Why EMG's 81's are sooo underated??

[guarino88]

i mean....i have 3 guitars whit those babys and they sound amazing....they are not sterile at all, they are not lacking dynamics and they are hot..soooooo why the f*ck when i see reviews of those pickups people just blame them!!!! jesus whats wrong whit humanity?????

 

[Rex Rocker]

I don't think EMG 81's are underrated... at all...

 

[Metaltastic]

Yeah dude, far from it - I have yet to encounter a pickup I like better, and my only complaint with it is it's slight sterile sound, but running it at 18 volts takes care of that while maintaining the amazing clarity that I love! I've compared it directly to the EMG 85 and Duncan Blackout in the bridge position, and the 81 rules all AFAIC!

 

[JeffTD]

Only pickup I like better is the 89. EMG's own asshole.

 

[DevilJaw]

nothing wrong with them dude, i cant help but keep coming back to emgs. nothing else will compare. for me when you run them 18v, i fall in love all over again.

 

[J the TyranT]

underrated? seriously?

 

[Dylan S]

I think EMG's might even be overrated to a certain extent, just because every nub with any cheap guitar will think it will be made amazing with the addition of EMGs.

This isn't to say that they're popularity isn't well deserved...they are great pickups, and are an industry standard for a reason. They are well balanced and have a nice tight sound for high-gain stuff.

I do have to say however, even though they may not record as well, I do prefer playing Seymour Duncan Blackouts. One thing I don't like about EMGs is that when I pick really hard, the response tends to flatten out and i lose a bit of definition. It's not something that is really that bad until I play my guitars with Blackouts in them, and i just feel they respond a little better to my playing, even if the EMGs do have a more balanced frequency response that reflects through in recordings a bit better.

All good stuff i say.

 

[Metaltastic]

Only pickup I like better is the 89. EMG's own asshole.

How would you describe the differences between the 89 (in normal humbucking mode) and 85 dude?

And Dylan, I hear what you're saying about the dynamic feel of Blackouts, but that's where the 81 w/ 18v mod comes in!

 

[motomoto]

I think its just a matter of taste really.I mean not everyone records their stuff.And i guess that people who right shit reviews about EMG's are just passive fanatics(they sound more organic imo).Well i also like passives better but i barely record lol.And the passives i use TBH are bareknuckles so....

+1 for EMG and knuckles hehehe

PS:I thought the only difference between the 85-89 was the splitting???

 

[hsinn3r]

One thing I don't like about EMGs is that when I pick really hard, the response tends to flatten out and i lose a bit of definition.

The 18volt mod will fix that, it gives you more headroom!

 

[Dylan S]

My Schecter Hellraiser had an 81-7 and 60-7 in it, with the 18v mod, and then I put some Blackouts in it and converted it back to 9v, and it still feels better than the EMGs with the 18v mod.

It's just for my playing though. I'm not going to talk crap about EMGs because I think they're great, but I just like the feel of digging in really hard with Blackouts, as opposed to both 9v and 18v EMGs.

People who talk crap about EMGs are like people who talk crap about Rectifiers. They always say they suck, without sufficient experience to justify their opinion, and they seem to forget that basically ALL of our favourite albums were recorded with this stuff.

 

[motomoto]

People who talk crap about EMGs are like people who talk crap about Rectifiers. They always say they suck, without sufficient experience to justify their opinion, and they seem to forget that basically ALL of our favourite albums were recorded with this stuff.

+1

 

[Lasse Lammert]

the 89 is indeed good.
in SC mode it sounds as good as a s but I have to say in HB mode the 85 still beats it

 

[Lasse Lammert]

the 89 is indeed good.
in SC mode it sounds as good as a s but I have to say in HB mode the 85 still beats it

 

[LeviathanMetal]

I have them in my gibson les paul custom classic... 81 in bridge and 89 in the neck... sound is unbelievably satisfying =]

 

[Kazrog]

I love EMG 85s, and they are what I prefer, but I have also gotten great results with 81s. I've gotten tones from EMGs that are very warm and dynamic, so I don't really understand why some insist they are sterile. I don't think EMG makes a bad pickup (other than the HZs.)

I also have gotten great results with Duncans and DiMarzios. I think people make a bigger deal out of pickups than need be - it's all in the hands, you have to spend time to learn each set of pickups - I know I had a lot of adjusting to do when I first switched to EMG actives rather than the passives I was using for years.

 

[xFkx]

I prefer EMG's 81's to passive pickups becouse they have way less low-end mud, and they are easier to mix in my opinion. Passives have nicer top end grit tho...

 

[gabriel g.]

I realy like them for rythm guitars. They are very powerfull. For punch and attack then passiv pickups.
I have a Ibanez signature "7" guitar with this baby, and a Ibanez SZ with an dimebucker.
This is a nice combination for tracking.

I often use the same amps for 2 guitarplayers but different guitars.

 

[greyskull]

i don't think they're underreated... in the right guitar for a certain tone, they're great.
However, i prefer.

and

at the moment.

 

[Harry Hughes]

I prefer EMG's 81's to passive pickups becouse they have way less low-end mud, and they are easier to mix in my opinion. Passives have nicer top end grit tho...

That's a bit of a blanket statement don't you think?
It's not 1985 anymore, passive pickup technology has come a long way.
Some people think certain passives are even tighter and have more controlled bottom end tone than EMGs.