EMG 81

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Bleh bleh bleh

Model of guitar or bass: Kramer 1988 Focus 4000 (RR with Floyd Rose)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Children of Bodom, Shadows Fall
You musical style(s): Metal, metal, and some more metal
Reason for pickup change: Needed a pickup in the first place

Perceived output level: High
Tone: More treble than anything else, but also lots of mids
Sonic evaluation: My gear blows, but this pickup is the only thing that allows me to play the shit I want to play. Harmonics fly out of it, and the tone is 110% balanced. I keep my gain down a few notches compared to using DiMarzios/Duncans. The transistions from rhythm to lead is so smooth, it's like you have Dave Mustaine's tone and Paul Gilbert's solo tone in the same pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Now how would I know that?

Comments: Everything about it rules. Too bad there's not an 11. I've heard some people saying that you'd have to change the battery in it a lot, not true. The site says if you play 8 hours a day, you're set for a year, and it's true.

Pickup features: Active HB
Impedence or other specs: ??? im not good with this stuff on active electronics

Model of guitar or bass: Peavey V-Type EXP
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stocl passive ceramic
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Tons, from all spectrums of music.
You musical style(s): Metal, Blues, Experimental, Classical, Shred
Reason for pickup change: stock Pups lacked dynamics, tone, and harmonic response

Perceived output level: its pretty hot, but i have heard hotter in passive
Tone: clear, emphasis on the upper end, and harmonics
Sonic evaluation: Depending on my mood and time of day depends on what I use. I have 4 amps that I use it with on a regular basis: Crate Blue Voodoo 60w combo, Kalamazoo Model Two (really old all tube amp from the 60s i think), Roland Micro Cube, and a Fender Studio Lead. I also use any combination of effects consiting of: an MXR Dyna Comp, Boss Metalzone, H@O Liquid Chorus and Echo, and Ibanez Weeping Demon Wha Wha. How ever, i do like to plug directly in too, depends on my mood. This Pup is very dynamic and clear, but it still packs some punch. I also have 2 Jacksons. A dinky with a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge and an SL3 with the stock Duncan JB in the bridge. The 81 has more balls than the JB but a much more balanced tone. However my Tone Zone whoops the 81 when it comes to output.
I thought that i had put in an old battery at first but then I read that active Pups distort w/ a drained battery. it also sonded really thin at first. I went onto the EMG website and read up on thier Pups a bit. i learned that they are rated at 27 volts and that if you add and extra 9 volt in series it will add some more to the bottom end, out put and clarity. They werent lying, it made a world of difference. It honestly sounded weak and thin before the change for what I thought it should be. The Tone Zone still has more out put, but it has a different flavor to it. Much more vintage sounding and a bit muddy at times. The 81 sings and accentuates every aspect of your playing.
In other words this is not the pickup you want to start with, it is the one you want to hone in on your skills with. It is very smooth clear and will show all of your nuances and all of your faults aswell. If you do a sweep and you don't quite hit a string right or with the right preasure, you hear it, and it almost hurts to have bad technique. In fact i never realized i had bad technique till after i got this Pup, but it has helped me fix that too by allowing me to hear what I was doing wrong. You will either learn to have good technique or you will get rid of this pick up.
1 thing i have noticed that alot of people dont mention is that you have to find the right strings for EMGs, more so than any other Pup i have ever used. Since they pick up every thing going on with the strings you have to find the right brand and gauge for your guitar, your style, and your technique. You also have to keep them clean. I won't say what I use bc What I like will Probably be totally different to what you want.
Onto the amps and effects and how it reacts with them. It likes the Blue Voodoo the best. The clean channel remains that untill very late, around 8 or so it just starts to clip a lil. I havent tried with the Duncan but the Tone zone starts to make it clip around 6.5. Maybe it is the overwhelming mids coming out of it? It sounds very good for a bridge bucker on clean, which isnt saying much. (i did try it in the neck for like a week, it was odd tonally. I recomend against this. The 60 in the bridge was the best shred Pup ever though) The Lead channel it really lets loose. If you arent familiar with the Blue Voodoo, it is kinda like a Boogie tonally, but i have EL34s in it so mine is like a Marshall Boogie (ha ha ha!) It gets some awesome tones just about every where on the knobs, especially with the "boost" on (it is a boost in the mids before it hits the drive section, idk how it works but it sounds more full this way, even wit the gain down) I can get any thing from blues to black metal, and every where inbetween. The Kalamazoo is kind of indifferent to it either way. clips around 4 (it is a very low wattage class A amp designed for vintage Pups.) It gets a decent vintage blues tone, but not as good as the DiMarzios or the Duncans. After all Active Pups weren't even thought of at the time it was built. The Fender hates all of my guitars unles

Comments: I would definately but this again. I wish it had a way to coil tap and link in parralell though :-/ The 89 has a SC and HB in it and you can switch between, but the HB is much more like the 85, which is good, but more suited to classic tones than the 81 I feel. I am going to put 1 in my SL3 when i get some spare cash. I am very satisfied with the 81, it does what I want it to, especially after hooking it up in an 18 volt configuration. it helps me get some of "those sounds" you can't have just 1 sound after all, where is the fun in that. ohh it matches very VERY well with the 60, please see my review on that. any questions, feel free to email me. i can also send sound clips if wanted.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson DK2S
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Duncan designed stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan designed single coil
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Zakk Wylde, and a shitload of other metal bands...
You musical style(s): Metal, blues, and jazz
Reason for pickup change: I couldn't stand the low output of my old pickups so I needed a change and heard that an EMG is what I needed.

Perceived output level: An EMG definitely delivered what it promised. PLENTY OF OUTPUT!!!
Tone: Extremely trebly but once you dial in the right settings on your amp, you can get an amazing sound.
Sonic evaluation: I wanted this pickup for my "metal guitar". If you play a style that requires you to play without distortion, stop reading, this pickup is not for you!!! Simply put, this thing sounds like ass when it's on the clean channel, it's strictly geared towards a heavily distorted rig. Now that we got that out of the way, metal guitarists will love this thing. I'm running my guitar into an all tube Carvin MTS3200. When I first plugged it in, i never thought i would say this but there was to much distortion. I actually had to turn down the gain, bring up some bass and bring up the mids (Bass-8, mid-7.5, Treble-8). The result is almost a fucking dream. With most pickups, turning up the bass gives the overall sound bass without much change to the tone. With the EMG, it gives it a really awesome boost to the low end that gives you this rich, full distortion that I've always looked for. So once again, If you need a cleaner distortion, this pickup is for you. Even with all that gain, you can understand every note that you're playing, even with chords! Back to it's downfall though, i have other guitars to play different styles with, if you don't and want to play different style, this thing isn't for you.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, rock.... anything that needs distortion. This pickup was obviously designed for the bridge position but there are a few bands that put it in the neck because they wanted a weird sound so I don't recommend it unless you have some cash to play around with.

Comments: I'm giving it a 10 based on what it was designed for. If I were rating it from a blues or jazz standpoint, it would receive a negative score. I can't stress this enough, it's strictly a metal pickup that can only be used for distorted playing. It's clean and extremely defined. The thing that I love most about it is how responsive it is to tonal changes on the amp. Unlike most pickups, if you slightly turn up or down the bass, mids, or treble, you're gonna hear and feel it. Because of this, you get huge range of tonal possibilities. Hope I was helpful!!!

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

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SF-470, Hamer Studio Gatasso
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: Ibanez had an 85 in the bridge, I believe both are 81s in the Hamer
Artists using this pickup: See other reviews. The list of endorsers would discourage me from buying this pickup...
You musical style(s): all breeds of rock, lately early country, bop, and early blues
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Hard to tell because the tone is different too; bigger closer to the strings; output is hotter than the average PAF, but not distortion-inducing on all settings
Tone: extremely balanced; very string-y, very articulate. sensitive, but not colorful. kind of sizzly on top of every note. many have said bright; I feel that's true of top frequencies, but there's an overall darkness that i'd guess comes from an emphasized bass but less emphasized low-midrange. punchy but not overwhelming.
Sonic evaluation: My 2nd guitar was an Ibanez SF 470 w/ EMG 81/85s and a single coil. I played that for years, dumped it for a Guild, and recently picked up a Hamer loaded with EMG 81s. I use a Mesa MkIV and Rivera M60, and an old Magnatone Custom 440 for more vintage sounds.
There is a lot of great information in the reviews, but a lot worth skipping too. These pickups are more like microphones than other pups. On clean settings, the acoustics of the strings come through much more so than on passive pickups. You can hear the windings and metal.
There are some pros and cons of these pickups; They emphasize some aspects of your playing really nicely. For example, picking nuances are all there, even at high gain settings and low tunings. Hammer-ons and muting are very percussive and don't pop unpleasantly or lose volume. Legato playing is easy and there's an overall smoothness to the pickups that makes you want to play to them, if you follow me. They bring out the character of the amp in a different way. Distortion has an edge to it, but also is very singing and gliding. They seem to round out every note. What happens differently with these pickups seems to be somewhere in the middle of the frequency spectrum. On a micro level it almost sounds like the notes are scooped. I know there's an active preamp in each pickup, and i'm not sure how they're eq'd, but i'd guess their great clarity comes from cutting some frequencies in the low mid area and boosting the very bottom and top, giving that shape to the notes. I don't know this, and if I'm wrong and they do nothing of the kind, that's still the way I would describe it. I'm *not* saying that you can only get a scooped metal sound from them at all. They're very responsive to amp EQing like any other pickup.
They may change the way you play. They feel and sound different than anything else, and you'll have to tweak your normal settings, possibly your signal chain and even your guitar setup, to find a sweet spot with them. I find that I listen to different things about the guitar when I play with these. Especially on the lead channel, I want to add more vibrato to string bends because of the way the notes ring. They have a very characteristic way of emphasizing harmonics that make pinch harmonics a lot of fun. You can be very selective about which harmonics to bring out by changing your hand position. It sounds like there's more of the fundamental in the harmonics. You can really hear it when tuning by harmonics, they're very pure and easy to identify.
That can be bad if it's just not the sound you like. These pickups are not chimey and full of character. They sound very unlike an alnico pickup. They take out a lot of the overlapping ring and dynamics of passive pickups. This means you hear everything you play and nothing you don't. There's less noise from other strings when doing runs across the board, where on other pickups there might be some lagging ring.
I tend to miss that sound after playing these pickups for a while. They're a lot of fun to shred around on. The 81 in the neck sounds great for leads, unlike the mushy darkness of a PAF. It sounds thick but still defined and grinding. When I sold my Ibanez w/ EMGs and got a Guild with 70s Dimarzios, I missed the EMGs at first. I learned a lot playing on the EMGs and got very used to the sound. I was more focused on technique and speed with active pickups because you can hear everything so clearly, but wit

Comments: This is all a matter of taste, but I wouldn't buy these new and put them in my guitar. I've got a tele with fralins, and the harmonic depth of those pickups is unreal. I've got a set of fralin humbuckers coming, and they've gotten mixed reviews on HC so I'm anxious to see what I think. If I had a guitar to keep setup for the EMGs and detuned, I would. It's a cool sound that I want some of the time, but not the first thing I wish for on a daily basis. If I had that hypothetical rig with EMGs on tap all the time, and someone stole that guitar and I had to choose between active pickups to try and get that sound back, I'd definitely go with the EMGs. I personally would not go with these pickups if you have only one or two guitars and you need something versatile to grow with you as your tastes change. Grab them if you know that you like what they do and wake up wanting to hear that sound. If that's you, I might sell mine... (I'm still debating, but drop a line.)

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: ???hu??? its active and powerfull nuff said

Model of guitar or bass: 2004 B.C. Rich Bronze single humbucker Warlock
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: BCR-6 (Pice of ****less tone)
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Just about everyone, Metallica and Nickle back just to name a few
You musical style(s): late 70's, 80's, 90's hard rock, heavy metal and some rockabilly
Reason for pickup change: the BCR-6 isnt even good enough to be shit on.

Perceived output level: Very fucking powerful (touch a string and break you're ear drums)
Tone: Perfect ballence
Sonic evaluation: i have a little pice of shit B.C. Rich 10watt pratice amp(man i wish i had money) and like i said above, a warlock

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: his sucker is perfect for everything unless it requires that tele tone, because this seams a little muddier then a tele but still nice for my style.

Comments: I love this thing, i went from no tone to HOLLY SHIT! Its just great, hitting the strings hard on a clear channel gets very very punchy, but lightly struming sounds nearly as good as good as a single coil, and it has no hum what so ever, its honistly the perfect pickup, i think for death metal the S&D Invader would be better, but for that thin 80's hard rock sound, this is it, the ONLY option.

Pickup features: humbucking/active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson USA humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Shadows Fall, Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Mostly metal
Reason for pickup change: I needed something with more bite to it. Since I use straight up Dual Rectifier distortion and no pedals except a tuner I needed a little more boost to my sound.

Perceived output level: High output for the high player
Tone: It's really trebly and middy, not much bass though. But then again the guitar isn't supposed to be bassy, it's supposed to be trebly and middy.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the pickups in an epiphone Les Paul Standard, plugged straight into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier which is hooked up to a Behringer Stereo cabinet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal, it's perfect if your using the right equipment. Don't think just because you have an EMG in your axe that your going to sound like Kirk Hammett.

Comments: If stolen or destroyed, I would definetely replace the pickups in the same guitar. I've been playing for about 10 years and I use a fat strat with a Dimarzio super distortion in it. I realize these are two different guitars but the Dimarzio sounds like dogshit for the style of music I play compared to the EMG. I'd like to take this time to point out that this pickup is not intended for the player that plugs his guitar into a Boss distortion pedal and runs it into a small combo. This pickup was intended to be used with a guitar plugged straight into a stack using the amp distortion. The pickup has a built in pre-amp to drive your AMP more, NOT your distortion pedal. In fact you can get more treble using a passive pickup guitar and a Boss metalzone (which personally, I think sounds like a digitized piece of garbage). This pickup in combination with my Dual Recto half stack and Les Paul gives me the sound I need and want. NO PEDALS EVER, in my opinion, if your using a distortion pedal to get your sound, you still don't own the right equipment for you, because somewhere out there, there is an all-tube amp and the perfect guitar for you. So go find it. YOu should buy this pickup only if you have the sound you completely desire and your just lookin for that extra bite to it. This pickup will do it.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: US Masters Artist
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: EMG-SA
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer, Zakk Wylde, metal heads around the world...
You musical style(s): Rock/hair metal/speed metal/thrash/death/black
Reason for pickup change: wanted something with a beefier and more precise tone than the stock pups

Perceived output level: very hot...will overload some pedals if you're not careful about your guitar's volume
Tone: I found it to be balanced..it can sound very different depending on your setup
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing through a US Masters Artist guitar (ps--check out these guitars!) into a Radial Tonebone Hot British tube distortion pedal --> various effects units-->Roland JC-120H (this is the head version of the well-know Roland Jazz Chorus 2X12 combo)-->Kustom tuck-n-roll 4X12 (original Jensen 50watt speakers in it)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Play a variety of rock and metal, anything from hair-band stuff to death and in between, also like to play spacey clean stuff ala Satriani. I'm very happy with my overall sound. With the right amp, I can get beautiful and heavy tones out of my guitar.

Comments: If I somehow lost this pick-up, or even worse, destroyed it, I would probably replace it. I've heard very good things about both Dimarzio and Seymore Duncan pickups, but I just don't know how they could sound much better. However, my one gripe about this pickup is its apparent difference in volume over the active EMG-SA's I have installed...when I go from heavy on the 81 to clean on the SA (at the neck), the drop is pretty noticeable. Minor gripe though, as I can get around it. I've been playing for about 14 years now. I own an ESP F-207 with active EMG 707's, an old Yamaha RG fat strat, and an Ovation Celebrity CS257(an incredible guitar when amplified!), a Vox AD120VTH amp (absolutely killer amp!)
I really enjoy the clarity I can achieve with this pickup. As long as you're using a distortion that allows the nuances of your playing to come through, this pup sounds beautiful. I know how inflated these ratings tend to be on this site, but I'm not kidding about this pickup. It is a seriously good unit that can really make your playing sound more organic. A common concern I've heard about this pickup is its tendency to sound a bit more sterile than others. I'm convinced after spending some time with this pup that the fault lies with the user. It does sound different than any other type of humbucker I've tried. It does take some tweaking and getting used to (particularly the added sustain). The utter noiselessness of this pickup can also fool the ear. I was confounded the first time I plugged in after having it installed. I thought it sounded awful. Turns out, my amp was a big part of the problem, and my eq setting was another problem, and my strings still another. Once installed, your eq settings will have to change to match the character of the 81. You'll begin to hear more of your signal and playing come through. Honestly, folks, the EMG 81 forced me to pay much closer attention to my entire rig and overall sound, and I've become a much better sounding guitar player as a result! Word of warning: watch out for your gain settings! You won't need as much gain to get a good heavy sound. You volume control also will become more important with this pup. At full volume, it can distort your clean tone. Also, the clean tone of this pup, even in the bridge position, is vastly underrated. Don't be fooled by people who tell you that EMG's lack warmth. It's a myth perpetuated by purists with bad ears and an unwillingness to take the proper time to alter their setup. The 81 will give you great tone, but you have to pay attention to how you handle it and how it interacts with your rig.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Stagg R500
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: some stagg humbucker, that sucked
Other pickups on guitar: one more stagg sucking humbucker
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammamet, Wes Borland
You musical style(s): Hard-rovk
Reason for pickup change: My previous humbucker was so bad, so i must have changed it. I couldn't even use my boss DS-1, because of to lot of noises...:( It was so disturbing, even when used noise gate:)

Perceived output level: Sound is very strong...and it's just waiting for your distorted amp, or effect:) It's so nice, it's heaven for your ears!
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: I'm using my PRS copy guitar Stagg r500 with MARSHALL Valvestate 8280...and it absolutely rocks...even with my guitar:)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play hardrock, like CKY or limpbizkit. I had problems with playing slower ballads:) So I stopped to play it:)

Comments: I'm so glad that I bought it. Now my gear is quite more proffesional that I was in the past. My rock band sound good now. The only disadvantage of usiing active humbucker is that you must have a battery to play...Once playing at the concert i was out of energy in battery and I had to borrow guitar from other guitarist:)

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich NJ KKV
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG HZ
Other pickups on guitar: The other stock EMG HZ is still in the neck
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer, Static-X, and alot of others
You musical style(s): Rock, Hard rock, Metal, anything from soft instrumental to full blown take no prisoners metal.
Reason for pickup change: The stock HZs didn't fit mey needs at all. I couldnt get any kind of tone or sustaine out of them.

Perceived output level: More so than most pickups out there. They're not INSANE, but there isnt much that beats them
Tone: very balanced - The highs are a bit more present, but its very clear
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Bc Rich NJ model KKV and a Marshall 100hdfx half stack. really I just keep it on the clean tone 24/7 and rely on a DigiTech RP unit for everything I need. Basically Ive found everything I need

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Ive got my own personal style, but I play the heavier stuff most of the time. Megadeth is a personal favorite. The EMG 81 fits this fine. Ive seen it in the neck position also, but I recomend you put it in the bridge cause thats what it does best.

Comments: Ive only had this thing a day and Im very happy with it. I really wanted a DiMarzio Evolution, but if I ever get one of them It'll go in my Dean ML. I actually went to the store to buy a Gibson 500T but they were fresh out so I had to make a second choice. I had always thought about buying an EMG but wasnt sure if it was the best choice. Damn, Im glad the store was out of 500Ts because I love this thing. It is mainly a rock/metal pickup but it fits different styles very nicely. I would recomend that you be fairly experienced if you want this pickup. It is much more sensitive and clear than many passive humbuckers and if you screw up, you and anybody listening will probably be able to notice. Overall a very balanced humbucker. Also keep in mind that it is Active, so you're probably going to have to tweak some settings if you're used to playing with passive pickups. I only had to turn a few things here and there and then I was set. Ill give it a 9 cause it doesnt do the job for EVERY musical style, but for basically any type of rock at all, it fits in very nicely.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ESP EC-1000
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81
Artists using this pickup: Whateva
You musical style(s): Lots including metal, hardcore, blues whatever
Reason for pickup change: WOnt change them. Well maybe put in an EMG 85 sometime..

Perceived output level: High output with distinctive clarity
Tone: Id say this pickup is very trebly compared to some passive pickups (Seymour Duncan Invader for example) Personally I would prefer more bass although this amp is very clear but loses some clarity at high levels
Sonic evaluation: I use my ESP EC-1000 with EMG 81's in all positions which then just goes to my Fender Deluxe 85 or my practice Orange Crush 15.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is a perfect match for the styles of music i like to play. (Heavy music mainly)

Comments: These pickups are very good. I would not say amazing or brilliant but still very very good for a high active humbucker. Quite trebly but can be balanced by simply turning down the tremble on your amp. I've been playing for about 4 years and about 1 year with these pickups. The output is perfect for metal or hardcore music. But it is still quite versatile (not so much as a Fender or single-coils but good enough)

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 500t
Other pickups on guitar: 490 that's not connected
Artists using this pickup: God Forbid, As I Lay Dying, The Black Dahlia Murder
You musical style(s): metalcore
Reason for pickup change: The 500t was rad, but got mudded up with lower stuff and was feeding back quite a bit too.

Perceived output level: It's hot, but stays clear on everything
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the epiphone with the 81 at the bridge straight into a Peavey 5150 and a mesa 4x12. The 81 is only wired to the volume and tone knobs, and nothing else. I still have my old neck pickup in place, but none of the wiring is connected.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, hardcore, 80's cock rock

Comments: If this pickup were destroyed/stolen I'd definitely get another one. I've been playing for 7 years. The only other guitar I use besides my epi with the 81, is a fender telecaster with a hotrails in the bridge. I was worried about what a pain in the ass putting active stuff in my guitar was going to be, but it was relatively painless. Just take your time. If you tune low, and still need clarity, these are the way to go. Just eq your setup right and the 81 sounds awesome.

Pickup features: 9 volt dc active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez 450dx
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: infinity (ibanez)
Other pickups on guitar: EMG SA (middle) EMG 85 (neck)
Artists using this pickup: see www.emginc.com for EMG's homepage for a list
You musical style(s): rock/metal
Reason for pickup change: Delusional psychosis. But seriously, chances are if you buy a mass produced guitar you are gonna get bad pickups, change those suckers!

Perceived output level: HOT pickup, to the point of breaking up in clean mode but not quite.
Tone: Balanced, bright, punchy.
Sonic evaluation: Digitech 2101 -> ADA Microtube 200 -> two 4x12's.
I have a complete section of presets I dialed in for active pickups, they really do respond/sound in a totally different way than passives do. The pickups have a weak magnetic field so you can set them SUPER CLOSE to your strings, the weak signal is then boosted by the battery.
Distortion -> very balanced, all notes ring out when big chords are played, harmonics jump out with the greatest of ease. This pickup is for 80's style metal, you will not get any "wolf" out of these pickups...but you can solo all over the fretboard on -any string- and it won't get muddy, which is the very reason I bought this pickup.
Clean -> who cares? Really though, I always combine pickups (neck-bridge, bridge-middle, middle-neck) for my clean tones, by itself it's ok, much closer to a "Best of both worlds" than you will ever get with a passive pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: if you like to play fast without any trace of mud, slap this puppy in.

Comments: Several other -very- important things...
(1) If you do home recording I'm sure you will notice a horrible static/white noise whenever you get to close to your monitor with passive pickups in your guitar (unless you shield the crap out of them). With active pickups I have almost no noise at all!!
(2) Gonna buy it? Replace all of your pickups if you don't want to do a major rewiring job. EMG Active and (other brand)passive pickups don't work together on the same circuit.
(3) I'm happy with this pickup combination in my guitar. I don't know if EMG has changed their set up as I bought these pickups about six years ago, but they came with the volume and tone pots already wired up...for Les Paul spacing, Ibanez volume and tone pots are spaced farther apart, but being an expert with a soldering iron I had no problem modifying it.
Remember... no -one- pickup does all styles of music "the best". When you read these reviews beware the hype! But ALSO beware the bashers!

Pickup features: Active humbucking
Impedence or other specs: read their website...

Model of guitar or bass: ESP LTD MH-301
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: EMG-HZ H-4
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: doh...
You musical style(s): almost every
Reason for pickup change: old PUps sounded DEAD!!!

Perceived output level: Hot (not something to die for...)
Tone: Alive
Sonic evaluation: Rocktron VooDu Valve Online
BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer
Behringer FCB1010
2x12 Combo (various)

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

Comments: I'm sticking with these... clear... high output... phew!!! If I was hot, passive PU, I was jealous... Muddy? NO WAY!!! Alive'n'kicking I'd say! Along with the 81, try 60 in the neck position... WOW!!!

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 10 kohm

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Gibson 498T
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 490
Artists using this pickup: don't know...I think the two guitar players in this famous heavy metal band...what was name again??
You musical style(s): many different, let's name it fusion
Reason for pickup change: wanted to try something new, check out the hyped product

Perceived output level: not as hot as many people here claim, about as hot as the stock passive Gibson. Against the opinion of many other people here, I am 100 % sure that the output level only perceived louder at high gain because the pickup has a much different frequency response than a regular passive pickup.
Tone: sounds very balanced, definitely different from the original Gibson. The clean is very transparent, it seems to be a little less shiny and silky but it has its qualities and also it DID NOT overdrive the clean channel of my amp. At middle distortion I was surprised how good they actually sound with my main amp, a Hughes & Kettner Triamp. Even though I have 6L6 tubes in it, I got this true AC/DC-sound that I was just unable to achieve with my old pickup and the american-style tubes. It just has this treble punch that was incredible to me. Turning up the gain farther up showed me how much bite this pickup has. I usually play with the gain on 10 but for the EMG and the music I mainly play it was a lot too much so I had to turn it down. Not because it sounded bad or because the pickup's output made my amp burst but it was too clear and dominant, again great dynamics and treble. The low end sounds very clear either. It's amazing for high-gain leads because it just cuts through and has a lot of bite.
Sonic evaluation: My main guitar is a Gibson Les Paul. It's played through a BOSS Wah, an Ibanez Chorus into a Hughes & Kettner Triamp (an amazing amplifier) with a rack-mount digital delay in the serial effects loop. The amp is connected to a heavy Orange 4x12 cabinet with vintage 30 speakers.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As said before, I play all kinds of music, well maybe except for free jazz, with a great amp that really allows you to tweak your sound the way you want it to, you have a huge range of possibilities with this pickup. It's especially great for the heavy stuff I play.

Comments: I've been playing for almost 8 years and I've heard quite a few different setups. I'm still in search for the ultimate sound, knowing I will never be able to achieve it. That is because I'm not stuck with one type of music and don't need THAT special sound. What I need is a great and flexible sound overall and this pickup can cover anything you want to make out of it. You just have to know how to set your amp. What is not true about the pickup is the legend that it's noiseless (it does have a little less hum than the other passive pickup in my guitar but then it puts out slight hiss if you turn the gain all the way up). Also it does not deliver INSANE amounts of output. As I said, I am 100 % sure about that because I adjusted the string distance of the EMG to be exactly the same as I used to have it with my Gibson stock pickup. The result was unexpected: The neck pickup was still a lot louder (I prefer it to be louder) than my newly built-in active EMG 81. Also, it DID NOT break up the clean channel on my amp using my regular settings, still super-clean. But as a matter of fact, if you play at high gain levels, the frequency response of this pickup gives you the impression that your amp distorts heavier than with passive pickups. The sound has more bite and punch to it, it's more aggressive, more edgy but at the same time very defined and clear. I might not be as hysterical about the EMG as many people in this forum because the Gibson pickup I replaced has a lot of output and great tone itself but also because after using it I can't see why there is such a hype about them. I wouldn't say my guitar sounds better or worse than before, just different. Tone remains a matter of taste, don't believe people that tell you this thing or another is 7th heaven.

Pickup features: Active Humbucking Pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Special "Bonneville" (My signature guitar!)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone Special Stock Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: Epiphone Special in the neck
Artists using this pickup: The only ones who matter: Kerry King and Zakk Wylde
You musical style(s): Metal/ Southern Metal
Reason for pickup change: The Epiphone pickups sounded okay but got muddy with age and play.

Perceived output level: Very very high output. The right amount of attack without clarity loss.
Tone: This thing is the perfect pickup for anybody. I get good blues sounds with this thing as well. Many, many tones can be accomplished with the 81. It's really incredible.
Sonic evaluation: I use Epiphone Les Pauls (I know Gibson owns Epiphone but I want to be different and root for the underdogs!) with BOSS pedals and Randall amps. This pickup kills on any setup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Perfect match for my tone. This pickup is only for the bridge.

Comments: If it were stolen, I'd buy another one. These pickups can be costly but they're worth every penny.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SA360EX Limited Edition
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Duncan Designed Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: 2 Duncan Designed Single Coils
Artists using this pickup: Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Kerry King, to name a few
You musical style(s): Metal, Punk Rock, Rock.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted improved clarity sustain and smoothness

Perceived output level: Because of all the hype, it was not as hot as I expected. However after a couple of days use I am beginning to appreciate the big difference in clarity the EMG has given me. Really, really smooth distortion which was what I was primarily looking for.
Tone: It needed very little EQ adjustments on my amp/FX setup, and it seems very balanced with lots of low end and middle.
Sonic evaluation: Using an Ibanez SA360EX Limited Edition guitar, into a Jim Dunlop original Crybaby, to a Boss DS-2, to a Behringer V-Tone GMX212. I have used this setup live with excellent results. The EMG really cuts through the mix when needed.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It suits my musical tastes very well.

Comments: I would put another one in my second guitar if I had one. I have been playing for 2 1/2 years and this pickup has finished my search for tone for now. I would recommend buying a 2x12 amp before going with this pickup otherwise it may seem too trebly, and you will no benefit as much from the improvement it makes. Bottom line is this is a great pickup, and all those who have slated it either did not do enough investigation of the musical styles it is suited to or are using poor amplification. Another point I would like to make is do not expect this pickup to make you sound like Kirk Hammett if you are using a Marshall MG15 and a ?100 starter guitar.

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:

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

Perceived output level: same as passive
Tone: tinny
Sonic evaluation: I put this in the bridge pos. of my Kramer Focus 3000. I run a Digitech 2101 into a Mesa Strategy 400 Stereo and 4 Marhsall 412's. The tone is tinny and ugly. I prefer passive.

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

Comments: If it were stolen I would not replace it. I've been playing 25 years

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Limited
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: stock neck
You musical style(s): metal, mostly
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups had nasty, nasty microphonic feedback problems. And lacked clarity for the amount of distortion I use. (i.e., more than blues, but less than, say, Smashing Pumpkins.)

Perceived output level: hotter than stock, that's for sure. But not by much. The stock open coil pickups on my Explorer put out a lot more than these do.
Tone: I don't know where people get off saying this thing has no bass. It DOES. It's just really tight. I could finally hear my triplets in the end riffs of Metallica's "One". I don't think it's particularly trebly, either.
Sonic evaluation: I run my Les Paul into an ADA MP-1 into the effect loop in of a Roland JC-120. This pickup handles just about anything I throw at it. I can even get a decent AC/DC sound out of it if I roll off the gain and work the mids up a little bit. The clean sound is to die for, especially through the chorus of the Roland (can anyone say Metallica?)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I haven't been able to try it in any position but the bridge, but it's fantastic there. As far as styles of music, I'd say go ahead and try it in whatever you play, and fiddle with your amp until you get it where you like it (as you would do with ANY pickup). It's more than just a metal pickup. Really.

Comments: I've been playing for about 10 years. I have 2 other electrics (a Squier Strat with the EMG DG-20 set, and an Epi Explorer with stock pickups) and an Ibanez acoustic.
This guitar, with this pickup, though, will be my main guitar, probably forever. If lost, I will replace it. No question.
But the best thing about it: it looks so badass. Just one even, black piece of hardware, unassuming, not distracting from the finish of your guitar. :-)

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: jackson ke2, alder body neck through
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: SD JB
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Slayer, Metallica ,Six Feet Under, the list goes on....
You musical style(s): brutal metalcore like superjoint or eyehategod, death metal, black metal, thrash metal, PANTERA
Reason for pickup change: heard good things about it (ultimate metal PU ect.)

Perceived output level: so-hot-you-dont-need-an-amp
Tone: extreme trebly and sharp, no bass, weak distortion. sounds very thin and cheap the worst sound i've ever heard
Sonic evaluation: i'm using a ke2 thtrough a marshall jcm 2000 dsl 100
guitar->crybaby->marshall

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play hard hittin metal and this crap is the worst choice for that

Comments: i'd never buy an emg again they suck. i reinstalled the SDs and am happy. get SDs they got much more balls and are real heavy

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson KE2
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 60
Artists using this pickup: Metallica, Slayer, Six Feet Under, the list goes on...
You musical style(s): metal... real extreme metal not this nu-metal sh** for whimps
Reason for pickup change: heard good things about it (ultimate metal Pick up etc.)

Perceived output level: The hottest I've ever played
Tone: extreme trebly and harsh and veeeeeeeeeeeery thin. can't get any good palm mutes out of it NO BASS WEAK DISTORTION sterile
Sonic evaluation: Jackson USA KE2 alder body w/ quartersawn maple neck through body and floyd rose bridge
guitar -> dunlop crybaby -> marshall jcm2000 dsl 100 half stack

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play extreme metal and this pick up is the worst i've ever heard in my whole goddamn life i don't know why people say its good for metal its total crap

Comments: IF SOMEBODY STOLE IT I'D PAY HIM FOR GETTING THAT PIECE OF CRAP AWAY FROM ME! I'D NEVER BUY IT AGAIN. DON'T BUY IT GET A SEYMOUR DUNCAN INSTEAD THEY GOT BALLS GAIN AND CHUNKY PALM MUTES AND ARE CHEAPER

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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