EMG James Hetfield pickups: what do you think of them?

The news about these was posted a while back.

I'm trying to scrape the money together for the set. Sucks you can't just buy the bridge separately :( Keen to try them out though!
 
No biggie, I too want to know if anyone has gotten a set yet :D

If I can grab a set I was going to do a shootout with all the EMGs I have (81, 85, 89 and, hopefully, the Het set).
 
I would very much like to hear that shootout.

Fortunately after the overblown hype laden blurb theres actually some moderately level headed comment on the differences in the official statements:

"blah blah blah...The neck pickup uses individual poles and bobbins with an enlarged core that gives it a more percussive attack, higher output and a fuller low-end response making it clean and fat and fast attacking. The bridge pickup uses the same larger/taller core coil but has steel pole pieces, again for a tighter more percussive attack with less mutual inductance for a cleaner low-end. It is based on the EMG 81...blah blah blah"

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=157918
 
Only by reading i still think the only difference between them and 81s is the appearance (looks good btw)....
 
Well, this bridge pickup has steel poles, instead of the blade design that the 81 has, for starters.
 
Well, for the seven strings version, never say never. I've seen Hetfield playing a seven strings guitar (on 'Some kind of monster', when playing the song 'Temptation', for instance), so...

Anyway, I think too in theory that the bridge one it's not very different from a EMG 81 but until we can have an A/B comparison with other pickups we cannot tell for sure.

Just on a side note: in one of the promotional clips Hetfield says he wanted to combine the 'punch and clarity of a passive pickup'. Punch and clarity? On a passive? At high gain settings? I don't know... :guh: (Maybe a Duncan JB but not many other passives have punch and clarity, am I wrong?).
 
Could be cool as a different flavor. I've got an Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul that still has HZs in it, I've been thinking about varying from my usual 85/85 or 85/89 config, but going EMG active regardless. I have to say, I love the look, and if the bridge pickup has more low end to it than an 81, and a more open voicing, it might be really cool for me, as someone who loves the 85 but (usually) hates the 81.
 
I find it interesting that these don't use the blade magnet as most EMGs do. I always at least partly associated the extra sustain EMGs seem to have with the blade magnet style pickups... When you bend a string, it's still directly over the magnet in a blade style, whereas you could bend it away from single pole pieces on more typical pickups...
 
Fabbio said:
Just on a side note: in one of the promotional clips Hetfield says he wanted to combine the 'punch and clarity of a passive pickup'. Punch and clarity? On a passive? At high gain settings? I don't know... :guh: (Maybe a Duncan JB but not many other passives have punch and clarity, am I wrong?).
Click to expand...

Well take a listen to a Telecaster or a stratocaster. They have crazy attack/punch and clarity. They wont give you a thick sound but clear and punchy.

Emg 81 can be a little bit muddy.
 
Josh Burgess said:
When you bend a string, it's still directly over the magnet in a blade style, whereas you could bend it away from single pole pieces on more typical pickups...
Click to expand...


People say this all the time, but I have never, ever, EVER found an issue with output dropping with a bend, just like I've found very little difference besides aesthetics with f-spaced vs standard-spaced pickups, regardless of what guitar they're in.
 
I think they look cool, but they wouldn't look good on just about any guitar. I think black nickel hardware on a guitar with these would be optimal.

Really interested in these too. More low-end and more open than an 81 would be nice.
 
i have them and use them everyday.

its hard to describe them but a good blend of active and passive isnt way off.

less compression for sure, good and bad, takes getting used to.

better looking in real life i think, but thats jsut me again.

have a set in my jackson kv2 and it sounds good. best thing is i can leave the dials on my 6505 all at five, except pre and post.

i dont think they will work well downtuned, i didnt like them, i play drop C# myself.

since i got them i get more expression and dont use my 808 anymore in front.

they are different pickups than i ever tried. but i have not found a so balanced humbucker for my tastes yet.


feel free if you want to know anything about them, ill try to answer...


JohnO
 
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