Humbucker pickups

[Sunbane]

Unrelated note, but it just struck me that I never use the middle switch position. =/

I use the bridge pickup only for all rhythms and most leads, and the neck pickup for some leads and all clean parts.

'bane

 

[Erik]

I never use the middle either. Sounds muddy to me. I use bridge for almost everything, neck for some lead stuff and the second from the neck for clean stuff. I believe that one is a split coil position for a single coil-ish sound, but I really have little idea of what I am talking about.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

middle single coils + clean tone = fantastic! Neck as well, but it can get too bassy

 

[Sex Machine]

wow thank you all for posting all this valuable information. i was going to go out and get me and 81, but now that ive heard your input, im thinking of getting a pair of dimarzios, what do you people think about the zebra (i think thats what they are called) pick ups? i think they look really awesome, and i think they are on the dimebag guitar if im not mistaken, and are they passive? cause i dont wanna hafta take out my damn plug, i leave it at band practice for a reason ha

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

active pickups are no hassle at all. dont let that make your mind for you.

 

[Sunbane]

wow thank you all for posting all this valuable information. i was going to go out and get me and 81, but now that ive heard your input, im thinking of getting a pair of dimarzios, what do you people think about the zebra (i think thats what they are called) pick ups? i think they look really awesome, and i think they are on the dimebag guitar if im not mistaken, and are they passive? cause i dont wanna hafta take out my damn plug, i leave it at band practice for a reason ha

I don't know what Washburn puts in their Dime models, but Darrell himself uses a Duncan Dimebucker in the bridge position (earlier he used a real Bill Lawrence L-500XL) and a Duncan '59 in the neck position.

"Zebra" is really nothing more than a humbucker with two different colors on it. I know you can get most Duncan models looking like this (although not the Dimebucker). Not sure about DiMarzio.

'bane

 

[Bryant]

There are a lot of misconceptions around regarding EMG pickups.

"They all sound the same" - wrong. That's why they have different models. But for some reason everyone buys the 81, which has a very flat frequency curve and processed sound (a bit scooped). The sound of an 81 is easy to identify, even when in different guitars, but if you directly compare two guitars with it, you'll hear the difference. If you want a more organic, mid-rangey sound, get the 85.


'bane

I agree and disagree. Metallica made many people want to buy "81's" but it was Wolf Hoffmann that made me make the purchase. I hear no resemblence in tone of Wolf and Kirk/James etc. Of course Wolf is on a different level than Metallica when it comes to phrasing and....... hell anything !! Wolf is an incredible guitarist, but my point is that Wolf's tone of his rig and playing style keep him from sounding like most 81 users. I think a pickup does affect your sound considerable, but the amp dictates your sound more than anything less pickup style meaning, single, soap-box or humbucker. An 81, be it processed and amplified internally or not, still sounds like a humbucker.


Bryant