think ive had enough

[myinstrument]

ok so i own this epi lp standard which i figured id put a set of zakk wylde emg's in. my thought was since i already own a standard with sd alnico II pro's. a set of actives in the other would round me off. (one for classic rock,blues, and jazz) and one for metal. the conclusion ive come to is that these emg's suck. sure they are loud, and sure they overdrive my jcm600 but they are so 2 dimensional. they have no tone, no soul, no feeling. maybe it's just e but im really unimpressed. i think it's time to tear everything out of it and go with gibson internals. has anyone else noticed this or are my ears decieving me??

[dwagar]

some guys like EMGs, I don't, basically for the reasons you've listed.

[tarddoggy]

Originally Posted by dwagar

some Guys Like Emgs, I Don't, Basically For The Reasons You've Listed.

+1

[WSR66]

try some SD blackouts, they're supposed to fix the 2-D sound of actives.

[Adwex]

Zakk is a great (ok, really good) player, but he could be playing an ibanez, to my ears. His tone isn't "Les Paul" at all.

[b-squared]

You should try WBs new UV20 blacks...

BB

[kspeed]

Originally Posted by Adwex

Zakk is a great (ok, really good) player, but he could be playing an ibanez, to my ears. His tone isn't "Les Paul" at all.

Alright, while I do agree that EMG's are (generally) lacking in tone, especially when played clean, I have to disagree with this remark, which appears to slight slap at Ibanez. Yes, theyr'e considered primarily a hard rock/heavy metal brand, but they do make quality, toneful instruments. Their necks are, almost inarguably or invariably, very high quality and easy to play. The stock pickups and body materials on their high end models (yes, they still use Alder and a lot of Mahogany) is very high quality - case in point, my 2006 S Series with a single piece mahogany body.

Ironically, the one time I've played an EMG 81/85 combo extensively was on an Ibanez Prestige RG: neck-thru, hardtail, with a quality setup - and I was left wanting. I'm not bashing EMG - those pickups were very clear with distortion and could cut through the clutter when playing with a bassist, drummer, and rhythm guitarist (& more) - but their active pickups are almost one trick ponies that sound very similar in any application.

[wantsa58]

My EMG 81/85's are pretty much only good for a rock sound. I hate how they sound clean. Its not that they don't clean up, its just that they sound like shit clean... no tone at all, very sterile. I do like how they sound though, just the cleans sound bad to me.

Ill keep them in one guitar always for sure, but the rest of my future Les Pauls will have other pups in them..

[Lagaidh]

I also am not impressed with EMG's. Just like the original poster, I think they're flat. With a lot of metal, however, tone and soul of a pick up is secondary to it's gain. So much of the character of the metal growl is post-guitar: amps, effects and processing.

I had a Jackson SLSMG Soloist (sweet guitar, but lighter than a feather) that came with active EMGs (I forget the model). Out they went and in went SD JB's. I also tried a Pearly Gates in the bridge, but it was also too aggressive for that guitar (ended up working really well in my Yamaha).

I love the stocks in my Gibson. I can't see messing with those.

[Lagaidh]

Originally Posted by Adwex

Zakk is a great (ok, really good) player, but he could be playing an ibanez, to my ears. His tone isn't "Les Paul" at all.

Mm. To a degree. Get his live stuff and there's really no mistake in my ears.

[alligatorbling]

You might want to check out the dimarzio deactivators as well.

From DiMarzio's website

"Both the D Activator™ neck and bridge pickups were designed to eliminate the sterile edginess commonly associated with active pickups."

heres a clip from youtube DiMarzio D Activator

I have a set in my Ibanez 7 string and love them! Not priced to high either

[AcesHigh]

can it have something to with the fact that they are rail pickups? example.. how does a dimarzio x2n sound? is it sterile like the emg? a dimebucker? the D activator X?(a rail version of the D activator.. )

okay dimes tone isnt stiff but it may have to do with the fact that he had paf in the neck...

sorry to sort of hijack the thread a bit but it is still sort of on topic...

[Led Zep Fan]

Lose the EMGs. A musical instrument should not have to take batteries...

[brianbzed]

Years ago, I installed a set of EMG's in a client's brand new Studio. He was a Zakk fanatic and wanted that sound. Those active p'ups gave him unbelieveable gain and sounded fine in distortion mode. But I have to agree with most of you, they sucked in clean mode. They weren't "musical" at all!! The kid didn't seem to care, as he was a total metalhead. Ok, man, to each his own!
I essentially took and nice, new, fine sounding Les Paul and turned it into a one-dimensional shred machine. To me it was a total waste. It is my understanding that you buy a Les Paul FOR the tone!