[bluezombie]

Well i just ordered what i think would suit me as a guitarist and now 'im having second doubts, so i want you guys' opinions, before i get them installed, so i could return them.

In my neck i have an EMG-60

and in my bridge i have a Seymour Duncan SH4 JB

I play a very wide variety on music so i want it to sound great all the time.

Did i make a good choice?

 

[violation]

Well i just ordered what i think would suit me as a guitarist and now 'im having second doubts, so i want you guys' opinions, before i get them installed, so i could return them.

In my neck i have an EMG-60

and in my bridge i have a Seymour Duncan SH4 JB

I play a very wide variety on music so i want it to sound great all the time.

Did i make a good choice?

Mixing passives and actives isn't really a good choice IMO. There's a way to do it but you can't use a combo of passive and active (by combo I mean what the middle position on the switch of a Les Paul would be) without having output loss (or you can install EMG's little switch).

Not to mention the EMG 60 can't be tapped... if you're lookin' for ultimate versatility that is a huge downfall, a lot of people love the sound and the option of having a single coil tone in the neck position.

Personally what I would do is figure out which pickup I really, really wanted. Duncan or EMG. Once you decide that then switch the other position with one that will work well with it.

If you want the EMG 60, I'd go with an 81 in the bridge.

If you want the Duncan JB, I'd go with a Duncan '59 or Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck.

EMGs... meh, I own about 3 sets (2x 81/85 combos and 1 81/60). Good for the high gain stuff I play, maybe even rock. Other then that, passives could do a much better job (not to say passives can't handle high gain stuff, I love me some Dimarzios).

That's my opinion anywho.

 

[bluezombie]

Mixing passives and actives isn't really a good choice IMO. There's a way to do it but you can't use a combo of passive and active (by combo I mean what the middle position on the switch of a Les Paul would be) without having output loss (or you can install EMG's little switch).

Not to mention the EMG 60 can't be tapped... if you're lookin' for ultimate versatility that is a huge downfall, a lot of people love the sound and the option of having a single coil tone in the neck position.

Personally what I would do is figure out which pickup I really, really wanted. Duncan or EMG. Once you decide that then switch the other position with one that will work well with it.

If you want the EMG 60, I'd go with an 81 in the bridge.

If you want the Duncan JB, I'd go with a Duncan '59 or Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck.

EMGs... meh, I own about 3 sets (2x 81/85 combos and 1 81/60). Good for the high gain stuff I play, maybe even rock. Other then that, passives could do a much better job (not to say passives can't handle high gain stuff, I love me some Dimarzios).

That's my opinion anywho.

Thanks

Well thats sort of what i was thinking, the duncan would serve as my general pickup, but i am too, a metalhead, and every metalhead's gotta have some action every now and then :rockon: So i thought the EMG 60 i could use when i want a harder crunch.

 

[Skoczylas]

EMGs... meh, I own about 3 sets (2x 81/85 combos and 1 81/60). Good for the high gain stuff I play, maybe even rock.

I must disagree with this statement. EMG's are just as veratily as other humbucking pickups out there.I have a EMG 81 in the brigde (this pickup i do not like in the bridge because it is thin) and EMG 85 in neck (really good). I do not play high gain stuff at all and I have EMGs. Their clean sound is fantasic and clear, and for classic rock stuff they are perfect for my amp.

Sound clip of the EMG 85 in neck (made it a while ago excluse the playing)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=537968&songID=4812272

And here is another one of it clean, with distortion around 2:15
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=537968&songID=5490515

I don't have any clips of the EMGs through my Abriel though which really show how they sound.

--------------

However with that being said. I wouldn't recommend them. They are indeed great pickups, although if your buying them for a guitar don't even bother. You'll have to route a place for the battery, buy a battery for it. You should get two passives instead. Duncans sound good to me, the Duncan Distortion (bridge) and Alcino II Pro (neck) is a really good combo.

I only have my EMGs because they came with the guitar, I'm not replacing them because they are infact good. If I bought a new guitar with not too good pickups I would get passives.

Although I do like the EMG 85 a lot.. and I kinda want a passive bridge with more guts

 

[violation]

I must disagree with this statement.

You only quoted part of what I said...

"EMGs... meh, I own about 3 sets (2x 81/85 combos and 1 81/60). Good for the high gain stuff I play, maybe even rock. Other then that, passives could do a much better job..."

No where did I say EMGs can't handle another genre, I said passives can do the others much better.

However with that being said. I wouldn't recommend them. They are indeed great pickups, although if your buying them for a guitar don't even bother. You'll have to route a place for the battery, buy a battery for it.

Never had to route for my batteries (on both Les Pauls and my RG). Cover it in foam and put it in the cavity. Also, EMGs come with a battery along with all the pots and wires when you buy new... you only have to replace the battery about every 4-6 months.

 

[noobcake]

I dunno about the EMGs, but the JB is without a doubt one of my favorite pickups, yesterday I bought an axe with a JB in it and it's just an all around great pup. Nice output for some good old rock, roll the volume down and it gets nice clean humbucker sounds and on my guitar it's set up to be coil tappable and in single coil mode it gives me one of the nicest, spanky tele sounds ever. The JB is a pretty bright pickup, but it goes perfectly with my mahogany bodied guitar. I dunno if it would work wells with alder bodies and such, but it works great with mahogany.

 

[Budda]

JB/59 set, coil tapped. done.

helps to have an amp that can cover everything too

 

[GuitaristZ]

hmm...Jazz Neck + Jazz Bridge = Amazing set. Might be something worth checking out man...

another great combo is a Pearly gates neck, and a custom custom bridge. Or you could go with a 59 neck and custom bridge. Lots of options...they are all great pickups though. It would help to know what guitar you are playing. The body wood and construction makes a lot of difference.

 

[Skoczylas]

You only quoted part of what I said...

"EMGs... meh, I own about 3 sets (2x 81/85 combos and 1 81/60). Good for the high gain stuff I play, maybe even rock. Other then that, passives could do a much better job..."

No where did I say EMGs can't handle another genre, I said passives can do the others much better.


Never had to route for my batteries (on both Les Pauls and my RG). Cover it in foam and put it in the cavity. Also, EMGs come with a battery along with all the pots and wires when you buy new... you only have to replace the battery about every 4-6 months.

I still disagree with that statement. EMGs can do cleans Very well, better then some passives too. They are not the best because no pickup is the best, its all personal preference, I'm just saying EMGs can do a great job on cleans.

You do have to route in some guitars though and if you don't want to wrap things in foam then routing is best option unless its some vintage guitar or whatnot.

I'm just simply stating my opinion and quoting what you said, Also giving sound clips to show what I'm saying has a point

 

[violation]

I still disagree with that statement. EMGs can do cleans Very well, better then some passives too. They are not the best because no pickup is the best, its all personal preference, I'm just saying EMGs can do a great job on cleans.

You do have to route in some guitars though and if you don't want to wrap things in foam then routing is best option unless its some vintage guitar or whatnot.

Better then some passives? Implying there are better passives for cleans? Thank you for settling what I've said from the very beginning: "passives could do a much better job", lol.

Whether you choose to route or not, it's still reccomended you wrap it 'cause the battery has a metal casing.

 

[Skoczylas]

Better then some passives? Implying there are better passives for cleans? Thank you for settling what I've said from the very beginning: "passives could do a much better job", lol.

Whether you choose to route or not, it's still reccomended you wrap it 'cause the battery has a metal casing.

I haven't proven your point at all... You can't argue that the clips I posted do have a good clean tone. A lot better then what people would expect of a active humbucking pickup ""made for metal"" would do. And can compete with Many passives out there.

I never heard the recommendation to wrap the batteries ?

(P.S)-just side note, I'm not trying to argue just having a friendly debate. however if were hijacking the thread i'll stop

 

[violation]

I haven't proven your point at all... You can't argue that the clips I posted do have a good clean tone. A lot better then what people would expect of a active humbucking pickup ""made for metal"" would do. And can compete with Many passives out there.

I never heard the recommendation to wrap the batteries ?

(P.S)-just side note, I'm not trying to argue just having a friendly debate. however if were hijacking the thread i'll stop

Yes, it's as good as SOME passives but there ARE passives that can out do it in the clean department... most jazz and/or blues players that I've talked to prefer lower output passives.

Anywho, since the OP said the JB would be his main pickup I really don't see a point in mixing passives and actives when you can get a passive that can handle the same tasks just as good, if not better, for the same price (hell, the Air Norton is only $95, '59 is $110... still cheaper than the EMG which is $125) and you'll have no output loss when mixin' coils with the switch.

Wrapping the batteries: "Don't forget - most 9 volt batteries have a metal casing and should be insulated with foam or tape before installation." - http://emginc.com/text/faq.html#BQ3 - also in the instructions that come with them, includes the foam lol.


Not tryin' to start an arguement either, nothin' more then a discussion!

 

[Milkman]

For a two humbucker set up I would recommend a pair of EMG 89s with coil taps on both.

You can get suitable tones for any genre of music with this set up. The technical benefits are significant as well.


Of course so much depends on personal taste. I've used EMGs for many years.

 

[zoomed]

very informative...much thanks