EMG 85

[Brad]

Has anyone ever tried an EMG in the bridge position. If so, were/are you happy with the set up? I know that most of ushave all had dealings with the 81 in that position but was wondering what effect the 85 had in that position as well.

Thanks~
Brad [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[RR_1525]

Re: EMG 85

I have an EMG 85 in both positions on my San Dimas RR and am very happy with the tone in both positions. I think it has plenty of punch and growl when it needs it. Hope this helps.

Don

[deviltronix]

Re: EMG 85

I have EMG 85s in 3 of my guitars, including a Mahagony Les Paul & an Alder GMW . They are awesome ...They have an intense bottom end for a really thick sound.


Rich

[axeman81]

Re: EMG 85

dude, search the forum for "EMG" and you'll find a zillion discussions on this topic! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I am planning on using the 85 as a bridge pup myself, but you should be aware of the differences of sonic qualities in the various guitar body woods vs. difference in 81/85 (thin/warm)

anyway, if you have a 81/85 set it's no hassle to swap them with the "quick-connect" system.

- Rune.

[toejam]

Re: EMG 85

Go with the 85 in the bridge and the 81 in the neck... you'll be happier! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] IMO, darker sounding pickups should be in the bridge, brighter pickups in the neck. My favorite guitar at the moment is a poplar Jackson Dinky with 85b/60n. If you really want an 81 in the bridge, I'd go with another 81 or 60 in the neck over the 85. The 85 is fine for the neck if you like it to be warmer, though.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: EMG 85

It's always the same few people who I see supporting the EMG-85 in the bridge position, and I like it! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

Ahhhh EMG-85 in the bridge with its raw saturated tone. [img]graemlins/drool2.gif[/img] I haven't tried it in insane-gain situations since I don't play that kind of stuff, but for mid-high levels of gain, the pickup absolutely roars... gotta love that low-mid frequency thump. And in the neck, I like the EMG-89 since it's just the smoothness of the EMG-85 with the benefit of a built-in EMG-SA!! Versatility heaven! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: EMG 85

I've kinda noticed that you can relate the tone of each EMG model to a particular year - 1981, 1985, 1989, etc.
If you look at the hard rock guitar tones in '81 (Rhoads, especially) the EMG 81 has the same high-output characteristic that you would need for an unmodded (or as they modded amps the time) Marshall, then in '85, you had better amp mods and didn't need a high-output pickup, but a warmer one because the amp mods took out all the warmth when they boosted the gain, then again in '89, when Grunge was coming in and rock wasn't as heavy, you had single-coil tones all over the place and needed a splittable pickup with a warm tone (so you could play purty cleans, rockin single coils, or warm humbucker tones through your Mesa Dual Rec) [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Anyhoo, just my observations after having owned (and ditched) various EMG models [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
What's the 60 like? Can it get a nice Iommi tone (like from Symptom Of The Universe)? [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

[toejam]

Re: EMG 85

Interesting theory, Newc. The 85 and 89 are the same sound (89 is the 85 and SA single in one pup). Before the 85, there was the 58, which was like a P-90 on steroids, but it was a little noisy like a P-90, so later on they made the 85 as its replacement.
The 60 was originally made for Fender as an Elite Tele model, I belive, but Fender decided against it and EMG released it as a humbucker. It's the brightest humbucker they make, great in the neck position. I use it in the neck of one of my Dinkies with an 85 bridge and love it. It's supposed to be good in the bridge, too, but I've never tried it or know of anyone who has. James Hetfield has used the 60 as his neck pup for a long time, and he used the 81 in the neck for a brief period before then.