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hey fellas,
I just finished a two hour maintenance session on my basswood Ibanez RG(you know I'm waiting for my Jackson [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ), cleaning the frets and fretboard, replacing the battery for my 81/85 set and also...I moved the 85 to the bridge!
I've had my EMG's for approx. 6 months now, and I liked the 85 as a lead pickup in the neck, but I thought it was just a tad too warm...didn't have enough mids. On the other hand, I liked it for being so "alive" (in lack of a better term...if you have heard one you will understand what I mean) compared to the 81.
I connected it to my POD v2.0 and played around with my various amp models, and the last one I tried was the default at bank 1A called "big rectifier", and I tweaked it like this: drive 10, bass 5, mid 10, treb 10, reverb 3, compressor 6/7, chan level 10, output level 7....
WOW the tones I'm getting are great!!
So here's what I have now discovered, having played only 20 minutes (trying not to wake up my neighbor [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ):
* The 81 is superior to the 85 as a lead pickup for the neck position. Very nice tonal balance for soloing. If you want it a little warmer, just ease off the tone control.
* The 85 with its "alive" characteristic and "more bass/less mid" than the 81 makes it TERRIFIC for use as a bridge pup! By turning the amp eq mids to 10 you will compensate and make it have mids reminiscent of the 81, but overall much better sounding!
I spend a good deal of time reading/posting/searching threads here, and someone said in one of the many past EMG threads that using the 85 in the bridge gives a Megadeth sound - whoever said that, nailed it!
So unless you're REALLY into the "justice..." sound, and would rather like a GREAT overall metal/rock sound, then I strongly suggest using 85 in the bridge and for the neck I recommend 81 whatever your choice is! (or an 89 with the coil tap) - just remember, my RG is made out of basswood/maple so your mileage may vary with other wood types. (EMG's seem pretty consistent regardless of wood types though...)
I'm gonna have some mp3's up in a few days to back up my statements here!! [img]graemlins/band.gif[/img]
- Rune. [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]
I just finished a two hour maintenance session on my basswood Ibanez RG(you know I'm waiting for my Jackson [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ), cleaning the frets and fretboard, replacing the battery for my 81/85 set and also...I moved the 85 to the bridge!
I've had my EMG's for approx. 6 months now, and I liked the 85 as a lead pickup in the neck, but I thought it was just a tad too warm...didn't have enough mids. On the other hand, I liked it for being so "alive" (in lack of a better term...if you have heard one you will understand what I mean) compared to the 81.
I connected it to my POD v2.0 and played around with my various amp models, and the last one I tried was the default at bank 1A called "big rectifier", and I tweaked it like this: drive 10, bass 5, mid 10, treb 10, reverb 3, compressor 6/7, chan level 10, output level 7....
WOW the tones I'm getting are great!!
So here's what I have now discovered, having played only 20 minutes (trying not to wake up my neighbor [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ):
* The 81 is superior to the 85 as a lead pickup for the neck position. Very nice tonal balance for soloing. If you want it a little warmer, just ease off the tone control.
* The 85 with its "alive" characteristic and "more bass/less mid" than the 81 makes it TERRIFIC for use as a bridge pup! By turning the amp eq mids to 10 you will compensate and make it have mids reminiscent of the 81, but overall much better sounding!
I spend a good deal of time reading/posting/searching threads here, and someone said in one of the many past EMG threads that using the 85 in the bridge gives a Megadeth sound - whoever said that, nailed it!
So unless you're REALLY into the "justice..." sound, and would rather like a GREAT overall metal/rock sound, then I strongly suggest using 85 in the bridge and for the neck I recommend 81 whatever your choice is! (or an 89 with the coil tap) - just remember, my RG is made out of basswood/maple so your mileage may vary with other wood types. (EMG's seem pretty consistent regardless of wood types though...)
I'm gonna have some mp3's up in a few days to back up my statements here!! [img]graemlins/band.gif[/img]
- Rune. [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]
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