Members mylilss Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 my esp is equipped with emg 85's in both positions .. i know they make an emg 60/81/85 series pickup maybe more but i havent heard of them ... i was curious which one was the better bridge pickup for meta/ hard rock? like which one out of all of there pups is the hottest ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hellion_213 Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 I absolutely the 81 in the bridge! Would prefer it in both neck and bridge. 18volt, and a PA-2 really makes them shine, though at high volumes the PA2 does get a little HOT. (noise gate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JSutter Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 Go to EMGs site to get the specifics. Basically 81 have less bass than 85. IIRC 85 are actually hotter of the 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 EMG's website has great info: http://emgpickups.com/products/category/1/1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V-man Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 81 is the standard currency for an active bridge pup. I have had 3 guitars with the 81 sitting there, and that's what they were made for. In the past couple of years, there has been a 85/81 swap fad where they put the 85N in the bridge and the 81B in the neck. They seem to love it, but I think the results MAY be misleading. Either way, an 81 or an 85 will get you there but the 85 has fail written all over it. Anybody considering an 85 should be getting an 89 anyway for versatility. The 81s are easier to come by used and probably easier to sell off if you don't like. The 85s are fine too but you should get an 89 instead of the 85 and I think the 60s blow goats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the_gunslinger Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 I absolutely the 81 in the bridge! Would prefer it in both neck and bridge. 18volt, and a PA-2 really makes them shine, though at high volumes the PA2 does get a little HOT. (noise gate) +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shred and roll Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 I'm real sure the 81 is the hottest followed by the 85. That's why most people put the 81 at the bridge and the 85 at the neck when both are in a guitar together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JSutter Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 Sheit, While nominal output is the same as EMG 85, lower noise ratio gives EMG 81 more gain opportunity. Therefore, EMG 81 is loudest of all EMG pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mustaine-who? Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 Depends what "metal" u r going for. 85 is thicker with more low end, so its great for a style that requires that. 81 is thinner and has attack that can't be beat, so if your style requires that...use that. I prefer the Blackout neck in the bridge over both... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SuproSuper Man Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 i got a les paul copy with a 89 EMG in the bridge and a regular passive humbucker in the neck,,, I like the emg , but when it goes into single coil its a bit weak so i usually boost it with a compressor, im also not to keen on the sound when the emg and the regular passive humbucker are on together,,,im not sure about emg's wiring method on this but it sorta seems like the EMG 89 overrides the regular passive humbucker when their both on at the same time ? the ideal way to have this pickup would be so that i could put the emg into single coil mode and tap one of the coils of the passive neck pickup so that i could get a mock tele tone happening, but its not quite happening right now none the less i love its tone by itself , its unique for both clean and high gain stuff , if i could figure out a way to better get it and the passive neck humbucker to better blend together then I'd be 100 percent happy instead of only 89 percent happy with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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