EMG ZW 81 85 Set

Active pickups

They are stock in the Dean Razorback 255. These pickups are most famously used by Zakk Wylde. Judas Priest also uses Emg's now

Alright heres the straight up deal. Ive been playing guitar for over 15 years. I think I have a pretty good ear for analyzing this stuff. Let me talk about the 81(bridge)first. The attack on my Marshall DSL 2000 was somewhat muddy. I play in an original rock band called Black Tora, and I rely on alot of palm muting. That being said, I wanted a pickup that would tighten up the attack as well as increased gain, sustain, harmonics etc! It really did all those things exactly. My amp now has alot more of all of the above. I must say though that these pickups are VERY VERY hit n miss. They defenitly have pros and cons. The Pros are as mentioned earlier, Increased gain, sustain, and harmonics. The tone is very crunchy and your riffs will be very metallic. Lead tones have a very Slicing tone. Lots of shimmering highs, but not ice picky. If you palm mute alot, this is your pickup. Now here are the cons. Some opinions differ, but I strongly feel like these pickups are a one trick pony. Excellent for metal, and just average for everything else. Dont expect to be able to get any kind of vintage or really thick tones. I come from 14 years of strat playing , and I know the difference. You CANT roll off some volume and get bluesy licks,or comping or anything soulfull. They sound suffocated when you do so. I have three deans and while these pickups have more gain, they also have less output and less low end than my stock deans. If you switch guitars during the set you will notice more low end on ur passive guitars, and more crunch/gain on your active ones. So all in all, heres my opinion. If your in a band that plays metal, with lots of palm muting and high gain lead work. This is your pickup. I would suggest getting two guitars with these pickups if you switch guitars for alternate tunnings. If you need a versatile guitar that can do high gain stuff as well as diverse lead tones...get a strat and put a humbucker on the bridge and singles on the neck. Thats all I have to say! www.myspace.com/blacktora

Ive said enough

Humbucking, active pickups.

1981 Black Gibson Les Paul Custom, replaced the original pickups. Everyone knows this as the Zakk pickup set, although I had these in this guitar since before Zakk Wyldd became a household name.

I bought these in the late 80's, before the 81 and 85 came together in a set, and before they came with the long stemmed pots that fit into a thicker Les Paul. I originally had them rigged in there with three screws, screwed in so the screw heads held the pots in place with just barely enough room to attach the knob-- worked great for years and I never thought about it until.... Years later, I found out that the ZW set does come with pots that would fit a Les Paul. Back in 2000, my band was about to start a US tour and I thought it would be a great idea to get the Zakk pots to replace my sometimes jiggly original pots but i didn't wanna buy a whole new set of PU's just for the pots.

I called EMG from a phone number that was listed on their website, got through to a real live person who transferred me to another real live person, and ten minutes later a new ZW pot set was packaged and mailed to me, free of charge. Now THAT made me a happy customer!

Wide open sound with heavy rhythm playing, can clean up beautifully with the volume knob on the guitar. Solos are juicy with a good mid bite, but not as boomy or chunky/wooden as some other pickups, and I like that because I need to hear some flesh in my fingering (guitarists will get that one.) Balanced volume between both pickups; makes you wanna use the selector switch.

I disagree with other reviewers who say all guitars with ZW EMG's sound the same. I use mostly the same exact equipment as Mr. Wylde, and my guitar sounds nothing like his when I play it. I will also assume HIS guitar will sound nothing like his if I played it, as your sound is mostly in your fingers. Develop it with that in mind and no equipment will make you sound like anyone else but you.

My amp of choice- mid 80's Marshall JCM800 single channel half stack, 100 watts. Guitar straight into the amp for rhythm, using the guitar's volume and tone knobs to affect the sound for different songs (something of a lost art in today's "bridge pickup on 10" society.) With the 800's gain maxed and the master volume hovering around 4 or 5, I am louder than the drummer.

The EMG pickups sound fine straight into the amp-- very good clarity, way better than a few other brands I have tried, and alot better than the stock Gibson pickups (i have stocks in my other Les Paul.) If you want AC/DC, you got it. If you want Cannibal Corpse, you don't without a distortion pedal.

For solos, I use a Boss DS-1 distortion and DD-3 delay for a bit of sustain and ambience, using the tone knob on the DS-1 to round out the sound. I know, I read the reviews of the DS-1 and lotsa kids say it sucks or it's too tinny or whatever. These kids most likely never bend down and move the knobs away from "10," or they are playing this pedal straight into an M-Box or something. For my setup, and for the loud, bluesy rock and roll music I play, there is no need for a $400 wonder-pedal because in the loud ******' NYC dive bars i usually play, you'll never hear those heavenly harmonics that guitarists rave about anyway.

Plus, using **** that you can get at any Banjo-Mart if you need a replacement just makes things easier on tour. Bottom line, adjust your settings on the cheapy pedals, they might not be as bad as you think-- and use a good tube amp (obviously.)

I also use a crybaby wah.

Playing 25 years, have only really had Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Strats, and have no interest in trying anything else, guitarwise. Call me a snob, but I just love the old classic rock sound, and it was all mostly played on one of these two guitars. This is my sound, not searching at all anymore (though sometimes I love to also play my Fender Strat thru a Twin Reverb, totally different sound but just as exciting to me as well-- but that's for another review.)

The 81/85 EMG pickup set (branded as the ZW set, but existing before Zakk's name was on it) lets me re-create any sound I want, from AC/DC to Skynyrd to Kill 'Em All era Metallica, and the combo of the Les Paul with EMG's and the 100 watt Marshall is my dream tone. No pedals necessary except for a bit more sustain and ambience during some soloing. Soloing without the DS-1, by the way, sounds great too, and i do not hear this sterility that other reviewers seem to get. I am getting a wide open sound that fuckin grooves. Total 70's rock if ya want it, and metal as well if ya want that too.

One thing I did do, and have done since i bought these in the late 80's, was the two-battery mod. I believe EMG has the directions and explanation right on their site. Maybe this accounts for the success i am having with these pickups when other people hear them differently in their guitars? Its something easy and good to try.

These pickups are cheap too, compared to some 300 to 600 dollar sets on the market. I would buy again if lost.

Humbucking active pick ups.

93 Gibson Les Paul Standard. I'm replacing the stock pick ups so I can get a little more umph from my sound.

I really like these pick ups. They sound great, lots of output and they cut through nice. (Love those pinch harmonics!) If you take the time and adjust both pick up heights you can get a well balanced sound. I use the 81 (bridge) more anyway. It has a great hard rock, metal sound. The 85 is very thick sounding, good for a variety of styles of music. Plus they look really cool in a Paul too. Side note: I contacted EMG about pick up height (was having trouble getting the bridge pick up to the right height) Their tech support was fast, courteous, and bang on! I can't stress this enough!

I'd want these back in my Paul for sure. Don't get me wrong the stock PAF's sounded good but these have a little something extra that I needed. I've been playing 19 yrs & they sound great through my 50w Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace, with just a wah pedal in front at the moment.

I installed the EMG's in my ESP horizon, before the EMGs I had basic esp-humbuckers!

My first impression wasn't very good... the EMG's totally deleted the character of my guitar, so now I had the sound of 9999999999999999 other guitarists!

Also, the pickups can do only one thing: rock! Don't expect to get a nice clean / warm sound out of it...

If you only play metal... the emg's are what you need! If you wanna have a clean and blues/rock sound as well? you should think twice!

Humbucking - active what else? If you know anything about these pups no need going into much detail here....

Have them installed into an ESP LTD MH-201, and a USA Peavey Wolfgang. Replaced Dimarzio Super Distortions on the ESP and custom pickups by a custom builder out of Canada on the Peavey.

I did the ESP first along with routing the bridge cavity out for an Original Floyd Rose and EVH D-Tuna and immediately had THE sound I was looking for!

I did the Wolfie a few months later and already ordered a set for my Les Paul Zakk Wylde Bullseye I just ordered to replace the HZ's.

Great chimey noise free clean and terrific metal growl and sustain. Excellent pinch harmonics and more versatile than I expected! I heard all the talk about how sterile and un natural EMG's were but buddy, let me tell you I tried Duncan's, Dimarzio's and custom types and they all left me wanting. For ME, these are the shit! Not muddy, not bad in any way to my ears at all. I have a custom board setup with too much shit to mention and I have a Boogie Mark III and Peavey Ultra combos which I connect to custom built cabs and I can put down some serious volume AND tone with my setup. I play mostly Ozzy, Van Halen, and Metallica, but I also love the tone I get rolling the volume back and switching the pups for SRV, Hendrix, Zepplin etc.

I got great deals on ebay for the (now) 3 sets I've purchased. I love them for the versatility and tremendous power they put out. I've been playing for over 25 years and have owned all kinds of gear and recently re-built my collection from scratch after the divorce thing. I may try the pre-amp by EMG at some point in one of my rigs. Anyway, as someone previously said, why would anyone steal pickups. That would mean my rig was stolen also and that would justify deadly force imo!

2 humbuckers included in the set, 81 and 85, active, for other specs you can check out the official homepage of emg.

I installed them into a Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus, replaced the original factory Gibson pickups. Basically I wanted to have a heavier sound, which is not muddy has a nice edge for some heavier type of music.

I'm using a Randall G3 head with a Randall cabinet, and some pedals, like boss delay, chorus and a crybaby. My main distortion sound is from the amp itself. I wanted a bit more modern tone than my Gibson could give me. I think the Pu-s are perfectly balanced exspecially the 81. The 85 in my opinion is a bit bassy and a little dark, but I think it has a great sound, perfect for crying leads, and it doesn't relly kill the les paul type of lead sound, I think it actually enlarges it. I play some punkish flavoured metal and it suits me perfectly. If you want a pu with lots of crystal clean distortion, and no mud messing around in lower frequencies then this is a perfect choice. I'm only giving it a 9 because I don't believe that there is a 10.

I would definately buy it again if I needed to. I've been playing for 6 years now, in several bands each of different genre, and had a few types of guitars and amps, from a 79' Fender and JCM800 marshall to Gibson and Peavey Triple X. I've basically "tasted" many sounds, and the Emg's have by far the best overall sound compared to the other humbuckers I've used. You might not like it if you're a really oldschool tone junkie, but if you like rock music than you can't go wrong with it.

active humbuckers

epiphone vintage g-400
crappy stock epiphone pickups are being replaced
zack wylde, slayer, metallica
my epiphone pickups died, everyone i talked to raved about EMGs

output is hot as hell
im using a peavey special 212 with a EHX metal muff and small clone
i play every type of heavey music from hardcore to deathmetal; awsome match
the pickups are great no matter where you put them, except the 85 thats meant for the neck not the bridge but the 81 can do fine in the neck

if it were stolen i would like to buy it again, but moneys hard to find these days and id prolly find somthin cheaper, or just used EMGs
one thing i wish these had were cleans. i like playing blues by myself when im just practicing, but you can achieve a decent clean tone by using the neck pickup and rolling the tone knob back a bit.
im VERY satisfied with with pickup i couldnt be happier. these pickups not only sound awsome, but make the guitar look great. EMGs are the best looking pickups out there.

Active humbucking pickups.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
All positions
Stock pickups
Zakk Wylde!!!
I want a clear and heavier sound

High output
I'm using a carvin amp
Tone - very clear, every nuances of the guitar is heard
Heavy metal
Great for everything.

I'd get a new set in a heartbeat.
i've been playing for 12 years. I have a carvin 747 and 2 custom made guitars.
I love the pickups.
Totally satisfied with the sound.

Pickup features: active h-buckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Sl2h
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Came on guitar
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Wylde,King and many more
You musical style(s): oldschool rock and metal,hardrock,blues,thrash
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: one of the hotest pups ouththere(probably bit less than duncan metal wire)
Tone: 81 is nothing but piercing treble(in a good way),85 is dark sounding.
Sonic evaluation: Jtm vintage marshall all tube,ds1 but mainly amps dirty channel-i like natural sound of guitar and amp and EMG s are just a bit too sterile for that

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a bit of everything and these are deffinitely not for that,not versatile even a bit.I would not say they are not good,they are awesome but they just dont have any warmth and niceness.

Comments: I am replacing them with duncan custom 5 trembucker and PRS mccarthy,with coil tapping/splitting push pull pot(which you cant do on EMGs except 89).I have played for 14 years mainly strats,and just realised that you cant get anything better than strat,just different.If you find yourself to be EMG player nothing will come even close to them(max distortion with no feel or soul and lousy clean),they also look beautiful on any guitar.Also if you like using lots of effects they are awesome for that,i just like natural amp and guitar sounds and EMGs are just too sterile for that

Pickup features: ACTIVE HUMBUCKER
Impedence or other specs: NOT SURE

Model of guitar or bass: GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: SEYMOUR DUNCAN LIVE WIRE[HM SERIES] AND STOCK PICKUPS.
Other pickups on guitar: EMG 81 BRIDGE EMG 85 NECK
Artists using this pickup: ZAKK WYLDE
You musical style(s): METAL AND CLASSIC ROCK
Reason for pickup change: I WANTED SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFRENT I WAS GETTING A LITTLE TOO BORED WITH YOUR ORDINARY STOCK PICKUP SOUND.I WAS ALSO GETTING INSPIRED BY OTHER GUITAR PLAYERS SUCH AS JAMES HETFIELD,DIMEBAG AND SCOTT IAN WHO WERE USING DIFFRENT PICKUPS FOR THEIR OWN SOUND SO I WENT FROM THERE AND NEVER LOOK BACK.

Perceived output level: HOT PICKUP WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A DISTORTION BOX SO YOU CAN PLAY CLEAN WITHOUT THE MUDDINESS.BUT THE 85 IN THE NECK IS A LITTLE MORE HOT SO BE A LITTLE BIT EASY ON THE VOLUME .BUT SOUNDS GREAT FOR THAT CREAMY BLUES/SMOOTH JAZZ FEEL ..
Tone: CLEANER LOWS AND THICKER HIGHS =TIGHTER BASS/FATTER LEADS W/TIGHT SCREAMING HARMONICS TYPE OF QUALITY.
Sonic evaluation: I HAVE THESE PICKUPS IN TWO OF MY GUITARS A BLACK LES PAUL STANDARD AND A CHEAP CORT LES PAUL COPY.I USE THE MARSHALL VALVESTATE HEADS OLDER AND NEWER MODELS AND GREAT PRETTY GOOD RESULTS IN MY OWN PERSONAL GUITAR TONE.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I PLAY MOSTLY THE CLASSIC STYLE OF ROCK AND HEAVY METAL WHETHER IT'S JUDAS PRIEST,BLS AND THE STANDARD 80'S TYPE OF THRASH IT'S A GREAT MATCH BUT IT WOULD ALSO DEPEND ON THE SPEAKERS YOUR USING AND DIFFRENT AMP AND EQ ADJUSTMENTS TUBE OR SOLID STATE ,WHAT TYPE OF TUBES VICE VERSA.. BUT IF YOU WANT THE ROUNDED BASS FOR THE CLASSIC BLUESIER FEEL THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE PICKUP DEPENDING YOUR OWN PERSONAL TASTE.

Comments: I WOULD DEFINETLY BUY IT AGAIN .I'VE BEEN PLAYING ALMOST 18 YEARS NOW APART FROM THE LES PAULS AND MARSHALLS I ALSO USE VARIOUS WAH PEDALS[CRYBABY AND MORLEY] AND A MARSHALL BLUES BREAKER OD/BOOSTER BOX THAT GIVES ME MORE THAN ENOUGH GAIN FOR MY HEAVY CRUNCH TONE.LIKE I SAID EARLIER I LIKE THE TIGHTER CHUNK AND THE FAT SUSTAINING LEADS W/HARMONICS.ITS NOT THAT I ACTUALLY HATED MY OLD STOCK PICKUPS BUT WHENEVER I GO TO A MUSIC STORE AND PLAY A GUITAR WITHOUT MY EMGS IT SEEM LIKE SOMETHING WAS MISSING.IN BETTER WORDS WHEN I FIRST TRIED EMGS I DIDNT THINK MUCH AT ALL AT FIRST BUT AFTER A COUPLE YEARS GETTING USED TO THE SOUND ALL SUDDEN THE STOCK SOUND BECAME VERY DISSAPOINTING SO IM SATISFIED TO SOUND ONCE YOU GO EMGS YOU DONT WANT TO GO BACK.OF COURSE THE SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICKUP I USED TO HAVE WAS NOTHING BUT A DISTORTION BOOSTER THAT WAS EQ'D FOR METAL BOTH RYTHYM AND LEAD NO CLEAN SOUND WHATSOEVER.WITH THE EMGS YOU GET THE CLEANS AS WELL.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: epiphone les paul standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: metallica, nickelback, limp biz kit, puddle of mudd.....
You musical style(s): fusion jazz, hard rock
Reason for pickup change: low output on the stock pickups that only suit classic rock sound. Changed to EMG for an agressive sound when playing rock music such as linkin park,metallica and crystal clear clean sound when playing fusion jazz.

Perceived output level: very hot
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: epiphone+boss MT 2 + hughes and kettner attax 40(old version)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play fusion jazz and all kind of rock(except really CRAZY DEATH METAL)...These pickups will suit all kind of music depending on your setup of effect pedals and amps.

Comments: IF it were destroyed, for sure i would buy it again..because these pickups have thousand of possibilties in every genres of music! GO FOR IT! My epiphone with EMG can sound better than gibson with stock pickups...:)

Pickup features: humbucking/active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: gibson xplorer studio(swamp ash)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: these came with guitar
Artists using this pickup: zakk wilde
You musical style(s): all
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: output is what you would expect
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: with this guitar and my amp which is a line 6 Spider II 2x12 combo.these pickup will scream and whisper.gotta love them

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

Comments: I will be putting this set in my SG specila faded and I just got a Epiphone ZW custom and that guitar is getting them also

Pickup features: Active Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SZ720FM
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock IBZ
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Zakk, Metallica etc
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a high-output, clear sound

Perceived output level: Very high output
Tone: The 81 is scooped with lots of bass, the 85 has more upper mids
Sonic evaluation: Guitar: Ibanez SZ720 FM (a mahogany body, with a flame maple top, and a mahogany set neck with rosewood fingerboard, through a Dunlop GCB-95 Wah, a boss stereo chorus, a Boss Turbo Overdrive, an active A/B Switcher into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a 50 watt Marshall JCM800.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, Rock, Blues

Comments: If these pickups were stolen, I would definitely replace them. They provided the very tone I was looking for, and enough output to drive my JCM800 at live volume. I was told that EMGs are useless for good clean sounds, but this is rubbish. If you have a good, all-tube amp which is capable of producing rich clean sounds, then all you need is the ability to tweak the amp and alter your playing technique. If you don't know what you are doing, then they will sound bad.

Pickup features: Active humbucking pickups -- 81 & 85
Impedence or other specs: na

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Gothic G400
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock Epi LPCLS open-coil humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar: na
Artists using this pickup: Mana, Koezi, Rayzi, Laputa, Pierrot, Dir en Grey
You musical style(s): Gothpel, country, blues, heavy rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted EMGs; stock tone was supplanted by my Ibanez RG7321.

Perceived output level: Very high output
Tone: balanced tone
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Korg PX-4 Pandora's Box for guitar. My custom amp models are usually cranked AC30s or cranked 'Boutique'. The pickups sound hot and sweet at full output. I can back off the volume for an amazing 'vintage'-esque sound. with one of my tube amp emulations I got a sound reminiscent of, if you believe it, the James Bond guitar sound. From a goth SG. The sounds are fantastic. Note: I did the reverse install because I wanted filthy meat from the bridge and shatter-punch from the neck. I got both.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The pickups are great in reverse. Mud for bridge, glass for neck. GREAT

Comments: I love these pickups, and if someone stole my customized G400, I'd pray they like hot weather. I'd rebuild this in a flash. The install was child's play. To do it, follow the 'les paul' diagram. The G400 from Unsung has 3 wires from the toggle, red, graywhite, and blue. Red is red in the instructions; easy. Graywhite is your 'black'! Forget its braid, just use its centre wire and solder it to the green from the jack. Blue is your 'white'. Solder its braid to the bridge pickup volume control casing and its centre wire where it's supposed to go. It worked instantly. I have been playing for 12 years and own 25 guitars with all kinds of pickups; SD, Dimarzio-designed IBZ, DDs, rails, Fender, u name it. I love these EMG actives! I don't care about ZW; I got it bcuz of the Japanese endorsers who play poofy guitars with great sound. I put the pickups into a butch guitar instead to praise Jesus. These pickups are full spectrum, not just lock-step death. Smooth country blues & jazz too. Go for it. Don't buy a guitar based on having these stock. Buy a nice guitar, & install the ZW set.

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Explorer
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Zack, metallica etc.
You musical style(s): Heavy
Reason for pickup change: Zack is so sexy

Perceived output level: Active HOT effect
Tone: Creamy style mud
Sonic evaluation: Soldano Hot Rod Head and 2*12 speakers

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

Comments: Absolutely love these pickups. You should get them professionally installed at a custom guitar shop. Call around because some shops charge $80 don't even tilt them when there installing them. They need to be slanted a little just your bridge is higher on the heavy strings. Lately I plug my Sony headphones right into my guitar and walk around jamming. Because these pickups require a battery (always use Energizer by the way) I've even played without an amp just for practicing = put battery in boss pedal, guitar cable into pedal and head phones coming out of pedal. I could go to the beach with my gibson exployer this way. You don't need electricity to jamm with these pickups there so cool.
Anyway, yes there is no comparison to going active and I choose the Zack Wylde set because he is so cute.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Check the EMG site if you're interested

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Rhoads performer
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: ZW
You musical style(s): Metal (black, death and melodic)
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were not hot enough.

Perceived output level: Hottest pickups i've ever used and don't particularly car for anything passive anymore.
Tone: It really depends on the position you use them. The 81 isn't very middy, it has searing highs and is scooped sounding. 85 is a "fatter" pickup.
Sonic evaluation: People always say run the 85 in the neck and 81 in the bridge, "that's what it was designed for." That's the biggest pile 'o crap i've heard. Both pickups were designed for both positions and I found that when I swapped them. For me, my style and my gear the 85 in the bridge was a %100 better. The 81 in the bridge sounds very dry, and thin. Harmonics come very easy though. The 85 in the bridge is totally what you want if you want a fat metal sound with good cutting mids. It still has good bass response and enough highs in the bridge position. The 81 sounds good also in the neck, it doesn't really have the fatness the 85 had but it still sounds good. I think it handles fast picked runs even better than the 85 did in the bridge because it's a more trebly pickup. I'm not saying that the 81 should never be in the bridge because when I get my SLSMG soon, (which is a very dark sounding guitar) I may want the 81 in the bridge. I don't think these pickups completely drown out your guitars natural tone but the do have a distinct clarity that is quickly recognizeable. Maybe two EMGS 85's might kicks serios *SS.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Does great for my style, whic is metal. 85 bridge, 81 neck

Comments: I like these pickups but am curious to try others. I have heard that EMGS aren't the be all and end all to heavy sounding pickups. I don't have a comment on clean tone because I don't even know good clean tone. I've been playing since '97 and am still playing my first guitar. I've owned several amps to include various SS amps and a 5150. I like the look of the pickups and they make any guitar look great. You do have to change batteries from time to time but it's no big deal. It's hard to tell when you're batteries are going but a fresh one always seems to make a difference. My Jackson as it is right now through a 5150II with 5150 4x12 is "my" sound. Also, I did not install these myself and I think I payed 40 bucks to have them installed. I have yet to have any problems yet and was really impressed with the 85 in the bridge, once I swapped them.

Pickup features: Humbucking, Active
Impedence or other specs: Unsure

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez S470
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: EMG SA (mid position)
Artists using this pickup: Zakk Wylde and many others
You musical style(s): Metal, rock, etc.
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a higher quality pickup

Perceived output level: i haven't heard a pickup that is more hot...Why do you think so many metal guitarists use this thing?
Tone: The 81 is bright and crunchy with nice lows while the 85 is smooth, bassy and creamy
Sonic evaluation: Ibanez S470 into a Peavey 5150 into a Genz Benz G-Flex 2x12 Cab

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal, so obviously it's a great match for my style. The 85 was designed for the neck and the 81 for the bridge.

Comments: I've been playing for 8 years and EMG makes some of my favorite pickups. I'm a total metal head, so I like my rhythm tones to be brual, my cleans to be crisp and my leads to be liquid. The Zakk Wylde combo does this very well. I'm giving this combo a 9 though because they tend to overtake your guitar tone. I might think twice about putting them in a really nice guitar like a Les Paul if you really want the guitar's tone to shine through. Then again, they might make an already killer metal-guitar into a metal-machine! OK, that's a cheesy description, but you get the idea.

Pickup features: Active humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Michael Kelly Les Paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Michael Kellys (not bad all-around pick-ups)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Zakk, Metalica
You musical style(s): Progressive and Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: Needed higher output pick-up to drive front end of vintage Marshall.

Perceived output level: Designed to be hot pick-ups. This is disputable. May just be fuzzy sounding.
Tone: Neck pick-up (85) is deep without much tonal balance. Bridge pick-up (81) sounds thin at first and somewhat brittle.
Sonic evaluation: Running through switched set up: Rig 1) 1980 Marshall MkII 100watt head into 2x12. Rig 2) Pirhana preamp through Marshall power amp into 2x12. (various rack effects looped)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Progressive rock: need big clean sounds as well as over the top scream and crunch

Comments: Playing for 38 years, mostly studio/recording work. Have played through just about everything. Done most of my own guitar mod work, lots of pick-up installs and retros. At first you may not like this pick-up set. It's important to know what these pick-ups are designed for before you buy and install. At average volume levels the neck pick-up volume is much louder than the neck and is somewhat dull sounding. And at average volume levels the bridge pick-up seems thin and brittle. Here's where it's important to recall the EMG marketing for the set: Zakk. After wiring the guitar and playing at low volumes at home I was disappointed. Then I took the guitar into the studio and ran it through a 100 watt Marshall with variac through a 2x12, as well as through a POD directly into the board. These pick-ups work best when amp (or POD) gain is maxed to the point of compression, total harmonic distortion resembling a square wave. Under these conditions the pick-ups provide extraordinary note clarity and drive. As advertised, the 81 bridge pick-up is "razor" sharp, cuts through the mix very nicely, and is fairly smooth, although not "buttery". You can achieve a satisfactory "woman" tone through the neck pick-up under these high gain conditions. If you want to retro a guitar to be your death ax, these pick-ups won't disappoint. They will probably not allow you to achieve a Robben Ford tone with any amp combination or setting. But at max high gain the notes have so much sustain and are so articulate you'll know you're using high-end pick-ups worthy of the stars.... just know that they're designed with one thing in mind.

Pickup features: Active Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: Check manual.. EMG website should have the specs

Model of guitar or bass: ESP M-100
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock ESP pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Zakk, Kerry, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, etc.
You musical style(s): Metal, Blues
Reason for pickup change: I found the previous humbuckers to be too muddy and just too crappy overall.

Perceived output level: Incredibly high output.. arguably about hottest pickups out there
Tone: 81 - trebly 85 - middy
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Peavey Transtube 112 EFX and an ESP M-100. I'm a lead guitarist currently not in a band.. I had to get a guitar to replace my first guitar, a Fender Squire Affinity Strat.. sad, yes I know. Although the ESP M-100 isn't considered to be much of a step, the guitar really is pretty good. These pickups made it sound a heck of a lot better. Seriously, if youre looking for pickups that can handle massive amounts of gain, then these are the right ones for you. They've been in my guitar now for close to a year or two and I can tell you that I tend to be disappointed in most guitars' tonal abilities now if they don't carry these pickups in them! However, even though I keep emphasizing the fact that these pickups are able to handle massive amounts of gain REALLY well, they're terrific for other classical or jazz type music. Completely forget about other reviews when it comes to this area. These pickups can basically handle anything and everything you throw at them! The only downside is the fact that they both require batteries in order to use them but since those 9-volts last close to half a year or some 8 months without losing their charge, you shouldn't really worry.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Metal, Jazz, and everything in between basically. These pickups are great for just about any style of music.

Comments: I would definitely buy these again if the guitar was stolen or if they were destroyed.. I've simply grown accustomed to the tone too much to really consider other guitars that dont have these EMGs in them. Forget about the fact that they're endorsed by Zakk Wylde. After all, they were available first separately.. the only thing the ZW set does is bring together the EMG 81 and the EMG 85 in one convenient package. They really are incredible pickups though. They definitely are worth the money. I've been playing close to four years and I have a variety of pedals. Unfortunately, I don't have much money to spend for other gear, but as for now, these will do. Don't disregard my opinion because of my lack of gear. Afterall, my friend Glen and I were considered the best guitarists in my entire high school and there were tons of shred-worthy players. Okay, okay I'll stop gloating now ;) I'm definitely satisfied with these. However, I still advice you to try them before you buy them, as with any other purchase. However, I doubt that you'll go wrong with these.

Pickup features: Humbucking Active
Impedence or other specs: A hell of a lot

Model of guitar or bass: SurfCity Mantra Blue Burst
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Other Stock
Artists using this pickup: Everyone who is a guitar hero
You musical style(s): Grunge, Classic Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: Microphonic and weak.

Perceived output level: A little more than my Dimarzio X2n
Tone: Very Balanced with and very flat electronic tone
Sonic evaluation: Im using a beringer ultra 212 with a boss gt6. Little 250$ surf city les paul copy (real wood though nicer than the epi standard I let go of)It sounds pretty good but you know its all the electronics. Without pedals its not very impressive. In my iceman I have a Tone Zone / Fred combo which I have to sadly say I like slightly more. Its just like a x2n with more clarity. Im not saying its crap im just saying it sounds unnatural. They still are damn good in my set neck mohagany guitar. In my Iceman's bass wood body mellowed them out a bit.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Its good for anything if you have a plethura of pedals

Comments: If they were stolen id prolly go cry and then get some custom shop pups from mailbox music .com cause i am poor after buying these things. I have been playing 5 years and I own the Iceman and this guitar and about 8 sets of pups. I wish it sounded more natural without my pedal board but thats why i have my Iceman and its great dimarzios. I really like this pickup but I feel it is limited and not warm enough, Ive dicked around with just about every Eq i can and without distortion its just flat. With my gt6 these pickups are extremely versital and Im pleased. Last Piece of advice if you want just about the same output go and you are poor go with and X2N at bridge and an Evolution in the neck its pretty close in output and and a bit more wood tones. Its a keeper esp cause now im poor lol.