing about three years (but who's counting?), and actually DO know my stuff, unlike most players my age (damn Blink-wannabe's). Anyways, I'm very happy with this pickup, and will be putting it in all of my guitars, including the custom Explorer I'm having built (any suggestions for a Pantera-esqe neck P-U please e-mail me)!!! The only thing I don't like is changing the damn battery, that's a bitch without the flip-open battery box. Oh well, its worth it for this tone.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone les pal studio
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMg 85
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Metallica, SLayer, Slipknot and sevendust prolly uses them now
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: sick of people sounding better than me.

Perceived output level: very hot... only a few picks i know of sound good with the same output
Tone: very crunchy.. very very crunchy..
Sonic evaluation: God damn this pick up is a god send.. I get soo much gain and crunch outta this thing.. it is fucking amazing.. but you do need a tube amp for this to sound good.. some dim-wit a few posts below saz it is junk.. look at the amp he is using.. a shitty crate Solid state.. when solid states are pushed they sound liek ASS!!!!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this is a perfect match for heavy music.. soo many usable tones... hell i can even get a good ACDCish tone outta is.. it is amazing wht you can do if ya start to fool around with it.

Comments: i would get this pick up again i have a Emg 707 on order for my seven string.. i can't wait.. if ya want a sound bite send me a msg i'll send you sumthin..
Peace

Pickup features: Active Humbucker.... who wouldn't know......???
Impedence or other specs: I just like the tone.

Model of guitar or bass: B.C.Rich Beast
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock BDSM pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: Metallica,Slayer,.... alot more..... ME!!!!
You musical style(s): Metal..... metal..... oh and...... metal...
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to hear the tone for myself... so i bought one.

Perceived output level: Well,.... i cant describe it... u need to hear for yourself!!!.....MOTHERF%%%%%% HOT!
Tone: a bit trebly and middy.... sounds great when PM-ed with distortion on.
Sonic evaluation: I use a B.C.Rich Beast through a Boss GT-6, Crybaby Wahwah and into my Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier Full Stack. This is probably the most GOD DAMNED FU&^&*$ SETUP EVER.... URE BALLS RATTLE WHEN U PM OPEN!!!... MY NEIGHBOURS CALLED THE POLICE 3 TIMES ON ME ALREADY...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: DEFININATELY FOR METAL ONLY!!!!

Comments: If it were stolen or destroyed... i'd buy it again. thats it. I've been playing for 6 years now...i've owned other guitars..... and many amps.... i am superly satisfied with this pickup... beats probably anything else in the world... i am glad....

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn Dimebag Darrell 333
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Washburn 621 (Bridge)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 neck (replaced the stock 623)
Artists using this pickup: MetallicA, Zakk Wyld, ME!!!
You musical style(s): 70's-80's heavy-metal (ManOwaR, MetallicA, Iron Maiden) not the hair-band shit!!!
Reason for pickup change: louder! better gain.

Perceived output level: Loud, crystal clean tone, killer distortion tone. It really helps the gain too, I have to turn the gain on my amp down when I plug this one in, then when I switch to another guitar I have to turn the gain and volume up.
Tone: Well balanced!
Sonic evaluation: From the guitar and striate to the amp (Marshall DSL stack) and sometimes I use a Morley wah with my band.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My style is a mix of ManOwaR, (OLD) MetallicA, Iron Maiden, Motorhead ext... and as far as I can tell it works great for rhythm and lead.

Comments: If anything happened to it I would buy it again as soon as I hade the cash. Iv been playing for about 6-7 years, I?m in a four peace band and we gig regularly, and I always know my tone is excellent with this guitar/pickup. I don?t know what more to say but, go out and try it for your self and hear the difference.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: IbanezRG570
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: V8 (stock ibanez)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: SLAYER Metallica Fear Factory
You musical style(s): Metal, Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock ibanez pickups are crap, i realized this about a year and a half after purchase of guitar. stupid me.

Perceived output level: This pickup is....well it says don't use the word Hot ...i dont have a thesaurus handy, so i'll say it is h...really HOT.
Tone: listen to slayer or metallica, you know the tone.
Sonic evaluation: im usin an rg570---crybaby---chorus---mt2---ge7----marshall VS100 head jcm900 4x12. the distortion from the head sounds so sweeet now. im gettin rid of the metalzone and eq asap. I dont need it. this pickup does the job for the sound im lookin for. it sounds pretty good clean too, well with the volume knob down a little.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: if you play slayer, this pickup and a marshall head are perfect. i play metal and that is what this pickup is for. i HIGHLY RECOMMEND this pickup to anyone playin slayer/metallica, or that type of music. you wont be sorry.

Comments: i dont wanna answer all the questions harmony central recommends. so to sum it up BUY THIS PICKUP. be good! peace.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: esp ltd exp-200
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock duncan design
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica
You musical style(s): heavy metal
Reason for pickup change: wanted to see what was the big deal with EMGs
Not too much though

Perceived output level: not that great loud as a cat stuck in a wood chipper
Tone: not much crappy
Sonic evaluation: I play this straight into my Crate GFX 65. There isn't any guts to it
Maybe mine are screwed up or the batteries is dead.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Heavy metal NO shouldn't be used at all maybe for a coaster or something

Comments: I'd want the money not the pickup. I've been playing for a year and a half. Everyones gonna think oh he doesn't know what hes talking about.
I know what sounds good and heavy to me and this isn't it. This doesn't give you beyond amounts of distortion. The stock PUs in my Jackson KV3 give a better crunch and heaviness. Now don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying it is just horrible. Its just not worth it.
I wanted heavy as hell distortion but too bad this aint it. Some people may like EMGs sound. But I don't. Sounds fake. Like you could make the same sound out of your computer. I don't know maybe mine were
messed up or something. Don't judge on what people say on here wheither or not to buy something. Test the stuff out and see if you like it. I wish I had. These suck! Heaviest pick up in the world my ass. I could fart in a microphone and it sound just as good. Just not worth the money. I hope they are messed up and don't actually sound that bad. People are like oh Metallica uses um and so does Zakk Wylde
They also have really nice guitars and amps. And 10 different pedals and effects. Don't buy anything and expect to sound exactly like your guitar hero. Thats why they got famous. Their own sound. Be yourself not someone who has already done it.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD H-300
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: STOCK PICKUP (EMG-HZ)
Other pickups on guitar: SAME
Artists using this pickup: DUNNO
You musical style(s): BLUES/METAL
Reason for pickup change: INACTIVE PICKUPS TOTALLY BITE, TO MY KNOWLEDGE MY PICKUPS WERE PRETTY GOOD FOR STOCK; WHEN I CHANGED OVER TO ACTIVE IT WAS AN ENTIRELY DIFF. WORLD. ALL ELSE SEEMS TOO MUDDY.

Perceived output level: BAD ASS, AND THE CLEAN IS SENSATIONALLY BRILLIANT
Tone: TREBLY IN MY OPINION, BUT IT'S GOT KICK IN THE LOWS TOO
Sonic evaluation: ESP W/ A LIL GFX 15 CRATE AMP. THE AMP IS GETTING OLD AND I'M PLANNING ON GETTING A BIGGER AND BETTER AMP. MAYBE A PEAVEY BANDIT 112S. I WOULD HAVE STAYED W/ CRATE BUT THEIR CLEAN CHANNELS JUST BLOW.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: METAL/BLUES; GREAT FOR BOTH TYPE OF DISTORTIONS AND STYLES

Comments: DEFFINATELY WOULD, BUT I'D BE PISSED CAUSE MAN AM I ON A BUDGET, THAT'S IT'S ONLY DOWNFALL. MY NEXT PICKUP I'M GETTING (EMG 85) WITH FREE INSTALLATION (ON BOTH), AND $20 OFF. IT IS STILL PRETTY PRICEY. I GUESS THAT'S WHY EVERYBODY DOESN'T HAVE ONE (BIT OF A SCOFF). ANYWAYZ IT'S THE COOLEST.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG 470
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Ibanez V8
Other pickups on guitar: 85 in the neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Industrial, Metal, Blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more output

Perceived output level: So Hot I got heartburn
Tone: Trebly and crunchy as hell
Sonic evaluation: I love this pickup. I use a Marshall vs 100 combo and I can really tell the difference. Its got sweet bite and its crunchy as hell, whereas the stockers were very muddy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This would work well with pretty much anything in my opinion

Comments: As I said before, I absolutly love this baby. It gives me the sound I was looking for. Paired with the 85 in the neck it cant be beat.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP M-300, BC Rich Warlock x3, Ibanez RG, the list goes on...
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: crappy stock passives
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85 or EMG-60
Artists using this pickup: Anybody with 1/2 a brain
You musical style(s): Metal baby!
Reason for pickup change: I love EMG!

Perceived output level: Mega gain yet doesn't distort when clean. Extremely powerful.
Tone: Mid and treble. Punchy and growly.
Sonic evaluation: I have been using EMG's for a long time now, and have a very hard time playing guitars with passive pickups anymore. The power and tone that EMG is capable of producing with their pickups is incredible. It is now possible (with active pickups only) to create the perfect sound, and then adjust the power level via their preamp. I have not felt limited at all when using EMG's. They are capable of *anything* through any amp, pedal, PA, etc. I have mentioned in a review WAAAYYY down this page that I didn't feel that they are good for country or jazz, but I take that back. EMG's can do ANYTHING!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal at World Record speeds, and this pickup is perfect.

Comments: I have been playing guitar for many years, and have developed a very good sense of what certain guitars are doing. I really have a "feel" for the different components in an instrument, and how they work together, and what can be done to make them work better. It is this ability that has landed me a job with a professional band as their instrument tech. They have used my expertise to their advantage to further their instrumental capabilities - in other words, they like perfect guitars. If I have chosen EMG as the "perfect" pickup, no more really needs to be said about them.
I would just like to say that the response from my earlier posting about EMG pickups has been incredible. I have answered letters from over 100 people, who all have asked very good questions. If anyone has *any* questions about EMG pickups AT ALL, please send me an email.
I don't have much room here to share everything, but I have been asked many things including: guitar setup, pickup installation, pickup selection, basic wiring questions, modification questions, and some seldom-known tips and tricks, in addition to numerous questions about specific things.
Please, feel free to send me your questions at any time.

Pickup features: active humbucker.....insane output
Impedence or other specs: really hot

Model of guitar or bass: washburn dime series 333
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: washburn 623
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85(neck)
Artists using this pickup: metallica, slayer, zack wylde...and me
You musical style(s): metal, hard rock, blues
Reason for pickup change: the stock pickups where very generic sounding, and I wanted something with lots of punch

Perceived output level: this is the highest ouput mass produced pickup in the world......does taht clear it up
Tone: balanced, a little trebly(which I like)
Sonic evaluation: Im using this through a crate GX212 and even though its only a solidstate amp the pickups still drive the piss outta the input...I love it

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: great for metal and hard rock....not too good for light rock or blues

Comments: Ive been playin for about 2 years now and these pickups have finally givin me that perfect sound that every musician searches for....."THAT SOUND"
my only complaint is the price.....wholy shit did it take a while to save for

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Japanese Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Don't care...I know I use it.
You musical style(s): Blues, Jazz, Modern rock, Alternative, Metal
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were noisy and harsh.

Perceived output level: Medium! Most people believe these PUP's are extremely hot, but they are not. Use you amp for the distortion.
Tone: Fairly balanced
Sonic evaluation: I have used it with a Marshall halfstack and a Flextone II XL.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly heavy metal and modern rock but also blues and alternative. This PUP is a good match for just about any style of music because of it's transparency.

Comments: I have been playing for 12 years. I love the transparency...very clean and clear, but sounds great when you add overdrive or distortion. Especially with a digital modeler it is important to not have a "metal pickup" which this is not! It does however sound great for metal.....Many metal players and pros will tell you this pickup is not just for metal because it is so clear and clean. It's not a distortion pickup but sounds good with a heavily overdriven amp! I think I would rather look for a pickup with more character...which I am now. I still need to find a better pickup...this one is great however. I just want one with more character.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Korina Flying V
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: 81
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammet!!!! Zakk Wylde, James Hetfield etc.
You musical style(s): Heavy Metal
Reason for pickup change: The stock wasnt hot enough for me at all..

Perceived output level: Very HOT i think it is like a 2.25 output or somethin like that, i read it in the manual but dont have that anymore so im not positive
Tone: thought it was a little bassy but i messed with my amp more and its pretty well balanced..
Sonic evaluation: Using this guitar through a Line 6 112 Spider and a Crybaby Wah. Other guitars i use are a Ibanez with X2N's, a Strat and a Takamine acoustic/electric

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Metal this is a PERFECT match for it, its good in both positions but i found a great lead tone in the neck.

Comments: If somethin happened to it i would deffinently get another...I have been playing for 2 1/2 years. I love the great lead sound i get out of it i can shred like crazy! This has made me completely satisfied, it didnt at first i was real disapointed then i messed with my amp a bit and tried the neck PU and i LOVE it!!!

Pickup features: ACTIVE
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: JACKSON ROADS, GIBSON EXPLORER, STRAT, B.C. RICH MOCKING BIRD
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: CRAPPY STOCK OF COURSE
Other pickups on guitar: 81'S CEPT ON THE NECK OF THE GIBSON, 89 AT NECK
Artists using this pickup: CHEAP BANDS
You musical style(s): FROM A TO Z
Reason for pickup change: 81'S R RATHER INEXPENSIVE COMPARED TO SUM OTHERS

Perceived output level: HIGHER THAN NORMAL
Tone: STERILE,STERILE,STERILE. I CANT PUSH IT ENOUGH, THAT AND TOO MANY MIDS. BUT SINCE ITS ACTIVE YOU DONT LOSE AS MUCH YOU WOULD LOSE IN NORMAL PASSIVE PICKUPS YOU HAVE MORE GAIN IN THE LONG RUN.
Sonic evaluation: BOOGIES, FENDERS, LANEYS, YOU NAME IT. USUALLY JUST STRAIGHT IN BUT OCCASIONALLY ONE OF MY PEDALS TO ADD VIBE TO THOSE SATRIANI TUNES. ITS BETTER THAN MOST PICKUPS. BUT IT LACKS FEEL, SOUL, GUTS,ECT. IT WILL PROBABLY MAKE A SHITTY GUITAR SOUND GOOD(DEPENDING ON THE GUITAR) BUT FOR AN (EXPENSIVE, BOUGHT IT FOR THE TONE AND NOT LOOKS) BIT IT WOULDNT DO ANYTHING, YOU WONT HEAR MUCH FROM IT; YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITH PASSIVE. IT ALSO LACKS DYNAMICS(GOOD LUCK TRYING TO VOLUME SWEEP THESE SUCKERS) WICH R EVIDENT AS YOU MESS WITH THE SOFTER STRUCK NOTES.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: REALLY YOU CAN PLAY MOST ANYTHING WITH ANY PICKUPS(EXCEPT P-90'S) , AND THESE R NO EXCEPTION.

Comments: IF THESE PICKUPS WERE DESTROYED I WOULD GET DIMARZIO'S BECAUSE THEY ROCK. JUST LOOK AT ALL THE GUYS WHO USE THEM VAI, SATRIANI, GILBERT, PETRUCCI, ECT. BESIDES THESE PICKUPS R FOR KIDS. SO METALLICA USES THEM, SO WHAT METALLICA SUCK'S( I LEARNED THAT WHEN I BECAME A BETTER MUSICIAN AND STARTED PLAYING THEIR STUFF WITH EASE AND UNDERSTANDING) AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON MALMSTEEN AND HIS 5 TRICK'S. IF YOU R SERIOUS ABOUT MUSIC GET DIMARZIO'S IF NOT EMG 81'S. IT WONT HURT IF YOUR JUST GETTING INTO MUSIC JUST TO GET CHICKS OR WHATEVER. TAKE IT FROM ME, A WOULD BE GANGBANGER FROM EAST LA WHO IS ONLY 19 AND GETS ATTENTION FROM ANY GUITAR STORE HE PLAYS IN. P.S. IF YOUR WONDERINFG WHY I AM SO INTO DIMARZIO YET I HAVE SO MANY EMG'S ITS BECAUSE I AM WRITING THIS FOR MY FRIENDS AND R GEAR COMBINED. TRUST ME DIMARZIO HUMBUCKER FROM HELL, X2N, STEVE SPECIAL, AND AIR NORTON.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: HOT!!!!! Check the EMG website for the specs.

Model of guitar or bass: B.C. Rich N.J. Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: BC Rich Stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: SLLLAAAAYYYEERR!!!!! & Metallica
You musical style(s): HEAVY SATANIC, DEVIL WORSHIPING, CHILD SACRIFICING, METAL!! =P
Reason for pickup change: One word: STOCK!! I needed that little push over the edge. These babies go to 11!!!!!

Perceived output level: I said HOT!!!!!!!!!
Tone: Trebly but clear
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Marshall 1 watt travel amp, you know those cute little micro halfstacks. This baby can shake the walls down!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Is there an echo in here?? I'd suggest the 60 if your thinking about putting the 81 in the neck.

Comments: Stolen? I'd like to see the thief re-install them without the instructions =D. 3 years of wasted youth playing. OK, they're just alittle on the sterile side, but did I mention that their HOT!!!!! I'd considered some Duncans, but went the EMG way. Love the sound, but may consider Duncun Donuts for my next guitar. Who knows??

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Guild Les Paul copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio super distortion
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Every musician worth his salt
You musical style(s): Metal/blues
Reason for pickup change: Heard great things about the pick up. Metalica uses it. James Hetfield's guitar at one of the shows was the best sounding axe I have ever heard.

Perceived output level:
Tone: 81-Very bright and distorted, 85- warm and sustain filled
Sonic evaluation: Small fender amp and DOD musti-effects box

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

Comments: You know the old adage "If it ain't broke don't fix it"? Well I should of listened to it. Don't get me wrong, I like the EMG 81 and 85, which I also had installed. It's just that I like my old Dimarazio super D's better. Do you all remember those old disortion boxes of twenty years ago? Remember when you used too much? Well thats how these pickups sound. Too much.
I tried to like them. I really did, (especially after I went through great expense to get these put in.) The 85 in the neck position sounds very good. Even better than the old D's. The 81 in the bridge is- well- too distorted and high end. I hope I explained this well. Bottom line is if you are really disatisfied with your current pickup setup you probably will really like these. If however you are satisfied don't mess with what you got! By the way, if anyone ever stole my old Guild I'd go into major depression for a month. Than, than I would get what I have always dreamed of. A Cherry Sunburst LES PAUL!

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs: i dont know and dont care

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Shitty Ibanez Powersound
Other pickups on guitar: EMG '85
Artists using this pickup: everybody knows
You musical style(s): Thrash, Metal
Reason for pickup change: U just have to hear the powersound, it will make you cry

Perceived output level: UltraHot
Tone: amazing
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez RG270DXBK - Jim Dunlop Cry baby - Metal Zone - Boss Super Chorus - Rocktron Rampage R80

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

Comments: AMAZING, when i got them installed i got the configuration mixed up, i asked 4 81Neck and 85Bridge, big mistake, so wen i got them home i had to swap, they sound amazing now

Pickup features: Its a pickup. Sound comes out of it.
Impedence or other specs: Its a pickup.

Model of guitar or bass: Charvel model 5
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Jackson
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: who cares?
You musical style(s): Lead. Anything with lead
Reason for pickup change: If you have a decent guitar (not some Squire or fender mexico crap) this is the cheapest way to get a better sound. Old p/ups died anyway.

Perceived output level: It's so hot it drives my Crate practice amp's clean channel with the volume on 4
Tone: NO MIDS, NO BASS. This can be fixed with an EQ, though
Sonic evaluation: I'm running my neck-thru, old-school Charvel shredder into a Peavey or Marshall halfstack, depending on who i'm playing with. The 81 does all it claims to be, it has a piercing attack, lots of compressed gain and is virtually silent when you're not playing. This is a lead pickup. I play lead. Actually, from what I had heard I thought it was going to be some shrill, too trebly and nasty sounding pickup that 15 year old kids bought because Metallica uses them. I was wrong, it has a very good sound. For rythym it would be ok if you EQed the hell out of it, but the 85 I have in the neck would then be too bassy. I have yet to find an EMG that didn't sound good, I am very happy with this pickup. Don't try putting it in a crappy guitar to increase sustain, though. Although it has a very compressed sound pickups do not actually have anything to do with sustain and you could spend your money better buying something else. I'm sure you can get a wide variety of nice sounds out of it, but its no big secret that there's one thing its good at: fast solos. All the notes are clear, this thing has such tight distortion that it will even make awful practice amps sound better. Its also very good for squeaky clean stuff, you can nail that old metallica shit easily. One thing: the 81 has so much output that it will pick up EVERYTHING. If you suck, and want to buy it because your favorite guitar hero uses it, and you turn your gain up all the way on your amp, you will be disappointed. Every mistake you make that you never noticed before cause you had crap pickups will suddenly become blatantly obvious. Unless of course, you decide to clean up your style (or you only play 5th power chord progressions and hide behind a wall of distortion). Also, when i first got it I was worried that it would eat up batteries and I would constantly have to replace them. But the battery lasts 3000 hrs, unless you leave the plug in all the time it will take a long time. I have played 2-3 hours a day for a year on the same battery, its still going.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Lead. This is a lead pickup. It is also a high output pickup. So don't buy it if you play jazz.

Comments: I am happy with this pickup. I have yet to find a better value pickup. If you want to get amazing tones like Satriani or Steve Vai, you'll have to spend a lot just to get all their other gear too, so unless i come into money I won't be going back to passive pickups anytime soon. Like I said this is the easiest way to improve your sound if you're happy with your ability level. EMGs are notorious for having no mids and too much highs, but I found the balance on the 81 not as bad as I thought, and the 85 in the neck balances it out, it has great bottom end, and a rounder, warmer tone. In fact, that is basically the only real difference I can find between them. The 81 does seem to bring out harmonics better. I can now find them where I couldn't before, at odd places like the 9th and 10th fret. Pinch harmonics seem to jump out. It feeds back easily but not uncontrollably. Despite this I still wish it had a richer range of tone, but it's only one pickup! It has its advantages and disadvantages. I would give it a 9, but since I have yet to find a pickup i liked better (besides the 85) i give it a 10.

Pickup features: humbucking active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: Emg 85 in neck position
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Misfits, ramones, stones, clash, sabbath
Reason for pickup change: bored

Perceived output level: Actually to hot
Tone: trebly
Sonic evaluation: THe EMG delivers what it says it does - output. I wired my 81/85 EMG's at 18 volts and I think I'm going to go down to 9 as my amp distorts when just plugging th guitar into the clean channel. If I were just playing Rammstein I would love this setup as it delivers that sort of sound. I suspected the EMG's would take away from the warmth of my LP and they did. While the EMG does pickup strings more evenly than the stock pickups the stock pickups sounded much warmer. However, again, if I was playing just metal theres no way the stock pickups could get the same distortion of the EMG's. Personaly, I dont care for that buzz buzz metal sound. I prefer a crunchier, warmer tone. Clean sounds are impossible wired at 18 volts. I cannot stress this enough that the pickup is so hot that it distorts plugged into the clean channel with no gain on the amp. This is overkill in my opinion but I guess this is why metal guys love this pickup. Is there anyone but metal guys using this pickup? If the drop to 9 volts doest reduce the gain I may go back to stock. THis is my own preference and not EMG's fault. I knew the EMG's were going to be hot and especially at 18 volts but I wanted to try it and it probably is not right for me. Zakke Wylde seems to pull it off. I suspect he is wired at 9 volts. If anyone knows please email me.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Misfits, Iggy Pop, etc. This pickup is suitable for the heavier stuff. Probably not the best match. I find the pickup to dry and bumble bee sounding.

Comments: Probably try something else if destroyed. I've been playing 17 years and owned countless guitars. Also worked as a dealer for years and played the best vintage and new guitars. I am probably to old style for this pickup. I choose it for an experiment in tone. I got what I expected. I was very impressed that EMG budles the pickup with volume and tone pots and the required input jack, wire, washers, everything needed for install is in the box. While you should get this king of stuff bundled many companies dont do this to save money. EMG also supllied adequate wiring instructions in the box. IF you can wire than its pretty easy. If you've never wired before pay someone pro to do it. Trust me, get it done right.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Mockingbird
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: BC Rich stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85 in neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Hard Rock/Metal
Reason for pickup change: In my previous review I stated I wouldn't dream of putting an EMG-81 anywhere except the neck. I meant to say I wouldn't dream of putting an EMG-81 anywhere except the bridge.

Perceived output level: Same as my last review.
Tone: Same as my last review.
Sonic evaluation: Hasn't changed since my last review and probably won't anytime soon.

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

Comments: This is a follow up to correct the inaccurate statement I made in my first review concerning the suitable position to put an EMG-81(bridge).

Pickup features: Humbucking-Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Mockingbird
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: BC Rich stock DiMarzio
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-85 in neck
Artists using this pickup: Metallica
You musical style(s): Rock,Metal,Blues
Reason for pickup change: Hotter pickup. EMG-81 EMG-85 pickup change is my standard procedure everytime I buy a new electric guitar.

Perceived output level: Very high output pickup. Difference between the EMG and the stock DiMarzio is night and day.
Tone: Gives a very thick, balanced beautiful tone.
Sonic evaluation: I run various BC Rich guitars(all have an EMG-81 in the bridge) into a Morley A/B switch(A = chromatic tuner B= live signal) , into a Morley Bad Horsie Wah, into a switchbox true bypass, into a BBE Sonic Maximizer 362, into a DOD graphic EQ, into an Alesis Quadraverb GT, into a Marshall TSL100, into a Marshall 4X12 cabinet. If I'm playing a gig, a Shure SM57, into a Peavy 16 Channel Board, into another BBE Sonic Maximizer (362NR), into a DOD 31 band EQ, into whatever power amp we happen to be renting, into Peavy Sub's and Main's.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Hard Rock/Metal. The EMG-81 was made for this type of sound. The EMG-81 is a neck pickup, I wouldn't dream of putting it anywhere else.

Comments: It would almost be impossible to steal my EMG-81(s). However, if it did happen, the sun wouldn't set before I was replacing them with EMG-81(s). I've been playing 10 years and I've already mentioned almost every piece of gear I own except some various Marshall combo's and a couple of Crate heads and a Crate Stealth Combo. What I love about the EMG-81 is the outstanding tone. I haven't yet found anything I hate about the EMG-81. If I had to say anything negative, it would be it gets a little noisy when playing at home near a TV or Computer, but that isn't the EMG-81's fault. I love my tone and the EMG-81 is a big part of it. It took me 8 years to find the perfect sound. With the EMG-81 and the above metioned equipment, my tone and sound is everything I've ever wanted. If you play metal and want to improve you tone without investing in different guitars or amps, the EMG-81 is a must have.

Pickup features: Active high Output humbucker
Impedence or other specs: All I know is low impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Jag-Stang
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: EMG SA-1 Active single coil or stacked humbucker (Not sure which)
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, Eddie Van-Halen, Slipknots Guitarists, Randy Rhoades
You musical style(s): Jazz, Metal, Blues, and New Wave (or old wave if you wanna be mean about it)
Reason for pickup change: I bought this guitar because of it's pickups, I have never changed them, and probably never will. I think they sound awesome, especially in this particular guitar.

Perceived output level: Really high output, more than the passive pickups on my Kramer (2 EMG Selects and a Harmony). The output is high but weakened slightly by the short scale and the massive bassiness of the pickup (Jag-Stangs are really really heavy with this particular pickup in the lead position).
Tone: FAT FAT FAT!!!! This thing is as thick as a couch potato's ass. The sound is fat and thick with Jangly highs reminicent of a Fender Jaguar on steroids. With the right settings, my guitar has that Kurt Cobainish tone in which the only difference is that it is louder and more clear. An addition of mids on the amplifier gives the guitar a Randy Rhodes like tone.
Sonic evaluation: I usually use my Jag-Stang with my Epiphone SC28 Stereo chorus with the effects provided by a BOSS ME-6 Multi Effects pedalboard. The sounds I get with this combination give me a really original tone. Its really thick with alot of high end bite thats pleasing to the ears.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is an excellent match for Metal, for Jazz it's a little too stingy, and for New Wave (unless you mean post 1985 New Wave) it sounds too heavy. The pickup (as with all humbuckers) would not be a good choice for the middle position because of the tone, humbuckers just don't sound that great in the middle position, thats why I don't like some of the 3 pickup Gibson guitars.

Comments: I am buying this pickup for many of my various home-made guitars, I have a multi lamanate Explorer that wil have a pair of these in it. After playing for six years and sometimes spending whole day's in music stores playing every different guitar they carry and have in stock I find that EMG, Seymour Duncan, and some DiMarzio's make good pickups. I also have a liking for some of the original style pickups cheap guitar manufacturers make, some of them have some really cool tones (though they usually squeal). I have been and always will be searching for new sounds (usually guitar/pickup/effect/amp combinations that few have ever tried if anyone).

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn A-5 Stage Series Reissue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock open-coil humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Metallica(like I care)
You musical style(s): Metal, Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups became muddy and unclear at higher volumes

Perceived output level: Much louder at low-volume amp settings, and very clear at high volumes
Tone: the neck 81 is bassy, the bridge 81 is trebly. big shock there
Sonic evaluation: Washburn A-5 -- Boss FZ-2 Hyperfuzz -- Boss MT-2 Metal Zone -- Zoom 3030(processor) -- Marshall VS102R(100watt 2x12 combo) -- Boss GE-7 EQ(in the loop). I mostly use the bridge pickup with the lead overdrive channel on the Marshall combined with a gain boost from the FZ-2 and a V shape on the EQ pedal. Using this setup with the stock pickups resulting in a muddy sound at higher volumes. I picked EMG's because I read that they handle high volume, high gain settings very well, and that they kept everything crystal clear. Don't need none of this Dropped B muddied-up Korn stuff. I want to be able to hear every note I play, especially with palm muting. The neck 81 still gets a little muddy with this setup, so I use the Metal Zone with it instead, and its a nice contrast. As far as people saying these pickups are sterile, I'll agree and disagree. I'll agree that they aren't the warmest pickup in the world, however, they're not supposed to be, so its ok. As far as range of tone is concerned, I can get an awesome blues from the neck 81 if I crank the reverb on the clean channel. Its no SRV tone, but c'mon, they're made for metal(Hello, Slayer uses them).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal. They're great for metal.

Comments: Hehe, stolen. right. As far as being satisfied with this pickup, yes I am. I think I'll eventually pick up an Ibanez from the RG series, and I maybe try the 81/85 combo in that. I've got a Strat copy that I'd like to try a Seymor Duncan JB with as well. But for metal, I think EMG's are the best I've tried so far.

Pickup features: Humbuckins, Active
Impedence or other specs: Special sockets in the back that allow you to easily swap EMG's without the need to re-wire!

Model of guitar or bass: Kramer Striker
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Quad-Rail Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: Dual-Rails
Artists using this pickup: ZAKK WYLDE!!!! Kirk Hammett, thats all I know
You musical style(s): 80's Metal, classic rock, fusion, blues
Reason for pickup change: I always wanted to try out an EMG and so I asked my teacher, turns
out he was just about to sell his on EBay so I nabbed it for a steal!
$50!!!

Perceived output level: Excellent response, everything you play can be picked up. No wonder it needs a battery..............
Tone: Has enough treb, bass, and mids to suit any desire, I wouldnt recommend using the EMG's position for clean playing because there is still gain, like they say, VERY HIGH OUTPUT
Sonic evaluation: I'm running my Striker through a freakin Crate practice amp, haha. You know, the one with the DSP Onboard. And ocassionally I'll use my ZOOM 505 or my 95Q Dunlop.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, it is fucking gold for metal playing, but it is still suitable for all other styles. But keep in mind, EMG makes pickups for EEEEEEEEeeeeeevvvvverrrrrybody's playing!

Comments: Its kind of hard to steal pickups unless you have plenty of free time, lol. I've been playing for 6 years, I'm 16 now, so do the math. I am currently putting together a custom Fender strat right now, and honestly I am going to stick to the roots of Fender for those pickups, but for metal, hey, this should be first in line. I really dont know why you cant buy these things anywhere, like Musician's Friend or Mars Music. I have this '81 custom wired, haha, and it took me all day to do! 2 knobs, the gain knob for the EMG and the master volume for guitar. If you dont want to buy one right off the bat, I highly recommend trying one out first, or just listen to No More Tears or Metallica-Black Album. You will be convinced!!!!!

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer Explorer
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Designed
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: I heard that EMG's were nice, so I decided to try them out.

Perceived output level:
Tone: perfect
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Hamer Standard Explorer with dual 81's, going into a Metal Zone, with a Marshall Mg80 amp. The first thing I noticed was that the notes sounded 100% more clear. Every palm muted note could be heard, instead of a wall of mud. I would definately recommend these pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups are made for metal. And the clean sound also sounds great, so I don't know why people say they don't.

Comments: I definately going to replace the EMG-hz's in my KH-502 with 81's, I can see why they are so popular. I dont hate anything about them, I think they are great.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Bridge, High Output,

Model of guitar or bass: Custom Rod Rodded Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 (Neck)
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, AND ME!
You musical style(s): Classic Metal, Tough Rock, Heavy Metal
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups sucked!!! Too much noise, no output!!!

Perceived output level: You could fry up breakfast on this thing!!!
Tone: Balanced Mids, Highs, and Lows, to the EXTREME!!!
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a VHT 50/CL Stack, and this pickup will handle everything that I throw at it, (which is a lot)!!!! Will not mud up when you tune your guitar really low, will not crap out with extreme highs!!! Just a great pickup!!! VERY CLEAR AND CLEAN!!! BUT VERY, VERY, VERY HOT!!!! Even a great pickup for a more classic rock style!!

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

Comments: If this pickup was stolen, I'd laugh, 'cause the moron took more time to steal my $50 dollar pickup then he did to steal my $3,000 dollar Les Paul that the '81 was in!!! Then, I'd probably hunt him down and have him meet my uncle, Corporal Punishment!!!
As far as an overall rating, this pickup just kicks major ass!!! This gives me the right sound that I LOVE!!!
(Of course, "they've" always said that great tone comes through great fingers!!!

Pickup features: Humbucking Active
Impedence or other specs: Who knows?

Model of guitar or bass: ESP Explorer
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: PRS Dragon 2
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Unfortunately Metallica. But far to many others to mention..
You musical style(s): Metal, rock, blues..etc
Reason for pickup change: PRS Dragons are great pickups but I wanted to return this guitar to its original configuration. And I love EMGs (read my 89 review :)) Also I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with the 81 model.

Perceived output level: As others have said its a very powerful pickup.
Tone: Very balanced sound, nice crunch terrific high end. And more bass then I expected.
Sonic evaluation: This pickup kills! I had people tell me that it was too trebly and more of a high end lead sound. WRONG!!! Although it has tremendous lead potential this thing can deliver great rhythm tones and nice bottom end. I use a Crate GX 212 and its great sounding. I think some people don't use the controls on the amp, because this thing does it all for me. It has a high end no doubt about it, but it also has a wonderfully hard and solid overall sound as well. Great tone for metal and hard rock and I bet it could handle blues and R and B if tweaked right. Also people have been whining it sounds bad clean. I don't know, it has a "twang" to it but that can be used if you want to go for some intresting country style (although the average person using this is not a country player I'd bet :) ) Anyway its a brilliant pickup and don't let anyone tell you its too high end. Also there is a tone control remember. When I turn the tone all the way down and it rumbles like a belly full of Taco Bell!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Like I said it seems to me it could be used for anything but a guess for me would be Country (although a cowboy friend of mine heard it clean and said he loved it) maybe it could be too much for Jazz.

Comments: If it were stolen I'd cry and buy more. This thing is great I have 89s in my other guitar and love em I have 81 and 60 in this guitar and love em. I mean you cannot go wrong with EMG in the future any other guitars I have will always have EMGs in it.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Kramer Baretta
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Dual Quad Rails
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine)
You musical style(s): New Age, Hip Hop/Hard Rock, Punk
Reason for pickup change: Tom Morello Uses um and the quads were less hotter.

Perceived output level: output level is high and mighty.
Tone: tone is all around and balanced
Sonic evaluation: Its run through my guitar(the Baretta, with the wiring done to perform the kill switch effect)Dunlop GCB-95, Digitech Whammy, Ibanez TK999 Tube King, Boss DD-2 Delay, Ibanez CF7, and put into a really old Marlboro 540A(maybe 40 watts)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For any type of hard rock basically, this pick up has endless possibilities for hip hop(Rage style)

Comments: If they were stolen i would get new ones. I love these EMGs, they are cool. You can do that Bulls On Parade solo, thats cool. Great Sustain. I could get the wiring re soldered. I am completely satisfied with these monsters, they can do anything, shred, scratch, toggle do anything. You want to play R.A.T.M., you need these.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: LTD ESP Viper 300
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio Tone Zone
Other pickups on guitar: EMG HZ (disconnected)
Artists using this pickup: a lot of metal guitarists, too many to name
You musical style(s): hardcore/metal
Reason for pickup change: The Tone Zone is a good pick up but was too muddy in my Viper. Its mahogany body is very warm and the warm sound of the tone zone was just too much. Single notes got burried and were undefined. I wanted to have more definition even at high gain. The tone zone got removed into an ESP H-200 which has a alder/ash body and there it's fine.

Perceived output level: not much hotter than passive hot humbuckers of other manufacturers but of course still very hot. and it's damn loud !!!
Tone: very tight and aggressive, a little bit on the trebly side but balanced. enables you to dial in more bass
Sonic evaluation: guitar > Peavey Ultra Plus > Engl 4x12 standard cabinet, monster speaker cable. The Peavey has different tubes (J.J.'s instead of Ruby) and has a killer sound now. I'm not using effects yet I have been reluctant to use effects for years but I changed my opinion and I tink it will enable more soundpossibilities, I'm desperately trying to get a used pitchshifter pedal and a flanger at a reasonable price.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly metal and hardcore at high gain and the pick up is perfect for these styles. I only tried it in the bridge position, I guess the EMG 81 wouldn't be too good for clean stuff in the neck, the 85 or 60 would be better.

Comments: Yes, I would get it again. I don't think it would get lost easyly but I would consider getting it for another guitar. The reason why I got it was because I wanted to have a metal guitar which gives me a clear and defined sound even at high gain settings. This pick up does this job perfectly and no other pick up can. You can hear every note you pick. The positive side effect is that you HAVE to play cleanly, this pick up is unforgiving and will show if you play shitty but this only helps you to progress even more.
I have been playing for 7 years now and have been reluctant to get an
active pick up for such a long time because I didn't like the idea of using a battery. But batteries are supposed to last 3000 hours which is a lot and hey, guitarists invest thousands into gear and you're afraid to invest $ 2.50 into a 9V block battery which gives you a so much better sound? Be real.
Lots of people complain about the processed sound of the EMG's but I don't think they sound very processed on a tube amp. It does sound different, it's very focused and brutal aggressive which is what I love about this pick up. It does sound a little bit processed when using solid state amps though, I have to agree but there are ways of getting rid of that problem.
And I don't find it having a bad clean sound, of course it's no blues pick up. It doesn't distort very much and doesn't sound much different clean than any other high gain pick up. Besides that it hasn't been constructed for clean stuff anyway, it's a high output pick up.
The only thing I don't understand is: why does EMG pre-solder the pots at the lugs where they don't belong so that you think that it doesn't matter where you put them? That's stupid. It was a pain in the ass to have them installed because the pots are so flimsy and I ended up wiring it at the wrong lugs at first which totally messed it up.
I soldered my passive pick ups before and never had problems. After I changed it it still wasn't working right. when turning down the tone pot and then backing off the volume made the fulls signal come back. In the end I gave it to a tech who took care of it and who told me has never seen anything like that before. Seems like some soldering joints got connected somehow even though I double checked and couldn't find anything. But that's why a pro is a pro and he could find the mistake.
Now it's perfect and sound killer.
If you play metal(!) and wanna have a great sound you owe yourself one of these pick ups. I think this it what makes the difference between a good and a great sound.
Some people complain about their sound being muffled and undefined and start buying effects like sonic maximizers and other stuff, when all they should do is start at the source of the problem and get other pick ups.

Pickup features: one hot ass active humbucker!!!
Impedence or other specs: very nice.

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Elegant (best guitar on the planet)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 57 classic
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 in neck
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde, James, Kirk, and so on and so on..........
You musical style(s): Dream Theater, Ozzy, Metallica, Van Halen, Lynch Mob, Bon Jovi.....
Reason for pickup change: The 57's had nice warmth, but for the music I play, I needed more of an edge to my sound.

Perceived output level: Pretty Hot!
Tone: The bass is cut a little bit, but then just boost the lows on your amp damn it!!!
Sonic evaluation: Mesa Boogie MK IV, Rectifier Cab, Tons of boss pedals, dbx compressor, behringer EQ, and some other god boxes.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great Rock Pickup, and yes, it can play other styles! you just need a good amp!

Comments: If it were stolen, I would hurt the man, and I mean fuckin HURT! You see, first I would bring out my old 12 gauge (I live on a farm by the way) and I would spend the majority of the day blowing off his limbs, and then let my chickens peck peck peck untill he was a pile of bones that even mice couldn't get a meal out of!!!!!!!! STEALERS WILL PAY!!!

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: High Output

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Open Coil stock humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-81
Artists using this pickup: James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett
You musical style(s): Metal/Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups werent giving me the kind of crunch sound I was looking for.

Perceived output level: High Output
Tone: Nice tight mids, Thick low end, defined high end.
Sonic evaluation: I have already written 2 reviews on this pickup about 2 years ago but since then I have upgraded my amp setup to a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb. This is 100 watts with 2 channels and a Vintage and Modern High Gain mode. It is all-tube run through a pair of Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Metal and Hard Rock and this is equally suited for both but not so much for softer music styles.

Comments: Needless to say this pickup/amp setup gives me the best crunch sound i've ever heard. People always tell me that Bogners or Engls have the best crunch sound but i have yet to see even one bogner amphead in any stores within a 200 mile radius so i cant judge that. This pickup has a reputation for being too harsh with the treble sounds but that is only for people who dont know how to fiddle with the bass knob on their amp. Try scooping the mids and backing off on the treble control guys!! I have a very heavy, very loud sound and i wouldnt want to change one thing about it. It is so out-of-control that i had to buy a Noise Gate to get rid of all the noise from all the distortion. If you want an active pickup which will give you tight roaring crunch tones then this is your best bet.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 25 K

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Gibson humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: Stock hum
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Zakk Wylde, Metallica
You musical style(s): Speed/Thrash
Reason for pickup change: The old one sounded like crap

Perceived output level: Get ready to blow someone's head off..
Tone: trebly
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this baby on my Gibson Les Paul, run through a JCM 900 2100 (The 100 Watt Hi-Gain), with a Dunlop Roto. I mostly play heavy/speed/thrash metal like Slayer, Pantera and Metallica (before they got weird), and for this kinda music, it's to die for. The added thickness (and weight) of the Les Paul evens out the trebly character of the pickup. Output really drives my amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's great for speed/thrash/heavy metal, so I wouldn't recommend it if Eric Clapton is your cup of tea.

Comments: If someone stole my guitar, I first would hunt them down, cover them in razor cuts and dip them in acetone, then burn them alive. Then I'd get my insurance company to buy me a new one. This thing is reliable as hell, but always keep spare batteries in case of emergencies. Although I already had a decent sound, this one added a lot of punch.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Huh?

Model of guitar or bass: Schecter S1 Plus
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: ones that want a heavier, clearer sound
You musical style(s): Metal, Hard Rock, and some Classic Rock
Reason for pickup change: EMG's were installed before I had the chance to try the stock Duncan Design pickups originally in my Schecter S1 Plus, but I wanted a hot pickup to play METAL!

Perceived output level: HOT! but not too much hotter than my Seymour Duncan Custom
Tone: Seems slightly trebly, and scooped, has that nice/nasty raw tone too it-Just what I wanted to play METAL!
Sonic evaluation: Right now i'm using a Schecter S1 Plus with this 81 and an 85 in the neck through a Metal Zone into a Crate GFX212 w\Celestion Vintage 30's all connected by Monster Cable StudioPro1000 instrument cable. I'm getting a real tube amp this month and selling this gear cause Boss and Crate products can only get you so far. I really like the articulation and how this pickup will let you hear EVERY sound you make across the fretboard! The Monster Cable really allows this pickups qualities to shine through even through this solid state amp! The only other pickups I can compare it too is the Seymour Duncan Custom which is in my Les Paul Studio in the bridge position. Duncans have their own unique qualities and sound that I like and use for stuff other than Metal but to get balls to the wall scooped mayhem I would definetely recommend the EMG 81! I can't wait to use this on a tube amp and hear how hard it is gonna push the amp! It makes me laugh to see some people leave comments and remarks about this pickup that are very negative and then to see their style of music is something like classic rock or jazz or anything that doesn't require a hot pickup. Bottom line HOT PICKUP = HARDER TONE at least thats what I percive. I agree with the clean sounds not being that good but that what you have a neck pickup for right?! Also the sterile sound everybody talks about is actually what I like about this 81, It makes it sound more raw and defined, just what a Metalhead like me needs.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I use my Schecter w\EMG's for metal and my Les Paul with Seymour Duncans for lighter stuff. I would definetly recommend this pickup in the bridge for anyone who plays metal.

Comments: Stolen? Yeah right, next question. I've been playing for about 3 years and own a 1995 Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Line 6 POD version 2. This is definetly a pickup for metal and I assume it could be used for other styles but I don't use it for other styles. It's kinda annoying to know there's a battery but I don't really worry about it. Changing the battery is easy if you know what you are doing when you install the pickups. This pickup give me a sound I really like but THAT sound has yet to pass by me. I give this pickup a 9 because nothing is perfect and its a good value.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn P3
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan '59s
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Everybody who counts (and their mothers)
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: Duncan '59s are decent pickups, but were a little too thin-sounding for the beefy, heavy crunch I was looking for.

Perceived output level: Think Elizabeth-from-Survivor-Hot and you'll get the idea
Tone: I find the tone to be very balanced; if you choose to EQ the hell out of it, it'll sound good no matter what
Sonic evaluation: I'm currently running my guitar through a Mesa/Boogie Mark III, which is super high-gain, but could use a more responsive graphic EQ. While it definitely rapes the ass off the sound I had before, I am always looking for a tighter, deeper sound that still has a nice top-end crunch and is very well defined (think Justice-era Metallica, Children of Bodom, Meshuggah on "Future Breed Machine", and John Petrucci and you get the idea.) The shortcoming of the setup is definitely not the pickup; it is incredibly clear and crunchy, although it lacks some of the general thickness you'll hear on a Fear Factory or EARLY Metallica record. I think a lot of the people on this board are full of shit when they question its versatility, because I have no problem pulling a wide range of convincing tones from it, and in the neck position, it proves to be just as warm, although clearer and maybe glassier, than the '59 was. People who suck and hide behind excessive distortion should not consider this pickup as it is merciless in exposing the shortcomings of your playing: every finger squeak, slide, and misplayed anything is amplified 1000x because the pickup is so responsive. For anyone who doesn't suck, save yourself the trouble and buy it now.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play lots of metal and balls-out rock (esp. G N'R); it's perfect

Comments: I think i'll always be searching for THAT sound, but this is as close as I'm gonna get until i get my POD Pro to use as a front end for my amp; possibly a Sonic Maximizer, and i'll be in shred heaven.

Pickup features: active humbucking pickup
Impedence or other specs: read another review for specs

Model of guitar or bass: b.c. rich worlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: bridge pickup
Other pickups on guitar: emg 60 at neck
Artists using this pickup: kirk hammett, james hetfield (the james hetfield special)
You musical style(s): metallica
Reason for pickup change: The pickups that come with the lower end model wolock are very weak, nothing compared to an 81 or 60.

Perceived output level: the output leval is very high, the highest i've heard so far.
Tone: This pickup can do it all, from bassy to trebly, from rythm to lead.
Sonic evaluation: I am using the james hetfield special pickup combo, with a boss me-30, and a marshall valvestate amp, very clean destortion, and very loud solos.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metallica, and if you want that extra punch in your metal crunch, this is a pickup you can't be without, this pickup can go anywhere from neck to bridge

Comments: If it were stolen i would buy it again, I've been playing for going on a year this march, people say i am telented, but i just know that i can understand the guitar a bit better then some people, i also own a fender telecaster, esp kh-2, and a esp jh-2, a marshall stack, and a pod 2.0, everything is good about this pickup, nothing is bad, i compared it to many other products from gibson to fender, this pickup took first place. I choose this one because of it'sloud output, and it's abillity to sound like what i want it to sound like, it already has everything i could ever need in a pickup, i am very satisfied with this pickup and i think i'll stay with it for as long as i play guitar.This is the pick up that's just like turning your amp up to eleven.

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: don't remember

Model of guitar or bass: Kramer Imperial (explorer shape)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Kramer Quadrail
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, ?
You musical style(s): blues, rock, metal
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was actually not bad, but it didn't have enough crunch for really heavy and heavy palm muted stuff. My basswood Jackson with an EMG85 in the bridge left the Kramer in the dust.

Perceived output level: a little hotter than the original pickup, normal for an Active EMG humbucker
Tone: fairly balanced, not a lot of bass though
Sonic evaluation: Kramer Imperial (Explorer shape) solid alder body, Floyd Rose bridge, rosewood fretboard into a BOSS ME-30 in either a Fender Princeton Chorus amp or direct into a computer with 50W speaker system for recording purposes. Very good for high gain metal and blistering leads. Not quite as much low end as I'd like, but that may just be a setting problem with the ME-30. However, I would not use it clean as it sounds sort of trebly and almost has a kind of "quacky" sound (not like a Fender single coil).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues, rock, metal. This pickup is great for metal applications. I only use this in the bridge but a friend uses them in the neck too and it sounds ok there as well, so either is probably fine.

Comments: If it disappeared out of my guitar I would definitely buy another one. I have been playing for about 6 years and also own a Jackson JSX-94. I really love the high gain output this pickup has for heavy metal use. The only thing I don't like about it, and I've noticed this with all the EMG's I have, is that they pre-solder the wire braiding around the center conductor and so you can't pull the braid off and solder it separately. I have followed their diagrams which show to solder it just like that still wrapped around the core to the volume knob casing and haven't, I hope, melted the inside insulation yet, but I'm always nervous after an install as to if that's happened or not. Otherwise it would get a 10. Sounds like a small thing maybe, but being an active pickup, what happens if those two short together due to melted insulation? The only thing I have to compare to is my Jackson which has an 85 in the bridge and is also a basswood body. I chose this pickup because while that 85 sounds good, I wanted something that that was even higher gain. Nice because both guitars sound different slightly so I have more versatility that way. I am definitely satisfied with this pickup.

Pickup features: active
Impedence or other specs: low

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde Pantera Metallica Slayer Dying Fetus Sepultura Isacaarum
You musical style(s): hard rock to death grind metal
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups were poor and noisy

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: PLEASE HELP ME!!!! IS IT POSSIBLE TO DAMAGE PICKUP BY REVERSE POLARITY
FROM 9V BATTERY?? MY EMGs ARE VERY NOISY!! CAN IT BE CAUSED BY THIS?
PLEASE HELP ME!!
goldfinch@atlas.cz

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: washburn hm20v
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: this is stock or washburn passive pickup
Other pickups on guitar: emg 85
Artists using this pickup: too many
You musical style(s): mostly metal, death metal
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: probably the hottest one out there maybe a live wire from seymour duncan can compete...
Tone: pretty even to me....
Sonic evaluation: no effects straight to a peavey rage 158... yeah it's not all fancy yet... anyway this pickup is mediocre... it's hot as hell... balanced tone wise... but it has a poor clean, but cool if you want that eerie sound, not something i would use all the time.. also it's very "sterile" sounding you can tell it's active i don't like that... if you're into active pickups you can have that sterile sound if you haven't tried 'em i do suggest trying it... it could be for you...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this is good the only change i would want is for it to be warmer... and maybe a bit more bass... it's good for metal, but i'd prefer warm pickups

Comments: if it was lost... i would get one of these again, but only one, i'd get an x22n or an invader... i've been playing for 2 and a half years, i don't have much equipment just a rage 158 soon i'll have a nice halfstack... it's not that sound for but it could be for you

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 25k Ohm load

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Warlock, ESP LTD M-300
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: On Warlock crappy stock, On ESP EMG-HZ
Other pickups on guitar: On Warlock & ESP: EMG-85
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, old White Zombie, Sepultura, Soulfly, Fear Factory, Obituary, Deicide, Grateful Dead (yes, it's true!), Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, etc...
You musical style(s): Death Metal -- enough said.
Reason for pickup change: Always looking for more power. I played soooo many pickups over the years, and kept looking for more and more output. I finally started listening to all of the artists I respect and got EMG's. They gave me the tone I was looking for.

Perceived output level: Tons of output. Mega power.
Tone: Mid and treble. Bassy enough to crunch.
Sonic evaluation: All my 6 strings have EMG's in them - so everything sounds the same through my amp combo. I have a Crate 100w half stack, and several pedal effects. The Crate tube amps have a very heavy tendency to play with alot of treble and midrange, and lack bass. This pickup, being tonally mid and treble, absolutely screams through this amp. I will sometimes use the amp's distortion for a crunchy, grinding Soulfly-like distortion. Otherwise, I use a Boss Metal Zone, and with the killer output of the 81, that pedal just seeths.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play death metal, but it isn't out of my repetoir to play some classic rock. If you play jazz, or country; this pickup is too powerful or too bright. Perfect for anything played with distortion.

Comments: I have been using EMG products for over a year now, and can't say enough. I tried every kind of pickup available before finally stopping with EMG. Nothing can beat their sound. The 81 is only one pickup in their arsenal as well. EMG makes so many different pickups, it is possible for you to get ANY tone you want, and ANY amount of output you want. That's something passive pickups can't do.
I have dealt with EMG's technical department also. The guys there know everything about guitar electronics inside-out! They are the friendliest, most helpful people on the planet. Not just tone, but also customer service - I will NEVER use another competitor's pickup.
Please feel free to E-Mail me for any questions regarding EMG pickups. I would be more than happy to spend the time discussing these wonderful products, and any other questions.
I would rate these a 65, but the rating only goes to '10'.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Warlock and Godin G1000
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85 on the neck for the Warlock, and stock neck pickups on the Godin
Artists using this pickup: Lots of Hard Rock and Metal musicians.
You musical style(s): Hard Rock and/or Metal
Reason for pickup change: Basically, I wanted a higher output, crunchier, stable distorted sound. I got exactly what I wanted with this pickup.

Perceived output level: Very high output pickup, well balanced
Tone: fairly well balanced, a little on the trebly side which is great
Sonic evaluation: Running it through a Marshall G80RCD 80 watt combo along with a Zoom GFX-707.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: An excellent match for hard music.

Comments: Had these pickups for a better part of a year, and I'm completely satisfied with the sound. Been playing for about 8 years, and used many pickups, and the 81 is one of the highest output pickups that I've heard. Once you've played these, you will not want to go passive again.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Charvel 750XL Soloist Archtop
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG 85
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 85
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde!!!
You musical style(s): Rock/Metal
Reason for pickup change: Was happy with the 85 in the neck, but not so pleased with it in the bridge, decided to bite the bullet and go for the 81 in the bridge.

Perceived output level: High output but very smooth delivery, I like it a lot.
Tone: I think it's well balanced and perfect for rock styles.
Sonic evaluation: Using this pickup in the bridge of a Charvel 750XL (maple set-in neck on a mahogany body with carved maple top, oh yeah!!) into a Marshall TSL 100 yeild an awesome tone. It is the sound of rock. For years I was scared of getting this pickup cause of all the reviews of how powerfull and trebly it is, but all I've found is a superb tone, clear, powerful with a smooth delivery. I'm not sure how well it would do in lesser guitars and amp combos but good gear deserves good pickups and I now reckon these are the best. I like em so much I'm putting the same combo into my Les Paul, to replace the '59 I put in that a while ago.
It also sounds better thru practice amps with distortion pedals when I'm not lugging around the big stuff. For some reason the 85 in the bridge just sounded clinical and terrible there, even my friends cheap Ibanez with stock pickups sounded better, but the 81 is class all the way. Highly recommended.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play in the rock/metal vein and it's great, but I think it's a great pickup for all kinds of styles, as long as you have quality gear you can't go wrong. Just don't expect miracles if you have a crappy guitar and amp combo.

Comments: If it were stolen then my guitar would be gone too and I'd be devestated by that, but if I could get the guitar again I would definitely put the 81 in the bridge again.
I have a PCS Randy Rhoads which came standard with the Duncans Randy used and I'd like to change them to EMG's too but it's not the sort of guitar to stuff around with, so I won't.
Also have a '94 Gibson '67 Flying V of which the stock Gibsons are very high output and cool as they are so I'll leave them in and keep it orignal too.
My other guitar is a Fernandes Les Paul replica which will be getting the EMG treatment now too. I put in a Duncan '59 the other year but I think I've found the sound I want in the 81 so I'll put that and the 85 in it and it should be even better!!