emg 81/85 combo

[Revaku]

hi all,

im thinking about picking up an ibanez S520EX and replacing the stock pickups with emgs 81/85,is there any better? ill be playing mostly metal and thrash with some post grunge stuff. Also im thinking is it possible to have a push and pull pot for more variations of pick up selection?, is it worth it?, what variations are there?, how would i go about doing this?


thanks all rob.

[Algiman]

Lots of folk here don't like EMGs, but good tone is so subjective only you can tell if they're what your after or not. I can't think what you'd do with a push pull pot with those pickups, they're not tapable. The EMG 89 and 81TW are though, so they would offer more options.

Other pickups to think about in that vein are the Dimarzio D Activators, or the Seymour Duncan Blackouts. Personally I'd look at Bare Knuckle Pickups (I'm a big fan) and go for a Miracle Man set or similar.

[DavyH]

What Algiman said - you won't find much love for EMGs here, although I'm happy with both my EMG-equipped guitars.

Bare Knuckle seem to be getting the best press of virtually anything on the market at the moment though, and you're in the right neck of the woods. I'm not too up on the various models, but Nailbombs keep getting mentioned as the pickup to have.

[Revaku]

so would a nailbomb/miracle man calibrated set be a good choice then? if so how woud i set it up so i had a good array of selections? and whats the difference between the two? the sd blackouts look good aswell are they tapable? i know the d activators come from the ibanez x series, how dothey compare against the sd and bare knuckles?

thanks for all the tips rob.

[ststevens]

best bet is to go to the Barenuckle website they have a good forum with tons of tone samples.

i have barenuckles in a gibson explorer, and it doesnt compare to EMG's at all. For Metal EMG's or Duncan Blackouts are clearly my fave.

[Revaku]

ahh ok, im leaning towards the seymours anyway because there cheaper and ive played with them before, another question tho, because the pick ups in the guitar are passive i think, how would i fir in the battery compartment for the sd would i have to route it out or am i missng something? also the d activators are passive are they any good?

[Algiman]

Originally Posted by Revaku

so would a nailbomb/miracle man calibrated set be a good choice then? if so how woud i set it up so i had a good array of selections?

As mentioned elsewhere, the BKP forum is great, and if you email Tim and explain the sound you're after he'll get back to you quickly with his recommendations, and he is usually spot on.
Nailbombs are a favourite of mine - I have them in a Les Paul and in one of my 7's. The MM is supposedly more like an EMG but without the sterility. Both can be coil tapped etc so you can use push pulls to split them or change from series to parallel wiring.

[jaxadam]

I have quite a few EMG equipped guitars, and I really like 'em.

[ststevens]

Originally Posted by Revaku

ahh ok, im leaning towards the seymours anyway because there cheaper and ive played with them before, another question tho, because the pick ups in the guitar are passive i think, how would i fir in the battery compartment for the sd would i have to route it out or am i missng something? also the d activators are passive are they any good?

there should be enough room for the battery in the control cavity. you have to see before if it fits

[Revaku]

ahhh ok thanks you guys ill look into it some more tomoz

thnx for all you help
rob

[MT01]

The 81 Bridge 85 Neck combo is the ultimate metal setup in my opinion.

Which bands sounds are you in to?

[jaxadam]

I actually really like the 81/60 combo best. But I think that if you know how to dial in an amp, you really can't go wrong with EMG's, especially with the 18V mod. A lot of people bash 'em, but that's fine. They obviously aren't doing something wrong.

[DavyH]

Originally Posted by jaxadam

I actually really like the 81/60 combo best. But I think that if you know how to dial in an amp, you really can't go wrong with EMG's, especially with the 18V mod. A lot of people bash 'em, but that's fine. They obviously aren't doing something wrong.

Slipknot? I'm pretty sure that's the combo in my Showmaster. It's brutal.

[Revaku]

atm im just throwing around ideas, but im thinking more and more about the d activators now because there not to expensive, and there passive but still sound brutal for what i wanna do.

and im in to a lot of bands lol, but this guitar is mainly for metal stuff like trivium, to three days grace post grunge and other bits. also the activators are awesome sounding clean which is a plus but ill have a look around at the otehr emg combos :P

[GPDSales]

I prefer the 81/89 combo, or better yet, the 81TW/89 combo.
That way I can coil tap and get single coil tones as well, best of both worlds.