EMG 81 in the neck?

[DURBANS]

Hi

I already know you guys love 85's in the bridge, but personally I prefer ceramic magnets on the bridge and alnico at the neck.

So, leaving that behind, here's the question...

I've seen guitarrists like Kirk Hammett and Jeff Hanemann (not sure about him) using a pair of 81's, both neck and bridge. I wanted to know how did the 81 sounded at the bridge position and if it was any better/different/hotter than the 85 in the neck position.

Thanks!

 

[EtherForBreakfast]

LOL. Seems as though you are in quite the EMG pickle as of late; between this quandry and your shaft/pot problems you are having. =)

(I say this, but I do PH3AR The Jame Smurphy EMG Pickup Gestapo!!)

I think you can do a LOT better than an EMG81 in the neck. I can't keep track of who has what model in bridge or neck or what comic books Quirk Crammit is buying, but I can tell you that the 85 is much more rad in the bridge than the 81 is. I did some testing, and Kazrog even posted a POD thing with 81 vs. 85 and it was pretty obvious.

EMG pups dominate the whole metal scene, and don't get me wrong, the EMG85 is a GREAT bridge pickup, but my god man... Look into other options. If you are hell bent on going with EMG, the only thing I can tell ya is that there is a 99 out of 100 chance you would prefer the eighty fizzive in bridge over the eighty wizzun.

Again - 85 in bridge = Quite Rad.

 

[sorceron]

i also use the 85 in bridge but i can tell you that i actually prefer the way my 81 sounds in the neck then the 85 sounded in the neck. and vice versa. i kick into the 81 in the neck position for leads and it sounds killer, then back down to the 85 for riffing and it sounds full and juicy. i dunno, when the 85 was in the neck it sounded almost to thick for my tastes, i play gibson sg standards so it may differ from the guitar your using and the wood and etc. we can talk about this stuff for days on here but your just going to have to try it and see for yourself. thats the only way you can know anything for sure.

 

[commandante]

If you will be playing hi-gain with this axe all the time 81 is wonderful on the neck. But if you like your cleans go with 60a with the neck. Alnico magnet, warmer, lower output.

 

[Seizure.]

I think you can do a LOT better than an EMG81 in the neck. I can't keep track of who has what model in bridge or neck or what comic books Quirk Crammit is buying, but I can tell you that the 85 is much more rad in the bridge than the 81 is. I did some testing, and Kazrog even posted a POD thing with 81 vs. 85 and it was pretty obvious.

link to those samples perhaps?

and would i be able to install an 81/85 along my passive neck pick up?

 

[80's thrasher]

Just on the hanneman point I'm pretty sure he uses an 81 in the bridge and an 85 in the neck.

I personally think that an 81/60 combo is the best.

 

[JeffTD]

I've had an 85/85 set in my Schecter, and now have an 85/81 in it. In the neck, the 81 kicks the crap out of hte 85. While the 85 did have a nice tone, and was very very liquidy, it just didn't have nearly enough definition for me. Sweeps sounded all muddy and like one chord, whereas they sounded fine on the bridge pickup. Swap to an 81, and it's 100x more defined. Has more edge and bite to it, as well, but if you set it close enough to the strings, it sounds very sweet.

 

[JeffTD]

I've had an 85/85 set in my Schecter, and now have an 85/81 in it. In the neck, the 81 kicks the crap out of hte 85. While the 85 did have a nice tone, and was very very liquidy, it just didn't have nearly enough definition for me. Sweeps sounded all muddy and like one chord, whereas they sounded fine on the bridge pickup. Swap to an 81, and it's 100x more defined. Has more edge and bite to it, as well, but if you set it close enough to the strings, it sounds very sweet.

 

[Razorjack]

I switched my ZW EMG set around after playing an ESP with the Kirk Hammet set. The 81 is awesome in the neck, where the 85 has far too much bottom end for my taste. As everyone else has said, the 85 is best in the bridge.

 

[DURBANS]

I got a Toni iommi amp which has lots of bass and it's very muddy and un-focused, I'm looking towards EMG's because i need some really high output and focused pups to make the amp sound good.

I've heard some EMG 85 samples and in comparison with the 81 it has much more bass. I dunno if that will be anygood for me, plus, I really like Slayer's tone and I know they use an 81 in the bridge right?

Those clips will be great...

 

[80's thrasher]

Slayer use 81's in the bridge and generally tune down to Db these days. I'd go for an 81 if I was you. I think they are great pups for tuning down, most of my axes are in D and 81's sound great in the bridge.

 

[DURBANS]

I tune down to B.

 

[Razorjack]

I prefer the 85 in the bridge for drop tuning (I play in C).

 

[sorceron]

i prefer the 85 and i tune down to b flat and c...

 

[DIOBOLIC5150]

i prefer the 85 and i tune down to b flat and c...

Yep, me too. 85 in the bridge, B flat...sounds mean.

 

[marcust]

i only use 81's

 

[Nitronium Blood]

i only use 81's

Try the EMG 85

 

[Skaldir]

Hi,
I didn't want to make a new thread.
So, I like to buy an EMG 85 for the bridge position in my Les Paul.
My question is, how does it work to build it in the guitar. I never changed pick-ups or potis. Is there an instruction included?

 

[Razorjack]

There are instructions if you buy the EMG new, but I'd reccomend you get it fitted professionally. Shouldn't set you back too much, where as a full re-wire would if you didn't do it right yourself.

 

[Kazrog]

I have an 85 in the bridge on all of my 6-strings and an 81 in the neck in all but one of them (which has an 89 in the neck.)

I highly recommend going with the 85 in the bridge and 89 in the neck. The 89 has the same character as the 85 but also allows you to do a coil tap with a push/pull pot installed as neck pickup volume instead of your usual tone knob. I would do this on all my guitars but it is a pricier option as I can't do this installation myself.

The 81 does sound decent in the neck position, although it is noticeably quieter than the 85.

Here are my before and after clips of my ESP LTD MH 400 NT.

Before (81 in bridge):
http://www.backmask.com/preproduction/81.mp3

After (85 in bridge):
http://www.backmask.com/preproduction/85.mp3

These are both run through the same POD XT Live sound, which is an earlier version of the tone I've posted here before. A bit scooped I realized later, but still gets the point across in terms of tonal variation.