Tonal difference in EMG 81/85?

[MortenP]

Hey, I'm a bit confused and need to ask you guys something..
I've got EMG 81/85-sets in both my model 3 and my Orville les paul custom.
The Custom has a Tonepros bridge, and the model 3 has the stock JT-6..
The thing is, the sound in the model 3 is significantly different than the Custom..The model 3 sounds a bit thinner, and has less bottom and highs than the Custom, is this normal? Can I blame the trem and different wood? Anything I can do to change this for the better in the model 3 as I really dig that guitar?

[GodOfRhythm]

Definitly the wood. EMG's are, regardless of them being active, still pretty sensitive to the type of wood they're in.

[toejam]

The Les Paul will sound darker/warmer due to the mahogany. The Model 3 is basswood and not as warm sounding (not to mention a maple neck that's brighter as opposed to mahogany). I assume you've got both guitars with the 81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck, so I'd suggest to swap the pickups around in the Model 3... 85 in the bridge and 81 in the neck.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

tone is in your fingers
resonance is in the wood
and timbre is in the pickups

[MortenP]

The Les Paul will sound darker/warmer due to the mahogany. The Model 3 is basswood and not as warm sounding (not to mention a maple neck that's brighter as opposed to mahogany). I assume you've got both guitars with the 81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck, so I'd suggest to swap the pickups around in the Model 3... 85 in the bridge and 81 in the neck.

Yeah, 81 in the bridge in both...How much of a difference will the 85 in the bridge make, just askin'?

[toejam]

The 85 in the bridge will definitely make it warmer and give it more balls. The 81 is brighter and will work better in the neck, IMO.
With the quick-connect cable, it's real easy to swap around and see if it works better for you.

[MortenP]

The 85 in the bridge will definitely make it warmer and give it more balls. The 81 is brighter and will work better in the neck, IMO.
With the quick-connect cable, it's real easy to swap around and see if it works better for you.

Thanks Toe! I'll try to swap 'em later today!! Hmm, this is gonna be interesting!

How much does the 85 differ from the 81 output-wise?

[Sunbane]

Thanks Toe! I'll try to swap 'em later today!! Hmm, this is gonna be interesting!

How much does the 85 differ from the 81 output-wise?

EMG used to say that the 81 was their highest output pickup, but according to later statements, they've said that the 85 has a "measurably" higher output. The 81/85/58 are all very close output-wise anyway. I've never personally noticed any difference in that area.

[AfterForever]

What I think:
81: more clear/sparkly than the 85. Razor sharp metal sound, bit trebly..
85. more bass than the 81, which leads to a more muddy sound than the 81.

I prefer the 81 in both bridge and neck position.. but you might want to try the 85 in bridge position anyway, a lot of people here seem to love it

[Sunbane]

Just a comment: I've never had the 85 sound "muddy" in anything, except a plywood bodied Hondo (that sounded muddy with anything I put in it). The term "muddy" doesn't belong anywhere near an EMG-85, IMO. Granted, it has more bass than the 81, but that bass is tight and well defined. There's a definite difference between muddy and bassy IMO, and if you get a muddy sound with any EMG pickup in a quality guitar, you can make it go away with some slight adjustments to your amp settings.

[Mr Metal]

Hey, I'm a bit confused and need to ask you guys something..
I've got EMG 81/85-sets in both my model 3 and my Orville les paul custom.
The Custom has a Tonepros bridge, and the model 3 has the stock JT-6..
The thing is, the sound in the model 3 is significantly different than the Custom..The model 3 sounds a bit thinner, and has less bottom and highs than the Custom, is this normal? Can I blame the trem and different wood? Anything I can do to change this for the better in the model 3 as I really dig that guitar?

I'd guess both the wood and the bridge are responsible

[toejam]

Just a comment: I've never had the 85 sound "muddy" in anything, except a plywood bodied Hondo (that sounded muddy with anything I put in it). The term "muddy" doesn't belong anywhere near an EMG-85, IMO. Granted, it has more bass than the 81, but that bass is tight and well defined. There's a definite difference between muddy and bassy IMO, and if you get a muddy sound with any EMG pickup in a quality guitar, you can make it go away with some slight adjustments to your amp settings.

+1. I've never known any EMGs to get muddy, even the 85 in the neck position, but I just happen to like warmer pickups in the bridge and brighter in the neck.