EMG's

[eddiewarlock]

Re: EMG\'s

i have a mahogany body, maple/rosewood set neck BC Rich Warlock, with badass bridge and a single Seymour Duncan distortion, and i must say it sounds brutal, like Newc said, it has a bark and a ferocity no other pickup has, and yes, gotta roll down the gain on your amp, I also have an Ibanez RG 7 string, i switched the original ibanez V8 for a di marzio Blaze... didn't like the damn thing and put back the V8, the only dimarzios i like are the paf pro and the tone zone, but i've yet to hear the X2N

[savage]

The Duncan Distortion is great for Metal, but since it's a Distortion-class pickup, you have to back the Gain off your amp, or else it'll shriek and be very nasty.

EMGs offer a more even tonal response, but my DK-2 with the Distortion in the bridge out-punches and out-crunches the EMG 81 in my Soloist [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
And yes, I am using two different patches built for each pickup - the 81 is great, but the Distortion just has a bark and ferocity that the 81 can't get.

Newc

newc i think that with the 18 volts the 81 makes the duncan distortion run for cover!
it has more punch,crunch,and bark than the DD had when i tried it

to the original poster of the thread, many replace the duncans in thier jacksons with emgs because at least to me the duncans always have a vintage twang to them and many hate that,even the hotter DD,invader,JB,custom all these retain some vintageness to the tone and a guy like me who plays all metal does not want ANY vintageness to my tone at all
as a matter of fact i want nothing but serious viciousness in the tone
i am not playing any ac/dc or VH so i want only full impact to the tone
some guys tell me but the emgs dont have a real good clean tone, and i say to them clean tone???
do i look like a play bon jovi or country stuff!

[Grandturk]

I just replaced the stock Jackson stuff in my Model 4 with an 81/SA/SA set and it is really like night and day sound wise. I'm a dyed in the wool Duncan man, too, but as they say, variety is the spice of life.

Here's what I think the good things about EMGs are:
- Quiet - no noise, not ever, nothing - its almost unsettling
- Volume and Tone wise, you can dial them in right where you need them without mushing up
- Range - the 81 sounds great clean and dirty, the SA's sound great clean and dirty
- Even - everything sounds good - bass, mid and highs. - no single frequency takes precendence over another.

[DonP]

newc i think that with the 18 volts the 81 makes the duncan distortion run for cover!
it has more punch,crunch,and bark than the DD had when i tried it

to the original poster of the thread, many replace the duncans in thier jacksons with emgs because at least to me the duncans always have a vintage twang to them and many hate that,even the hotter DD,invader,JB,custom all these retain some vintageness to the tone and a guy like me who plays all metal does not want ANY vintageness to my tone at all
as a matter of fact i want nothing but serious viciousness in the tone
i am not playing any ac/dc or VH so i want only full impact to the tone
some guys tell me but the emgs dont have a real good clean tone, and i say to them clean tone???
do i look like a play bon jovi or country stuff!

WTF? Another back from the dead thread? I think the original poster is long gone alone with 1/2 the other people in this thread.

Re: Duncan Distortion vs. 18volt EMG81, I have both, and the Duncan Distortion SLAYS the EMG81. At least in my world with my amps (Marshalls).

Of course the DD is in a 750XL, while the EMG is in a Fusion Professional. Same scale length, but heavy set-neck vs. bolt-on basswood body. My DD nails Metallica's Fade To Black, but the EMG just sounds edgy but no fattness for the power chords. I'm thinking of swapping the 81 for an 85.

Also, if you are playing in a fatter amp (5150?), maybe the EMG81 wouldn't sound so bad.

[savage]

WTF? Another back from the dead thread? I think the original poster is long gone alone with 1/2 the other people in this thread.

Re: Duncan Distortion vs. 18volt EMG81, I have both, and the Duncan Distortion SLAYS the EMG81. At least in my world with my amps (Marshalls).

Of course the DD is in a 750XL, while the EMG is in a Fusion Professional. Same scale length, but heavy set-neck vs. bolt-on basswood body. My DD nails Metallica's Fade To Black, but the EMG just sounds edgy but no fattness for the power chords. I'm thinking of swapping the 81 for an 85.

Also, if you are playing in a fatter amp (5150?), maybe the EMG81 wouldn't sound so bad.

I play engls ,a powerball E 645 and a Savage 120 E 610 and the DD ran out of my guitar and hid under the stairs when i plugged in my jackson loaded with a 18 emg 81

[Sunbane]

Re: Duncan Distortion vs. 18volt EMG81, I have both, and the Duncan Distortion SLAYS the EMG81.

+1, and this from a former die-hard EMG user.

It's a taste thing really. I used to like a tight, mid-scooped, super-distorted sound, and the EMGs are perfect for that. Now I prefer a lot more mids, and more traditional distortion, so the Duncan Distortion wins with me. It has a way way way more pleasing tone than the EMGs. None of my regular players have EMGs in them anymore.

[Death]

I play engls ,a powerball E 645 and a Savage 120 E 610 and the DD ran out of my guitar and hid under the stairs when i plugged in my jackson loaded with a 18 emg 81

Do you have any sound clips of your PB/81 setup?

[Dreamland_Rebel]

i just pulled out a DD and replaced it with a CC in and alder body.

[DonP]

i just pulled out a DD and replaced it with a CC in and alder body.

And???

Did the CC suck? How did it sound compared to the DD?

Just busting your chops. I know the CC is probably a great pickup because I love Alnico II pickups in my Lesters. Sometimes I've thought of pulling the main Ceramic magnet out of my 500T and put an Alnico II in there (there are three magnets in this pickup), so it would be a weird hybrid.

All in all, it's really about matching the right pickup with the right axe and the right amp, etc.

Who here says the Duncan Designed HB103B sounds like a real Duncan Distortion? Well my HB103B is in a KE3 body, DK-1 neck, and it doesn't sound anywhere as killer as the one in my 750XL. Is it the pickup or the guitar? I'm too lazy to swap and find out LOL!

[Sunbane]

No "Duncan Designed" pup has managed to impress me so far. I figure they are skimping on something when they make them.

[Elfastball7]

What about the Dimarzio X2N in the bridge? I have heard some good opinions about it, but not enough.

[Sunbane]

What about the Dimarzio X2N in the bridge? I have heard some good opinions about it, but not enough.

Yes, pretty nice pickup that sounds great on split. It sounds like about the same output level as an EMG. I just wish that it would have had more mids like the DD, but it has a somewhat flatter tone curve - probably not that far from the EMG-85.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

the CC sounds great. its got more bite and less noise.

[savage]

For me, EMG actives don't get quite the singing quality that I like for solos--yes, I'm sure Zakk Wylde would disagree--but EMGs are great for metal rhythm playing because they are so tight and punchy.

I agree about this 100% and this is a problem for me with the EMG's
I do a lot of soloing and the 81,85 models just dont the "THEE TONE" for me lead wise
I like a more PAF type voice for leads(EVH,NEAL SCHON, but also love the rhythm tone and aggression of the 81 for metal rhythms?
is there a pup model out there that covers both in one pickup?

[savage]

What pu has the ability to do the metal rhythms real well and still have a sweet lead

is the duncan custom any good?