EMG haters

[syxstringslayer]

whats with all the emg hate?

 

 

Iplay 85s. thick and.. just balls.

 

 

 

 

whats so bad about em?

[BillyCorgan]

Had an 81 and 85 in my PRS Standard 22. I just put a Duncan JB and the original Dragon II neck pup back in and it just screams now. Much thicker and and it cuts so much better.

I just can't bring myself to like active pickups.

[syxstringslayer]

 

Originally posted by BillyCorgan Had an 81 and 85 in my PRS Standard 22. I just put a Duncan JB and the original Dragon II neck pup back in and it just screams now. Much thicker and and it cuts so much better. I just can't bring myself to like active pickups.

 

 

 

JBs... Ive always wanted to try one.

 

But itd have to be in another guitar.

Its hard to imagine that an 85 would

sound weak compared to a seymore dunkyn.

[singer]

emgs have no character, no distinctive tone, nothing but dead lifeless volume. that's why people hate them. of course, if you're into death metal or other high gain playing, you prolly love them. even for that though, i'd rather use dimarzio

[J Bone]

85's do kick ass in the right guitar, totally diffferent flavor than the JB though, I can't imagine EMGS not cutting through though, especially compared to a JB

[Kyle DiSanto]

I was an EMG Advocate for many many years, and I still enjoy them for certain tones...here and there.

 

 

For whatever reason, passives just sound better with the Framus cobra.

[Chrisjd]

Love my 81's, but damn do I also love my SD Distortions.

[DirtyBird]

Just depends on the amp.

 

[Megadeth7684]

Passives just sound much more natural and way thicker to me. EMG's just grate on my nerves after a while, so sterile and compressed.

[rhino bucket]

i've got a JB and 81's. like em both.

 

 

 

suppose EMG's are kind of like the amp of the month around here, they were all the rage for awhile, now thier not.

 

 

 

if i had several guitars with EMG's i might consider a swap. but with only one, they're staying in there.

 

 

right or wrong, my thoughts are that the plastic covers take away some subtle nuances, but basically the fundamentals are all there.

 

also think they aren't as prone to feedback as some passives, which can be a good thing.

[Ryan Turner]

I'm just not big on any kind of high output pickups. EMG's are just WAY too over the top for my style.

 

I use Seymour Duncan '59s all the way in both of my guitars and my tone has never been better.

[potaetoes]

Originally posted by singer emgs have no character, no distinctive tone, nothing but dead lifeless volume. that's why people hate them. of course, if you're into death metal or other high gain playing, you prolly love them. even for that though, i'd rather use dimarzio

 

yeah. david gilmour, steve lukather, vince gill... total high gain death metal hacks with dead, lifeless tone. to top it off, all three of them sound EXACTLY the same, no distinctive tones from any of 'em.

 

 

dumbass.

[DeathMonkey]

Originally posted by potaetoes yeah. david gilmour, steve lukather, vince gill... total high gain death metal hacks with dead, lifeless tone. to top it off, all three of them sound EXACTLY the same, no distinctive tones from any of 'em. dumbass.

 

 

Actually, I kinda agree with him - I find them really hard to deal with. I understand people like the consistency, but I find them really harsh, flat, and lacking in dynamics. But then again, I am finding that I don't care for most high output pickups, and actives in particular.

 

The common thread in those players you mentioned is that they all tend to use a ton of effects (or, in Vince's case, processing) as well, so part of the benefit of using actives is apparent there as well. That's cool, I just can't stand the sound OR feel of EMGs.

[buntaluffigus]

They're certainly cool pickups. The EMG81 is quite tight, clear, and high output.

 

I wouldn't have a problem using them for any type of sound. Just another tool to use.

[gizzi]

i like EMG's, i use the 707 and 81-7 pickups.

 

i also like passives, such as the dimarzio x2n-7 etc..

[JBecker]

 

Originally posted by DeathMonkey Actually, I kinda agree with him - I find them really hard to deal with. I understand people like the consistency, but I find them really harsh, flat, and lacking in dynamics. But then again, I am finding that I don't care for most high output pickups, and actives in particular. The common thread in those players you mentioned is that they all tend to use a ton of effects (or, in Vince's case, processing) as well, so part of the benefit of using actives is apparent there as well. That's cool, I just can't stand the sound OR feel of EMGs.

 

 

Yup-- to not realize that many of those guys, especially Gilmour have such long signal chains that part of the reason they use actives is because they loose too much signal throughout the path is a major oversight.

 

I pretty much agree with your assessment-- they're definitely flat, often harsh, very compressed, and way too high output. Beyond that, you lose a lot of the unique sound qualities of the guitar itself, which IMO, is quite a bad thing.

[mister kyo]

 

Originally posted by AtarisPunk29 Beyond that, you lose a lot of the unique sound qualities of the guitar itself, which IMO, is quite a bad thing.

 

 

i dont really agree with them being considered "harsh," but this is absolutely true. but it can also be a good thing. popping some EMGs into a really cheap guitar really brings it up.

 

that said, i like the tone of EMGs. i've used duncans and dimizarios as well, and while they sound good i just prefer EMGs for metal/hardcore.

[angelspade]

EMG 81 and Duncan JB...my two faves, but if I had to pick it would be the 81...NOTHING beats it's attack, punch, clarity and cut. Especially if you play metal, and tune down a bit. However, the JB sounds richer, a touch thicker and has a very organic sounding mid-rangey grind...hell I love 'em both...and they sound great tracked together through the same amp. Just my opinion.

[Code-001]

 

Originally posted by AtarisPunk29 Yup-- to not realize that many of those guys, especially Gilmour have such long signal chains that part of the reason they use actives is because they loose too much signal throughout the path is a major oversight.

 

 

That's what input buffers are for.

[Bluesaholick_2]

emg...

 

 

mmm....

 

they are cool but over-used to death.

 

 

how can someone sound original with an emg 81 on the bridge and a emg 60 on the neck?

 

I like em... but if you like "unique tone" stay away from their popular over-used models.

[rebornself27]

 

Originally posted by Bluesaholick_2 emg... mmm.... they are cool but over-used to death. how can someone sound original with an emg 81 on the bridge and a emg 60 on the neck? I like em... but if you like "unique tone" stay away from their popular over-used models.

 

 

+10000 i think emg,s sound sterile ive always been a dimarzio fan