EMG 81

active hum bucker.

What model guitar or bass did you install this in?
This pickup came in my ESP LTD KH-603.

What position is it in?
It is in both the neck and bridge positions.

What pickup are you replacing?
My guitar came with it, I did not replace any pickups for this.

Other pickups installed on the instrument?
None.

Any artists using this pickup?
Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Chad Kroeger, Kerry King, Michael Paget, Matthew Tuck, Michael Angelo Batio, Zakk Wylde, and hundreds more.

Reason for changing the pickup?
Came with the guitar.

What's the output level like?
This thing is HOT HOT HOT, I had high expectations for this pickup and it blew me away and still blows me away every time I use my guitar.

What amps and effects are you using it with?
My guitar goes into my Boss GT-6 which on every channel has at least chorus, delay and reverb, and individually includes, distortion or acoustic simulator. The pedal either goes straight into a crown amp and into the PA or straight into my Marshall AVT 150H and used as just a booster.

Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced?
This really depends on what your EQ settings are, I have gotten muddy tones from it but that is because the EQ on my pedal was shit on the preset, my custom EQ is always scooped and it sounds really clean, the palm mutes are pretty chunky, the highs are really noticeable but aren't annoying or painful. I would say it's a decently balanced pickup.

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
I play melodic death metal, metal core, progressive metal, heavy metal, and pop punk. on my metal side I'm usually in drop C or D standard and I haven't tried it yet with these pickups in that tuning yet because of the floyd rose and I play this guitar with my band and we have practice every other day so ya, so I can't really say much for that tuning but I have played these pickups on an ESP KH-2 and it was damn near perfection. for my punk side we play pop punk (Greenday, Bowling For Soup, etc.) and even on the acoustic simulator, as long as you roll the volume back like the guy a few reviews down said, it can pass of as acoustic.

For which positions is this pickup (un)suitable?
I use this pickup in both positions and in both spots they are fine, for my rhythm I play on the bridge and it gives me good bass but it's more on the trebly side and I prefer that, for my leads, acoustic, and clean I play on the neck pickup and it makes it REALLY bassy and again it's something I prefer.

If it was destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else?
First of all why would it be stolen? it's screwed into the guitar and no I wouldn't get something else, I've tried a lot of other pickups but I find this to be the most versatile to my ears.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
I have only been playing for 3 years but I can do things on a guitar most people learn in their 5th and 6th years at the very least. I also own an Epiphone Les Paul Special II and it's only backup, let's leave it at that, a Samick Greg Bennett Malibu guitar aka my 'Shat' strat which Idon't use anymore, a Boss GT-6 for my effects, a Marshall avt 150h amp head and a Crate 4X12 loaded with Celestion vintage 30's.

What do you love about it? What do you hate?
It is a very versatile pickup and it has all the power I need and more, the thing I don't like about it is that in the studio since we are so close to the amps, if I don't stand right I get some bad feedback but if i stand right it is the quietest pickup I have ever tried.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
I didn't really compare it with other pickups when I bought the guitar but I have tried other pickups and compared it to the EMG 81's and I still prefer the EMG's.

Anything you wish it had?
Not really, it's a pickup, it has all the things it needs.

Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for <b>that</b> sound?
I'm satisfied with my sound from these pickups as is. I've looked into ordering a custom guitar from ESP, Jackson, Ibanez, and more and every time I lean towards the EMG 81's.

Anything else you'd like to share?
Overall this a very decent pickup for just about any application, however that is all based on opinion so try the pickups out for yourself before making the decision to buy these.

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

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

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

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

Humbucking active pickup.

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

Used in the neck position.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazing sound but theres always room for improvement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In terms of output, it is medium to high.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

READ THIS!!!!!

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

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

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

Was already installed in a Jackson DKMG I once owned.

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

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

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

Active Humbucker

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

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

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

Active humbucker. Very high output.

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

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

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

active humbucker

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

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

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

Active Humbucker, ceramic magnet - high output I guess.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Normal EMG 81 bucker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pretty much the standard in modern active pickup technology.

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

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

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

Active EMG-81 humbucker

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

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

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

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

High output active pickup.

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

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

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

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

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

So what is the conclusion?

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

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

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

So think about your hardware setup before you buy!

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

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

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

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

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

Active humbucker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Active humbucker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

active humbucking pickup

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

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

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

Active humbucker, with ceramic casing.

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

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

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

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

Humbucking (obviously) and active

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

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

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

active humbucker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Active Humbucker.

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

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

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

Active humbucker.

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

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

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

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

ESP Eclipse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: Active Humbucjer
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: Humbucker, Active
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

Comments:

Pickup features: active humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: Humbucker/Active
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: humbucking Active
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: ACTIVE HUMBUCKING PICKUP
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: low

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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