GuitarDoyle Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Hi guys,I am loving the Rios, but have been jonesing to try some EMGs...Maybe some 85s?Whatcha think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff R Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Oh this oughta be good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jisham Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 When I was playing metal, my preferred EMG combo was 81 bridge/60 neck. The 60 was perfect for clean passages while the 81 was tone galore with lots of muscle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirDaniel Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Someone once told me emg's suck...Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tres Aardvarks Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Someone once told me emg's suck...Is that true? question: if a dealer who says EMGs suck sells you an instrument with EMGs does that dealer suck? or does he just think you suck? or do we all suck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveB Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 I've got EMG 89R's in my Ken Loper, and like them alot. They clean up nicely with the volume control but don't lose the high end as bad as passives, and the "single coil" mode works quite well too, better than the usual coil split. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCR Greg Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Someone once told me emg's suck...Is that true? question: if a dealer who says EMGs suck sells you an instrument with EMGs does that dealer suck? or does he just think you suck? or do we all suck? FINALLY, someone gets the joke....... Jeez, I have been saying EMGs suck for so long and nobody asked that!!!! For the record, EMGs do what they do very well. John Mayer STILL sucks tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardheartedbill Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 I have a set of SA's in a stratoid, lots of mid, no noise, sorta sterile on blues and jazz but awesome for the rock and country stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formula73 Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 I've got a set of 85s in my Kaufman EN-V(get it? envy? nyuk, nyuk, nyuk) and I have to say I really dig them. It originally had an 81 in the bridge, but I thought it was a little harsh so Bill swapped in an 85. Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stike Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Where's Nightwolf for this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgerDave Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 During the entire decade of the 80's my main (and often only) gigging guitar was a Fender Japanese '62 Tele Custom RI with a set of EMG pickups.Of course, I sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuclear Wessel Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 ...but have been jonesing to try some EMGs...Maybe some 85s?I've got an 89 and an SA I'll sell. Plenty of lead, battery clips& pots included, pretty sure I have wiring instructions for the SA, confirmed I have wiring instructions for the 89.A previous owner had them in a Cali that I now own. He hardly played the guitar. I put Duncans in when I bought the guitar from him, so I just don't have a use for the EMG's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobereeno Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 one of my doublenecks came with factory EMGs - 85's on the 12 string neck and 89's on the six string (plus an SA). At the time I thought the 89's sucked ass, but I'm not so certain I'd be so negative now - now that I've learned how to play with single coils and/or otherwise vary the output of the guitar into an amp and get results. I went all 85's after trying out every other model, and all in all that wasn't a bad pickup - nice midrange crunch and super, super noise-free, even sitting in front of my computer. I didn't particularly care for the scooped buzzy sound of the 81 (and found it to be less hot than the 85). I eventually went with passives and don't really think I'll ever go back, but as far as basses go, I've never liked the sound of passives in basses - it's EMGs or nothing in that realm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcnorth Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 I like the EMG's in my basses. I just make sure I have extra batteries.If they really sucked Hamer would use something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarDoyle Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 Looks like the results are in - for now my main pickup will be the BBQ bridge bucker. Time to get on the horn to Greg soon for a set of nickel covered Rios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuclear Wessel Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 I like the EMG's in my basses. I've got a bass with an old EMG P bass pickup. I mean so old, it has their old logo. I think this pickup dates back to the late 70's. On a bass, that high fi sound with a deep clean low end sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamer95USA Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Hello EMG haters (jk), I have a couple of guitars with EMG in them and I think they sound killer. I especially like the EMG 85s in my '96 Les Paul Custom, my EMG DG-20s in my '84-'87 Fender MIJ Strat w/ factory installed Kahler Spyder and my EMG 85, SA, 81 custom set on my homemade Strat w/ a gold Kahler 2760 Steeler bridge. I've used these guitars on gigs, jam nights and studio work. I find their sound, low impedance, good tone and noiseless operation perfect for what I do. I know that most of you will probably disagree with me since the majority of the HFC is into passive pickups on their Hamer USA guitars. My opinons on the 81: Pros: Good rock or metal sound, very hot, biting, slightly less output than the 85. I like this pickup on my custom Strat when I play Top 40 as the lead pickup has an agressive sound on this guitar.Cons: I found the sound on that particular guitar didn't sound good when played clean on my friend's '65 Fender Deluxe. Didn't sound good on my '96 Les Paul Custom in the bridge position and was replaced with an 85. 85: Pros: Versatile pickup for all styles. Nice, bottom, mids, round sounding, more output than the 81. PAF on steroids!! Sounds good in either neck or bridge postions. My personal favorite. It sound way cool on my Les Paul. Smooth, good output, punchy and nice sustain. DG-20: SA single coil set w/ EMG Expander and SPC modules. Pros:Cool Strat sound, no noise, great clean & dirty tones, versatile w/ the mentioned tone modules. Great for recording clean or dirty Strat type tones. I like the way the SPC module fattens up the overdriven tones and the Expander giving bass & treble on the clean tones. I like the way it pushes effects or my rack sytem due to its low impedance signal. Cons: Most Strat players may think it's sterile or processed. Without the tone modules, it might be lacking to some players. Designed to be a verstile pickup to obtain differnt tones. Most players don't understand how to work with the pickups and its tone modules. Check out hardheartedbill's comment. One more thing to players who use EMG pickups: Unplug the guitar when you're not playing your guitar. The battery will last you 6 months to a year. If you leave your cord plugged in, the 9 volt battery will last you about a month. I have guitars with the 9 volt battery over a year old and they're still going strong. Out of caution, carry extra 9 volt batteries and check your battery voltage the day before your gig so you won't get caught in a bad spot. Guitar George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarDoyle Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 Thanks Hamer95, I am going to order an 85 set for the heck of it and see what I think next to my Rios. Thanks again for the insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobereeno Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Also, using lithium 9volt batteries is worth it. They will last three times as long, plus, lithium batteries don't gradually lose output as alkalines do. They pretty much give full juice until they die. Plus, although this can be argued either way, I think EMG's sound better at 18 volts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottcrud Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 I love them and have used them for almost 20 years. My Robin has the 81/60 set and my Custom made Mockingbird has the 81/SA set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceldama Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 My main guitar is a Partsocaster with EMG 89 pups and an SA in the middle. I also added an EMG-EXG. Most versitle set-up I've ever had. The tone is very balanced and fundamental. Very handy for salsa and funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamer_SS_guy Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Both my main guitars have EMGs, the maple body Cali Elite and the Chap Deluxe, they came stock with them. I like them but I don't have any preferences in pickups. Both my Steve Stevens I guitars have the stock Dimarzio Hamer Slammers, and they work well with the guitars. The Chap Bass also has EMGs they also fit well in that instrument. If it ain't broke don't fix it, so I am not experimenting much with pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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