The Pickups Thread

[Jarick]

Congrats. I believe the best use of EMG's is to rip them out and drop them in a recycling bin. Its better than tossing them in a dumpster which is the second best use of EMG"s.

I really wanted to like them across guitars but yeah after the honeymoon I really couldn’t figure out what was appealing.

Also it’s nice not to have to constantly unplug my guitar when not playing to avoid battery drain.

 

[RiffDuck]

I really wanted to like them across guitars but yeah after the honeymoon I really couldn’t figure out what was appealing.

Also it’s nice not to have to constantly unplug my guitar when not playing to avoid battery drain.

They're just easy, especially for anything high gain. They're quiet as all hell, work well for both rhythm and leads, can handle any and all saturation and effects without losing clarity, and compressed enough that they track evenly, and require the most minimal EQ to fit in a mix. A lot of people use EMGs exclusively in the studio because of this.

But outside of that, they're really sterile, lack dynamics, and can be exhausting on the ears after playing for long periods, so it's perfectly understandable why people have trouble sticking with them.

 

[EOengineer]

I’ve been wanting to dump the 490 set in my SG Standard for YEARS. They howl uncontrollably if I’m within 6 feet of the amp at stage volume.

I found a cheap used set of potted 60s Burstbuckers from a Gibson employee that had just yanked them out of his 60s LP Standard. I have the same set in my LP and like them.

I’m also replacing the stupid PCB electronics with traditional 50s wiring. If I don’t like the 60s BB in the SG I will throw them in my backup LP and steal it’s Burstbucker Pros.

 

[Eagle]

The pcb Gibson wiring is very high quality. What is your problem with it?

 

[EOengineer]

The pcb Gibson wiring is very high quality. What is your problem with it?

My beef isn’t really the PCB quality, it’s that it obfuscates what’s happening in the electronics cavity in an unhelpful way if you want to change things.

I’m much more comfortable modifying and maintaining free wired electronics.

 

[Eagle]

My beef isn’t really the PCB quality, it’s that it obfuscates what’s happening in the electronics cavity in an unhelpful way if you want to change things.

I’m much more comfortable modifying and maintaining free wired electronics.

Yes it does not lend itself to any changes.

 

[FuzzyAce]

But outside of that, they're really sterile, lack dynamics, and can be exhausting on the ears after playing for long periods, so it's perfectly understandable why people have trouble sticking with them.

There could be some truth to this as far as the full humbuckers go, but I can't say that about their singles like the S, SA, SV or SAV. They're fairly dynamic. The S for example can have the most sweetest and lovely clean tones yet become a raging monster with more and more gain, and it responds very nicely to pick attack. A lot of territory can be covered and covered well. But these things vary for everybody and we all pick differently so there's that. EMGs are just another choice, and they trend up and down for me. Just like many gear decisions, these things go in cycles because we're curious and want to try something else.

 

[Jarick]

I don't know about the dynamics either, they seemed fine. I just found once I swapped back to passives I was a lot happier with the sound.

I want to find a used Mexican Strat to move the set too though, I think it would be fun to keep around but not in one of my main guitars.

 

[RiffDuck]

There could be some truth to this as far as the full humbuckers go, but I can't say that about their singles like the S, SA, SV or SAV. They're fairly dynamic. The S for example can have the most sweetest and lovely clean tones yet become a raging monster with more and more gain, and it responds very nicely to pick attack. A lot of territory can be covered and covered well. But these things vary for everybody and we all pick differently so there's that. EMGs are just another choice, and they trend up and down for me. Just like many gear decisions, these things go in cycles because we're curious and want to try something else.

Yeah I would say that the single coils, 57/66 set and perhaps even the Het Set fall into a different category. But their most widely used and iconic set is the 81/85, which is what I was speaking on.

I myself have branched out into other pickups tons of times, and always find my way back to the EMG 81/85, but I also grew up on that sound from 2000s metal, so they'll always be the default "correct" sound to my ears that I can't help but gauge all other tones on. I imagine it's the same for people who grew up listening to or learning songs with single coil or vintage tones.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Yeah I would say that the single coils, 57/66 set and perhaps even the Het Set fall into a different category. But their most widely used and iconic set is the 81/85, which is what I was speaking on.

I myself have branched out into other pickups tons of times, and always find my way back to the EMG 81/85, but I also grew up on that sound from 2000s metal, so they'll always be the default "correct" sound to my ears that I can't help but gauge all other tones on. I imagine it's the same for people who grew up listening to or learning songs with single coil or vintage tones.

Definitely. My first EMG sets were the 81/85 and the S set. This was '95/96. The 81/85 do a few things really well and that's about it lol. But sometimes that's all you need! I had them installed for years in my '71 Artist. Surprisingly good clean tones, and of course sounded great when running distortion. But the S set is/was more my thing because of the dynamics and clarity. Much more versatile.