To me the 85 sounded the most dynamic of the bunch. The 81 sounded fuller, more rounded with gain than the 60, which sounded more aggressive and a bit more defined. I'm planning on getting a guitar with an 81 in the bridge position and a 60 in the neck position so this video was very helpful.
Thanks! :) I'm happy to test more stuff if i can get my hands on it. I even tried buying a used Seymour Duncan Blackout to include in this test, but the deal didn't go through..
I really prefer the 81 for dirt and the 60 for cleans. So maybe best of both worlds? I would go with an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck if it were me.
I think in a live band mix situation you'll find that the 81 cuts through a lot more than the 60, as the 81 has a high mid spike whereas the 60 has scooped mids. The 85 seems to be similar to an 81 in frequency profile but shifted towards the bass side, i.e. it has deeper bass and a lower mid spike with less treble.
dude buddy bro just got to let you know your video was freaking perfect and to the point and it actually helped us decide which pick up the go with but I honestly love the simplicity and the video was perfect perfect freakin rock and roll
somehow the EMG 60 sounds the most bright in clean tone... whilest the 81 and 85 sound really metallic... i really love it... i would go for two 60. Neck and Bridge.
Thanks for such a great comparison. It's also great to read the comments. Everyone's tastes are so different, but it seems everyone really respects and appreciates what you've done here. Nice work.
Kool comparison, you can really hear the difference, curcurrently on a custom build & have all 3 of those at my disposal to install thanx for the review
Upgrading from passive pups (SD SH-8 Bridge, Chapman Passive Agressive Neck), I think I'll set mine up with an 85x in bridge position and an 81x in the neck position. Seems like a better fit for getting all the best of both worlds. I super appreciate both of your videos demonstrating how the most iconic three sound in both positions! Thanks very much :D
I think the differences show very strongly with clean tones. With overdrive, I do hear a difference but nothing that you couldn't E.Q. into any of these pickups.
Hm... It seems each one is suited to a specific type of playing. Though all seem to do the three different tones fairly well, the 85 sounded best on cleans, the 60 did the best crunch and the 81 had the best cut and definition in the high gain. At least to my ears that is how it sounded.
emg85 is the best pickup they ever made. highly underrated bridge pickup - and not just for alder/basswood guitars. I have two 85's in my mahogany body mahogany neck rosewood f/board batitone...which is a super dark guitar - the 85's just bring out all the richness in the depth. tuned to dropped Ab
i’m back 7 years later - the baritone now has one lace hemi in the bridge and no neck pick up. and i swapped the emgs into a les paul- 85 bridge for rich fatness and a 60 in the neck for less boom and more clarity 7 years went fast
Michael Peretto The 85 and the 89R which is the same pup with the option to be split, Is just fine and just as tight live, you can take this as gospel. The 85 and the 89R are the best EMG active buckers made, its so obvious its not even debatable. If you are muddy with an 85, its your technique, or an EQ/Amp issue, its not the 85's fault, and the same goes for the 81 and 60. Saying the 85 is muddy, is like arguing what string brand is best for pinch harmonics.
I'm not arguing against the 85 as I don't have much experience with it, but the 81 is definitely tight. So much so that I find it sterile and lacking in character. Low gain passive into high gain amps is probably going to be your best sound out there...and keeps things quit like Actives
Awesome, no talking in between, no bullshit. THANK you for that. Holy mother, you wouldn't believe how many comparisons include so much dribble it's hard to remember what you just heard. But I would suggest using an actual amp next time just to give a more realistic comparison to what most people would use. Good upload!
Hi! Thanks. Yes i always disliked tests with a lot of talk or other stuff between the sound samples. I didn't have a proper valve amp at the time, but a passive pickup test i made afterwords uses a real amp. To be fair, the software is quite good at beeing transparent, i tried to use the ones that would best achieve that goal..
Thanks for this video. Not everyone is going for a fat humbucker sound. I’m really after a single-coil tele sound for a bridge pick up. It sounds like the 60 is going to get me close. Now I’ll have to find a strat-ish neck pick up.
I actually got the 60 because I was looking for a more strat like tone, and it's pretty good for it, much better than the 85 at least. It's still an active humbucker so you've gotta have reasonable expectations, but the 60 I think is the best option from emg
Yeah man, running 2 batteries makes all the difference. The tone is just ...more! More dynamic headroom, sustain, warmth, and clarity all at the same time... Turn down your volume knob if you want more of a clean or overdrive kinda sound, crank it up for distortion and bite and tons of harmonics! I could go on and on and on haha
81 is brighter then the 85 . 85 is more bass . EMG 60 is very mellow cool sounding , laid-back . Dual 81s in my LTD 1000 E , not changing them at all .
Late to the party, but thanks so much for this video. I had already decided on the 60 from playing a friends guitar and now know I'm going with the 81 over the 85 as a companion. They sound alike in a lot of ways, but the 81 sounds more 'open' and the 85 sounds 'compressed'.
emg 85 is built to sound more clear because it is usually used as a rhythm pickup. I honestly think it is way better for a bridge position. My set up that i want to try next is Emg 85 for the bridge, and emg 55 or 60 for the neck.
Emg-81 in the bridge position Everyday. The 85 and the 60 are good companions in the neck position for clean and lead tone diversity but for that killer crunch with the distortion nothing beats the 81. \m/
Great job on the video man. Torn between the'81 & '60. The 60 has more treble ( to my ears) But everyones gear is different & these can be Eq'd to personal preference. I think the 60 in the bridge is my way to go.
Thanks :) Yes i find the 60 has higher freq. treble, that makes the cleans sparkly, the 60 also sounds to me slightly mid scooped, but i don't know if in the bridge, those highs might be a bit too much under distortion, but do try to see if you like it
I really think the perfect combo for these 3 is 85 bridge and 60 neck. 85 in the bridge is bigger, warmer, has that low mid presence. Never liked it as a neck pickup; it’s got one use in that position and it’s high gain soloing. Cleans are muddy and breakup too easily. 60 in the neck just sounds really nice. Strikes a good balance between having brightness and clarity without sounding too harsh. Lower output too, so it levels easily with a hotter bridge.
So far the 85 wins for me again! Anyone one of them would work great, but if I'm choosing it's either the 85 in the bridge and the 81 would be my second choice. If I could only find a 60 though I'd be happy to use it too!
I actually enjoyed the 81 in the bridge position most surprisingly in clean channels. The 81 and 60 sounded better with distortion.. The 85 sounded a bit muddy. I think the 85 is far better as a neck pickup than in the bridge. I have an EMG 81 in the bridge of my Schecter and a Sustaniac in the neck position. It sounds fantastic.
Exactly what I want to say, having Schecter Damien 7 platinum: 85 is just too fat, too bassy at neck, and then in the bridge position 81 just can’t do the mids and highs well enough as 60, so, when you need a clean distorted lead, the sound is too muddy and indistinguishable, rather than when there is a 60 pickup which registers those much better. I think my ideal would be 81 neck and 60 bridge.
Good testing. The emg 81 seems to be the obvious chose, if your wanting to cut through the band it sounds a little like a telecaster on steroids... the emg 85 has a little more of deep however that is sometimes, but not always a bit trickier to match whit the band since you can get to much deep / bass together. The emg 60 had a little less output overall but a very nice sound of its own giving me a piezo feel during the cleans. However i prefer the emg 81 but its just a matter of taste. All of the emg pick ups is great gear. My favourite combination is SA/SA/81 whit AB220 booster and Pi2 switch combined whit a saddle piezo system ( like the Graph Tech Ghost systems ) makes you able to do whatever you want whit the sound :)... Thats kinda the set-up i have been using since 2006.
That dark chromatic scale.... ;) EMG81 with 14 volt DC supply is where it's at. I modded mine with two 9V battery conectors in series and it's much better sounding but the sweet spot for me was when the batteries were dying. When I measure the voltage left when I though was the best balance of clarity and tone was about 14Vdc. A voltage regulator added to the two 9V batteries OR a 9V plus 4 AA OR a 9V plus those stubby 6V battery would also do the trick, it's 15 V but would soon reach 14V anyways, 18 V supply was ok at first until 14V came along. Personally, I like EMG81 for fast lead oriented instrumental songs but prefer passive pickups most of the time for a smoother and human like singing feel with sustain, Active pickups shine when each note needs definition. Much like triggers on a drummer's bass drum in some fast metal playing.
@@megahurtz30 I was not aware. I do know there are Plutonium cells out there. Probably not for the general public. So 12V plus 2xAA would work in that case. Also, as any pickups, the distance from the pickup to the strings will make a difference in the thickness of sound. I had verified on EMG's site and their EMG81 will take 18V or less without issues.
Great work ! Thanks. No frills, no fluff, just what the doctor ordered! Got a Schechter Hellraiser with the Sustaniac. LOVE LOVE LOVE the way it plays but play in cover bands and have come to realize it's a one trick pony. Need a Strat (single coil) sound and looking to modify the Hellraiser with a coil tap option which only comes in the active EMG 89. How does the 89 compare to the 81? Just want a few a opinions as I research...
Thankyou for this. Great to hear a dry review without any post production. And suprising results for me at least. I was thinking 60 or 85 for better versatility, however, to my ears, i prefered the 81 clean and 85 or 60 with gain. Sorry but wasn't a fan with the sd1.
I'm building a V-style METAAAAL (Rob halford scream) guitar with only one pickup in the bridge, and I didn't know which of the emg's I would choose, but know I know exactly which one to get, the 60. Great demo! Liked and Subscribed!
I wish that the 60 had a little more boost in the preamp because I love the string separation and clarity that it gives even under high gain it just needs a smidgen more umph ... but then again I have never played a 60 with an EMG AB/AB220 or a PA-2 ... now I am really thinking about trying a 60/60/PA-2 setup
I really do not think that I will because I have always found the 81 lacking and the 85 too round for my taste ... also even though the 60 is ceramic it doesn't get that icepicky in the higher frets of the treble side
Such Great sounding Pickups. I away liked EMG's I got 85/81 in my Schecter . 85 in Neck and 81 in Bridge. 60 go's soft fast but that what It made to do, it has it's place.
Hi Jay, to my ears the 81 and 85 are nearly the same. Very little difference. I am interested to figure out how each model works on CLEAN SOUNDS. 81 seems to sound a bit more transparent than 85 . 60 to my ears sounds quite soft. I am trying to a couple of EMG HUMBUCKER for very nice clean sounds, the tipical use with chorus , reverb, compressor for those unforgettable 80’s sounds...... Can u please advise me? Thank u in advance....
Awesome! Thanks for that. I was curious about the 60 in the bridge. I like its clarity in each form compared to the 81. I'm most curious about the pinch harmonics, how do they sound between the bridged 60 and 81? Any chance you could make such a vid?
no it wont have any affect at all ,this confuses those of us who listen with their eyes instead of ears. ive learned to not do this many,many years ago that way i dont get tricked like you have. Ive done a test with all three pickups in 3 guitars back to back,there is no difference. if you put a loaded strat pickgard into a les paul it would sound like a strat. this is simply a marketing scheme to sell expensive guitars,and you have obviously been duped. google cardboard strat , it sounds EXACTLY like a strat. google toilet seat guitar,it sounds exactly like any guitar with the same pickup configuration google acrylic guitar,it sounds the same as any other guitar with the same pickup configuration. google alumicaster,it sounds exactly like a telecaster and its made of aluminum sorry but you've been fooled,many have as well and have been sucked onto the tonewood debate
@@waynesmith747 if you cant tell the difference in tone based on what wood and shape the guitar has, that's perfectly okay, but that doesnt mean that the difference doesnt exist. Some people have a very good ear for even the slightest change, and it makes a difference to them. If you're cool with a cardboard guitar, more power to ya. But dont tell the rest of us that our knowledge of tone is unfounded.
@@pewpew2793 yes, the shape does effect the sound. The vibrations of the strings travel throughout the guitar. So while they may play the same notes, different guitar shapes will have slight changes in, I dont know if you would call it tone, but it's a different kind of sound.
Absolutely!! I have a Schecter c1 platinum with EMG's 81/85 and it sounds cheap! Have the same 81 bridge pickup in my schecter hellraiser frs-s & it sounds great! I even called EMG and they told me that the tone you get depends on the type of wood the body of your guitar is made with. They assured me that they haven't changed anything in the manufacturing of 81/85 set since day 1.
It all depends on what ya wanna do: but to my surprise, the 85 sings best for a lead tone with oodles of fuzz, despite the fact it was originally intended for the neck position - the 81, lacks the mid-range boost that the 85 has - so while the 81 "cuts" more, it doesn't sustain/sing quite as well. The 60, surprisingly, was good for jugga-jigga-wugga metal rhythm work, precisely because - by comparison - it doesn't have a lot of sustain, but much more attack: so it's probably great for "crunchy" style, lead guitar tones, but not great for "smooth-noodles".
Great demo. For some reason my 81 sounds so weak in the bridge and not as loud as my 85 in the neck in my 7 string. To the point where it seems like the pickup is bad.
+David “MISFITSWITCH” Wagner raise up the level of the 81 with the screws and lower your neck pickup the same way,play while doing it and test until they're balanced
nice demo. I have two guitars were the 81 sounds best in the bridge and one guitar were the 85 sounds best. The 85 i think is the best all around pickup for both positions for my ears that is.
Hey man great video. But just letting you know, your guitar isn't intonated right. You need to adjust your saddles so your guitar will sound more in tune when you play it. Anyways thanks for the awesome video!
If you're saying that because of the picture, i do have to say the G string saddle has a tendency to drift (unscrew itself) towards the neck, over time, with playing. But i check and adjust the intonation from time to time. Don't forget i'm using a .011 string set, though..
Reyvan Taunt It's not a big problem. But yeah, i should get one. I have to find out which brand and model is the best replacement with the correct dimensions, when i get around to it..
megahurtz30 they pretty much come the same. Ive thrown a part from a Dean Vendetta onto a Gibson Special for a friend with no problem. There may be an exception or two out there for some crazy custom thing, but I'm 95% sure that dimensions are gonna be the same across the board. You might want to look at the metal any of them are made of, and see if you can maybe find some thread that discusses the difference in tone from metal to metal. Or just find a guitar out there that you like, research what it has, and just get it. I just got an LTD Eclipse-1000 and the bridge/saddle on it seems to be pretty solid. They got the intonation like spot on in the factory, so maybe look into finding out what they are using :P
I'm wondering if some of you on here can help me out. I recently bought a guitar with active pickups. it's my first guitar with actives and I was super excited to try them out. The first thing I did was go show my friend and his family. So I grabbed my Spider IV 15w that I use for travel and when I tried it out there, it sounded awesome. I had a nice full sound, awesome cleans and everything was great. so I couldn't wait to try it out on an amp that was actually good. so I got home and plugged it in to my Vox AD100VTH with the 4x12 and...was very disappointed. my passives are so much better on this than the actives are. my cleans are nowhere near clean, and then when distorted, it doesn't actually have as much sustain and "carry" as my passive pickups do. it's not as full as it was on my cheap solid-state.
I tried changing the battery, still same thing. But my signal chain consists of 4 pedals, and actives were made to bust through long signal chains. So I'm thinking it's just putting out too much signal.
It could also be since you're using the Vox, it doesn't have as much clarity and it's a Hybrid Modeling amplifier, so it has digital fx's instead of analog fx's. A Line 6 Spider is a really shit amp to compare a sound with since these are not designed with tone in mind. The only reason I kept mine for a while was to use it as a pc speaker or use the crunch channel to re-amp it through my record out straight into Amplitube at the time. Even with active pickups, if your guitar is build like an amateur it will sound like an amateur. I carry my Tiny Terror everywhere whenever I go and try a guitar because it's the sound I am used to and it's the most honest amp I have ever played. It has a really Modern sound for such a small British amp and if you are the problem or the guitar is the problem the amp will definitely tell you! Also try getting rid of any distortion pedals or overdrives when choosing a sound since active pre-amps already overdrive the signal and this could end up fucking up your sound. Every amp responds different to the same chain of effects and if the Vox isn't made to take high levels of distortion well, chances are it will get oversaturated and every note will sound like an open A chord.
Thomogon well something weird happened. my friend has a guitar with the same pickups and he brought it over. I showed him what I was talking about, he plugged his in and it played fine. which made me believe it was my guitar. (which was heartbreaking because it was one of 400 and I'm afraid to do any work on it) so I plugged mine back in and it worked perfectly. so it was weird but...don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Sounds really stupid, but I think faulty cables were your problem. Weither it was a break in your wiring that wasn't properly connected anymore or a cable with shielding issues, it caused your signal to be distorted to the extend of it sounding faulty. My VGS has a common LP shape problem that is the jack-input that won't stay put so needs rescrewing every few weeks, that's the way things go. I'd avoid cables with cloth shielding instead of rubber to begin with, made this mistake myself.
