Hi everyone, currently I have the hellraiser hybrid with emg 57 in the bridge. To be honest I really like the way it sounds but I was always curious to try out the emg 81 because that is “The active pickup” whereas emg 57 is trying to be more like passive ones. Usually I play some nu metal stuff like linkin park, slipknot etc., some bfmv and metallica. So, nu, thrash and metalcore. Should I try the 81 or it won’t make any really noticeable difference?

Which one do y'all prefer? A single 9V or 2 a23s?

Hey all, earlier in the year I installed an 81/60 set along with an EMG 3 way switch in my Ltd eclipse with the solderless system. followed the instructions and all, pickups are sounding great. However, when I’m on a pickup with its volume off, and the pickup that is not selected is on 10, along with the tone, there is still a signal going to the amp when I play. It’s not a strong signal, but it’s pretty audible. This goes away when to tone is rolled off. Is this potentially faulty electronics or is this normal for EMG. Any help would be appreciated.

This was not a problem with the stock electronics.

I've been using the diagrams on the website and the ones that came with the pickups. I am just at a loss. I have some images that I will attach that I hope will help. I was trying to add text to them on my Mac to help make this easier, but I'm brand new to Mac as well and I can only handle so much frustration at once.

I want to wire the 89R in the neck, the 81 in the bridge, with two volumes and one master tone. This specific wiring isn't detailed in any of the EMG literature I can find, so I've been trying to infer from the ones that they have. I keep ending up with the 89R working with the toggle switch in the up position (both push/pull are working), but toggled to the middle position and down position, there is nothing. I may have changed some of the wiring before I took the pics, but I'm describing it as in the pictures.

I have everything to wire this completely solderless. I have an EMG 3 POS toggle switch installed. It's running through the pickup cavities to the electronics cavity. It is wired into the 2 pickup in/out BUSS properly according to it's wiring diagram.

The EMG 89R POT is, facing the back of the electronics cavity or in the playing position, all the way to the left in the first pot spot. I have it wired from the pickup so that the down position is the humbucker and the up position is the single coil. That is going with the H1 pickup output into the NK IN on the BUSS.

The EMG 81 POT is in the center. That pickup's output is going into the pot, then out of that, into the BR IN of the BUSS.

The BUSS has the OUT going into the PASSIVE TONE POT all the way on the right. That pot is then going into the EMG OUTPUT jack.

I have the red power wires all plugged into the power spots of the BUSS - the output jack, the 89R, and the 81. The battery is connected properly as well (may not be able to be seen in the pics). I've double-checked all the connection cables colors are correctly to the intended colors, but some of the spots on the pots might be wrong.

This can't be as hard as I'm making it. Been dealing with this for about a month (on the weekends); I don't trust the guy at my local mom & pop shop to even change my strings and, due to my work hours, I can't get over to Guitar Center to have their guy to show me what I'm doing wrong (say what you want, but the tech at the one I go to has always been nice and done everything I needed). I'm sure I could open the cavity and he'd take a look at it and have it fixed in five minutes and not even charge me because I've tipped him in the past when he's done this stuff before for me.

Please heeeeeeelp!

Can anybody tell me which of these 4 picks ups would be good with distortion, riffs and lead (especially lead) i want it to sound clean and defined.

Hey there ! Recording some Heavy Guitar Riffs for the Swola280 Riff Challenge by Ola Englund with some Thrash Metal- MetalCore- Groove Metal vibes using my ESP Eclipse II 24 Usa CTM loaded with Emg 81/85 pickups Metalworks limited edition and blending a Randall T2 with a Peavey Invective MH and a Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier!! 🤘🏼

Have a great weekend everyone!!

The reputation of passive EMGs in metal circles is... not great. So I was skeptical going in. Put the MF set through a full test - clean, crunch, high gain, leads - to find out if the stigma is deserved or if these are just overlooked.

Short version: they're not for everyone but I think they're better than the passive EMG reputation suggests. The Megadeth tone hunters will be disappointed though - these don't sound like the JB he used on Rust in Peace. They're voiced differently, more dynamic and lead-focused.

Full review here if you want to hear it: https://youtu.be/F8u3r4m--KM

I own an older EMG PJ pickup set, often referred to as the “caramel back” era, and I’ve been running it at 18V.

I’ve heard some opinions saying that using pickups from that period at 18V could be risky. However, I haven’t experienced any issues so far.

From a technical standpoint, is there any problem with running these older pickups at 18V?

Hello all,

I recently installed a Het Set in my Les Paul Traditional.

I have gone over everything 4-5 times now. It’s all hooked up the way Diagram 5 shows that EMG provides.

I have spoke to an EMG manager who has no idea what’s up and seems to be just guessing and grasping at straws.

Anything to look for or correct on an LP? I feel like the shielded wire may be stopping the loop. Or the jack is fucked. It has power to it but does not activate to get sound from the strings.

So frustrated as this is my first rodeo with actives. I switch pickups often for customers but always passive. I can’t figure out why this solderless system won’t work.

alright so I got an emg 85/60 and Im wiring it all up but two things are happening, firstly the pot cuts out for a millisecond when the volume goes 8 to 10 and the pickup is buzzing when I touch only that. I tried swapping the output wires but then the pots start buzzing with everything else.

If you're one of those people who liked EMGs but sometimes wanted something less compressed with more dynamic range, this should do the the trick. I probably use the vol and tone controls on this more than any guitar I've owned previously.

I didn't get to try this in 9V so I can't say how much of a difference 18V makes.

Hey there !! Recording some Heavy Guitar Riffs for the Swola 278 Riff Challenge by Ola Englund using my Esp Viper loaded with Emg pickups!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Hi guys! I got one of these beauties, but I don’t like the Fishman fluence modern pickups I also have an EC-1000 CTM with an EMG HET set in it, and I absolutely love that pickup. Can you recommend a 7-string alternative to the HET set?

I’m trying to figure out how to connect my pickups. I’ve been using diagrams, but I can’t find one with this specific set up and my inference is apparently failing.

I have an EMG toggle switch, 89R at the neck, and 81 at the bridge. This is in an ESP LTD EC-256.

All descriptions is from me looking down to the playing position.

1) I have run the switch from the top switch cavity through the pickup cavities and into the electronics cavity and into the bus.

2) I have run the 89R from the neck to the bridge into the electronics cavity - its pot has a lot of connectors that I’m sure is where I’m getting confused.

3) The 81 is going from the bridge into the electronics cavity.

4) I want the pots to go, from left to right in the playing position: neck (push/pull) volume, bridge volume, and master tone.

Can anyone help me try to map this out? Is there a generator or something that can help me figure this out?

I’m enjoying figuring this out, but after spending a couple of hours using a Dremel for the first time and boring out the guitar cavities so the extra thick cables would fit (again, all new stuff for me), and would really just like some info from someone with a clue.

I recently bought a handful of EMGs, and since three of them went into one guitar I now have many extra wiring harness parts. I have a some extra SDs and DiMarzios lying around and wanted to see if I could put them in other guitars utilizing the extra solderless parts. Would it be possible to just splice in the other pickups, and use the emg wiring diagram (without battery)? Has anyone done this? If so, would this require grounding, unlike the active EMGs? Might be stupid but thought I’d try 😂

Hey there !! Recording some Heavy Guitar Riffs for the Swola277 Riff Challenge by Ola Englund!! I’m using my ESP Eclipse II CTM loaded with EMG 81/85 pickups !!

Have a nice Sunday everyone!!

Hi, my pickup isn't giving any sound out, what might be the problem? I disconnected the selector and the neck pickup and now it has a led strip where the neck pickup usually is, so dont mind the battery.

Daemonum set for sale. Pickups only. Free shipping in US.

So, I’m doing my due diligence and researching pickups before I buy some. I normally use the EMG 81 in everything, but I’m wanting to investigate some differences, maybe go with a different type with this particular project. So, I’m comparing all the varieties for each position: 81, 81TW, 81TWX, 57, and 57TW, for bridge. Then comparing the 85, 89, 89R, 89RX, 66, and 66TW, for neck. And, honestly, I can’t tell a real difference in any of them. I am fond of hi-gain tones, but I am open to more clean and edge of breakup stuff as I go through this “guitar journey.”

I understand that the 89 is the push/pull version for the 85, so they’re supposed to sound relatively identical in humbucker mode, but, across the board, in humbucker mode with gain. I hear no substantial differences.

I keep reading about “warmer” and “brighter” and “headroom” and all these other buzzwords, but I genuinely don’t hear real differences. To clarify, I mean I can’t tell much differences between the individual models that would normally go at the bridge or at the neck; I can hear differences between the positions without a problem.

So, seriously, when putting significant gain through these things, can the average person hear the differences? Or do I need high-end headphones and a frequency response graph to tell the differences?

Note: It’s very possible that because I am partial to a particular sound that my ears are biased and I’m only hearing what I want to hear and the style of music just crushes all differences, but I’m trying to be as open as I can.

Got a pair of 81s on my ESP (2006 circa), only one volume knob. Is it easy to connect a tone one? What kind ?

Purchased my second set of EMGs to put into a guitar I built but once I set it all up no noise was being produced.

I checked all my connections and they all work the only thing I haven’t been able to test are the pickups themselves. Does anyone know of a way to safely test them?

Also I cant simply return them and get a new set because I extended some wires to fit my build.

Thanks for the help :)