EMGs...

[UltimaRage]

The pick-ups. What do you think of them? Personally, I think they are great and awesome pick-ups. There seems to be a misconception that they make the clean channel sound not-so-clean.... The clean channel sounds pretty good to me. Anyways, I'll be getting a guitar with these in it soon. It's an RG570 and it has the H-S-H pick-up configuration. Any of you have EMGs?

[EricV]

This has been discussed her before... but anyway...

Yeah, I used to use a combination of an 85 and 2 SAs in that Valley Arts Strat I used to use. It was really nice for clean sounds ( Lukather often just plugged his guitar into a chorus and then went straight into the board, that way creating those really nice clean sounds... ).
A lot of people consider the EMGs "sterile sounding" etc. Well, I really liked the 85 and SAs, didn´t sound sterile to me at all.
Actually, the 85 was as good for distorted soloing as the Duncans I used in my other guitars back then.

I think the people who complain about the clean sounds actually refer to the 81, which is more agressive sounding.
Then again, many people consider the 81 the perfect humbucker for metal-stuff.

I dunno, these days I prefer passive DiMarzios, but I did like that EMG-set a lot.
Eric

[UltimaRage]

What makes you prefer passive DiMarzios these days? Do they have a better tone or a higher output?

[EricV]

They provide me with free pickups :)

No, seriously, I like their tone, the way their voiced. They fit very well to my playing and to the guitars they´re installed in.
The Tone Zone and Double Whammy I use have a certain voicing that gives them some kind of a "open wah / vowel" sound, a bit Michael Schenker-ish, and that´s really cool.
The Super Distortion I use a lot too is pretty much voiced like some PAF, but with more output...
Seymour Duncan and many other companies build great pickups too, no question about it. I simply happen to like DiMarzios the most...
Eric

[UltimaRage]

I will have to check them out then sometime... :) But for now, I'll mess around with the EMG's I'm getting. They'll be the first excellent pick-ups I have owned, plus a nice guitar. The humbucker I have in a guitar of mine right now is some name-less pick-up with mediocre tone.

[metaljustice83]

have fun w/ em, I'd like emgs

[natsu345]

I think EMGs are great pickups. I think for that super-glassy clean tone right into the board with a little compression and chorus, you can't beat 'em.
Having said all that, since I'm on a limited buget, I usually only own a few guitars at a time, so my need to have that particular exact sound is overridden by that.
For most of the stuff that I do, I prefer the sound coloration that passive gives me. There's something very subtle and pleasing that happens to the attack on a note when passives are used.
I've often heard EMGs and other active pickups called 'sterile' and I think that isn't quite the right term. I've always said that they're very 'hi-fi", meaning there isn't usually that mid-range peak present and the attack on the note seems to be right there. For some applications, that's just what the doctor ordered but not usually for me. From the literature I've read, EMG has lots to choose from, with models that *do* color the sound in a particular way, so maybe now they have the best of both worlds - dunno....
Thanks for slogging through this stream of consciousness,

[EricV]

Natsu, welcome @ ibreathe !

[metaljustice83]

welcome!!!!!!!!!!!

[natsu345]

Thanks for the "welcome!" guys!
I must say - I'm pretty impressed with this site and the people who inhabit / visit it!
Lots of great and useful info available, lots of great people who love playing the guitar!
And Eric V - I've read a bunch of your columns and found them to be very enjoyable and informative - keep it up!

Thanks,

[EricV]

Originally posted by natsu345

And Eric V - I've read a bunch of your columns and found them to be very enjoyable and informative - keep it up!
Thanks,

Thanks a bunch !
Eric

[szulc]

I have a Kramer with a set of 85's or 89's I can't remember which.
It is nice for direct into the console since it is low impedance. I don't like the dirty sound because it is difficult to tell if you are on the Neck or Bridge Pickup. I have recently started using DiMarzios (after many years of Hating them) I really like thier (Virtual Vintage?) single coil strat pickups. They are quiet and have great vintage 'bell' like tone.
I have a strat with one of these in the Middle and Seymour Duncans in the Neck (Duck Bucker) and Bridge (Mini JB) this pickup blows them away! I want to replace the other two with two more of these.

[metallibeast]

What's up?

If ya gonna be getting EMGs, this mod (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mgollihur/emgmod.html) might be of use to you....juz did it a while ago....sounded diff.

-Beast

[Koala]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by EricV
[B]They provide me with free pickups :)

I think Eric meant to say, they provide US at IBM with free pickups right Eric? :)

[ajdowton]

Hey dudes.

Anyone had any experience with the pre-wired EMG artist sets? They basically are sets of pickups already wired in a pickguard, so that you just screw it into your axe (sometimes need routing) and play away. I am looking at replacing my stock Fender pickups in my Jap Strat (w/floyd) with the Kirk Hammett set with an 85 in the back and two SA's.

Are these good? Or not...

Thanks.

[UltimaRage]

Originally posted by metallibeast
What's up?

If ya gonna be getting EMGs, this mod (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mgollihur/emgmod.html) might be of use to you....juz did it a while ago....sounded diff.

-Beast

Did it make it sound better?

[UltimaRage]

Man, I just got my new guitar. I can't make the modification. I'd have to route out a space.