EMG H4

Passive humbucker. Pretty much a passive 81.

This pup is in my guitar teacher's Jackson Dinky. It's paired with a H4A in the neck. No artists use this, because they could afford not-so-crappy active EMGs.

Yuck. The output is pretty high, but it doesn't evn sound better than the stock pups on my epi LP standard for metal (or anything else for that matter). I've heard it through his POD and a ditsy little Marshall practice amp, and didn't like it. Extremely muddy, but best for metal. The tone knob had almost no effect and when played clean the bridge pup sounded like a bad neck position single coil (think squier strat pack) with the tone set to 0.

If someone went to all of the trouble of taking just this pickup out, i would laugh at them and then go buy an EMG 81. At $15 shy of an active EMG, this is a rip off. I thought i would get a decent high output pickup with a sound similar to the clarity and bite of an 81, but this pickup just fails.

Okay, I'm not exactly pickup-literate. I don't know about impedance and all that. Anyway, it's a passive humbucker, pretty high gain. Yeah.

I placed this pickup in the bridge position of my ESP LTD MH-50, replacing the stock ESP LH-150. I swapped the pickup out hoping for something that had more gain.

The tone is almost exactly like the ESP pickup. The EMG has more low-end growl, however, compared to the ESP's punchy tone. I'm playing through an Ibanez SM7 Smashbox and a Behringer 15-watt practice amp. It works perfect for heavy metal, stuff like Metallica. I can't say where it wouldn't work, on account of having only changed pickups once on this guitar and this being my first taste of EMG.

I don't think I need to worry about the pickup getting stolen, seeing as it's wired and locked into my guitar. I've been playing for about a year now. Compared to my SX Strat clone, which I placed a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge on, it seems to have more bite. It sounds great clean as well, a real bright sound. With my guitar tuned to E-flat, I can get a real heavy, dark sound that works perfect for metal. That, and the pickup looks real classy. Anyway, ramblings aside, I can say that this is a great metal pickup that's worth investing in.

Pickup features: Humbucking.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson LP Custom Heritage
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock.
Other pickups on guitar: Stock.
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Christian rock, jazz, rock.
Reason for pickup change: Stock was muddy. I tried to get my repair man to replace the pu but he did not want to touch this work of art. My son changed it for me.

Perceived output level: The output is a little less than the stock, but not much. The PU is placed close to the strings and the stock sat much lower to try to avoid the muddy sound.
Tone: Middy tone.
Sonic evaluation: I use this guitar with a Fender amp. I have used the guitar with Crate amps as well. It always sounded muddy and muffled. I could not cut through with the stock pu. I use Boss pedals except for MRX chorus.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: H$ in the neck, H4A in the bridge.

Comments: I have played for many years. I stopped playing this guitar two years ago because of the sound problem and just practiced with it. However, after the new PU I have been using it again. It sounds great in this guitar with a Fender amp run through the bright side. Real jazz sound now. Very clean and not muddy. I would use this again. I am putting an EMG H4A in the bridge when it comes in. Set the pickup near the strings to pick up the subtle tone and picking..works great. I have SD pu in my PRS and that sounds great in that guitar. I have Dimarzio's in my Fender strat. They sound exceptional in that guitar as well. They just all sound different. Used in the right guitar with the right amp, each sounds good.