@@SixEightSixtythe invaders don’t lmao?? what? i regret ever buying and invested in the invaders. I should’ve just stick to emgs. All because I wanted to do is to not be “narrow minded” but was i so stupid in buying one.
💯 percent it's nothing more than a trend to rundown EMG 81s. The EMG 81 and 85 is still the gold standard. There's a reason all the greats who used them still continue to play um.
Fair point man. Personally, I think that EMG as a brand will face a huuuge comeback in a few years. There was a time when people were bummed about the "overcompressed" sound of the EMGs. Now I see more and more people leaning towards them. Lots of players forgot that the EQ of the active pickup serves two really important reasons, which are: sitting in the mix and cutting through the mix. Pretty much every active EMG pickup does these jobs FANTASTIC. Subscribed. Keep up the good work. Cheers from Poland.
Fishmans are good for cleans but not much else, EMGs for crunchier and better but still feel artificial. Passives are just more organic and we have so many options now
Fishmans work surprisingly well with plugins, especially the neural ones,I’ve found. Maybe I’m just bullsh-ting myself, but I think thats really the formula for that “instagram djent” tone.
@@dethmedic52 hell yeah! Still haven’t gotten into tube amps myself (for all the usual reasons) but deff will one day. I’ll still probably use a loadbox rig with irs, since I live in an apartment, but I definitely wanna get some real tube amps on the channel
@@AlexGichevMusic my starter was a line 6 spider IV 75w with hybrid internals. After a few rounds of packing it up an down Cali I knew a tube Amp could handle the abuse. These days I don't play many shows but good gear stays lol
I love EMGs for the solderless system and how silent they are. Their passives are great too, and they look really classy. I also like the tech behind the Lace Alumitone stuff. Worth checking out.
3 of my 5 guitars have flunece moderns, the other two will forver stay with EMGs. As much as I love the fluences and the wide range of tonal possilities I can get with them, theres just something about the growl and punch of EMGs not to mention the crystal cleans that can be had with EMG 60s.
Good video, EMGs eq the signal just right from the start, most people who hate them, end up doing what the EMG do but later on in the system EQing and filtering I believe you can plug the fishman fluence with the emg wires but you don’t have access to voice switch you have to select it on the dip switch while installing, never tried it though
@@ashen11x22 Yooo, never thought of that, yes it’s the same connector on the back. Cool, well I guess if I ever decide to, I can very easily put fishmans in this guitar now. Thanks for the comment!
@@AlexGichevMusicI recently installed Fishmann Fluence Modern for one of my clients. I did all the wiring myself, including the JST 3 and 2 pin plugs. Yes, EMG has the same pin outputs as Fishmann (Plus, Minus, Signal), but additional wires are needed to switch voices and Boost On/off. I use a 4-wire cable plus screen. That's a total of 5. That's more than enough for 2 Push/Push.
I like my 8185 just the way they are.. I won't throw an EQ on them I'm going after Zakk Wyldes sound... That's the only reason I have them and they are perfect if you play through a tube amp preferably a jcm800 you will get more out of it.. not to mention you can throw a 18 volt or 24v battery mod to it for more output. Alison Turner at EMG says that actually the 18-volt puts out more than the 24-volt surprisingly.. and he also said that the EMG pickups will handle 27 volts.. with battery mod you get way more out of them.. can I talk to EMG about twice a month. And a lot of times it's them contacting me. They are excellent with their customer service.the best I've ever seen. Is there a big company but you get the feel of a family atmosphere with them.. they go out of their way to make sure that everything is okay. I was going to buy a new toggle switch the other day. Because I broke the switch. So they told me they to try the super glue first. They believe if you can fix it do that first. Even though I told them that I would buy another one.. I have the money to spend but it was obvious that they are not trying to get you to buy stuff unless you need it.. that is a very good indicator of their honesty and proof that they're not hurting for business.. And one reason why they may keep in contact with me is because I'm taking lessons from Dario Lorina.. the Zakk wylde's backup/rhythm guitar player. Death Grip guitar academy. Anyone can take lessons.. Check him out..
I mean it's just the approach in the metal circles these days. Progress for the sake of progress. And hype/marketing. But people rarely stop and think why something good needs to be changed. I mean look at the "music" with these new metalcore bands now it's just noodling and weird time signatures just for the sake of it but at no point does someone ask if it's actually good music. Same think with the EMG's
Emg has been the standard for killler metal tones for the last 40 yrs. And there's a reason for that. I like other pickups but everytime I plug into an emg equipped guitar, Im like "Yes, this is home" You always get great tones. I dont see why people complain about them
I mean people say that they’re “lifeless” and they don’t have dynamics, and I guess there is something to that, but there’s just one too many legendary metal guitar tones recorded with EMGs for them to not be home base. Thanks for the comment!
@@AlexGichevMusic You're welcome! People don't understand, your volume and tone knobs, as well as your hands, like how hard or soft you're playing, add to the dynamics. The pickup, with only pickup what sound is being made by the player
I removed Fishman Moderns for EMG Jim Roots, and removed some passives for some EMG 81/85s. Outside of EMGs I do really enjoy my Seymour Duncan Distortions.
Through a real tube amp, with a well setup guitar, nothing will beat EMG's in my eyes. My favourite is the 85x in the bridge and 60x in the neck. They're super hot yet so articulate, and when you dial down the volume they clean up beautifully. And you really don't need an overdrive pedal in my experience for metal even with lower gain "not tight" amps. And the cleans are very hi-fi too. And the installation is a joke how easy and rewarding it is. "plug n' play" in the truest sense. And it's a breeze to swap out pickups to find your dream tone. I think the hype with fishmans or dogging EMG's is because people try the 81 non x and they play chug riffs then proceed to say EMG's are a one trick pony and can only do the br00tal chug thing and sound sterile. Well, no wonder because the 81 is a ceramic high output pickup with lots of compression and a low-end cut. They have 100 other models for other uses. I'm not really into the djenty metalcore thing as you but I think I'm on the same page as you with saying they're one of the best you can get
I love my Emgs. it's the sound I grew up with and it still works. Fishmans have the advantage of clarity and reponse, but the voicing can be very hit/miss, and I'm not spending premium bucks to get things "just right."
Tbh....I wouldn't bet my head on being to spot the difference between them in a high gain metal tone, SO YEAH. I say save your money for something else, but hey I've never done a proper shootout, so I can't say for sure. Thanks for he comment
just installed the new fishman mick thompsons in my mick thompson soloist and they sound really good. they definitely have more mids then the 81s. compared to any fishmans the emgs are just cheaper and that helps alot lol. the fishmans are harder to install and the average person wont want to deal with it so emgs will win there. with all that said, i want to try the open core moderns and the het set some day. thanks for sharing!
Nice! I was thinking of eventually getting one of the smaller DSLs on the channel. Have you tried one of those? If so how does it compare to the 100w? Thanks for the comment!
@@AlexGichevMusic i sadly have not, Ola Englund has a review of it on his channel, DSLs are in my experience are very bright and kinda scooped in like a thrash metal kinda way, very cool
@@istvanfabian881 yeah, all the demos I’ve heard sound pretty sick, I’m only wondering how much the wattage affects the tone, because it affects the price quite drastically
EMG’s tend to sound even better with a graphic EQ in place of a boost for high gain. They have such an even and balanced response that with a graphic EQ you can get a similar type of dynamic response that people love about passive pickups boosted with an overdrive, only with the EQ you can shape your guitar tone to sound exactly how you want it to sound. This is why you hear people talking about how EMG’s can sound sterile and lifeless, as pairing EMG’s with something like a Tube Screamer can tend to suck out a lot of the dynamic response that people love from pickups like the Fluence Moderns, as well as most passive pickups from brands like Seymour Duncan, Bare Knuckle, Lungdren, Guitarmory, etc.
Hello, I hope you're fine. If you don't need the push/pull function EMGs are still (and will be) THE pick ups. I only really can hear a difference if I swap amps. And lets be honest, we all have multiple instruments. So why don't have a variation of pick ups in the different guitars. I go for EMGs, when it comes to recording but I like to have a selection.
Hey, thanks, I am doing fantastic, hopefully you are too! Yes, I don't really have a need for a split coil sound. I would like a guitar like that in my arsenal, as you said, for variety's sake, but the Cort in this video is my like "riff studio workhorse", so yeah....EMGs were the way to go. Thanks!
One of my favorite guitars I’ve ever owned was an LTD Snakebyte. The only guitar with active pickups I’ve ever owned so far, but I loved the look and low noise of the EMG Het Set, and the low noise became very noticeable whenever I’d switch to something with passive pickups.
My LTDs have EMGs and I love them. My Dime Slime has the Dimebucker set in it. And you keep those in that guitar. Keep this channel going. We need more guitar enthusiast. sub number 386.
You're right. Just buy whatever you like best. The 81/85 set is tried and true. I personally think the Fishman passive set outshines the active set. My base guitar tone is very close to the No More Tears album, so I am a bit biased. I can also get that sound in my base 490/498 pickups in my Les Paul. I think the amp setup is more important than nitpicking through the minute differences of many of these pickups.
I recently bought a guitar that came with EMG retroactive and I loved them, they have the response and dynamics of a passive pickup but the tight and noiseless sound of an active pickup, the best of two words, the thing with Fishman is that they have 2/3 different voices so if you really need that versatility I think it makes sense, but if you don't need, EMG all day lol, Fishmans are absolutely expensive btw lol
Yup, fishmans are not the most affordable pickups out there, but they have like a billion different modes and sounds and splits and all that. Thanks for writing!
They do one thing really good, better than most other pickups: Noise reduction. They just don't care about their surroundings, not even the highly praised Fishmans come close to them. So for homerecording they are a great choice for eliminating at least one of the many reasons why your signal humms.
While I've mostly been a passive user since I began playing in the mid 80s, I have also used actives, mostly EMGs. They are fine pickups. If an ax came with EMGs I would consider that a plus and leave them. But I've mostly used the Duncan Distortion, at times the JB, Custom, Alternative 8 or Full Shred. But 90% of the time, a Duncan Distortion. EMGs are still relevant. Fishmans are fine, but EMG is here to stay. Fishmans are not that much better that EMG should be worried. Also, I don't think actives are on the decline. I think they will only become more popular. I don't think they will ever become the standard, but they will always be an option. As far as bassists are concerned, active pretty much IS the standard.
EMGs are where it's at. I've tried out all kinds of stuff, but keep coming back to them. Het Set, 57/66 - it just does not get any better for high gain tones. But also some of my most favorite passive pickups are EMGs (the incredible Marty Friedman set, the H1A, the ALX ....) And for vintage and organic tones, the RetroActives are hard to beat. I used to use different PAFs, Duncan Customs, DiMarzio Super Distortions etc ... but it the end I just prefer the Fat 55s and Super 77s. Anyone hating on EMGs just simply doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. Yeah I tried the Fishmans for a while, but it's hilarious to me how anyone could fault active EMGs for being "lifeless" and "undynamic" but then go all nuts over Fishman Moderns. Just goes to show that most guitar players form their opinions based on bullshit vernacular and clearly have no idea how to listen for things with their ears, nor do they have any ability to feel how a pickup reacts to their playing.
I generally agree that pickups don't produce as big a difference as other parts like the speaker or the amp. But if I'm going to buy pickups, it's always going to be EMGs. The ease of installation is what makes them a super win. Just pay your $200 and install it yourself vs. pay $200 for some other brand and shell out more money to have them installed by a professional. Or you could try soldering them yourself, but that's messy for me. Plus, they look wicked cool.
My problems with EMG are: 1) absence of split coil (there are the TW versions of some models but I have an 8 string) and additional voicings. 2) Mid gain tones aren't that great, but I don't use them much. 3) At least on the 808, (could be because it's alnico instead of ceramic), the bass isn't tight at all, and they have an harsh frequency in the highs, needing a bit of EQ. 4) Non standard routing, at least for 6+ strings model, the 808 is built into a 4 string bass housing, making impossibile to install them in a guitar that's routed for passives. Now to the positives: 1)Excellent gain to noise ratio 2) Nice string separation in chords even at high gain. 3) Unpopular but, great cleans, especially the neck, it`s the only neck hum i've ever liked, and works great with high gain sweeps too. 4) Price, especially used is very very low, great way to upgrade a budget guitar or to change the character of any guitar. 5) Solderless is nice too.
YES! I agree with pretty much all of that! Never had a 6+ string myself, so I don't know about all that, but I agree with the great cleans, affordable, easy to install, but mid-gain/edge of breakup tones are not where they shine
Been using them for 14 years started with the Wylde set. Currently use an 85 I bought from Ben wienmenn from Dillinger when they came to Houston TX i have a set of 57/66 in my charvel. Looking to get some retroactive for my 7
I tried out a MusicMan Luke and it had EMGs. That guitar sounded great and I was very surprised with how dynamic the pickups were. Especially the middle and neck pickups.
It's sort of upsetting and boring to think your speaker/IR is the most drastic change you can make to your tone but that's how I feel. I prefer TV Jones classic pick ups at this point. The EMG Jim Root set are crazy. They clip your interface at any pole height. They sound wild. I keep those around for something very different from the passives I have. The EMG 81 was my first noise suppressor in a way. Made me sound a lot better in my first band. First significant upgrade. Mad respect to EMG for being something different
>emg has alexi sig pickup >other brands do not simple as lol but really, i love emgs. there so unique sounding imho, no pickups sound as sick honestly.
And the funnier thing is that despite having their name on it its probably the only EMG pickup that's not really theirs, and despite having his name on it Alexi don't actually uses it either. The Alexi set (or really, just the boost pot/switch) was made to replicate exactly the Jackson J-50BC + JE-1000 boost circuit combination in his old CS Rhoads, since Jackson hasn't made their own electronics since the early 90s. ESP Finland cloned the boost circuit and sold it as the MM-04, and ESP/Edwards Alexi signature to this day still ships with it and the H2 rather than the ALX set. The nice thing though is that the EMG boost isn't a one trick pony, there's a specific EQ setting for the Alexi sound, but you can fuck around with the dipswitch to get different sounds (unlike the regular Afterburner boost)
From my own tests that I've uploaded to my channel and the countless other comparisons people have done, I don't believe pickups really make a difference. There's definitely a difference in output, so a high output pickup will hit the preamp harder than a low output pickup, which is what makes high output pickup sound muddy and low output pickups sound clear. I don't believe there are tonal differences from pickup to pickup though, there's just no evidence to support that. The only thing that I've encountered that potentially changes the tone is pickup covers. The pickups I have that have metal covers have slightly less treble on clean settings than my uncovered pickups, but without comparing the same pickup covered and uncovered, I can't say for sure that the cover is the reason for that. Even so, it's a small difference and no one would ever notice or care when heard in real-world situations. I change pickups for aesthetics and function. I like the look of covered pickups, and I like coil splitting, so I get pickups that fit that criteria. Coil-splitting low output pickups sounds weak, and I want to drive the amp a little bit, so I prefer high output pickups. If I wanted the EMG look, then I would get EMGs. I just needed a regular black pickup for a Strat I was putting together last year, so I got a cheap Wilkinson humbucker and no one has said anything negative about the tones I've gotten using that guitar. It sounds like a humbucker in the bridge position of a guitar, the same way it would if I spent hundreds on a fancy pickup from Seymour Duncan or Bareknuckle or whatever. They're just pickups, there are much more important things to focus on. 😅
YES! I haven't done tests myself, so I don't wanna agree 10000% on this, but in my experience the tonal differences between pickups have been nothing but negligable. Thanks for writing in!
If they’re good enough for Zakk Wylde and Kirk Hammet, they’re good enough for me. Honestly, I can’t even get a pinch harmonic to sound as good on anything but an 81 in a Les Paul.
Blackout and LiveWire were touted as the "EMG killer" some 20 years ago, to the point where EMG responded with the X series, and you barely see them nowadays (tbf I really like Blackout's EQ and dynamic, but they get kinda muddy downtuning). The biggest thing with EMG (or rather the 81/85/60) imo is that they're so ubiquitous you can nab a set for dirt cheap used (same for the JB/Jazz/59). I'm not a big fan of the solderless system, its definitely convenient if you're not confident in your soldering skills, but I found them to be flimsier than just soldering, the pot and jack are decent but lower quality than CTS/Switchcraft, they take up extra cavity space, and what comes in the box may not be sufficient (i.e. you need a longer output jack cable if you want to install them in a V with the jack on the upper wing). Plus the cheaper set like the 81/85 new goes for like twice as much as just nabbing them used.
Tbh I just hate the troubleshooting part of installing pickups. I recently installed a Dimazio Chopper in my tele and in that case, when it was just 2 connections I was Ok, doing it myself, because the spots for failure were so few. Now, I've tried to install fishman fluences before and with all their different voices and splits and all that, I just didn't know how to start troubleshooting. I don't own a multimeter which is probably just a mistake on my part. Also, where I live there's not that many EMGs on the used market, so I'd have to ship them from another country and the cost difference would pretty quickly become negligable. Thanks for writing!
@@AlexGichevMusic Yea those are fair points. I don't think soldering and diagnostic is too particularly hard to pick up since electrically guitar circuits are very simple, but its also fairly daunting when you don't really have anyone to fall back on outside of taking it for an expensive trip to the luthier, though I do think its a good skill to have for those reasons.
Sick! Never met or heard of anyone with one of them tho. I really love mine, not a huge fan of how it looked with the original exposed screw pickups, but dude, it's been my work horse for f-cking....almost 10 years at this point. Thanks for commenting!
Guitar is one of those instruments where people are insanely susceptible to marketing hype, being easily lead by musician/gear salesman parroting buzz phrases phrases and just flat out placebo effect. A lot of it is people talking out of their bottoms. Blindfolded, absolutely nobody would be able to listen to a series of clips recorded with different pickups and have even a slim chance of identifying which are which. Even in these comments, there are people arguing "Oh yeah man Fishman sound so much better", "No EMG sound better!", when I GURANTEE none of them would be able to identify which is which in a line-up of more than just those two pickups. Literally almost everybody playing in a professional metal setting has at the least a gate, an EQ, a compressor and some sort of volume boost before the amp, so the pickup you have is literally completely irrelevant. Also, the amount of people I hear talk about active pickups being compressed and too high output, so they buy insanely high output bareknuckle and then send them in to a compressor and a volume boost before their amp. Guitarists talk such utter bollocks that it makes my head hurt to read at time. A lot of it started around the 2008-ish djent era when a few key figures managed to convince everyone they needed silly expensive custom guitars, boutique hand-wound (lol) pickups in to an Axe-FX unit. I'm all for having fun with gear, but just so much if it is just in peoples heads. People, play what you want and don't get suckered in to branding nonsense.
My first electric guitar was an Ibanez SZ2020ex Prestige - I saved up for it for a whole year doing shitkicker jobs at a butcher shop when I was 15, and that comes stock with EMGs. Nowadays I don't think of myself as just a "guitarist" as I produce my own music from the bottom up, and with multiple guitars with both active and passive pickups (Including an Alexi with EMG HZs) and nowadays I honestly don't care that much about pickups and EMGs can work as its own little boost pedal in some older amps, particularly Mesa's Mark IIC+. If a cheap pickup sounds like ass by all means chuck it out, but if a guitar comes with anything decent from my experience I don't see any need for replacing them to "get a better sound". I have other muso friends that don't like active pickups because they know that one day they're going to forget the battery and get shafted when the guitar doesn't work. Practical reasons are more than valid, but when it comes to "Tha TOAN", nah, thats not it... But if every bedroom/garage guitar player got that, who would guitar-accessory companies sell to? I really think a lot of guitar merch and even guitars themselves are a marketing tool in and of themselves, but to work as marketing tools in the first place they kind of, you know, need to work in the first place as well as have at least some reasonable advantage over stock specs
Yeah, as I said a "tone improvement" was not really something I was expecting from these. Rather a cheap and easy to install set of pickups, BUT with that said it would be unfair to not admit that the marketing, the artists who play EMGs, the looks of the pickups themselves as well as just the brand name did play a big factor in my purchase. Thanks for the comment.
I like EMG pickups! Soon I'll buy my electric guitar which comes with EMG 81/60. Good for Black Metal^^. I have to say, I don't really get the hype about the Fishman. Whatever - it's a matter of taste, right?
Was looking for this video. The tone/sound i love the most is 90's Metallica, so i always thought that the famous 81/60 would make me sound like Papa Het. I know now that if anything, only a small portion of that tone/sound has anything to do with the pickups but emg have that special place in my memories,imagining playing live to a huge crowd riffing hard on an explorer. I know i will never get that sound and possibly not play to a huge crowd but if i can get my 81/60 in my explorer, then maybe i'll just get to fulfill a teenage metalhead dream.
YES! Exactly my point. I even have a theory that "the feel" of pickups is less corelated with dynamic or frequency response and more with the looks of the pickups and the memories and experiences that we as guitar players have had with them. Thanks for the comment!
I cat believe what your sayong LOL! If you want a certain tone then you love them if you don't then you get something else.. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. And as soon as I got EMG 81/85 that was the first time I heard what my guitar actually sounds like.. I would like to see you debate that with Zakk Wylde 🤪 That's why I got them because I want his sound.. if you want James hetfields sound then get his 81/65 It all depends on what sond you're going after.. but if you want to hear your guitar sound like it's supposed to sound. Then get EMG if you want your guitar to sound like it has a moving blanket over it, can you get some passive pickups. EMG captures the true sound.ill never play anything else but EMG.. and if you want them to sound better the way you want them to sound then get an equalizer in your pedal board.. you can clean it up to what you like.. I guarantee you if you throw an equalizer in there you can dial it in the way you want it and then it will sound better than any pick up you can find.. and if you take the pick up you like and dial it in the comparison he will choose the EMG over it.👍🏼 Now when I look at guitars that don't have emgs I just see them as empty pick up cavities for EMGs..🎸💪🏼🎸
This 100%. Fishman were smart enough to align themselves with modern players playing modern genres, like Tosin, whereas EMG have basically aligned their brand with dad rock. If EMG had any sense, their website homepage would be stacked with young bands playing modern music. Instead it's Jazzmaster pickups, and a picture of Kirk Hammet. Even their RUclips is full of guys, that despite their talent, are largely not interesting to younger players.
nice video got a new subscriber! the thing is pickups are just 1 thing in your overall sound there is not one piece of gear that is gonna make your sound better its just a stack of things to make it sound good and there is 2 ways to get where you want. 1. the cheap way which is the long way to what you want and probably its gonna be your most original sound 2. the expensive way you buy the top of the line every time and sound like everyone else cheers!
Hey :) You've put the neck pickup ring neck-side pointing the bridge (that's why it's so slanted down the body. It's supposed to be thiner the closer the neck it's mounted. Cheers 😊
Huh…thanks ahahaha. Tbh I’m probably just gonna leave it like this until I buy some new rings and screws, since it doesn’t cause any issues. Thanks again for writing tho! Wouldn’t have noticed otherwise
question . do u get a louder tone, on the rythem , then the treble tone nob.... cause i get like 3 loudness ,treble kinda quiet, mid , MID. then my neck pick up *rythem, its just loud like i think it should be... did i put them in wrong..cause my old set sounded great, then the bottom pickup just went quiet kinda.. so i bought a 81 emg, put in in , JUST THE PICKUP, and its the same.....
Hey! I don't have that particular problem, because I wired my guitar with 1 tone and 1 volume knob, so no separate knobs for the different pickups. If you're experiencing any volume drops, you may have a faulty connection somewhere. If you changed the pickup and the issue is still there, then it's somewhere else in the guitars electronics. Probably somewhere around the tone knob. The tone knob itself also might the problem. I'd say check the connections around your tone knob and if all of them are OK, try buying a new one. (Just make sure you buy the correct resistance). If you're not comfortable doing that yourself you can just bring it to a local luthier / guitar shop. This shouldn't be an expensive fix. Hope I helped! Thanks for commenting!
It all comes down to personal taste. I have the emg 808s in my schecter 8 string hellrasier and the seperation if the notes is fantacstic. It can get muddy if i drop down to E ony lowest note but in standard 8 string tuning ut sounds great.
8 strings are tricky, have a look at the 81-8. Or maybe experiment with their bass pickups like 40DC or 40CS? It's the same sized housing. E is like bass tuning so maybe you need a thicker string. I recommend going with X series but stick with non-X if you're keeping your neck pickup.
It depends I think. A passiv pickup has way better dynamics and is more versatile. And the hot Gibson pickups rip. However for chugging and ultra gain I understand why people like them. Personally for my needs a weak unpotted PAF Humbucker is enough
In my personal opinion pickups rarely if EVER make a significant leap in sound. What change are you looking for tone-wise? Are you chasing something in particular or just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks? Thanks for writing!
@@eutocoriffs9409 I wouldn’t recommend spending money on pickups. Pedals, plugins, irs, speakers and mics would be better choices at least in my personal experience.
Picksups do matter, it's just that they matter less when you are playing with very heavy distortion, but for more clean and edge of breakup tones there is a very notable difference.
Yup. When you run your guitar through so much gain and especially when you put it in the context of other instruments...the minute differences of pickups are reaaaaaaaly negligible. I've never tested for cleans or edge of breakups tho. I play using a high gain metal tone like...95% of the time, so that's more where my focus is. Thanks for the comment!
EMG 60 are great for clean. I recorded outro of my song where '60 sond linke accoustic guitar ( on the Amplitube5 vst preset ). They do pretty good job there.
@@noisesfromtheabyss The 60 or 60x are just awesome for cleans and crunch. I think it's based on a mini humbucker with ceramics. So it's still quite hot but do the clean thing wonderfully. Very hi-fi, like you lifted a blanket off the cabinet, without being too harsh.
@AlexGichevMusic Okay, Glen. The full mix argument is stupid, stop using that. Not even the best people in the world could do that. Everyone always takes things to the complete extreme to try and force a win for themselves. I'm sick of it.
@@s.e.n3264 I’ll take that as a compliment. Also we’re not fighting, there’s no winners or losers. I’m using the whole mix example because that’s what my goal is - making music that sounds good. I’m not gonna lie, I do enjoy good isolated guitar tones, just as much as the next guy, they’re just not as valuable to me as entire arranged pieces of music. Thanks for writing!
I know it's become a trend to dis EMG 81 pickups in recent years. Regardless of all the other pickups available, active or passive. The EMG 81 stills reigns supreme. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
81 is awesome but try out the 81x, a little bit more dynamic. You do have to hit the strings harder though for full chugs so if you play very lightly then it's probably not a good option.
Maybe I'm not cool, I've tried to like fluence but I just can't. I don't get the hype. If I just got the fishmans because of the trend I would be very unhappy. It's my preference.
I don't understand the hype around Fishman Fluences. They sound way too compressed, they lack low end, I just don't like them. They are also way too expensive for what they offer. I think you can get far better results with EMG 81/85 or Seymour Duncan Blackouts.
The whole thing about them being a new kind of pickup technology is I think one of the reasons they got so popular (at least in the beginning) AND the multiple voicings thing. Not cheap tho. Thanks for writing!
Yea, they're other worldly. What they are tho is affordable, great sounding, easy to install and very nostalgic for a lot of people. Also available in a big part of the world.
EMGs sound like passive trash from the 50s. The palm mutings sound terrible. They have a way too much bass and too low treble. EMGs are overrated af. People who saying EMGs are good, had never played Fishmans or high output PickUps before 🤷♂️
Yeah, I'm sure they can sell it for cheaper but I mean for a complete set of signiture active pickups with all the electronics, pots, wires, etc, it's a fair price imho at least.
@@AlexGichevMusic I have purchased a few Zak Wylde sets and I can tell you the price from the 2000's has doubled. Oh well I guess EMG needs to eat too.
EMG especially the 81/85 set, have a sound of their own, the output compresses the sound and result is a dip in the low mids. This is what people "don't like", but at the same time, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Megadeth, Gary Holt/Exodus, Deicide, DAVID GILMOUR, Yvette Young, Porcupine Tree, etc... etc... they all use EMGs. Anybody willing to say they sound bad? ... I thought so. Guitar players are the most opiniated, influenceable and believers in fairy dust musicians. Does it sound good? Is it reliable? ... yes, then stfu!!! :)
They in fact do. But I think generally guitarists have been staying away from them for the past however many years and have been leaning towards passives or fishmans. Thank for writing!
EMGs are just insane. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The tone you get from them is unmatched.
Exactly!
duncan invaders sound similar but yeah. Nothing is the same as the emg sound.
Invaders don't sound anything like EMGs 😂. With all due respect.@@SixEightSixty
@@SixEightSixtythe invaders don’t lmao?? what? i regret ever buying and invested in the invaders. I should’ve just stick to emgs. All because I wanted to do is to not be “narrow minded” but was i so stupid in buying one.
Exactly, you read my mind!
EMGs will always be "the" sound
tight lows , nice mids , smooth highs , great signal to noise ratio.
Yes! Single to noise ratio is something I didn’t mention in the video, but it is in fact an upside. Thanks for the comment!
Tight lows? Have you ever played the 808? Good pickup but you need a treble boost to make them tight
I bet if someone put a Fishman Humbucker sticker over an EMG people would be all over it saying it’s some kinda breakthrough in pickup manufacturing
Tbh I wouldn’t bet my head on being able to spot them in a blind test either 😃 Thanks for the comment!
💯 percent it's nothing more than a trend to rundown EMG 81s. The EMG 81 and 85 is still the gold standard. There's a reason all the greats who used them still continue to play um.
Fair point man. Personally, I think that EMG as a brand will face a huuuge comeback in a few years. There was a time when people were bummed about the "overcompressed" sound of the EMGs. Now I see more and more people leaning towards them. Lots of players forgot that the EQ of the active pickup serves two really important reasons, which are: sitting in the mix and cutting through the mix. Pretty much every active EMG pickup does these jobs FANTASTIC.
Subscribed. Keep up the good work. Cheers from Poland.
Yea, I guess we're seeing an EMG revival of sorts. And for good reason I think. Thanks for the sub! Cheers!
Nothing’s wrong with EMGs.
the EMG tones is a crucial part of 2000s . they are just awsome
The EMG 81 and the Seymour Duncan Blackout AHB1 are still my favorite bridge pickups of all time
Every Fishman fluence I’ve tried felt artificial in the hands when playing. Can’t really describe it, but EMGs are significantly better.
Fishmans are good for cleans but not much else, EMGs for crunchier and better but still feel artificial. Passives are just more organic and we have so many options now
Fishmans work surprisingly well with plugins, especially the neural ones,I’ve found. Maybe I’m just bullsh-ting myself, but I think thats really the formula for that “instagram djent” tone.
@@AlexGichevMusic I can see it as I don't use many IR rigs, just been freelaballin with a Seth of Duncan invaders and a 200w engl as of late
@@dethmedic52 hell yeah! Still haven’t gotten into tube amps myself (for all the usual reasons) but deff will one day. I’ll still probably use a loadbox rig with irs, since I live in an apartment, but I definitely wanna get some real tube amps on the channel
@@AlexGichevMusic my starter was a line 6 spider IV 75w with hybrid internals. After a few rounds of packing it up an down Cali I knew a tube Amp could handle the abuse. These days I don't play many shows but good gear stays lol
I love EMGs for the solderless system and how silent they are. Their passives are great too, and they look really classy. I also like the tech behind the Lace Alumitone stuff. Worth checking out.
Hm. Tbh never heard of those. Will make sure to check them out. Thanks for the suggestion!
3 of my 5 guitars have flunece moderns, the other two will forver stay with EMGs.
As much as I love the fluences and the wide range of tonal possilities I can get with them, theres just something about the growl and punch of EMGs not to mention the crystal cleans that can be had with EMG 60s.
Good video, EMGs eq the signal just right from the start, most people who hate them, end up doing what the EMG do but later on in the system EQing and filtering
I believe you can plug the fishman fluence with the emg wires but you don’t have access to voice switch you have to select it on the dip switch while installing, never tried it though
@@ashen11x22 Yooo, never thought of that, yes it’s the same connector on the back. Cool, well I guess if I ever decide to, I can very easily put fishmans in this guitar now. Thanks for the comment!
@@AlexGichevMusicI recently installed Fishmann Fluence Modern for one of my clients. I did all the wiring myself, including the JST 3 and 2 pin plugs. Yes, EMG has the same pin outputs as Fishmann (Plus, Minus, Signal), but additional wires are needed to switch voices and Boost On/off. I use a 4-wire cable plus screen. That's a total of 5. That's more than enough for 2 Push/Push.
@@noisesfromtheabyss Niiiice! Thanks for the info, really useful!
I like my 8185 just the way they are.. I won't throw an EQ on them I'm going after Zakk Wyldes sound... That's the only reason I have them and they are perfect if you play through a tube amp preferably a jcm800 you will get more out of it.. not to mention you can throw a 18 volt or 24v battery mod to it for more output. Alison Turner at EMG says that actually the 18-volt puts out more than the 24-volt surprisingly.. and he also said that the EMG pickups will handle 27 volts.. with battery mod you get way more out of them.. can I talk to EMG about twice a month. And a lot of times it's them contacting me. They are excellent with their customer service.the best I've ever seen. Is there a big company but you get the feel of a family atmosphere with them.. they go out of their way to make sure that everything is okay. I was going to buy a new toggle switch the other day. Because I broke the switch. So they told me they to try the super glue first. They believe if you can fix it do that first. Even though I told them that I would buy another one.. I have the money to spend but it was obvious that they are not trying to get you to buy stuff unless you need it.. that is a very good indicator of their honesty and proof that they're not hurting for business..
And one reason why they may keep in contact with me is because I'm taking lessons from Dario Lorina.. the Zakk wylde's backup/rhythm guitar player.
Death Grip guitar academy. Anyone can take lessons.. Check him out..
I have no idea why people say EMGs are a thing of the past, I cannot think of better pickups for metal that would kill EMGs in a blind test.
I mean it's just the approach in the metal circles these days. Progress for the sake of progress. And hype/marketing. But people rarely stop and think why something good needs to be changed. I mean look at the "music" with these new metalcore bands now it's just noodling and weird time signatures just for the sake of it but at no point does someone ask if it's actually good music. Same think with the EMG's
Yes, especially 80s metal imo. The Steve Lukather set is my favorite HSS pickups
Emg has been the standard for killler metal tones for the last 40 yrs. And there's a reason for that. I like other pickups but everytime I plug into an emg equipped guitar, Im like "Yes, this is home" You always get great tones. I dont see why people complain about them
I mean people say that they’re “lifeless” and they don’t have dynamics, and I guess there is something to that, but there’s just one too many legendary metal guitar tones recorded with EMGs for them to not be home base. Thanks for the comment!
@@AlexGichevMusic You're welcome! People don't understand, your volume and tone knobs, as well as your hands, like how hard or soft you're playing, add to the dynamics. The pickup, with only pickup what sound is being made by the player
I removed Fishman Moderns for EMG Jim Roots, and removed some passives for some EMG 81/85s. Outside of EMGs I do really enjoy my Seymour Duncan Distortions.
I have EMG 81 8s in my 8 string which came loaded with a Fishman Moderns I like it ALOT more than most modern pickups. ESPECIALLY in a mix.
I have a Charvele with EMG's in it. I love them. I really like the 81X/66 combo. I also did the 24 volt mod. It really opens them up. Pure brutality.
Through a real tube amp, with a well setup guitar, nothing will beat EMG's in my eyes. My favourite is the 85x in the bridge and 60x in the neck. They're super hot yet so articulate, and when you dial down the volume they clean up beautifully. And you really don't need an overdrive pedal in my experience for metal even with lower gain "not tight" amps. And the cleans are very hi-fi too.
And the installation is a joke how easy and rewarding it is. "plug n' play" in the truest sense. And it's a breeze to swap out pickups to find your dream tone.
I think the hype with fishmans or dogging EMG's is because people try the 81 non x and they play chug riffs then proceed to say EMG's are a one trick pony and can only do the br00tal chug thing and sound sterile. Well, no wonder because the 81 is a ceramic high output pickup with lots of compression and a low-end cut. They have 100 other models for other uses.
I'm not really into the djenty metalcore thing as you but I think I'm on the same page as you with saying they're one of the best you can get
bought an ltd sg baritone with 81/85. replaced the tone knob with an afterburner.
That was the thing that utterly slays. absolute monster.
24 volt mod 81 is basically metal perfection.
I have to agree. It's hard to go back to anything else after discovering this.
Okay, judging by all the people suggesting that, I think I should look into it. Which is better: 24 or 18 tho?
I got Fishman Moderns and Classics
The EMG’s ALX and H4 are still my favorite
They’re incredibly versatile and I love that boosted mid sound
I love em got 3 sets in all my guitars zakk wyldes sets
Damn…you LIKE like them 😃
I love my Emgs. it's the sound I grew up with and it still works. Fishmans have the advantage of clarity and reponse, but the voicing can be very hit/miss, and I'm not spending premium bucks to get things "just right."
Tbh....I wouldn't bet my head on being to spot the difference between them in a high gain metal tone, SO YEAH. I say save your money for something else, but hey I've never done a proper shootout, so I can't say for sure. Thanks for he comment
just installed the new fishman mick thompsons in my mick thompson soloist and they sound really good. they definitely have more mids then the 81s. compared to any fishmans the emgs are just cheaper and that helps alot lol. the fishmans are harder to install and the average person wont want to deal with it so emgs will win there. with all that said, i want to try the open core moderns and the het set some day. thanks for sharing!
I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years and I went from active to passive like 5 years ago and I'll always play passive as my preference.
I love EMGs, the first time i pluged into my DSL100 i was blown aways, huge output signal, it has this upper mid bump that just cuts so well
Nice! I was thinking of eventually getting one of the smaller DSLs on the channel. Have you tried one of those? If so how does it compare to the 100w? Thanks for the comment!
@@AlexGichevMusic i sadly have not, Ola Englund has a review of it on his channel, DSLs are in my experience are very bright and kinda scooped in like a thrash metal kinda way, very cool
@@istvanfabian881 yeah, all the demos I’ve heard sound pretty sick, I’m only wondering how much the wattage affects the tone, because it affects the price quite drastically
EMG’s tend to sound even better with a graphic EQ in place of a boost for high gain. They have such an even and balanced response that with a graphic EQ you can get a similar type of dynamic response that people love about passive pickups boosted with an overdrive, only with the EQ you can shape your guitar tone to sound exactly how you want it to sound. This is why you hear people talking about how EMG’s can sound sterile and lifeless, as pairing EMG’s with something like a Tube Screamer can tend to suck out a lot of the dynamic response that people love from pickups like the Fluence Moderns, as well as most passive pickups from brands like Seymour Duncan, Bare Knuckle, Lungdren, Guitarmory, etc.
I find that eqing your di, and overall making adjustments BEFORE the amp gain stage is something people overlook imo. Thanks for the comment!
Hello, I hope you're fine. If you don't need the push/pull function EMGs are still (and will be) THE pick ups. I only really can hear a difference if I swap amps. And lets be honest, we all have multiple instruments. So why don't have a variation of pick ups in the different guitars. I go for EMGs, when it comes to recording but I like to have a selection.
Hey, thanks, I am doing fantastic, hopefully you are too! Yes, I don't really have a need for a split coil sound. I would like a guitar like that in my arsenal, as you said, for variety's sake, but the Cort in this video is my like "riff studio workhorse", so yeah....EMGs were the way to go. Thanks!
You can get split coil EMG's like 81TW (81 plus single coil) or 89 (85 plus single coil) among others. A lot of Schecters come with that setup stock
One of my favorite guitars I’ve ever owned was an LTD Snakebyte. The only guitar with active pickups I’ve ever owned so far, but I loved the look and low noise of the EMG Het Set, and the low noise became very noticeable whenever I’d switch to something with passive pickups.
My LTDs have EMGs and I love them. My Dime Slime has the Dimebucker set in it. And you keep those in that guitar. Keep this channel going. We need more guitar enthusiast. sub number 386.
Thanks man, will do!
All my guitars have EMG’s. I know their sound and I like it!
You're right. Just buy whatever you like best. The 81/85 set is tried and true. I personally think the Fishman passive set outshines the active set. My base guitar tone is very close to the No More Tears album, so I am a bit biased. I can also get that sound in my base 490/498 pickups in my Les Paul. I think the amp setup is more important than nitpicking through the minute differences of many of these pickups.
Yea and to be honest the cabinet…that’s where the real tone change comes from. Thanks for the comment!
I recently bought a guitar that came with EMG retroactive and I loved them, they have the response and dynamics of a passive pickup but the tight and noiseless sound of an active pickup, the best of two words, the thing with Fishman is that they have 2/3 different voices so if you really need that versatility I think it makes sense, but if you don't need, EMG all day lol, Fishmans are absolutely expensive btw lol
Yup, fishmans are not the most affordable pickups out there, but they have like a billion different modes and sounds and splits and all that. Thanks for writing!
I'm using EMG's for nearly 20 years. So far owned 81/85/707/60/89R.
They do one thing really good, better than most other pickups: Noise reduction. They just don't care about their surroundings, not even the highly praised Fishmans come close to them. So for homerecording they are a great choice for eliminating at least one of the many reasons why your signal humms.
While I've mostly been a passive user since I began playing in the mid 80s, I have also used actives, mostly EMGs. They are fine pickups. If an ax came with EMGs I would consider that a plus and leave them. But I've mostly used the Duncan Distortion, at times the JB, Custom, Alternative 8 or Full Shred. But 90% of the time, a Duncan Distortion. EMGs are still relevant. Fishmans are fine, but EMG is here to stay. Fishmans are not that much better that EMG should be worried. Also, I don't think actives are on the decline. I think they will only become more popular. I don't think they will ever become the standard, but they will always be an option. As far as bassists are concerned, active pretty much IS the standard.
EMGs are where it's at. I've tried out all kinds of stuff, but keep coming back to them. Het Set, 57/66 - it just does not get any better for high gain tones. But also some of my most favorite passive pickups are EMGs (the incredible Marty Friedman set, the H1A, the ALX ....) And for vintage and organic tones, the RetroActives are hard to beat. I used to use different PAFs, Duncan Customs, DiMarzio Super Distortions etc ... but it the end I just prefer the Fat 55s and Super 77s. Anyone hating on EMGs just simply doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. Yeah I tried the Fishmans for a while, but it's hilarious to me how anyone could fault active EMGs for being "lifeless" and "undynamic" but then go all nuts over Fishman Moderns. Just goes to show that most guitar players form their opinions based on bullshit vernacular and clearly have no idea how to listen for things with their ears, nor do they have any ability to feel how a pickup reacts to their playing.
Hm, never tried a passive emg, but I’m putting it on my list for sure. But yeah all that I’ve tried have been pretty great. Thanks for the comment!
I generally agree that pickups don't produce as big a difference as other parts like the speaker or the amp. But if I'm going to buy pickups, it's always going to be EMGs. The ease of installation is what makes them a super win. Just pay your $200 and install it yourself vs. pay $200 for some other brand and shell out more money to have them installed by a professional. Or you could try soldering them yourself, but that's messy for me. Plus, they look wicked cool.
Yes! Exactly
My problems with EMG are: 1) absence of split coil (there are the TW versions of some models but I have an 8 string) and additional voicings. 2) Mid gain tones aren't that great, but I don't use them much. 3) At least on the 808, (could be because it's alnico instead of ceramic), the bass isn't tight at all, and they have an harsh frequency in the highs, needing a bit of EQ. 4) Non standard routing, at least for 6+ strings model, the 808 is built into a 4 string bass housing, making impossibile to install them in a guitar that's routed for passives. Now to the positives: 1)Excellent gain to noise ratio 2) Nice string separation in chords even at high gain. 3) Unpopular but, great cleans, especially the neck, it`s the only neck hum i've ever liked, and works great with high gain sweeps too. 4) Price, especially used is very very low, great way to upgrade a budget guitar or to change the character of any guitar. 5) Solderless is nice too.
YES! I agree with pretty much all of that! Never had a 6+ string myself, so I don't know about all that, but I agree with the great cleans, affordable, easy to install, but mid-gain/edge of breakup tones are not where they shine
I went all fishman a few years back, got rid of all my emgs. Now I’m completely passive. Got rid of the fishmans too
What made you switch?
Been using them for 14 years started with the Wylde set. Currently use an 85 I bought from Ben wienmenn from Dillinger when they came to Houston TX i have a set of 57/66 in my charvel. Looking to get some retroactive for my 7
I tried out a MusicMan Luke and it had EMGs.
That guitar sounded great and I was very surprised with how dynamic the pickups were. Especially the middle and neck pickups.
that lil thang in the beginning was heavy as, mate. nice.
thanks!
It's sort of upsetting and boring to think your speaker/IR is the most drastic change you can make to your tone but that's how I feel. I prefer TV Jones classic pick ups at this point. The EMG Jim Root set are crazy. They clip your interface at any pole height. They sound wild. I keep those around for something very different from the passives I have. The EMG 81 was my first noise suppressor in a way. Made me sound a lot better in my first band. First significant upgrade. Mad respect to EMG for being something different
>emg has alexi sig pickup
>other brands do not
simple as lol
but really, i love emgs. there so unique sounding imho, no pickups sound as sick honestly.
And the funnier thing is that despite having their name on it its probably the only EMG pickup that's not really theirs, and despite having his name on it Alexi don't actually uses it either. The Alexi set (or really, just the boost pot/switch) was made to replicate exactly the Jackson J-50BC + JE-1000 boost circuit combination in his old CS Rhoads, since Jackson hasn't made their own electronics since the early 90s. ESP Finland cloned the boost circuit and sold it as the MM-04, and ESP/Edwards Alexi signature to this day still ships with it and the H2 rather than the ALX set.
The nice thing though is that the EMG boost isn't a one trick pony, there's a specific EQ setting for the Alexi sound, but you can fuck around with the dipswitch to get different sounds (unlike the regular Afterburner boost)
From my own tests that I've uploaded to my channel and the countless other comparisons people have done, I don't believe pickups really make a difference. There's definitely a difference in output, so a high output pickup will hit the preamp harder than a low output pickup, which is what makes high output pickup sound muddy and low output pickups sound clear. I don't believe there are tonal differences from pickup to pickup though, there's just no evidence to support that. The only thing that I've encountered that potentially changes the tone is pickup covers. The pickups I have that have metal covers have slightly less treble on clean settings than my uncovered pickups, but without comparing the same pickup covered and uncovered, I can't say for sure that the cover is the reason for that. Even so, it's a small difference and no one would ever notice or care when heard in real-world situations.
I change pickups for aesthetics and function. I like the look of covered pickups, and I like coil splitting, so I get pickups that fit that criteria. Coil-splitting low output pickups sounds weak, and I want to drive the amp a little bit, so I prefer high output pickups. If I wanted the EMG look, then I would get EMGs. I just needed a regular black pickup for a Strat I was putting together last year, so I got a cheap Wilkinson humbucker and no one has said anything negative about the tones I've gotten using that guitar. It sounds like a humbucker in the bridge position of a guitar, the same way it would if I spent hundreds on a fancy pickup from Seymour Duncan or Bareknuckle or whatever. They're just pickups, there are much more important things to focus on. 😅
YES! I haven't done tests myself, so I don't wanna agree 10000% on this, but in my experience the tonal differences between pickups have been nothing but negligable. Thanks for writing in!
Man, youve got to get those emgs all the way up under the strings for best sound and output. They dont suffer from the magnet pull issue of passives.
If they’re good enough for Zakk Wylde and Kirk Hammet, they’re good enough for me. Honestly, I can’t even get a pinch harmonic to sound as good on anything but an 81 in a Les Paul.
YESS!!! I’ve noticed that pinch harmonics have become WAY more satisfying to play and more aggressive sounding since installing these
EMG also makes great passive pickups.
Blackout and LiveWire were touted as the "EMG killer" some 20 years ago, to the point where EMG responded with the X series, and you barely see them nowadays (tbf I really like Blackout's EQ and dynamic, but they get kinda muddy downtuning).
The biggest thing with EMG (or rather the 81/85/60) imo is that they're so ubiquitous you can nab a set for dirt cheap used (same for the JB/Jazz/59). I'm not a big fan of the solderless system, its definitely convenient if you're not confident in your soldering skills, but I found them to be flimsier than just soldering, the pot and jack are decent but lower quality than CTS/Switchcraft, they take up extra cavity space, and what comes in the box may not be sufficient (i.e. you need a longer output jack cable if you want to install them in a V with the jack on the upper wing). Plus the cheaper set like the 81/85 new goes for like twice as much as just nabbing them used.
Tbh I just hate the troubleshooting part of installing pickups. I recently installed a Dimazio Chopper in my tele and in that case, when it was just 2 connections I was Ok, doing it myself, because the spots for failure were so few. Now, I've tried to install fishman fluences before and with all their different voices and splits and all that, I just didn't know how to start troubleshooting. I don't own a multimeter which is probably just a mistake on my part. Also, where I live there's not that many EMGs on the used market, so I'd have to ship them from another country and the cost difference would pretty quickly become negligable. Thanks for writing!
@@AlexGichevMusic Yea those are fair points. I don't think soldering and diagnostic is too particularly hard to pick up since electrically guitar circuits are very simple, but its also fairly daunting when you don't really have anyone to fall back on outside of taking it for an expensive trip to the luthier, though I do think its a good skill to have for those reasons.
My first guitar is also cort m200 but my one is black (i upgraded it with seymour duncans)
Sick! Never met or heard of anyone with one of them tho. I really love mine, not a huge fan of how it looked with the original exposed screw pickups, but dude, it's been my work horse for f-cking....almost 10 years at this point. Thanks for commenting!
Guitar is one of those instruments where people are insanely susceptible to marketing hype, being easily lead by musician/gear salesman parroting buzz phrases phrases and just flat out placebo effect. A lot of it is people talking out of their bottoms. Blindfolded, absolutely nobody would be able to listen to a series of clips recorded with different pickups and have even a slim chance of identifying which are which. Even in these comments, there are people arguing "Oh yeah man Fishman sound so much better", "No EMG sound better!", when I GURANTEE none of them would be able to identify which is which in a line-up of more than just those two pickups. Literally almost everybody playing in a professional metal setting has at the least a gate, an EQ, a compressor and some sort of volume boost before the amp, so the pickup you have is literally completely irrelevant.
Also, the amount of people I hear talk about active pickups being compressed and too high output, so they buy insanely high output bareknuckle and then send them in to a compressor and a volume boost before their amp. Guitarists talk such utter bollocks that it makes my head hurt to read at time. A lot of it started around the 2008-ish djent era when a few key figures managed to convince everyone they needed silly expensive custom guitars, boutique hand-wound (lol) pickups in to an Axe-FX unit.
I'm all for having fun with gear, but just so much if it is just in peoples heads. People, play what you want and don't get suckered in to branding nonsense.
Personally love EMGs. In many cases, prefer them to fishmans
My first electric guitar was an Ibanez SZ2020ex Prestige - I saved up for it for a whole year doing shitkicker jobs at a butcher shop when I was 15, and that comes stock with EMGs.
Nowadays I don't think of myself as just a "guitarist" as I produce my own music from the bottom up, and with multiple guitars with both active and passive pickups (Including an Alexi with EMG HZs) and nowadays I honestly don't care that much about pickups and EMGs can work as its own little boost pedal in some older amps, particularly Mesa's Mark IIC+. If a cheap pickup sounds like ass by all means chuck it out, but if a guitar comes with anything decent from my experience I don't see any need for replacing them to "get a better sound".
I have other muso friends that don't like active pickups because they know that one day they're going to forget the battery and get shafted when the guitar doesn't work. Practical reasons are more than valid, but when it comes to "Tha TOAN", nah, thats not it...
But if every bedroom/garage guitar player got that, who would guitar-accessory companies sell to? I really think a lot of guitar merch and even guitars themselves are a marketing tool in and of themselves, but to work as marketing tools in the first place they kind of, you know, need to work in the first place as well as have at least some reasonable advantage over stock specs
Yeah, as I said a "tone improvement" was not really something I was expecting from these. Rather a cheap and easy to install set of pickups, BUT with that said it would be unfair to not admit that the marketing, the artists who play EMGs, the looks of the pickups themselves as well as just the brand name did play a big factor in my purchase. Thanks for the comment.
I also have to endorse the 24v mod as others have suggested. Just keep in mind that any of their accessories only run on 18v.
Will definitely look into that! Thanks for the suggestion
EMGs have that particular tone if you're looking for it. I don't use them because it's just annoying as hell to change out the battery every month.
Yea, I already had to change the bated once, but granted I did pit a cheap one in there. I hope the more expensive ones will last longer
I like EMG pickups! Soon I'll buy my electric guitar which comes with EMG 81/60. Good for Black Metal^^. I have to say, I don't really get the hype about the Fishman. Whatever - it's a matter of taste, right?
Was looking for this video. The tone/sound i love the most is 90's Metallica, so i always thought that the famous 81/60 would make me sound like Papa Het. I know now that if anything, only a small portion of that tone/sound has anything to do with the pickups but emg have that special place in my memories,imagining playing live to a huge crowd riffing hard on an explorer. I know i will never get that sound and possibly not play to a huge crowd but if i can get my 81/60 in my explorer, then maybe i'll just get to fulfill a teenage metalhead dream.
YES! Exactly my point. I even have a theory that "the feel" of pickups is less corelated with dynamic or frequency response and more with the looks of the pickups and the memories and experiences that we as guitar players have had with them. Thanks for the comment!
I cat believe what your sayong LOL! If you want a certain tone then you love them if you don't then you get something else.. I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. And as soon as I got EMG 81/85 that was the first time I heard what my guitar actually sounds like.. I would like to see you debate that with Zakk Wylde 🤪
That's why I got them because I want his sound.. if you want James hetfields sound then get his 81/65
It all depends on what sond you're going after.. but if you want to hear your guitar sound like it's supposed to sound. Then get EMG if you want your guitar to sound like it has a moving blanket over it, can you get some passive pickups. EMG captures the true sound.ill never play anything else but EMG.. and if you want them to sound better the way you want them to sound then get an equalizer in your pedal board.. you can clean it up to what you like.. I guarantee you if you throw an equalizer in there you can dial it in the way you want it and then it will sound better than any pick up you can find.. and if you take the pick up you like and dial it in the comparison he will choose the EMG over it.👍🏼 Now when I look at guitars that don't have emgs I just see them as empty pick up cavities for EMGs..🎸💪🏼🎸
Definitely want to put a emg 81 in my cheap strat for some Drop D nostalgia riffs
Hell yeah! Do that. You can get a one for pretty cheap and as I said the install is insanely easy
Fishman has a better marketing team
This 100%. Fishman were smart enough to align themselves with modern players playing modern genres, like Tosin, whereas EMG have basically aligned their brand with dad rock. If EMG had any sense, their website homepage would be stacked with young bands playing modern music. Instead it's Jazzmaster pickups, and a picture of Kirk Hammet. Even their RUclips is full of guys, that despite their talent, are largely not interesting to younger players.
nice video got a new subscriber! the thing is pickups are just 1 thing in your overall sound there is not one piece of gear that is gonna make your sound better its just a stack of things to make it sound good and there is 2 ways to get where you want. 1. the cheap way which is the long way to what you want and probably its gonna be your most original sound 2. the expensive way you buy the top of the line every time and sound like everyone else cheers!
Thanks for the sub! Yea trying to figure out the rather affordable way for now at least😃 cheers!
Hey :) You've put the neck pickup ring neck-side pointing the bridge (that's why it's so slanted down the body. It's supposed to be thiner the closer the neck it's mounted. Cheers 😊
Huh…thanks ahahaha. Tbh I’m probably just gonna leave it like this until I buy some new rings and screws, since it doesn’t cause any issues. Thanks again for writing tho! Wouldn’t have noticed otherwise
question . do u get a louder tone, on the rythem , then the treble tone nob.... cause i get like 3 loudness ,treble kinda quiet, mid , MID. then my neck pick up *rythem, its just loud like i think it should be... did i put them in wrong..cause my old set sounded great, then the bottom pickup just went quiet kinda.. so i bought a 81 emg, put in in , JUST THE PICKUP, and its the same.....
Hey! I don't have that particular problem, because I wired my guitar with 1 tone and 1 volume knob, so no separate knobs for the different pickups. If you're experiencing any volume drops, you may have a faulty connection somewhere. If you changed the pickup and the issue is still there, then it's somewhere else in the guitars electronics. Probably somewhere around the tone knob. The tone knob itself also might the problem. I'd say check the connections around your tone knob and if all of them are OK, try buying a new one. (Just make sure you buy the correct resistance). If you're not comfortable doing that yourself you can just bring it to a local luthier / guitar shop. This shouldn't be an expensive fix. Hope I helped! Thanks for commenting!
It all comes down to personal taste. I have the emg 808s in my schecter 8 string hellrasier and the seperation if the notes is fantacstic. It can get muddy if i drop down to E ony lowest note but in standard 8 string tuning ut sounds great.
8 strings are tricky, have a look at the 81-8. Or maybe experiment with their bass pickups like 40DC or 40CS? It's the same sized housing. E is like bass tuning so maybe you need a thicker string.
I recommend going with X series but stick with non-X if you're keeping your neck pickup.
Played Duncans, Dimarzios and Fishman, stuck with EMGs. Nothing beats the sound of an EMG chugging \m/
It depends I think. A passiv pickup has way better dynamics and is more versatile. And the hot Gibson pickups rip. However for chugging and ultra gain I understand why people like them. Personally for my needs a weak unpotted PAF Humbucker is enough
I like already got A passive H4, would the 81 be a significant leap?
In my personal opinion pickups rarely if EVER make a significant leap in sound. What change are you looking for tone-wise? Are you chasing something in particular or just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks? Thanks for writing!
@@AlexGichevMusic yeah.. just seeing what sticks...
@@eutocoriffs9409 I wouldn’t recommend spending money on pickups. Pedals, plugins, irs, speakers and mics would be better choices at least in my personal experience.
yes.
Yes, you should buy them.
Yup
Picksups do matter, it's just that they matter less when you are playing with very heavy distortion, but for more clean and edge of breakup tones there is a very notable difference.
Yup. When you run your guitar through so much gain and especially when you put it in the context of other instruments...the minute differences of pickups are reaaaaaaaly negligible. I've never tested for cleans or edge of breakups tho. I play using a high gain metal tone like...95% of the time, so that's more where my focus is. Thanks for the comment!
EMG 60 are great for clean. I recorded outro of my song where '60 sond linke accoustic guitar ( on the Amplitube5 vst preset ). They do pretty good job there.
@@noisesfromtheabyss The 60 or 60x are just awesome for cleans and crunch. I think it's based on a mini humbucker with ceramics. So it's still quite hot but do the clean thing wonderfully. Very hi-fi, like you lifted a blanket off the cabinet, without being too harsh.
Pickups actually do make a pretty noticeable difference to the tone.
Most of my guitars have EMGs, only one doesn't. It has a Jb and 59.
Are you sure you'd be able to sport the difference in a blind test? Using a high gain tone and especially in a full mix?
@AlexGichevMusic
Okay, Glen.
The full mix argument is stupid, stop using that. Not even the best people in the world could do that.
Everyone always takes things to the complete extreme to try and force a win for themselves.
I'm sick of it.
@@s.e.n3264 I’ll take that as a compliment. Also we’re not fighting, there’s no winners or losers. I’m using the whole mix example because that’s what my goal is - making music that sounds good. I’m not gonna lie, I do enjoy good isolated guitar tones, just as much as the next guy, they’re just not as valuable to me as entire arranged pieces of music. Thanks for writing!
I know it's become a trend to dis EMG 81 pickups in recent years. Regardless of all the other pickups available, active or passive. The EMG 81 stills reigns supreme. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
81 is awesome but try out the 81x, a little bit more dynamic. You do have to hit the strings harder though for full chugs so if you play very lightly then it's probably not a good option.
"Thing of the past"?
Funny, since passive pickups are older xD
81-85 are just unmatched imo
I buy Emg 81/85 from China and ...im very happy
จากไทย😂
The real question is should you have a mustache in 2024
Yes. Yes I should. Scratch that….I must
mustaches are back babyyy
The real question is why don't you have one in 2024?
Tbh iv never really noticed any difference between them and fishman fluences other than the massive price hike that fishman charges 😂
Mmmyeaah, I wouldn't bet on being able to spot the differences, especially in the context of a metal mix.
you can get a used set of emgs for less than 100$ really good for the price
Hm, didn't even think of going to the used market. Good point, thanks for the comment!
Me 1 sec in: YES.
I still really like EMGs
Yeah, looking through the comments, seems like a lot of us still do. Thanks for commenting!
Maybe I'm not cool, I've tried to like fluence but I just can't. I don't get the hype. If I just got the fishmans because of the trend I would be very unhappy. It's my preference.
I don't understand the hype around Fishman Fluences. They sound way too compressed, they lack low end, I just don't like them. They are also way too expensive for what they offer. I think you can get far better results with EMG 81/85 or Seymour Duncan Blackouts.
The whole thing about them being a new kind of pickup technology is I think one of the reasons they got so popular (at least in the beginning) AND the multiple voicings thing. Not cheap tho. Thanks for writing!
EMG’s are good pickups! However, saying that pickups don’t matter is just insanity
Yeah, I said it to make the point early on in the video that I didn’t buy them looking for a tone improvement. Thanks for commenting !
EMG > Fishman any day
emgs are literally mini humbuckers from a firebird guitar, there not some other worldly pickup, they are just another pickup.
Yea, they're other worldly. What they are tho is affordable, great sounding, easy to install and very nostalgic for a lot of people. Also available in a big part of the world.
EMGs sound like passive trash from the 50s. The palm mutings sound terrible. They have a way too much bass and too low treble. EMGs are overrated af. People who saying EMGs are good, had never played Fishmans or high output PickUps before 🤷♂️
I just wish they were not so expensive.
Yeah, I'm sure they can sell it for cheaper but I mean for a complete set of signiture active pickups with all the electronics, pots, wires, etc, it's a fair price imho at least.
@@AlexGichevMusic I have purchased a few Zak Wylde sets and I can tell you the price from the 2000's has doubled. Oh well I guess EMG needs to eat too.
Now try a 18v or 24v mod and thank me later😉
Will do (eventually)! Thanks for the suggestion!
@@AlexGichevMusic 24V. Trust me because I have 18V xD
"Yo quiero EMG's"
Get them! Definitely would recommend
EMG especially the 81/85 set, have a sound of their own, the output compresses the sound and result is a dip in the low mids. This is what people "don't like", but at the same time, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Megadeth, Gary Holt/Exodus, Deicide, DAVID GILMOUR, Yvette Young, Porcupine Tree, etc... etc... they all use EMGs. Anybody willing to say they sound bad? ... I thought so. Guitar players are the most opiniated, influenceable and believers in fairy dust musicians. Does it sound good? Is it reliable? ... yes, then stfu!!! :)
The last two sentences of this….YES!
Only play EMGs
EMGs are in a completely different league than fishman, or anything else for that matter. Nothing even comes close ….nothing.
no
Amsome pickups the best on the market i want to put them on my squaer strat
24v mod
Hm...you're the second person saying that. I might have to look into this
"nobody likes emg". Yet a lot of guitars keep coming out with emgs.
They in fact do. But I think generally guitarists have been staying away from them for the past however many years and have been leaning towards passives or fishmans. Thank for writing!
Yes, what a stupid question. Who listens to trends? Sad
Cat
cat. indeed. Thanks for sticking around to the end!
what was the point of this video
Yapping about why I bought emgs