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Hatsubai « More open EMG 85 »
Published on 04/11/11 at 19:15The EMG 85X is part of the new X series that EMG developed to help rejuvenate their active pickup line. It shares the same physical attributes as the original 85, but they revised the preamp inside of the pickup.
Recently, people on forums have been experimenting with running pickups at 18V to get more headroom out of their pickups. This helps them sound more organic and less linear and compressed. The newly revised X series preamp basically takes the concept of running at 18 volts to a new level.
The EMG 85X is very similar to the original EMG 85. It has an Alnico magnet inside of it which helps make it sound rounder and less aggressive than the 81. It’s fat and really thick sounding, so it makes an awesome neck pickup for those round, buttery lead tones. The X series preamp helps make this pickup sound more open and less compressed than the original 85 was. You lose some of the aggression that the original 85 had, but you gain this sweetness with huge chords and single notes. Basically, the preamp isn’t clipping as much as it used to.
The EMG 85X works in any wood you throw at it, but I find that EMGs typically sound best when they’re in mahogany. Some people argue about EMGs having a signature tone that takes over the guitar, and this is true to an extent, but wood still plays a very important factor. I’m not a huge fan of EMGs in basswood, but they can work with the correct EQ.
If you ever wished your EMG 85 sounded more open and more like a passive pickup, check out the EMG 85X. I love this pickup in the neck position, but it also works great in the bridge for neutral to brighter sounding woods like alder, walnut and maple.
Recently, people on forums have been experimenting with running pickups at 18V to get more headroom out of their pickups. This helps them sound more organic and less linear and compressed. The newly revised X series preamp basically takes the concept of running at 18 volts to a new level.
The EMG 85X is very similar to the original EMG 85. It has an Alnico magnet inside of it which helps make it sound rounder and less aggressive than the 81. It’s fat and really thick sounding, so it makes an awesome neck pickup for those round, buttery lead tones. The X series preamp helps make this pickup sound more open and less compressed than the original 85 was. You lose some of the aggression that the original 85 had, but you gain this sweetness with huge chords and single notes. Basically, the preamp isn’t clipping as much as it used to.
The EMG 85X works in any wood you throw at it, but I find that EMGs typically sound best when they’re in mahogany. Some people argue about EMGs having a signature tone that takes over the guitar, and this is true to an extent, but wood still plays a very important factor. I’m not a huge fan of EMGs in basswood, but they can work with the correct EQ.
If you ever wished your EMG 85 sounded more open and more like a passive pickup, check out the EMG 85X. I love this pickup in the neck position, but it also works great in the bridge for neutral to brighter sounding woods like alder, walnut and maple.