- Mar 13, 2003
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EMG 81 in neck?
- Thread starter Creeping Death
- Start date
Sunbane
Metalistic Madman
I've personally never tried it in the neck position, since I previously didn't care much for neck pickups. I actually use neck pickups nowadays, but I have yet to try the 81 there.
However, I'm finding it increasingly hard to recommend the 81 at all - unless the "81 sound" is what you want. It works well for high-gain situations, but after I took some time to listen in carefully, I realised that it's a damn bland pickup. I currently only have one guitar with the 81 - my single humbucker Flying V, which I haven't played in months (it's back at my parents' house). Its clean tone always kinda sucked, while it ruled for high-gain rhythm playing. I never really gave it much thought until recently.
Go to www.emginc.com and listen to the sound samples (unfortunately they only have samples from bridge position on those pickups). Compare the 81 to the 85. A world of difference - especially on the clean channel. Where the 85 sounds groovy, the 81 sounds dead and dry as a bone.
Awful guitar sound in the sample for the 81 on clean - I'm kinda wondering if they were playing on old strings when they recorded it. You could probably EQ the mids up a bit to compensate tho'. I've heard that some studio techs like the flat signal of the 81, because it's supposedly easy to add color to it with EQ and make it suit the mix.
I'd rather recommend the 85 for both the bridge and neck positions, even though I tend to like bright and clean sounding neck pickups (85 is darker and a bit dirtier than the 81). I'm currently using a 58 (which is the precursor to the 85), and it sounds fabulous in the neck position - for both clean playing and distorted leads. The only thing it would need is a teensy bit more high end IMO.
However 2: I read a review at one point (probably at the J/C forums), with someone saying that he thought the 81 sounded pretty neat in the neck position. I also recall him saying that it sounded kinda raw and bluesy (think Kirk Hammett's solos), but I don't remember him saying anything about its clean sound.
Hmm...maybe I should've just narrowed this post down to "I don't know". I don't like to throw biased views at people. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Sorry I can't help you more.
'bane
However, I'm finding it increasingly hard to recommend the 81 at all - unless the "81 sound" is what you want. It works well for high-gain situations, but after I took some time to listen in carefully, I realised that it's a damn bland pickup. I currently only have one guitar with the 81 - my single humbucker Flying V, which I haven't played in months (it's back at my parents' house). Its clean tone always kinda sucked, while it ruled for high-gain rhythm playing. I never really gave it much thought until recently.
Go to www.emginc.com and listen to the sound samples (unfortunately they only have samples from bridge position on those pickups). Compare the 81 to the 85. A world of difference - especially on the clean channel. Where the 85 sounds groovy, the 81 sounds dead and dry as a bone.
Awful guitar sound in the sample for the 81 on clean - I'm kinda wondering if they were playing on old strings when they recorded it. You could probably EQ the mids up a bit to compensate tho'. I've heard that some studio techs like the flat signal of the 81, because it's supposedly easy to add color to it with EQ and make it suit the mix.I'd rather recommend the 85 for both the bridge and neck positions, even though I tend to like bright and clean sounding neck pickups (85 is darker and a bit dirtier than the 81). I'm currently using a 58 (which is the precursor to the 85), and it sounds fabulous in the neck position - for both clean playing and distorted leads. The only thing it would need is a teensy bit more high end IMO.
However 2: I read a review at one point (probably at the J/C forums), with someone saying that he thought the 81 sounded pretty neat in the neck position. I also recall him saying that it sounded kinda raw and bluesy (think Kirk Hammett's solos), but I don't remember him saying anything about its clean sound.
Hmm...maybe I should've just narrowed this post down to "I don't know". I don't like to throw biased views at people. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Sorry I can't help you more.
'bane
Krigloch the Furious
Pants full of poo
the 85 in the neck is pretty good. but I took it out because I dont play solos. So Im sitting on just the 81 in the bridge. I really like the 81 sound though.
- Mar 13, 2003
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85 in bridge sounds nicer, I was thinking about getting an 85, and placing it the bridge, and the 81 in the neck, but I dunno what it would sound like. IMO 81 is too high gain for clean playing, and 85 is just good enough, especially from that 85 clean example on the emg website.
Hewy80
www.vitriolic1.com
If you were to put an 81 in the neck and an 85 in the bridge it isnt a great deal of work to swap them since they have a little plug on the back and wouldnt require any more wiring like other pick ups. I currently have an 81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck and I reckon the 81 sounds great for dirty stuff (I dont play clean a whole lot) and the 85 sounds great on solos.
- Mar 13, 2003
- 116
- 0
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oh, I know that, but I have a floyd rose 
, ahhaah, not fun. And my RGs pup cavities are tiny, so I have to carve some wood out
, ahhaah, not fun. And my RGs pup cavities are tiny, so I have to carve some wood out
Hewy80
www.vitriolic1.com
xenophobe
Active Member
That really all depends on what kind of system you're playing through. I'll give you my take on that though, everyone's opinons vary.
EMG 81. Very crunchy but flat on the EQ spectrum, it's great if you're going to have a highly processed signal... i.e. going thru a preamp/effects/poweramp setup. It's basically made for this I think. A nice well balanced pickup, nicer at the neck than at the bridge if you're playing pretty much straight into a combo or head/cabinet setup.
EMG 85 is brutal... very dark and thick sounding, and I prefer it over the 81 when plugging straight into an amp, or running only thru my Korg Hyperdistortion. I think it has too much bottom end and sends too distorted of a signal for much processing.
In my last band, on hiatus for the moment, one guitarist had an 81 in the bridge, and my 85 in my bridge complimented it very nicely.
I have two guitars I play regularly with 81/81 combo and the 85b/81n, and I prefer the 85 in the bridge.
As for the neck suggestion... I rarely use my neck pickup at all, so I don't really have much to say about that.
EMG 81. Very crunchy but flat on the EQ spectrum, it's great if you're going to have a highly processed signal... i.e. going thru a preamp/effects/poweramp setup. It's basically made for this I think. A nice well balanced pickup, nicer at the neck than at the bridge if you're playing pretty much straight into a combo or head/cabinet setup.
EMG 85 is brutal... very dark and thick sounding, and I prefer it over the 81 when plugging straight into an amp, or running only thru my Korg Hyperdistortion. I think it has too much bottom end and sends too distorted of a signal for much processing.
In my last band, on hiatus for the moment, one guitarist had an 81 in the bridge, and my 85 in my bridge complimented it very nicely.
I have two guitars I play regularly with 81/81 combo and the 85b/81n, and I prefer the 85 in the bridge.
As for the neck suggestion... I rarely use my neck pickup at all, so I don't really have much to say about that.
