EMG's

[itzko]

Hi to all

i've noticed that many jackson metal players replace their Seymour Duncan pickups with EMG pickups.

what is the reason for this? are EMG Better then Seymour Duncan and if yes in what way?

what is the difference in sound (in general, i know there are many models) between the two pickups?

and last... i have a ibanez RG and a KE2. the RG has Dimarzio pickups and the KE2 has factory Seymour duncan. when i play with my Zoom gfx8 the RG sounds great, The KE2 however sounds Very Bad. is that have to do with the pickups would a change to EMG solve this problem???

what should i do???

(By the way i play Metal)

thanks for all your feedbacks

[etaeniura]

Re: EMG\'s

Did you have the RG first, and adjust all your settings for that particular guitar? If so, then yes, they will sound very different. Trying to keep all your guitars sounding great with one setting on your amp or processor is nearly impossible due to differences in wood, construction, pickups, etc.

It also depends on if your Dimarzio pickups are very bright sounding and the Duncans are darker sounding types (or vice versa). Even if you switch to EMG's, you will still notice a difference between the guitars. If you have the monry, and setup both guitars with EMG's, there will likely be less of a difference in tones. Does that all make sense?

[toejam]

Re: EMG\'s

Originally posted by etaeniura:
If you have the monry, and setup both guitars with EMG's, there will likely be less of a difference in tones. Does that all make sense?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">All except the "monry" part. [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Bringer of Chaos]

Re: EMG\'s

I think it depends on what sound and what kind of music you play. I personally think the EMGs are way better for “Metal” thatn the stock pu. I get a lot more distorted, heavy, thick sound with the EMGs.

I recently bought a RR1 with EMGs in it and it sounds far superior to my other “stock” pu Jackson’s.

I also noticed that all of my settings on my preamps sound a lot more unique and distinct with the EMGs. I really notice the subtle differences between each setting a lot more with the EMGs than the stockers.

I think it really depends on what sound you are going for. I personally love mine, but I usually tune down to B and play some pretty fast heavy stuff.

[etaeniura]

Re: EMG\'s

Toejam,

You farging bastage!


Johnny Dangerously

[toejam]

Re: EMG\'s

LOL Fargin' icehole cork sucker! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[1trussell]

Re: EMG\'s

Did you know your last name is an adverb? [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[nandrewjackson]

Re: EMG\'s

The KE probably sounds bad because seymour duncan p/u's suck!! My OPinion, anyway.

I tried loads of SD pickups in my SL2H and every one of them was awfull sounding.
I switched out and tried several DiMarzio's and every one of them was amazing, finally settling on a Tone zone bridge p/u, and a PAF pro neck.

EMG's are cool, but I have found that you lose some dynamics. Particularly pick attack volume. It's like you're using a compressor when playing through them, to me anyway.

I can't really say enough good things about Dimarzio passive p/u's.

nandrew

[pointofnoreturn]

Re: EMG\'s

I used to swear by Emgs, since im a metal guitar player. Untill my friend introduced me to the Seymour Duncan HMET Live Wire. if your a metal player this thing is Lethal, they should have a permit to use these.

[Inazone]

Re: EMG\'s

Almost all of my guitars have Duncans, but my Hamer Californians are an exception: EMG 89 in my Deluxe, DiMarzio PAF Pro in the Elite. I like the EMG's sound, but after years of playing passive pickups, actives just don't react the same way, and I don't find myself using that guitar often. The PAF Pro, which is in a mahogany guitar, has INCREDIBLE tone, especially through a tube amp. I've found that putting a pickup with mild output (PAF Pro, Duncan JB or Screamin' Demon) in a mahogany or basswood body is a great combination, although it may not be what you're looking for. In any case, I think Ibanez uses DiMarzio pickups in basswood guitars (as most RGs are basswood) because of the smoother tone. On the other hand, I think Jackson probably uses Duncans in alder guitars because they get a bright, punchy tone.

Have you tried a Duncan Full Shred in your Jackson? That's my favorite Duncan pickup so far. You may want to try that before going with active pickups...

[Newc]

Re: EMG\'s

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

[pro-fusion]

Re: EMG\'s

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've got a Dimarzio Steve's Special in the bridge of my Soloist right now, but I'm going to switch back to a Duncan Distortion to see how it reacts through my new Peavey Rockmaster-based setup. The Steve's Special has great clarity for soloing, but seems a bit weak for rhythm playing.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Re: EMG\'s

Simple and cost effective solution is tosee what model Dimarzio's you have in the RG and then put the same ones in the KE2. There will be a slight tonal differance seeing as the RG is basswood and the K2 is Alder. But the pups will be closer in tone since you have your gear set for the RG.
Gil

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: EMG\'s

try a dimarzio super distortion

[Bringer of Chaos]

Re: EMG\'s

I HATE the sound of the stock PUs in my Korina KV. I have been toying with switching them to EMG’s but it sounds like I should check out the various Duncans. I love the KV because it is so light. When you play it while standing up it puts very little weight on your shoulders, but the sound is sooooo weak compared to my other guitars; I just never play it. If I could get a good heavy crunch out of it it would be my main guitar.

I have never attempted to change PU. Is this something I can do myself or should I bring it somewhere? I am fairly mechanically inclined etc. How tough is it to wire? Obviously I don’t want to wreck a mint Korina Jackson [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]