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Hatsubai « Thick and fat single »
Published on 04/05/11 at 10:35The EMG SA is very similar to being a single coil sized version of the EMG 85. This is the Alnico magnet version of the pickup, and it’s an active pickup which means it runs off of a power source – in this case, it’s a 9V battery.
The EMG SA is a pickup that’s getting a bit dated today, but it is still a decent pickup. It’s housed in an epoxy housing that allows the strings to always be under the magnets and never fade out like some of the regular single coils do when bending. The biggest benefit is that it can be run without a buffer during long cable runs thanks to the built in active preamp. This also helps keep it very quiet and avoid RF interference, especially during live situations.
I said that this pickup is similar to the EMG 85, but that doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same. It has that fat low end that the EMG 85 has, but it has more clarity like a normal single coil would. I find it to be a better “all around” pickup than the EMG S in that it’s fat enough to be run in any position, hot enough to be run in both the bridge and/or neck and a bit more tame sounding when under gain. Don’t be fooled, it can still deliver those screaming tones, but it’s just not as picky when it comes to certain woods, I find.
If you’re looking for a single coil sized EMG, this is a pretty good candidate. It can be a bit “linear” sounding and somewhat compressed at times, but it still delivers some good tones, especially in the neck and especially for heavy metal. If you find it to be too fat, get the S which has the ceramic magnet inside of it. It’s a bit more clear sounding.
The EMG SA is a pickup that’s getting a bit dated today, but it is still a decent pickup. It’s housed in an epoxy housing that allows the strings to always be under the magnets and never fade out like some of the regular single coils do when bending. The biggest benefit is that it can be run without a buffer during long cable runs thanks to the built in active preamp. This also helps keep it very quiet and avoid RF interference, especially during live situations.
I said that this pickup is similar to the EMG 85, but that doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same. It has that fat low end that the EMG 85 has, but it has more clarity like a normal single coil would. I find it to be a better “all around” pickup than the EMG S in that it’s fat enough to be run in any position, hot enough to be run in both the bridge and/or neck and a bit more tame sounding when under gain. Don’t be fooled, it can still deliver those screaming tones, but it’s just not as picky when it comes to certain woods, I find.
If you’re looking for a single coil sized EMG, this is a pretty good candidate. It can be a bit “linear” sounding and somewhat compressed at times, but it still delivers some good tones, especially in the neck and especially for heavy metal. If you find it to be too fat, get the S which has the ceramic magnet inside of it. It’s a bit more clear sounding.