EMG 81

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.