• OMG Dude!

  
  As reviewed by Mikey M on 9/29/2009

  I just got the 81x and 85x In the mail straight from the Emg factory. Just opening the package made my heart skip a beat. I have been playing the Standard 81 85 for up to 3 year's now and know it's strength's and weaknesses. The Original 81 in bridge position is legendary for it's clearly defined cordage and bold chug all metal head's are looking for along with it's piercing lead's. The Original 85 in neck position is know for a super beefy low end that are excellent for cleans, and are intense for solo's/Arpeggios on the higher frets. It will get slightly muddy however on the lower fret's due to it's higher gain structure/ Output. The main problems i would have are when you want to play softer and soulful lead the notes are too hot due to the preamp. I've tryed lowering the volume on my guitar but that just decreased sustain and tone. All in all great metal pickup's okay blues pickups. I thought there would be no solution for this. They where my favorite pickup combo, I wish they can become more like passive pickups with it's same edge. Then the x serious came out. Let me tell all of you emg's fan's out there. If you where like me with your original Emg's then i highly recommend getting your setup in the x factor.. You still have all the amazing chug, clarity and tone from an emg only with slightly less gain and a more organic sound. Which will really diminish the limitations of the preamp in original model's. It's basically got the benefits of a passive and active in one pickup. Go check it. You wont be disappointed. Emg has really stepped it up with these pickups

  46 of 46 people found this review helpful.
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• Unbelievable for heavy metal and death metal

  
  As reviewed by James Rooks on 11/23/2010

  Wow! Wow! Wow! Finally the pickup I have been waiting for all my life. First of all, there are metal players all over really downing these pickups. I watched all of the youtube videos for these things. Use a real amplifier. Stop rating these pickups when you use crappy solid state heads. I have a real rig. A peavey 6505 and a Mesa Boogie Cab. These pickups are awesome. They still have the same tone as an EMG with much less compression. They are not as shrill as a regualer EMG 81. They have slightly less output than a regualr EMG and the preamp colors your tone alot less. You will get more tone from your amp and guitar this way. They do sound a little brighter though. This is simply because there is less gain coming from the pickup itself. By using this pickup, you can really crank your guitar up and push the gain on your amp if you want to. There is also less noise in the PUPS and they don't seem to be irritated by lights or other things on stage. The PUPS still have the same clarity as the EMG but you have more room to work with on your amp. I always had to turn the presence down on my amp because the EMG would clip so hard on the upper frequencies causing unwanted noise and feedback. These are just a little smoother with the same brightness and do not clip nearly as hard. They have the perfect balance of a passive and active pickup. Honestly. If you are a metal player, using real gear, these are right up your alley. I am a tone nut and have been searching my whole life. I have to say these pickups are it. You simply cannot go wrong here. Seriously.

  15 of 17 people found this review helpful.
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• ery versatile pick up

  
  As reviewed by Nick on 11/27/2010

  I have been using active pick ups for the past 10 years, started with the EMG 81 and then switched to the EMG 60 after hearing the tones on "Death Magnetic". My curiosity got the best of me when I heard people claiming the Blackouts sounded better so I got a used AHB-2 and I was hooked at first. That is until I got a Peavey 3120, a high gain head does not mix well with such a hot pickup as the AHB-2 and I missed having a useable clean sound as my frankenstrat only has one pickup. I was ready to go back to the 60 until i saw the 81-X. It is such a nice change of pace from the AHB-2, the 81-X still has plenty of output for metal and chugging but it has much more clarity and the low E string pinch harmonics are back!!! I thought my technique was bad as i could NOT get good pinch harmonics with the AHB-2. The 81-X also has a very good clean tone considering it is a high gain pickup, the only complaint I have with the 81-X is the noise due to interference from other electrical devices but other than that I am very pleased with the new design from EMG, it is very versatile. Of course I am curious to hear how the AHB-1 but for now the 81-X will be in my guitar for quite a while.

  6 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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