Duncan blackout vs 81 vs DM livewire?

[savage]

Anyone try these pups at one time or another?
I love the JB and hear that the DM bridge livewire is similar to that tone only with the added benifits of actives?
I love the tradmark sinister tone that the EMG 81 gets even though the 81 can be a bit too sterile and one dimensional sounding
Right now i have a dimarzio set(tone zone/air norton) in my main jackson and
use duncan passives in my backup jackson(JB/jazz set)
the dimarzios are not quite "RAW" enough, i prefer the JB and jazz pups over them and want to try a active set in my #1 jackson
I would like to hear from anyone who has compared the blackout set to the 81/85 set and the DM live wire set to the JB jazz set?

[mustaine-who?]

I've

I've tried all 3 sets.

The EMG 81 has that distinctive attack to every picking..."k k k" and lacked bottem end IMO. Cool...but one dimensional.

The Mustaine Set sounded just like the orginal JB/Jazz set...perhaps a little fuller and a teeny bit more hi-fi. But still has flabby bass response.

The BO bridge I put in a Jackson SL-1 was just..."too much" IMO. Too much bass...to much attack...huge output. For my style of playing (thrash) just not articulate enough. Its so damn hot I actually turned off my TS-9.

I just recieved a BO neck which I'm gonna try in the bridge position (like switching an 81 for an 85). I'm hoping that will have the active sweetness I'm looking for.

[toejam]

The Mustaine Set sounded just like the orginal JB/Jazz set...perhaps a little fuller and a teeny bit more hi-fi. But still has flabby bass response.

I'll pretty much agree with that. Definitely fuller, more hi-fi and a tiny bit more gain. The bass is also tighter than the passive version, but still a little loose. Overall, I like them in my new Dean Mustaine V, but I wish they were a little more compressed and closer to the EMG sound.

[axeman81]

well everyone knows that the 85 belongs in the bridge.....don't they?

[toejam]

well everyone knows that the 85 belongs in the bridge.....don't they?

They should!

[Sunbane]

And the 81 belongs on the bottom of a river.

[goodwood]

I have an 81 in the bridge position of one of my guitars running on the infamous 18 volt modification. I like it a lot more than I liked it while it was running on 9 volts but I was ok with it then too...it's just so much more articulate and full sounding on 18 volts.

JB/Jazz set is a nice combination although for me the '59 is still a hard to beat neck pickup.

I am surprised more people don't use the SD Distortion. The lows are so full and the gain is all over it.

[toejam]

JB/Jazz set is a nice combination although for me the '59 is still a hard to beat neck pickup.

The '59 is a great pickup, both bridge and neck version, but it can be a little boomy/bassy in the neck at times. The Jazz is a little nicer to me since I prefer brighter neck pups, but the '59 is still very good overall.
I'm usually not much of a big JB fan either, but I like the one in my Brian Moore, and I think the active Mustaine model is very good, too.

I've also never tried the 18v mods for EMGs, but the 81 can be a little too bright and brittle. I definitely prefer the 85 in the bridge with an 81 or 60 in the neck.

[necrotechno]

Haven't tried the Blackouts yet.

Got the LW-Mustaine set in my KV-Pro. Before I even took the pickups out of the package, I called to find out if they could be run at a higher voltage. They told me they could be run as high as 25 volts. I have no clue how you would get that. Some triple-A's? Anyway, you can run them at 18v. Which, like it does for the EMG's, opens up the sound with more response in the highs and the lows.

[toejam]

The Mustaines are also kinda weird in that they use 100k pots instead of 25k like EMGs. What about the Blackouts and other Livewire sets?

[soc_monki]

The Mustaines are also kinda weird in that they use 100k pots instead of 25k like EMGs. What about the Blackouts and other Livewire sets?

i believe the BlackOuts use the standard EMG wiring...you can plug the blackouts right into the EMG circuit.

i havent tried them yet, but from everything ive heard they have more output, which is what i dont think they need, so im probably going to steer clear. EMG output is just fine, and a passive pickup like the Duncan Distortion (my favorite passive) has just as much output as an EMG to my ears...i never have to mess with the gain control when i switch.

however...i prefer the 81 in the bridge. so all those 81's you wanna send to the bottom a river, send them to me! ill put them to good use

[toejam]

Oh, yeah, the Blackouts do use the same EMG wiring and can be swapped with each other. EMG output is fine with me, too.
I do have one extra 81 laying around, but it's a chrome 25th anniversary edition from the set I bought awhile ago. They sounded pretty good in my old Hamer, but I still kept the tone knob on five on the bridge. The other one is now in the neck of my Les Paul, with an 85 in the bridge. If I had any regular black 81s laying around, I'd send them your way.

[savage]

the one thing about the 81 that no matter what anyone says bad about it
the 81 has that sinister midrange grind like no other
the only other pu that is as sinister is the duncan distortion
I have actually heard the BO is a lot like the DD but the DD has more top ten and not quite as much output.
too bad about the mustaine set havin a flabby bass,i dsont think i could live with that.
I need a very tight, percussive,accurate,sinister tone

[necrotechno]

APC Persuader Lead. No batteries.