All user reviews for the EMG 81

I have this mic since I compltement of 2002et. I have on my Vigier I am completely crazy!
But the pickups are as they say:
-Prcis, sr is a -> a highway
Well for the large distortion (because prcis, it makes sense if one saturates a microphone a bit messy mess of what the black)
-Slamming, in short we play a little on the knob, or not, but it's great trs. Light and sound (main quality my eyes) and a super neat!

Now I love the rock sound natural sound too perfect, full of characters, one with which a groove, to vibrate, and the bin is not the right microphone. Genre nuance we forget trs minimal expressiveness and sound and really cold. The guys sometimes say we play everything, can be a rack of effects of 10 meters high but not with a normal amp tubes.

So if you love the fact numrique ok I understand if you play hard I also understand very heavy but otherwise no, no agreement! AT ALL!

I have this microwave for 2 years on my jackson.
I think
advantages:
- No parasites,
- Very precise in its saturated
- It really snaps (see too, it is almost unusable in its clear from playing the knob volume of the guitar, but then you lose the momentum ...)

disadvantages:
- A little cold, great for metal, but it's harder to get a rock sound
it gives a synthetic short side for my taste ... but it's a personal opinion.

For a warmer sound, I advice on a mahogany body ^ ^
If you play metal, it is THE mic for you. Accurate, clear and a phenomenal fishing!!

EDIT: Contrary to what is said above, they generate no breath, you just take good knobs and isolate the battery.

User EMG 60 and 81.85 over the past fifteen years on BC RICH (Bich, Ironbird, Beast), Gibson (Les Paul, FlyingV) on Marshall JCM900, I do not understand the fury of some people to find them disadvantages ... The sound is quite different depending on the model of guitar (especially on BC Rich), but the accuracy is impressive in all cases. When using this type of micro, especially 81, is in black and white in the manual is recommended for the metal, so the output level phenomenal!
Their design allows you to limit the noise, not remove them.
The breath can be heard can only come from either a too small distance between the guitar and amp, or excessive use of effects (including preamp). In both cases, use a noise gate, with the disadvantages that it has too.
I think if there are users frustrated, they find the same pattern as their guitar and they try it with other microphones. At that time they can really judge.
In conclusion, if not the profit margin may be some European retailers on these microphones (see prices in dollars on the site http://www.emginc.com/downloads/EMGPriceList.pdf EMG), I ' have nothing to blame them.

Tried this on a weekend LTD, I hated this microphone. I liked the power of sound but not the seed too indescribably cold and straight. I found the clean sound disappointing. Perhaps it was due to the violin, but many Korean microphones and most get away with more passive at this level. The sound was too square, too surgical, not expressive enough. Power was the appointment and that the quality of the first double that lends itself perfectly to metal styles but also to some experimental music.

And there's the battery to handle. While it is laudable autonomy.

I seriously think that for that price, you can find much better smoke. A buy only if you calculate your sound "output level" when you're a fan of this grain.

Addition of 26 January:
After detailed testing of a micro esp this time, I notice a sound improvement. So there are many, of great importance in fontion of violin used (which confirms the beatings, according to défenseurse of "loyalty to the instrument"). With a guitar bigger sounding, the sound was deeper, more granular, although the trend is definitely the mic smoother, I was able to find anyway a nice grain. The clean goes bad in the medium, which is not bad.

I correct my notes [6]

Note [5] is the average home.

I use AC in the bridge position for 2 years, it's true that it is as big as his, but cold, without much personality I am tempted to say it but the personality of the musician put it right?
lol
uh I have a lot of breath too, I do not know if it's coming from the microphone or welding but obviously we are likely to have the same problem ... I would therefore not tempted to throw stones at me the good guy who welded which is the ca travail.avant I tested a DiMarzio Evolution is very cold, but also sends ca. but unless the 81ok ca did not bad value for money for the EMG's expensive but hey, I know I'm a little close to my gold coins, I have not the masses then I look at the detail ^ ^
I would do not have that choice (which does not mean that I regret) but I change the config to a bill lawrence L500XL soon. I think it will be closer to what I'm looking

This is the micro metal par excellence, I use it for 10 years for speed and there's nothing better, not so powerful as here compared with a Di Marzio x2n killers or other liabilities that often boiled n'envois Sound filthy, not 81 is not the highly accurate full of harmonics, very straight, very neutral tonalitée is because of this that can be tailored Scult sound with a built-in , a grain innimitable, here "grunts", get a tone and it's the Apocalypse, clear, precise, powerful (not too), clean, enough to create a metal the devil, a lightning attack, harmonic singing and adjustable at will, you play metal, you will see the ben trying ... only problem, do not plan to play something else with him, you will find it too cold, it excels in the overdose of saturation!

Mount on a ESP LTD F-50 any con, in a bridge. I use it for two months, micro Obviously this is unstoppable, matre unchallenged in the field of heavy distortion, the TRS 81 is prcis, cutting edge, it picks up any noise (although sr is active) due to the beginners in pramp Chan! if there is noise is that it comes from a strong compression, a simulated pickup or jack rotten! So it's a micro Reserved to mtal of all kinds, heavy, progressive, death, grind, black (though in nivo not care a bit ...), but not only! It is comfortable on the trs trs Shred solos or fast picking, and it is far from cold. Obviously we prfrera rather the 85 solos for the hottest and round. Tight deadlines that I have not much say about the quality of the firm EMG, a fortiori, on the 81. This is the big sound, prcis, millimtr (the tone is very sensitive to nivo the knob, you can get dozens of DIFFERENT sounds nothing that this nivo!), Contrasting with many dynamics, even if it's expensive, it is indispensable!!

Edit 2007: I am less subjugated by micro present but that remains even when sre uen value. See the test on the Seymour Duncan Livewire Audiofanzine Metal to understand ...

This will be ending for two years I use this microphone. I bought a scraper 400 euros, ok but nothing special, and I wanted a big sound. The original pickups lacked clearly dynamic and palm muting the volume on the bottom amp frighten anyone. Then I install the microphone rack, and bam! he ressucit my guitar, she had to blush at the sound we hear the biggest. A coarse, nothing Exceeds ultra prcis, and much less unbearable feedback between two compounds in BPS.

Nanmoins if c'tait again, I will not choose the same microphone. For since my tastes have changed and I am more on the sounds ax hot vintage, grimey and drooling instead of cold incisive clean this microphone. Then over time I play more often in clean, and this mic is just unbearable. Just be a sixth or seventh agreement for the amp so you sound a slurry or each note can be discerned in a compact block of the agreement.

I think that even when the microphone to sound big and prcis.

I use it for several months on my ESP LTD Viper.

I like his power and sound with distortion that is trs prcis, the opposite of my old Gibson pickups or my SD. Harmonics are very easy to play also. It is trs own nickel to play solos and stuff prcis even with high distortion, a does not bleed, never strike a draft.

I like less coldness and lack of grain. It lacks bass. In his clear, it is almost useless without effects, fewer titles only play the Metallica or Megadeth encoreIl and lack of clear prsence and personality.

With my Pod XT Pro, I can have correct sounds for the riffs and for arpges but on my amp without effects, has clearly not only rings.

I think it's a good complment EMG 85 but I will not use two EMG 81 on my guitar, I find it far too restrictive under the mtal play only "cold ". It is highly versatile, hard to play a solo November Rain or type GNR arpge clear sound and rock 70's, will not ring. For me it's EMG 81 85 or nothing!

Price lev but it is a quality microphone (power, no wind) so it's correct.

Is what I will do the same choice, so on a guitar plutt typemtal or cold / neutral / clean with good amp derrire lamps or good effects and EMG 85 in complment, Otherwise, I prfre my SD liabilities that whatever is said, do not buzz / hum and are almost as powerful, even if they are clearly dirtier with more grain.

EDIT: since the acquisition of my Pod XT Pro, I can get something out of 81, and finally I can not find it so bad with good modlisations derrire but in my little amp with no effects or lamps little effect, it did not sound.

I use the 81 for a year on an M1000 (with alder body that goes). I like the precision of this terrible microphone. With it, the notes of the guitar gush! The plans tapping, harmonics, everything is a surgical precision. Mon to / made a leap forward. Inject in my ENGL, your exact is evil!

That's my opinion the microphone of the metal. It is for the first and distortion sounds in return a little cold to be sure its clear. That said, in the neck position rsultats are INTERESTED (for arpges in the metal, a TRS is honorable!).

Do not believe that only a micro compltement change the sound of the guitar (wood also plays a lot) but it can really provide a scratching sound quality average (involving micro MIDDLE) for not so much as a .

For those who also like hot dgoulinant, it is best to ct a guitar made for a (+ seymour mahogany eg JB).

I do it again this choice without hsiter.

- How long have you use it?
2 years now on a low end epiphone: D in the bridge position.

- What is the particular feature you like best and least?
We go straight to the point with the emg81, this microphone is made only for the hard rock and metal and also distortion, no sound or light crunch if you do not want to pierce ears. It's a cold slap a slice, the pm stand death, gnial what. on the other hand in clear bah is the same thing, cold, cold trs same, the sound is not round at all is quite painful to the ears but hey it Voil will not ask him to jazz, either.

- How do you report qualitprix?
Bah remains correct

- With the exprience, you do again this choice?
No, I would do not have that choice because it is sorely lacking micro versatility, Seymour Duncan is better positioned for that.

I had two emg 81 in 2000 and 2007 (each rack). I really did not t Packing in 2000 because I thought it sounded trs trs end with a big dsquilibre sound in the treble. DCID rcemment I give it a chance to see if I did not fall on a n'tais SERIES dfectueuse the first shot: nothing new synth is still trs tick, dry, with a spectrum Reduces too (the fault to the kernel raisin bread). I also EMG 85, SA 60 and only the 81 and 60 cores I do not like raisin bread. I want to do even when a large precision: 81 I was the very first time when I played on a transistor amp (DEFINITIONS so big) and deuxime both ENGL amp lamps ( an extreme precision also) so not really suitable gear my opinion. I think the 81 must give a report on much more interresting amps distortion in lgrement drool like boogie or marshall Msa lamp (with a large low trs tuning gauge)
I tried to run and it will trs trs aggressive good for solos as it catches up trs well excs low position that can handle other rendrent a micro sleeves little soft. However, it does not become warmer, however.
The 81 is a good micro but I would much prfre a 85.

Install two Lespaul, coupled with the same or EMG85, for 1 year. (I also Musicman Luke with the 85 in comparison)
This is indeed trs dynamic super sharp and clean, I recommend approaches for metal. However I would prfre the position 85 Bridge / bridge that I find more harmonious. In the neck position, the 81 gives all its precision, high INTERESTED.
TRS is a good mic that I recommend to pair with a 85, either in one direction Bridge / Neck, or vice versa.
Essay with multiple guitars and two dozen microphones, see, I fell in love with the EMG 81 and 85 ..
I add, a few months later to use this microphone on the neck position and bridge, I find it a little too hard I got on the bridge. I would really prfre EMG 85 at this position. However, it is his advantage in the neck position.

being good given that emg81, we hear everywhere in the world of metal, and the 3 / 4 of the groups I listen to use this microphone, I say no need to look any further!

good not need to do a drawing, the emg 81 is a legend, the word that everyone know, active micro, ultra prcis, cold, ...
people complain that it is cold, so what? I like the fact its cold, if I want a warm sound I take a strat ac a simple micro worse I play the blues! lol

I have this on a micro and a ibanez jackson JS30RR RG, mounted in 11-70, drop B, drop C, drop some A, A #.

obviously good, it sounds metal, it sounds cold. I play mostly metalcore (August Burns Red, Parkway Drive, As I Lay Dying ...), which is a good mix of bold and aggressive riffs, rhythmic palm mute ultra prcis, net shots, and melodies- Solo ultra precise, short a good mix of style metal.

sound level between the ibanez and jackson, the sound changes slightly, a little fat on the ibanez I would say, but the ear you can hear it a lot.

in rhythm: for me it's the highlight of the microphone, it is pure folly. Palm Mute us chills at each shot, accuracy in fast and rhythmic techniques are waiting for you is a pearl.

Leading in, solo: the 81 sounds tjs as accurate, whistle out the harmonics and sound nothing like bcp, is the sustain, the tapping is a real rgal.

for me this microphone is a microphone perfect for this kind of music, but would go very well for other kinds of metal, but I think it is really made for this mixture aggressive rhythm and solos!

I do not regret at all the assets put on my guitars, for that matter is not for nothing that I rebuilt for ibanez.

if I play on a Hugh and Kettner, so as said before, the guitar, the amp bcp can change things, but for me the Ibanez RG and Jackson are perfect for the V metal (24 boxes and more for solos ^ ^) so I think it sounds perfectly fine.

after ben is clear that people like this sound emg, others not, but for me there is no better, and I'm not ready to change these pickups

Features- 9 volt active pickup which requires proprietary electronics to properly install.
Includes pots for volume and tone as well as A battery snap and quick connect cables.

Guitars used for evaluation- Esp Stephen carpenter 6 string- Alder/mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fret board, tom bridge
Carvin DC127- Alder/mahogany body, maple neck through, ebony fret board, floyd rose bridge
Epiphone LP- Mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fret board, TOM bridge

I have tried this pickup in a variety of guitar with different woods and still got pretty much the same results. It's probably a cliche to say at this point but I really feel like this pickup sterilizes your guitar. It made my ESP SC6 and old Epiphone LP sound very similar and those two guitars couldn't be farther apart in terms of construction. It's not a bad pickup in fact I would almost say it is a great pickup for guitars that don't have the best of woods and construction. It can pretty much make any cheap guitar suitable for metal, especially modern metal. After having these in my cheaper guitars I pretty much swore by them for years even putting them in the nicer guitars I started buying. It wasn't until I really set out to try new passives that I realized what I was missing by using these exclusively. It's a stiff sound that stays tight and consistent which is great when just pummeling through power chords with a super saturated amp but they lack character. I did not get the dynamics of a good passive pickup. They are also touted for their low noise but I have not experienced any more noise since switching to passives. In my guitars I have switched to Anderson, bare knuckle, Duncans and, unless I do something silly like get an 8 string, I don't see myself going back

The EMG 81 is probably one of the company's best known pickups and is highly regarded by the metal community worldwide for its tightness, compression and output. I've tried it in many different guitars by Gibson, ESP, Jackson, Schecter, etc and I've come to the conclusion that it's a great pickup for higher gain metal applications. However, my tastes have changed quite a bit in the last couple of years and that type of high output pickup doesn't really do too much for me anymore tone wise. However I'll try and give as unbiased a review as I can.

First off, I should mention that when I was more into active electronics, I found that EMGs wired for 18 volts (as opposed to 9 volts) sounded thicker, punchier and just BETTER overall. Not that 9 volt operation sounds bad, it's just that I (along with many others) just feel that the 18 volt wiring sounds better.

The clean tones are very interesting to me. I find that they're better in many ways, such as the amount of clarity, the top end sparkle and the built in compression. The resulting tone is one that is a little bit more high fidelity sounding when compared to a passive humbucker, which I find is great for eighties and modern clean sounds. However, if I want to really dig in and get a bluesier and more tube-like character... I don't find that this pickup gets there very well. It just has this "perfect" character that doesn't really allow for things like gutsy blues tones to shine through.

The distorted tones are very high output and killer for nineties rock through to modern metal. The added output and compression that comes from the active circuitry really helps to add a cool dimension to the sound. They retain their clarity at even the highest of gain levels, and are quite articulate as well. That being said, they definitely lack some of the openness of passive humbuckers, and doing things like volume rollback/swells or using fairly low gain levels doesn't sound all that stellar to me, so given my current (more vintage based) musical tastes... this pickup doesn't really work well for me.

All in all I feel that the EMG 81 is a great active pickup for those seeking something that is articulate and has that cool high fidelity character. However, for those wanting a more vintage vibe to their tones... look elsewhere.

I use it for one month on a Ltd EC1000 VBK and for 6 months on a Jackson RR24 apartennant to my brother.

I had already tried various models (Gibson 500t, 498.496, EMG and Seymour Duncan Dimebucker 81,60,85, Blackout, SH4, sh2, 59) and I find the EMG 81 on the dreaded crunch and distortion.

I play mostly hard rock / heavy metal (AC / DC, Iron Maiden, Metallica ..) but also classic rock (Led Zep ,...) and I think this mic to a huge response on a mahogany body. playing in the volume, I get sounds really interesting and perfectly suited to my influences. Like what, not forced to play 11 so that it sounds. . .

I love the special ceramic magnet / active pickups. It is a very good combination that perfectly addresses the effects (a slight chorus on a high saturation gives you fast sound 80 ').

I want to say that the EMG 81 respectively lutherie.En the effect, I compared the Jackson RR24 my brother and my EC1000 on my amp. "And the result is obvious: the Jackson, features an alder body , neck and neck-thru OFR, delivers a loud, which did not sustain a lot and seems really synthetic. In contrast, the EC1000 is the presence in the low-frequency and frequency médianes.Hors, it has a mahogany body, a tune-o-matic and a set neck.

I also note that the EMG 81 is often installed in the bridge. Inevitably, the sounds are not clear .. So good that round, the clean sound is great!

I find the value for money very good, because it is a micro reliable, not too expensive and sending severe.

When someone says active pickup you think EMG. When someone says EMG you thing the EMG 81. The EMG 81 put EMG and active pickups on the map in the guitar industry. The EMG active pickups use a pair of rail magnets with a built in preamp. As you probably know active pickups require a battery to power them. Rail magnets are better than the normal magnets used in pickups because there is no gap in the signal. When you bend a string with normal pickups the string moves slightly away from the magnet that string is associated with, and you get a slight decrease in signal. With rail magnets there is no gap in detection of the string vibration. The 81 first came out in 1981 along with the EMG 85. The 81 is the more focused pickup of the two. It has a searing high gain metal sound. When I play music with a lot of palm muting I can get an awesome tone. The 81 really shines when you are playing tight chugging riffs. Tight chugging riffs and single note lines are what this pickup is best at. When you downtune all these traits just help to keep the sound nice and tight. It is very hard to get a muddy sound from this pickup. With the built in preamp it has a ton of output. Because of the built in preamp the magnets dont have to be as strong so there is less string pull so you get more sustain. Because the pickup is so focused on metal it may for some people be lacking in other areas. Sometime if I am playing with a clean tone I can feel like the tone is a little cold or sterile. It can also sound a little “off” when you are playing wide open chords. If you are looking for an active metal pickup for the bridge position this is the way to go.