i have a few questions... im quite new to playing guitar, ive been playing for 8 months and this saturday im getting my jackson ke3 but i heard the pickups on that guitar suck... so i was planning on getting some emg 81's but apparantly they arent good for a clean sound and im wondering if the 85's are good for a clean sound cause i dont want pickups only good for distortion cause i like playing some clean stuff like fade to black and so on... so if i were to get an 81 and an 85 where would the best place be to put them?
important pickup question
- Thread starter Helloween
- Start date
Evil Ernie
Ungodly freak, defiler
85 --> neck
81 --> bridge
I own a Jackson Kelly myself, but an old one with Jackson pickups, and I might make the exact same pickup move.
This guitar is so sexy.
81 --> bridge
I own a Jackson Kelly myself, but an old one with Jackson pickups, and I might make the exact same pickup move.
This guitar is so sexy.
Sunbane
Metalistic Madman
All EMGs can do clean sounds. They aren't high enough output to overdrive a clean amp, like the DiMarzio X2N does.
The EMG 81 is the most dead sounding pickup you can find - not good for clean parts and leads IMO. The 85 has a lot more attitude and low end. I would use the 85 in both bridge and neck positions, but that's me.
The EMG 81 is the most dead sounding pickup you can find - not good for clean parts and leads IMO. The 85 has a lot more attitude and low end. I would use the 85 in both bridge and neck positions, but that's me.
Release
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You're new to playing right? What kind of amp are you playing through? If you have a shitty amp, new pickups aren't going to fix your tone. I really wouldn't worry about it yet. Save the cash, go to a guitar shop and play a ton of different guitars with different pickups and see whats sounds good. Years ago I also "needed" EMG's but now I don't even like the tone, too cold for me. Don't buy into the name alone, play everything, Listen and compare.
Evil Ernie
Ungodly freak, defiler
The amp is definetly the most important part of your sound. IMO, a 15W Fender amp is total crap metal-wize. Here's the path Evil Ernie has took in his quest for a killer sound.
I had a Fender Deluxe 90. At first I knew fuck all about guitar sound so it was ok, but after a while I realised some friends had a god damn kick ass sound and I wanted to change my rig. The first idea I had was to change my guitar (Mexico Strat at that time), but I tried different guitars on my amp and the sound was somewhat always the same. I had no money for a great amp so I buyed a MT-2 metal zone to have a decent sound in the time I could get enough money to spent on my amp. This pedal made a drastic change in my sound. It works really good on a small solidstate amp. A year later I got my Peavy Triple XXX. I threw the MT-2 away, I don't use it anymore. Then I recently got an old Jackson Kelly with Jackson humbuckers (used for 300$, no need to waste thousands bucks on a guitar which will sound 98% the same). It is the guitar I currently use and I am pretty much satisfied with how my rig sounds now. I think that changing the stock pickups would be the next logical step for me, just to get slightly more definition and cutting edge in my sound. End of story.
I also warn you to make sure a Marshall amp is really what you want. As for the EMGs when talking about heavy metal pickups, Marshall amps are always the first hard rock amps we tend to look for. I suggest you to try the variety of excellent amps available before throwing your money for a brand name. I myself found the Marshall amps to lack gain. The Triple XXX is a beast.
Cheers.
I had a Fender Deluxe 90. At first I knew fuck all about guitar sound so it was ok, but after a while I realised some friends had a god damn kick ass sound and I wanted to change my rig. The first idea I had was to change my guitar (Mexico Strat at that time), but I tried different guitars on my amp and the sound was somewhat always the same. I had no money for a great amp so I buyed a MT-2 metal zone to have a decent sound in the time I could get enough money to spent on my amp. This pedal made a drastic change in my sound. It works really good on a small solidstate amp. A year later I got my Peavy Triple XXX. I threw the MT-2 away, I don't use it anymore. Then I recently got an old Jackson Kelly with Jackson humbuckers (used for 300$, no need to waste thousands bucks on a guitar which will sound 98% the same). It is the guitar I currently use and I am pretty much satisfied with how my rig sounds now. I think that changing the stock pickups would be the next logical step for me, just to get slightly more definition and cutting edge in my sound. End of story.
I also warn you to make sure a Marshall amp is really what you want. As for the EMGs when talking about heavy metal pickups, Marshall amps are always the first hard rock amps we tend to look for. I suggest you to try the variety of excellent amps available before throwing your money for a brand name. I myself found the Marshall amps to lack gain. The Triple XXX is a beast.
Cheers.
-Gavin-
Gavornator
Well man, i use an EMG 85 in the bridge of my jackson and an EMG 89 in the neck and by fucking god it gives me fucking HEavy tones.
I love it.
look into an EMG 89. its an EMG 85 but with a coiltap (you can swtich betwen single coil and humbucker sounds)
I love it.
look into an EMG 89. its an EMG 85 but with a coiltap (you can swtich betwen single coil and humbucker sounds)
-Gavin-
Gavornator
And about amps.
I play a MArshall aVT 275 (150watt, 2 12inch sepakers etc).
The gain is outrageous on it
i love it
The only gain i prefer is Peavey Bandit gain but that amp feedbacks so much its hellish.
Try a marshall aVT 275 man.
I play a MArshall aVT 275 (150watt, 2 12inch sepakers etc).
The gain is outrageous on it
i love it The only gain i prefer is Peavey Bandit gain but that amp feedbacks so much its hellish.
Try a marshall aVT 275 man.
MFJ
Active Member
alright ill look into this stuff... but i have no money right now cause i just spent 900 on my ke3... then i gotta get a hard case that will fit my guitar cause my old cause dosent fit it, and then im gonna get a better amp then some better pickups, they'll be the last thing i get probably, i still have to save a shit load of money... i have 30$ left
