EMG Select SES

Pickup features: Single coil space but humbucking
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Self made slaide guitar
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Invader Bridge
Artists using this pickup: I have no idea
You musical style(s): Slide boogie
Reason for pickup change: Just dicking around.

Perceived output level: DEAD! that is the only way to say it. Lo output, No tone, No harmonics, No feel...Nothing
Tone: MUD! Did I say DEAD too?
Sonic evaluation: This may be the worst sounding pickup that I have ever heard. I tried it in other guitars first and then just tossed it aside. Then I had the idea to make a semi hollow body slide guitar. I thought that if I use it in the neck it would sound like an acustic and it sort of did. With the Duncan Invader in the bridge I can sort of switch between crushing electric and mellow acustic. Thats good cause it is the only thing that this hunk of sh%$ is good for.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The only style of music that this would be good for is music that is signed for deaf people because it has no tone at all.

Comments: If it were destroyed I would thank the person that broke it! I bought it because I was being a tight wad and I got what I paid for. I love Stewart Mac but they should not sell this pickup because it is going to give them a bad name. I wish it had a good sound, good tone, some volume and any kind of harmonics. The only thing it does do great is not hum. At least they got that part right. Don't buy this pickup take your money and buy a case of beer. Trust me once you hear this hunk of junk you'll need the beer!

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Self made strat - alder body - maple/rosewood neck
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none...chose these during assembly
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: A bunch once they find out I use em!!!! ;-)
You musical style(s): 80's rock,..blues
Reason for pickup change: Looking for a decent priced pickup as a "starting" point for the strat I was currently putting together

Perceived output level: Better than expected in ALL positions
Tone: well balanced muddy
Sonic evaluation: Play mostly thru a Peavey 30watt bravo around the house - 50 watt Peavey Transtube everywhere else.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Really nothing more than a couch picker with the occasional get together w/friends

Comments: I've ordered another set,..including the humbucker version for a tele I'm building kinda like a poor mans Peavey Cropper,..for the money there isn't a better over all pickup out there. Best buy in the pickup world out there.

Pickup features: Dual coil epoxy encased
Impedence or other specs: 6.15K DC Resistance/4.2 Henry Inductance/2.7K Resonant Freq

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Squier Strat(tm)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: ???
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Jazz, Fusion
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to try something different.

Perceived output level: Nearly the same as stock.
Tone: Middy and Muddy in Neck, Middy w/Treble Rolloff in Middle, Well-Balanced in the Bridge.
Sonic evaluation: I decided to try these in my Squier Strat because they were quite inexpensive. You can buy three of them for the price of a single aftermarket pickup. An impressive feat!
Sonically, they are not at all like classic Strat(tm) single coils. They sound more like P90/PAF crosses without much output. They have very low string-pull and should be adjusted reasonably close to the strings otherwise they don't have much output. Pickup height is critical. To far away and they sound too weak and subdued. Too close (especially in the neck) and they sound harsh and muddy. To their credit, they are very quiet (as they are technically humbuckers).
In terms of sonics, they have a resonant peak at around 2.5K and roll off sharply above 4K. If you are used to Strat(tm) single-coil pickups, you will find them to be much warmer sounding than the real thing. I found that if you want to make them sound more Strat(tm) like, use an EQ to dip about 3-6 db in the 1-3K range and slant the pickups away from the bass strings. You can get a very warm single coil sound that way.
After trying them out for a week, I decided that I really like them as low-cost bridge pickups. They give you a quiet, low-output traditional PAF sound at a very low price. Certainly better than a single-coil bridge pickup. I decided to pull them out in the neck and middle and go back to single-coils in those positions. I really need more sparkle and quack on a Strat(tm).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Given the specs of this pickup, I think that it is best suited for the bridge position.

Comments: For the price, these are an incredible value if you want to trade off high-end sparkle for hum reduction. I think that they are best suited for the bridge and a bit too muddy for the neck. In the middle position, they sounded OK. If you use them in the bridge, they sound great and process well. If you use them with a pair of single-coils, you will lose the hum-free middle/bridge position and gain a really decent sounding and hum-free bridge position. A good tradeoff, IMHO.
I wish EMG would come out with a low-cost Select series passive pickup more similar to their S or SA series.

Pickup features: SINGLE COIL SIZED HUMBUCKERS
Impedence or other specs: 6.2 K

Model of guitar or bass: Mexican made Fender Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Heavy pop rock
Reason for pickup change: MEXICAN PICKUPS SUCKED BADLY.FED UP WITH "BRRR" from neck PU, "DRRR" from mid PU, and "ZZRRRR" from bridge PU. Moreover, the pole pieces of neck PU were misaligned causing signal loss on treble E and B strings.

Perceived output level: Nearly as loud as stock PU. Need to be adjusted quite close to the strings. But this is not a problem.
Tone: Well, they do not quite sound like single coils, OK. But:they are not dull, and for so little money ( a vintage rail from Seymour Duncan costs more than a set of 3 SES!)you can't reasonably expect to get the best of both worlds, can you?
Sonic evaluation: I play my Mexican Strat through a Marshall VS100R + additional cab, with a couple of stompboxes through the FX loop.
Clean sounds are quite OK, though less twangy than genuine single coils, but nothing to worry about: they do not muddy your sound up and although they deliver a smoother sound, the inherent character of my Strat is still clearly audible. Crunch sounds-which are what bought the Strat for- are OK, well balanced and with good definition.
If one wants to go for an all out Mega-metal-thrash-super high gain distortion tone, please consider other PU's (Hotrails are real killers for that)!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Heavy rock and 60's,70's,80's covers. All positions sound reasonably good. I re-discoverd the use of the bridge PU (less harsh than stock PU) and the middle PU sounds amazingly good on my Strat.In between positions sound OK as well, though less twangy.

Comments: If destroyed or stolen, and considering the price of a Mexican Strat I'd certainly not invest in a set of 3 Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails or equivalent since they cost nearly as much as the guitar itself.
There's nothing I hate about these pickups, since they deliver a pleasant sound (halway between P90's and Fender single coils). Besides they are incredibly quiet and thanks to their dual blade design the string balance is now back to normal. What a relief!
Their overall sound could be a tad brighter but I feel this is something a good EQ can solve.And mostly, THEY DO NOT SOUND DULL!
Pity that EMG don't give more technical info their Select range (response curve etc...).
Otherways,fantastic value for money.

Pickup features: Hi Impedance Humbucking in a Single Coil/Strat size
Impedence or other specs: StewMac say's it's rated at 6.2K Ohms - shows 8 on my multi-meter.

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Squier Affinity Bronco BASS !
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Strat Pickup
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock n' Roll
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickup was very noisy. 60 cycle hum a-plenty!

Perceived output level: About the same. Maybe a tidge more.........both read out at 8 Ohms.
Tone: Seems to have a little more high AND low end! Much more balanced than the stock Strat pickup.
Sonic evaluation: Man, what a difference. The EMG Select Strat pickup made this bass sound a whole heck of a lot better. More even response from string to string with no 60 cycle hum. Fuller sounding low end with improved high end. Looks much cooler than the white pickup (on a white pickguard) that came with the bass.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock and Top40

Comments: I have been playing for over 28 years (I don't look it) and have sold more basses than I currently own(8). I would recommend this pickup for any Bronco bass owners looking for a replacement pickup. It fit perfectly (the hot rails I bought did not) and is nice and quiet. It was easy to replace but, seems to need to sit a bit closer to the strings thus negating the pickup spring on the bass side screw. The sound is excellent. I gave it a 9 as it could have been a little "hotter".

Pickup features: passive humbucker (single-coil sized)
Impedence or other specs: Single condustor with shielded outer.

Model of guitar or bass: Squire Strat, made in China
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Regular squire pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Squire regulars
Artists using this pickup: Don't know.
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, country-blues, bluegrass, metal
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to see if I cound improve on the regular Squire pickups. I was hoping I could tap one of the coils to get a single-coil sound when required. That turned out to be impossible. It only has two wires. So I mounted the pickup in the middle position of my strat which I never usually use. Now I may well start to use the middle position because the SES has a unique characteristic whuch could be useful. With its soft-attack semi-humbuckerish sound, it could be useful for some jazzy or blusey sounds. I would not want this pickup in all three positions on my primary guitar.

Perceived output level: About the same as the regular squire pickups.
Tone: Seemed balanced, but I have only tried it in the middle position.
Sonic evaluation: I use a traynor 50W YSR-1 tube amp, circa 1972 played into 2x12.
I laso use a JHS 100W ss combo also into 2x12.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: What is unsuitable depends on you. I found it quite a useful pickup to out in the middle position of a Strat, because I usually never use the middle pickup. Now I may start using it because the SES has characteristics which are different from the Strat single-coils pickups. This SES sounds about half way between a humbucker and a single-coil.

Comments: I might buy it again if it was stolen. It was worth the low price. It is not a pickup that amazed ot tantallized me. But I feel it may grow on me, because it has a character which is unique among the various pickups I own, and this allows for extra sound possibilities on a Strat. Useful new tones can be found by using the strat's neck pickup together with the SES in middle position. Likeswose with the bridge pcikup. However the SES doesn't cancel the noise of the neck or bridge pup as well as the stock Squire one did. Used on its own, however, it is fairly noise-free. I was misled by the description which said "Two conductor". I thought that meant I would have some interesting wiring options, but actually it came with one conductor with a shielded outer, so you can only use it in one configuration (or two if you count reversing the connection). The description says "twin-blades". That may be true, but there is no way to remove the cover to expose the blades. The pickup is thoroughly sealed. Looks like you could drop it in a bucket od acis and it would survivie! Nevertheless, it has a noce appearance. Sound-wise, the pickup has a softish attack - rather like some old Les Paul pickups. That can be nice for jazzy stuff and some blues. I have only tried it in the middle position, because I only like single-pole pickups in the neck and bridge position. It is good value for money, if you want something that's a but different but not wildly so. Quite a good choice for the middle position of a Strat if you never usually use that pickup. You may find yourself using it after you fit this pickup. It looks good too. Makes it very obvious that you've got something different in there.

Pickup features: Passive humbucking single coil
Impedence or other specs: 6.2K 0hms

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn MG112, Warmoth Strat, Fender Strat, StewMac Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: replaced stock on Washburn and Fender, new on Warmoth and StewMac
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails, Lil '59, Fender '54s & stock
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): A bit of everything
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to try new things. I needed some pickups for the Warmoth and StewMac parts Strats, and the EMG Selects are a nice price, so I tried them.

Perceived output level: Compared to stock average Fender Strat pups, about equal output level. More low end than stock Strat pickups.
Tone: In the neck position, wound strings are a bit muddy, put in the middle and bridge, very nice and clear across all frequencies. Neck position sounds good for smooth jazzy solos. The treble is very clear in all positions, except for neck. Nice round, almost bell-like chime, but not quite vintage sounding, a bit fuller sounding than vintage Strat single coils.
Sonic evaluation: 70s Fender Bassman 50.
Compared to the Fender CS '54s, they don't have that thin vintage tone and chimey top end, but sound somewhat similiar with more low end and less twangy.
They sound very very similiar to Duncan Vintage Rails in my opinion, thought the Rails sound overall a bit better in that their bass isn't as overpowering in the neck position and the treble is more present in the Rails.
These Selects sound fuller and more balanced than stock MIM Strat pups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good match for noise free playing of most styles. Good enough for Jazz, okay for blues, great for rock.

Comments: These humbucking single coils like the Select SES and the Duncan Vintage Rails are not really single coil sounding. They seem to have less twang, chime, and seem to sound fuller than true single coils, and have some full-size humbucker characteristics, as mud on the low end, and smoothness on the high end, with much less noise.
The biggest benefit of these pups is they are the quietest pups I have ever used; I have used them with the guitar plugged straight into the mixer without a DI impedance converter box, and they are very quiet, and very good sounding.
For blues though, they won't be as touch-sensitive as one would expect from a good single-coil.
The price at only $20 makes these outstanding.

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: dont know, wish I knew what it meant

Model of guitar or bass: 1984 G&L Skyhawk, maple neck
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): country, rock, blues, and some Chet Atkins
Reason for pickup change: Didn't like the response from the stock pickups

Perceived output level: plenty loud, abouve quality sound IMHO
Tone: balanced very well
Sonic evaluation: Hot Rod Deville I use the preamp from the Deville to a Fender Silverface SuperReverb late 69 or early 70s It will fill a room with with quality sound. I play mostly clean,

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I try them all, I can't get the rap down, its always in the same key too.ggggg

Comments: I will always own a G&L with a full set of emg selects.
I play along with some Chet atkins CD's, the neck position is nice but a good complimentery sound is found in the no.2 position, this being the neck and middle. The super reverb and the virbrato kick in, I can hit some chimes, then lay into a eirnie ball volume control pedal for even sustain, all I can say is it will blossum year round. It is relaxing.
I also have a set of seymour duncan 59s, in a similar G&L, they have a touch of glass, and a humbucking type sound. It is good but I tire of it and I turn to another guitar, I tire of that one I get another, I spend more time playing the emg selects, the thing I like about them is, a very clean drive, NOT glassy Not sparkly, not muddy.
I have read many reviews on pickups etc,etc. Many are leaned towards power,output, metal. When it comes to choices I make my own. I've been playing for 35 years. I still have a passion for good sound, not noise. Take care thanks for reading.

Pickup features: Humbucking ( Passive )
Impedence or other specs: About 6k

Model of guitar or bass: Kramer
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Din't replace anything because the body had no PU's in it when I got it.
Other pickups on guitar: P.J. Marx Humbucker ( Bridge ) , Fender Lace Gold ( Neck )
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: Needed PU's for the guitar

Perceived output level: Higher output than a standard strat pickup but not a lace sensor or any humbucker
Tone: Very bassy with normal mids and no treble
Sonic evaluation: This is a really dead sounding pickup. I thought it would have some kind of tone to it but I guess you get what you pay for. It doesn't sound too bad with distortion but it sucks clean. There is just no life to it very muddy sounding and rather boring.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues/Rock I would say that you would not want this pickup in every position of your guitar.

Comments: If it was stolen I would not get another. I have been playing for 15 years. This is not my main axe. I play through a Fender Dual Showman. I like that it was cheap but I hate the sound. Comparing it to the Lace sensor and the P.J. Marx it really is bad no harmonics or highs. Sounds like its in a pile of mud or something. I wish it had a better tone. After saying all of that the pickup is good for one thing. I use it when one of the other pickups is on for rythem. The other pickups are so live sounding that when I add the EMG to them it mellows them right out. Actually works really good for this and I use it often. It's almost like having some kind of supression switch on the guitar. It doesnt change the volume only the tone. With it I don't have to roll the volume down and lose anything. So I would say that for $25.00 you have to look at it as a cheep minor effect and not a pickup. Guess there is something good about everything and since I never use the middle pickup alone on anything it works for me.

Pickup features: Passive humbucking in a single-coil size
Impedence or other specs: High Impedance, higher output than stock Strat single coils

Model of guitar or bass: Heavily Customized Fender Mexican Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock single coils
Other pickups on guitar: none- all Selects
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): rock, blues, funk, jazz
Reason for pickup change: I can't stand single coil hum, and these pickups were very cheap replacements, which matters a lot when you're replacing all 3 pickups at the same time. I also wanted more output.

Perceived output level: The output level is definitely higher than the stock pickups, though they don't push my old tube Fender Vibro Champ into overdrive nearly as much as my humbucker-equipped guitars
Tone: Very balanced. If you're looking for a typical bright, vintage Strat tone, these aren't your pickups. They have a very warm, full tone.
Sonic evaluation: I use my Strat with these pickups through my Crate DX212 digital modeling amp. These things sound perfect for my styles. I value fullness and warmth over bite, and these pickups match my "tonal desires" perfectly.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play jazz mostly, but also rock, funk, and blues. I like a good thick jazz tone, and these pickups are perfect for that. For distorted rock tones, I like a good thick overdriven sound, so these pickups are good for that, too. And actually, they get that thin funky tone in with the neck and middle or middle and bridge better than most stock Strats I've played. (I have custom wiring, and the the neck and bridge pickup combo sounds exactly like a Telly.) The bridge pickup doesn't have too much bite, though, so I would advise rock players to install some kind of really hot pickup in the bridge.

Comments: The fact that these pickups suit my style perfectly, are completely silent, and were very cheap make them one of the best values on the market. I know that sounds overly glowing, but it's the truth.

Pickup features: passive dual blade humbucker in single coil housing
Impedence or other specs: slightly above 6kOhm

Model of guitar or bass: Charvel Model 6 (Strat with maple neck through body)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Vintage Staggered Strat, Fender American Std Strat, Seymour Duncan JB
Artists using this pickup: Nobody, I hope
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: I'd like to have humbucking pickups that sound like
vintage Fender Strat single coils

Perceived output level: much lower than Seymour Duncan Vintage Staggered Strat, Fender American Std which I regards as 'normal'
Tone: No treble or brilliance as I expected to hear from something that is advertised to sound like a Fender Strat single coil
Sonic evaluation: I compared the Select SES with those vintage SD single coil and
with the Fender American Standard Strat single coil. The SES does
not have any treble or brialliance and is by far not as load as.
Amp: it does not matte which amp you play. The SES sounds too dull.
The only good thing with the SES is that it buck hum very efficiently.
Since this pickup is also a 'treblebucker' (or 'soundbucker'?
or 'tonebucker' ?) it does not have any value

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is not suitable for any style of music.

Comments: Don't buy this pickup.

Pickup features: S-S-H from neck to bridge, passive
Impedence or other specs: Hi-z (specific info n/a)

Model of guitar or bass: J.B. Player Pro
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Prog, jazz etc
Reason for pickup change: I did not replace the pickups - they're original.

Perceived output level: Louder than stock pickups.
Tone: Single coils give Strat-like sounds. Humbucker gives a clear defined tone also good for harder rhythm parts. All pickups sound balanced, perhaps little middy.
Sonic evaluation: J.B. Player Pro, Rocktron VooduValve On-Line, Cry Baby, H.H. Electronics 100W Combo.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is not my main guitar, but when I need Strat-like sounds I'll grab this one. The single coils work well in neck and middle positions and the humbucker is good in bridge position (I will possibly try it in neck position someday too). With my custom wiring I can get so many different tones that it always gives me the vibes when I start playing.

Comments: The special thing about these pickups is actually the wiring. I have a 5-way switch, vol pot, tone pot and an extra push/pull pot. I use the extra pot for running the humbucker's other coil to ground and the DPDT switch for switching the humbucker on no matter what position the 5-way switch is in. This gives me two extra options: all the pickups on and neck&bridge pickups on. The wiring for the humbucker makes it possible to use it as a single coil or as a full humbucker or anything between. Imagine how many different sounds you can create with this setup! Please contact me for wiring diagram.
As I stated before, the pickups are great for Strat-like sounds but the humbucker gives also power for heavier distorted sounds. These pickups are very versatile and they should not be expensive! I bought the guitar second hand and rewired it. The pickups are original so I don't know how easy/hard it is to get them nowadays but there is information at EMG website. They would be a good choice for a person who wants to get his/her backup guitar a little(/a lot) better but doesn't want to spend too much money for pickups.

Pickup features: passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: dc resistance about 6.6Kohm according to my volt-ohm-meter

Model of guitar or bass: Tokai Custom Edition (looks like a Jackson)
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: stock (I think) singlecoil
Other pickups on guitar: Sky (Kent Armstrong) STCR-1 (neck) and a stock humbucker (bridge)
Artists using this pickup: No idea whatsoever
You musical style(s): Anything I can play, but mostly metal & heavyish stuff.
Reason for pickup change: The usual: stock pickups were very tinny and didn't have
much output to speak of (the single coils, that is, the
stock humbucker is great!). Oh yes, I bought the guitar
used, so I'm not sure if they really were stock pickups,
but I think so.

Perceived output level: I'd say it's about the same as the stock single coil (S1, middle pos.) in my Ibanez RG570, and about twice that of the stock ones (although they registered 10Kohms or so).
Tone: Not much bass and rather sharp highs. Doesn't get muddy no matter what.
Sonic evaluation: I used the Tokai (surprise!), a Park G10 and BOSS ME-8 (also used it
without the ME-8).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I like it in the middle position, but wouldn't use it in all positions of the same guitar. It suits me fine, and I mostly use it for clean sounds, although some clean-sound-purists might have different opinions.

Comments: I might buy it again if I had to, but I might also make use of the
excuse to try something different. I've been playing for 5 years with
the Tokai this is on, and I bought an Ibanez RG570 almost a year ago
(the next thing on my shopping list is a better amp). At first I
didn't like the idea of changing any parts of a guitar, but I kept
reading these reviews here, and figured the change could only be for
the better, so I might as well give it a try. And it was well worth
it, especially since this was by far the cheapest replacement pickup
available.
Don't know if I'd go as far as to say I love it, but I like it quite a
bit, and don't hate anything about it. Maybe it could have a bit more
output as it is much quieter than the humbuckers on neck and bridge
positions (but that was to be expected). However, it combines very
nicely with them both, and the guitar now has five very good tones,
instead of only one (I didn't use the stock single coils too much).
As I said, I mostly use it for clean sounds, but it also sounds good
with heavy distortion (but not so great with milder overdrive).
Yes, I'm quite happy now with this guitar's sound. After I've gotten
that better amp, I'll get new pickups for the Ibanez...
Overall rating is 7, because I suppose it could be a lot better, and I
almost never give 10's anyway, but don't take me wrong... As far as my
limited (and mainly bad) experiences with single coils go, this is the
best I've used. And it's really quiet, too (doesn't hum any more than
the humbuckers)!
Oh, and one other thing: this is a tall pickup. I suppose that doesn't
matter if you mount it on a pickguard, but the Tokai doesn't have one
and I had to carve out some wood to make room for it or it would
have touched the strings.

Pickup features: single coil passives
Impedence or other specs: dunno

Model of guitar or bass: Fender custom Jap Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock strat pickups
Other pickups on guitar: Hopefully a Seymore duncan in the bridge sometime soon! (donations accepted :)
Artists using this pickup: Not sure, Somebody probably is.......
You musical style(s): Punk, grunge, heavy rock and R.E.M. ish clean stuff.
Reason for pickup change: The strat ones arent what they used to. They were noisy and very tinny sounding, and the output sucked. They just didnt have the punch I was looking for.

Perceived output level: The level was noticably higher than my stock ones, although they still arent beasts. They get the job done though.
Tone: Relatively balanced, with a little more mids and highs. Not muddy at all, even with bass eq cranked.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Crate 70 watt tube amp with Boss PW-2 distortion and Boss CE-5 (or something like that) Chorus Ensamble. It pretty much satisfies my needs for a pickup, but they could be a little hotter. Very, very, VERY quiet operaton even with a lot of effects and a high boost. When I first put them in, my guitar wasent shielded and they still had very little hiss. They work very well for clean sounds (like R.E.M.'s punchy-trippy clean sounds) which is what I was looking for. I mostely use the middle pickup for that stuff, and use the bridge for distortion. Harmonics sound good on them too.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It works for my style. It also looks cool on my axe! :) I dont know what these pickups wouldnt work on, probably clean blues sound maybe, or possibly country, but I dont play much of that so I wouldnt really know.

Comments: I would definately buy them again, although only two and get a hotrail in the bridge. Which is something I hope to accomplish soon. I really didnt try out any other pickups, just stuff on electric guitars in the store (like gibsons, washburns, etc) but I have never played anything with EMG's before. I had read good reviews on EMG, so I thought I would give it a try. I figured anything would sound better than my stock ones. If they were a little hotter it would be ok, but since I am getting that hotrail, it dosent matter. I get the sound I want, and they are very quiet, which is a really nice bonus. They accually do have a nice output when it comes to how quiet they are. It almost suprises you when you first plug and play. But overall, a very nice pickup with smooth and responsive sound. The good thing is that you can pretty much make up whatever sound you want with eq and effects, the EMG's make sure you get there without noise.

Pickup features: quieter than normal single coils
Impedance or other specs: no clue

Model of guitar or bass: Cruise Stratoclone
Position: neck and middle
Pickup being replaced: Cruise stock single coils
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan Hot Rails in bridge
Artists using this pickup:
Nobody I know of.
Your musical style(s): Rock, heavy metal
Reason for pickup change:
Like I said in my Duncan Hot Rails review, the Cruise stock pickups
suck rather badly -- wimpy output and really noisy too.

Perceived output level:
Moderate. They sound about as loud as the stock single coils in my
friend's Jackson Stealth.
Tone:
Your basic Strat tone, lots of highs and kind of glassy but not harsh.
Sonic evaluation:
These are middling-to-good pickups. They're probably not for SRV fans,
but if you want good *quiet* Strat tones without spending the bucks for
Duncans these are the way to go. They sound pretty nice clean, but
they're not so hot for really high distortion stuff.

There's sort of a weird interaction between my Hot Rails and the middle
Select; they sound like they're out of phase although I don't think
they're wired that way. I had the same kind of "problem" with the
stock Cruise pickups and the Hot Rails, but it was much noisier.
Anyway, with the Selects this turns out to be a useful tone -- it's
a half-decent Telecaster imitation...
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:
These aren't super-hot, so you might not want one in the bridge
position. They may not give that Texas blues sound, either.

Comments:
Overall, I'm very satisfied with these pickups, especially considering
how little I paid for them. I'm much more likely to just buy another
electric guitar than replace the Selects with something else.
8, based on the bang/buck