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Re: vintage tone from emg 81
I think it really depends more on the amp, your playing, and knowing HOW to get that vintage sound, than the EMGs as pickups, in some respects.
Sure, if you want to completely rule out the guitar as being something hindering you from getting the tone you want, then get a guitar and pickups you KNOW is built for that sound. Makes absolutely the most direct sense. Blues-oriented guitar for blues, Metal-oriented guitar for metal etc.
But it doesn't necessarily mean that other combinations aren't going to give you passable to decent to good to excellent results. The only thing you'd be missing on the EMG-81s would be the characteristics that alnico gave those old pickups. The 85 would be a closer out-of-the-box sound than the 81, but it doesn't mean the 81 wouldn't work. Just plug in and see what it's like...fiddle with the amp controls, and fiddle with the guitar volume and tone. You might get kinda close or you might nail it, but you never know until you try, really.
Stu
I think it really depends more on the amp, your playing, and knowing HOW to get that vintage sound, than the EMGs as pickups, in some respects.
Sure, if you want to completely rule out the guitar as being something hindering you from getting the tone you want, then get a guitar and pickups you KNOW is built for that sound. Makes absolutely the most direct sense. Blues-oriented guitar for blues, Metal-oriented guitar for metal etc.
But it doesn't necessarily mean that other combinations aren't going to give you passable to decent to good to excellent results. The only thing you'd be missing on the EMG-81s would be the characteristics that alnico gave those old pickups. The 85 would be a closer out-of-the-box sound than the 81, but it doesn't mean the 81 wouldn't work. Just plug in and see what it's like...fiddle with the amp controls, and fiddle with the guitar volume and tone. You might get kinda close or you might nail it, but you never know until you try, really.
Stu
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