Need Help - EMG's or Blackout's
- Thread starter droptrd
- Start date
Help Support Synergy/MTS Forum:
trendkill1168
Well-known member
I'm interested in this comparison as well. I use EMG's right now and they have great clarity for drop-tuned metal but they are slightly sterile sounding. I've never tried the Blackouts but I've listened to clips and they seem a little over bearing on the low end but I guess that could just be recordings with crappy camara mics. I had the Mustaine Live Wires in a Mustaine Dean V I used to have. They are based off of the passive JB/59 set and they had great crunch to them but they seemed to get a little muddy with lower tunings like the regular JB but **** they sounded great with standard or 1/2 step down tunings. I would definately run them in a guitar that was tuned to standard E. Very organic sounding pickups.
I am a big Seymour fan. I do own a couple JB's. The "custom" is killer too for a passive. I also like the duncan distortion C or lower tunings. Im looking for that "active" punch, output and tightness. I guess ill try the Blackout's. Doesnt sound like they would suck. I recently picked up an old ESP horison bolt-on. I has no pups. It was this lame metalic candy pinkish red. I say WAS becuase it currently is hanging down in my basement with a wet coat of primer on it. I bought this kit from stew mac to finish it. comes with primer, black, and clear - all in spray cans. Should be ready in a few days.trendkill1168 said:
Droptrd :?:
Lemme know how that finish comes out, you should post some pics o fthe project so we can see the transformation.
I have always wanted to redo my GIBSON GOTHIC V as it has chips and agging to it, but never found the right kit to do it.
Lemme know.
:idea: D
Lemme know how that finish comes out, you should post some pics o fthe project so we can see the transformation.
I have always wanted to redo my GIBSON GOTHIC V as it has chips and agging to it, but never found the right kit to do it.
Lemme know.
:idea: D
trendkill1168
Well-known member
droptrd said:
Man I'm thinking the same thing....I used to absolutely love the SH-5. I'm using EMG's and they just don't get that crunch like passives and if I remember correctly the Custom was also real good at downtuning. Usually I'm in drop C or C# so the low end is always a concern.
shred-o-holic
Well-known member
I've had both pickups in the same axes......conclusion.......I think the EMG's are great if your guitar has decent mass and tone already.....I found that the Blackouts were too much signal in my hardtail mahogany guitars and sounded very good in my floyd routed models that I have used........that's my take on it......although.....I understand that the Blackouts also do well in Alder bodies......another thing to consider are the new EMG-X pickups coming out......they are essentially EMG's combatant to the Blackouts......similar in design I would think.....so in a nutshell......if you have an axe that may sound thin with EMG's.......then perhaps the Blackout or EMG-X might be a good call for you.....
trendkill1168
Well-known member
Hmmmmmm....my Warmoth is Alder with a recessed Floyd so maybe I could benefit from the Blackouts. Might have to pick one up for the hell of it.
shred-o-holic
Well-known member
TheHunter said:
Yeah that's true.....they are a very BIG sounding pickup......but they are not tight or defined like actives......but if you want big and thick......there you go... :twisted:
Julia
Well-known member
I've had both EMGs and currently have a Blackout. The EMGs felt a little too one dimensional (at least the 81 did). I replaced the EMGs in my Schecter C-1 Hellraiser with a JB/59 set. I didn't really like this set either... until I went down to a 10.5-48 set by D'Addario for Std D and drop C tunings. The heavy 12s I had on it sounded too "tubby" to me. Now the axe has some more bite to the tone.
The Blackout on my Alexi? I like that one. It's a rock maple through neck with an Alder body. But even here I'm finding the tone not as 3-dimensional.
My SG? I'm going from the 498T to a 57 Classic in the bridge. The 498T sounds good but the 57 to me sounds better. I liked the 61 Reissue better than the Standard when I bought the Standard, but I wasn't able to get the 61 Reissue for under $1200 at the time like I did the Standard.
The Blackout on my Alexi? I like that one. It's a rock maple through neck with an Alder body. But even here I'm finding the tone not as 3-dimensional.
My SG? I'm going from the 498T to a 57 Classic in the bridge. The 498T sounds good but the 57 to me sounds better. I liked the 61 Reissue better than the Standard when I bought the Standard, but I wasn't able to get the 61 Reissue for under $1200 at the time like I did the Standard.
trendkill1168
Well-known member
Julia said:
Man I see alot of metal players using JB's for drop-tuned metal like Lamb of God, Arch Enemy, Darkest Hour, etc... For some reason I can't get them to sound good downtuned. Maybe it's my sh!tty playing.
shred-o-holic
Well-known member
I used JB's for a while......but then I re-visited EMG's and cannot go back to passives as they do not have that hyper fast attack and clarity of actives......IMO......although I hear great things about those BK pickups...
shred-o-holic said:
I have to agree with you here. I like the sound of a good Passive PUP but nothing tickles me the way an EMG does, and IMHO EMGs crush the BO, ive tried 2 guitars with them, one 7 and one 6 and both of them sound just OK. Take an EMG loaded guitar any day!
Shinozoku
Well-known member
LoG uses a 59trendkill1168 said:Julia said:
Man I see alot of metal players using JB's for drop-tuned metal like Lamb of God, Arch Enemy, Darkest Hour, etc... For some reason I can't get them to sound good downtuned. Maybe it's my sh!tty playing.
But yeah, I dunno how Michael Ammot got his sound so clear with those pickups, on that guitar (24.75" scale) =/They have they presence on thier Mark IV's dimed.Shinozoku said:LoG uses a 59trendkill1168 said:Julia said:
Man I see alot of metal players using JB's for drop-tuned metal like Lamb of God, Arch Enemy, Darkest Hour, etc... For some reason I can't get them to sound good downtuned. Maybe it's my sh!tty playing.
Shinozoku
Well-known member
Eh? Michael Ammot is in Arch Enemy, he plays Randall
Share this page
Similar threads
