EMG advice - 81-7 or 707

[muckypup1]

I'm getting a upgrade bridge pup for my Schecter Omen 7 Extreme, and its got to be a EMG haha, but what one would you say is best?

Now while I have googled this, I would rather have the opinions of my fellow sneapsters

I'm choosing between a EMG 81-7 or EMG 707, which one would be better for tight metal/djent? I want tight low notes, because I regularly detune my 7 string down to G# and F#

I've got to choose soon though, its a present to me, and its being got today, so any help would awesome dudes!

 

[TheWinterSnow]

81-7 is brighter and has more output, so it would be better for a more djenty tone and for lower tunings imo

 

[GMFx]

the 707 delivers a very clean tone but not as bright as the 81-7. for tightness I would go with the 707.

 

[Josh Burgess]

Does anybody know if the 81-7 is even brighter sounding than the regular 81? or would you say they're about the same? I don't have many reference albums to listen on to hear what the 81-7 can sound like....

 

[GMFx]

hm. it´s supposed to be the same but I think that´s hard to say. you would need the same guitar and check it with both humbuckers.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Is the difference between the 81-7 and the 707 kinda like an 81 and 85 deal? If so, for djent and tighness I'd go for the 81.

 

[462studio]

I've found that the 81-7 is more dry, less grind, and would be great for the djent.

The 707 has way more grind, way more low end, and much warmer overall.

I personally prefer the 707.

Edit: The following is a link to my personal demos. ESP LTD 607B tuned to C, with the 707s. Figured a solid reference point would be helpful. Cheers. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1049731&content=songinfo&songID=8915269

 

[GMFx]

way more low end, and much warmer overall.

jup. what do you mean by "more grind"?

 

[462studio]

jup. what do you mean by "more grind"?

When distorted they almost have a more harmonic warmth to them, like an overdrive pedal set with a slight bit of drive on it.

 

[-Loco-]

Blackout will kick both for djent tones. But if it has to be EMG then 81-7.

 

[Kazrog]

I prefer the 707 massively. I also hate the EMG 81 on 6 string guitars, and prefer the 85. All of my recording guitars have 85s or 707s.

To each his own, though - I've definitely heard a lot of "djent" bands where I feel the guitar sound is way too bright and lacking balls, but I've also read posts by those guitarists where they are glowing about how happy they are with their tone on their recordings. And I'm never going to suggest anything that I suspect would make somebody less happy - if you're happy with your sound, go with it - it's your music and your vision.

Here's my take though from a more scientific perspective - the 81 series is pretty much identical to the 85 and 707 in the top end, it just rolls off the lows. I like to have the lows in there, I don't like to filter the wood my guitar is made of at the pickup stage. If I want a bright sound, I can get it with amp settings, cabinet/impulse choices, and of course post EQ (high pass filtering is very easy to do.)

I've seen frequency response graphs of the pickups in the past - sadly it seems EMG has removed them from their website (last I checked, anyway.) Does anyone have those?

 

[462studio]

I prefer the 707 massively. I also hate the EMG 81 on 6 string guitars, and prefer the 85. All of my recording guitars have 85s or 707s.

Yep. Me too.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Here's my take though from a more scientific perspective - the 81 series is pretty much identical to the 85 and 707 in the top end, it just rolls off the lows.

Completely disagree, in my own multiple shootouts I've always found the 81 to be much clearer than the 85, which is more muffled (or "warm," if that's your thing)

 

[Josh Burgess]

Well, the simple fact that the 81/81-7 is ceramic instead of alnico v is going to make it more crisp sounding.

I don't know... I like the 707 for leads, but it can be a little muddy for rhythm stuff. The 81-7 seems clearer.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Ceramic/Steel, but yeah, and agreed on preferring the Alnico ones for leads but not rhythms

 

[muckypup1]

Well, the simple fact that the 81/81-7 is ceramic instead of alnico v is going to make it more crisp sounding.

I don't know... I like the 707 for leads, but it can be a little muddy for rhythm stuff. The 81-7 seems clearer.

Awesome, clear sound is what I'm after!

Completely disagree, in my own multiple shootouts I've always found the 81 to be much clearer than the 85, which is more muffled (or "warm," if that's your thing)

I want it to sound cold haha, cold and brutal, I'm not really a fan of warm sounding tones, or bass heavy guitar sounds, so it looks like i made the right choice when I chose the 81-7

 

[Ermz]

My predisposition is with Kazrog and sysera. When I replaced the 707 in my Hellraiser with an 81-7 I honestly thought the pickup was fucked. Turns out it's supposed to sound that nasty. The 81 also does not lend itself to a tone conducive to the way I like mixing guitars on records either.

All the same, if you want clarity at extremely low tunings the 81-7 is probably the better bet. The 707 tends to get fairly muddy even down at B, so unless you're trying to do the KoRn thing with completely indistinct guitars where the top-end clarity is filled up with bass grit, I'd recommend avoiding it.

 

[Josh Burgess]

My predisposition is with Kazrog and sysera. When I replaced the 707 in my Hellraiser with an 81-7 I honestly thought the pickup was fucked. Turns out it's supposed to sound that nasty. The 81 also does not lend itself to a tone conducive to the way I like mixing guitars on records either.

All the same, if you want clarity at extremely low tunings the 81-7 is probably the better bet. The 707 tends to get fairly muddy even down at B, so unless you're trying to do the KoRn thing with completely indistinct guitars where the top-end clarity is filled up with bass grit, I'd recommend avoiding it.

I could see the 81-7 being too bright in the Hellraiser 7 strings. Those have a longer scale length 26.5". That does thin out and brighten the sound a good bit. It'd help give the 707s some extra bite and clarity.

The 81-7 might be more balanced in a regular 25.5" scale 7 string. Then again, Devin Townsend uses it in a 28" scale baritone, so who knows... It's all just preference, I guess.

 

[hellraiser85]

When I replaced the 707 in my Hellraiser with an 81-7 I honestly thought the pickup was fucked.

I had exactly the same sensation when I changed the 707 in my hellraiser with the 81-7. It seemed that the 81-7 had very low output. I liked the tone, but there was huge lack of output and gain.

 

[462studio]

I had exactly the same sensation when I changed the 707 in my hellraiser with the 81-7. It seemed that the 81-7 had very low output. I liked the tone, but there was huge lack of output and gain.

That's how the 81 in my EC500 feels compared to the 707s in my SC607B, so I agree completely.