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EMG EMG-707 7-String Guitar Active Pickup Black
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The EMG-707 is a seven string pickup for guitar. The pickup is housed in EMG's 35 Extended bass housing, so it's not a direct replacement for a humbucking pickup. The 707 is a dual coil pickup with Alnico Poles similar to the 85, with the same ...
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Searched EMG EMG-707 7-String Guitar Active Pickup Black in Reviews
An odd match with the 81-7 
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I have the 707 in the neck position of my RG1527 with the 81-7 in the bridge. I run it into an ENGL e530 preamp or a Boss GT-PRO. Its character is a lot warmer and chunkier than the 81's is - which is where the problem in this setup is. The 81's focus is all about definition and that top end sheen which is monster in the bridge. However, with the already warmer, chunkier pickup in the warmer, chunkier position in the guitar with it - the tones just don't match! I'm yet to swap the pickups around as I love the 81-7 for what it does in the bridge, but with the 707 I feel like I'm putting a midrangey hot bridge pickup in the neck position - which is exactly what I am doing! The 707 I've no doubt will be a good bridge pickup, but unless paired with something similar in the bridge, in the neck it comes across as "too much" - that sort of "square-wave" type sound (I had to screw the pickup RIGHT down to match the 81-7 level wise). I will swap the two around at some point, and no doubt it'll be great - but I wouldn't recommend the 707 as neck pickup for anything but another 707.
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| Liked about it |
Lots of power
Still get the EMG-esque pick attack
Love the quik-connect lugs.
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| Didn't like |
Too midrangey for neck position unless matched
Too hot for neck position IMO (I changed out an Air Norton 7 for this so it's quite the change!)
The obvious having to irreparably rout your guitar to fit them thing - I understand this is part of EMG's identity to use those housings, but come on guys, it ain't hard to make them regular size!
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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Love/Hate Type Thing
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Recieved them on a debt settlement (second hand) from a friend who never got around to routing his guitar for them. I had a spare RG7 body, so I made a project out of it (first routing job-looked crappy but it worked). These pickups and related pots, etc. paired with the Basswood body for me was a bitter sweet experience. I couldn't get close to a comfortable tone for a while, but it should be expected given the vast difference in active and passive. Try to find a guitar with similar specs to yours to compare sounds before going head first into something that requires drastically modifying the body of your guitar. Remember, subtle or drastic changes in the body can play a huge role in tone as well. There is still a huge amount of seven stringers out there and a good amount have done this with their guitars, so chances are you can find a similar setup for comparison to aid in your decision.
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| Liked about it |
Tons of new tonal options, harmonics, boomy bottom end.
High gain holy grail of pickups
Increased sustain
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| Didn't like |
The only thing that didn't set well with me was I could get nowhere near any familiar tone I am used to and prefer. That said, it is hard to say it's all bad just because it opened the door for new ideas, but it's a 1-way trip for me. I basically have to make the right song to fit that guitar rather than find the right guitar to fit a song. Like I said, if you have to route or have any doubts, try to get an idea of what it really will be like with a similar setup.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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Powerful as a bridge pickup
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So you love your EMG active pickups. You mainly play Hard Rock to Metal. But! the 81 is sounding a little too fizzy in the bridge? Put a 707 in there.
It is hardly a secret. People have been putting 85's in the bridge of their 6 strings for a while now. The same can be said for 7's. However, the general consensus is that 81 is bridge and 85 is for the neck. If you are of this mindset.. read on...
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| Liked about it |
The 707 in the bridge position is nothing short of powerful. The 'fizzy' highs that came with the 81-7 were gone and the pickup had more power in the lower mids. This pickup is not muddy either. Is really at home in high gain situations. Palm muting is strong with plenty of bass (not too much). If you are looking for a pickup that is suited for high gain situations that has plenty of power. This is the pickup for you.
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| Didn't like |
It is a bit of a one trick pony IMO. I couldn't find a sweet spot when playing cleans but, then again, I didn't put this in to get cleans. However, I have rated this 5 because of how good this pickup sound with lots of gain.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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internal use: spec60 spec359 spec574
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