# EMG 57 vs EMG 81 comparison (high gain)



## ThomasVB (Feb 15, 2021)

I'm quite a fan of active pickups, especially for high gain.
Love both EMG's and Fishmans, but I always felt they aren't that different.

So that's why I started creating some demo's to hear the actual difference (and I think it's subtle)
This is the first one, the EMG 57 vs EMG 81.

What do you think of the overall video?
I like doing some variation, so you actually hear an in the mix mid tempo riff first.
after that just one riff mono, but using three different rigs to demonstrate how different both pickups sound using different gear, and after that some more riffing, in the mix but also guitars only, but this time in stereo 2x tracked.

I didn't record any cleans, I actually tried to but usually always distorts a bit and let's be honest, most people get their cleans from good passives.

I also own an EMG 60, 85, Fluence (alnico), Fluence Devin and a 60A that should arrive any time now. Still figuring out how I'd like to compare/demo all of them, so any thoughts/ideas are welcome.


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## Scott Swoope (Feb 16, 2021)

Hard choice there. Like the 57 solo but the 81 stands out in the mix. Will like to here the 81 vs. Fishman.


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## Matt08642 (Feb 16, 2021)

The most frustrating part about an 81 is that when you have one, you have _the sound. _The hunt is over.


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## lewis (Feb 17, 2021)

Matt08642 said:


> The most frustrating part about an 81 is that when you have one, you have _the sound. _The hunt is over.


This is the truest thing ever.
Kinda ruins all other pickups.

I found the 81 before I found Fishmans, therefore the Fishmans seem whack to me because of it. I seriously dislike the Moderns and the whole time im like *sigh* " I just want my 81s"


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## Millul (Feb 17, 2021)

This thread makes me wanna swap the PU in my Modern to EMGs...had them in the past, the 81 really does 1 thing, but it's the one thing we all love and want, and it does it awesomely well!


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## lewis (Feb 17, 2021)

best thing is when alot of guitarists are "81s are too compressed for me - screw EMG pickups"

then proceed to collect ODs/boosts/compressors/eq pedals etc to all run infront of their amps, adding compression in the process.
hilarious irony


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## slavboi_delight (Feb 17, 2021)

lewis said:


> best thing is when alot of guitarists are "81s are too compressed for me - screw EMG pickups"
> 
> then proceed to collect ODs/boosts/compressors/eq pedals etc to all run infront of their amps, adding compression in the process.
> hilarious irony



That was me a few years ago. 
Now in heavy music compression is something I'm longing for and the more i can leave out of the equasion, when it comes to tone especially live, the easier playing gets for me.


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## lewis (Feb 17, 2021)

slavboi_delight said:


> That was me a few years ago.
> Now in heavy music compression is something I'm longing for and the more i can leave out of the equasion, when it comes to tone especially live, the easier playing gets for me.


exactly!!!

instead of having all those pedals, just have EMGs haha?
they cut as good or better live than most other pickups ever ive tried.
I really struggled with getting my Moderns to cut properly in a live mix on a show I did.

Played the same venue couple months later but this time swapped my 81s back in using quick connect - for that show, and had no problems cutting live at all and it sounded fantastic.


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## slavboi_delight (Feb 17, 2021)

lewis said:


> exactly!!!
> 
> instead of having all those pedals, just have EMGs haha?
> they cut as good or better live than most other pickups ever ive tried.
> ...


We've been buttheading about moderns and emg way too much mate haha! But hell i love them equally but then again when it comes to convenience, EMG is just so easy to handle man. And for like 50 quid used you get a pickup that won't let you down. And i agree with you on pedals. For years i used a 6505 with an emg equipped guitar and only used an od when i needed a little boost for leads. And that's it. Easy as it gets The 81 does the "tight thing" proper.


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## failsafe (Feb 17, 2021)

I loved the comparison, and the spasming stuffed elephant was a great touch!


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## Mathemagician (Feb 17, 2021)

New pickup idea EMG 57/81TW. 

It’s two voices in one pickup!


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## elkoki (Feb 17, 2021)

My favorite part was the dancing elephant


Listening to your comparison here , I cant hear a difference.. but I'm listening through my phone. I have had both of these pickups in the same guitar running it through the same tube amp and there is a definite difference. To me the 57 is a little warmer .. less "tight" and compressed, in my already dark sounding guitar I much preferred the 81


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## Hoss632 (Feb 20, 2021)

The 85 and the fluence alnico would be an interesting comparison. Especially in the bridge position.


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## InfernalVortex (Feb 20, 2021)

Matt08642 said:


> The most frustrating part about an 81 is that when you have one, you have _the sound. _The hunt is over.



Yeah.. 81's are so distinct. It's unusual to me to compare it to something like a 57, because as an EMG active, it's one of the few pickups out there that isnt so incredibly distinct from an 81. 

Either way, the differences are subtle here. I may be imagining it, but I feel like there's a little extra sizzle or something on the 81 palm mutes. Super subtle. There's also a little extra treble "sharpness" to the 81... Not better or worse... 

The only real solution here is to just have a guitar with a 57 and a guitar with an 81.


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Feb 20, 2021)

Meh...in a mix they sound rather similar. I figure if you like the EMG sound either one will do in that context


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## jonsick (Feb 23, 2021)

From the video they sound very similar. Where they differ in my opinion is the feel of the guitar as a result. 

My E-II Arrow 7 string came with the 57/66 set and I had fitted an 81-7/85-7 into the Jackson Broderick 7. I remember I just preferred the reaction the Jackson had when playing and that something something in the midrange over the E-II. I did eventually swap the set in the Arrow to the 81-7/85-7 and instantly was much much happier. Both guitars sound how I want them to.

My Charvel Satchel came with the Fishman pickups and whenever I played it, it just didn't have that me sound. The Fishmans aren't bad pickups but yep, I went ahead and fitted up a standard EMG 81/85 set. That's just me all over.

They don't sound good everywhere, mind! I have an Ibanez RG2570z with EMGs right now and the thing just doesn't sound right. 

EMG are no different to any other pickup in that in the right guitar, they sound divine. In the wrong guitar, they sound terrible. I guess my Ibanez is just one of those guitars. But rule of thumb for me is EMG 81/85 every time for me!


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## InfernalVortex (Feb 23, 2021)

jonsick said:


> From the video they sound very similar. Where they differ in my opinion is the feel of the guitar as a result.
> 
> My E-II Arrow 7 string came with the 57/66 set and I had fitted an 81-7/85-7 into the Jackson Broderick 7. I remember I just preferred the reaction the Jackson had when playing and that something something in the midrange over the E-II. I did eventually swap the set in the Arrow to the 81-7/85-7 and instantly was much much happier. Both guitars sound how I want them to.
> 
> ...



This is my frustration with people who used to say EMG's sound the same in every guitar. They absolutely do not. They always sound like EMG's (at least as far as the 81 and 85 go), but they do not make every guitar sound the same.

My RG520 (supposedly a mahogany body, who knows what it really is or whether it matters. Has a beautiful grain to it, though.) has a little bit of a mellow attack to it. I used to love it because it was a darker and thicker sound but I wanted to change it up. I put an EMG 81 in it to make it a little snappier. It was unmistakably the same guitar but still had a mellow attack to the notes, even with an EMG 81! It helped but it wasnt a net positive to the sound. I put the Jim Root set in it and it sounds amazing now. And the EMG 81 is my favorite pickup. I have two other RG's, and both of those have 81's in them.


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## Zhysick (Feb 23, 2021)

Can everybody fucking stop saying the Jim Root pickups sound better than the 81? I cannot afford buying more pickups for the moment and even then I have to buy some pickups for other guitars first.



Please 




Just please


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## InfernalVortex (Feb 23, 2021)

Zhysick said:


> Can everybody fucking stop saying the Jim Root pickups sound better than the 81? I cannot afford buying more pickups for the moment and even then I have to buy some pickups for other guitars first.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It definitely doesnt sound better. It just sounds good.


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## elkoki (Feb 23, 2021)

jonsick said:


> From the video they sound very similar. Where they differ in my opinion is the feel of the guitar as a result.
> 
> My E-II Arrow 7 string came with the 57/66 set and I had fitted an 81-7/85-7 into the Jackson Broderick 7. I remember I just preferred the reaction the Jackson had when playing and that something something in the midrange over the E-II. I did eventually swap the set in the Arrow to the 81-7/85-7 and instantly was much much happier. Both guitars sound how I want them to.
> 
> ...



Every guitar has it's own tonal characteristics (even when you have 2 guitars made of the same woods), regardless of what pickups you have certain qualities will always come through the amp. I only say this because sometimes people blame the pickup for the bad tone (i've done this too), then after countless of pickup changes on that same guitar you realize it's the guitar itself. Sometimes guitars just don't have the sound you want no matter what. Pickups are only a smart part of that, and are given too much credit to the overall tone


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## elkoki (Feb 23, 2021)

Zhysick said:


> Can everybody fucking stop saying the Jim Root pickups sound better than the 81? I cannot afford buying more pickups for the moment and even then I have to buy some pickups for other guitars first.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They sound like total ass. Fizzy over priced garbage.

Does that help?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 23, 2021)

elkoki said:


> They sound like total ass. Fizzy over priced garbage.
> 
> Does that help?


He said the Daemonums, not the Fluence Moderns.


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## Zhysick (Feb 23, 2021)

elkoki said:


> They sound like total ass. Fizzy over priced garbage.
> 
> Does that help?


Thanks for trying. Really appreciate


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## Hoss632 (Feb 24, 2021)

Zhysick said:


> Can everybody fucking stop saying the Jim Root pickups sound better than the 81? I cannot afford buying more pickups for the moment and even then I have to buy some pickups for other guitars first.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They do sound better though. At least to my ears. But the entire retro active series is killer and imo are the best active pick ups on the market.


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## jonsick (Feb 25, 2021)

InfernalVortex said:


> This is my frustration with people who used to say EMG's sound the same in every guitar. They absolutely do not. They always sound like EMG's (at least as far as the 81 and 85 go), but they do not make every guitar sound the same.
> 
> My RG520 (supposedly a mahogany body, who knows what it really is or whether it matters. Has a beautiful grain to it, though.) has a little bit of a mellow attack to it. I used to love it because it was a darker and thicker sound but I wanted to change it up. I put an EMG 81 in it to make it a little snappier. It was unmistakably the same guitar but still had a mellow attack to the notes, even with an EMG 81! It helped but it wasnt a net positive to the sound. I put the Jim Root set in it and it sounds amazing now. And the EMG 81 is my favorite pickup. I have two other RG's, and both of those have 81's in them.



Yep, I have no idea where that notion came from. I did hear that too that if your guitar doesn't sound right, fitting EMGs would somehow replace the inerrant sound of the guitar. 

The thing is that isn't true at all. For example, I have three ESP SV Standard guitars, all three with EMG 81/85 sets. All three sound different. I could excuse one as it's a revision 2 SV, the other two are Revision 1 SV Standards. There's not a whole lot of difference, the revision 2's cutaway is slightly deeper, the revision 2 also uses the bushings and inserts for the bridge, the revision 1 both have the wood screws, other than that there's not much else physically different. 

But either way, all three sound different despite the same pickups.

Overall I've always liked what the EMG 81/85 set has done for me so it's my go-to set for almost everything. It doesn't always happen how I want though, and sometimes you may just want a different flavour. I have a couple of guitars with passives and they're great, no real need to change them.


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## jonsick (Feb 25, 2021)

elkoki said:


> Every guitar has it's own tonal characteristics (even when you have 2 guitars made of the same woods), regardless of what pickups you have certain qualities will always come through the amp. I only say this because sometimes people blame the pickup for the bad tone (i've done this too), then after countless of pickup changes on that same guitar you realize it's the guitar itself. Sometimes guitars just don't have the sound you want no matter what. Pickups are only a smart part of that, and are given too much credit to the overall tone



Yep. I'm a full advocate of wood makes the biggest difference to guitar tone, even woods of the same species can sound different while having very similar characteristics. 

I've always felt mahogany guitars sound like they have loads of low-end, the midrange is a total crapshoot. I've had Les Pauls that sounded dead as a doornail. Personally I'm an alder/maple guy, I just prefer how it sounds. Plus I have bass guitars/bassists to take care of the low end. 

I'd also say that guitars with mahogany bodies and maple necks almost never sound right to me. My Broderick Pro 7 is the only guitar I have left in that configuration. Luckily the EMGs do a good job in tidying up the sound overall, but still that configuration just isn't right to me.


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## ThomasVB (Feb 27, 2021)

Hoss632 said:


> The 85 and the fluence alnico would be an interesting comparison. Especially in the bridge position.


I actually recorded all my active pickups in the bridge position and thought oh what the heck, maybe I should just A/B compare all of them in multiple video's.
So I exported a bunch of video's, comparing two pickups in one video every time.

You can find all combinations on my channel.
There are still a few that will be uploaded the next days.

So I also did the 85 vs fluence alnico:


Also just received the EMG 60A (alnico) that I've ordered a while ago.
It's not as tight as an 81 or 57 in the bridge position but might be a great alternative for an 85 in the neck.
Will probably demo it soon in a video when I have some spare time.


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## Zhysick (Feb 27, 2021)

I think I prefer the Fluence Alnico over the 85 in the bridge but I never liked the 85 so... well, in your vid. Playing, in real life, who knows...


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## lewis (Feb 27, 2021)

Zhysick said:


> I think I prefer the Fluence Alnico over the 85 in the bridge but I never liked the 85 so... well, in your vid. Playing, in real life, who knows...


from this demo, i can tell that pairing an EMG RPC knob, with an 85, would basically give you the classic. Would sound almost identical.


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## Zhysick (Feb 27, 2021)

lewis said:


> from this demo, i can tell that pairing an EMG RPC knob, with an 85, would basically give you the classic. Would sound almost identical.



In the demos I've heard the Fluence Classic sound too nasal... Not what I like: I think a classic JB is better at that kind of sound.


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## Grindspine (Feb 27, 2021)

I used to have a stock EMG 81/85 set in my old B.C. Rich Virgin. Adding the 18 volt mod (to a mini-toggle for easy comparison) did something wonderful to the 81. It was still tight, but more controlled, as if the electronics in the pickup did not struggle to push the palm mutes as much.

I eventually dropped that setup and refitted that guitar with an EMG 81x / 60x set with the SPC tone control. With the SPC all of the way down, the EMG 81x is so similar to the 81. The 81x sits between the 81 and 81 with the 18 volt mod in response, though it might be a hair lower volume. The 60x is just more crisp to me than the 85 ever was. The SPC circuit is such a massive mid boost. That is one guitar that needs no overdrive or boost pedals for full saturation. I typically have to keep the SPC at about half when playing through any of my amps.

Between the 57 and 81, that video was great. The 81 has just a bit of a mid quack, that cocked-wah sound on the guitar-only mix. That is typically going to give so much cut for leads and high-gain rhythms though. The 57 sounded great too, similar, just without that spike in the upper mids.

Nice video!


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## Marked Man (Mar 27, 2021)

Matt08642 said:


> The most frustrating part about an 81 is that when you have one, you have _the sound. _The hunt is over.



The Quest is not truly over until you add the SPC, my child.....


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## ThomasVB (Mar 29, 2021)

Marked Man said:


> The Quest is not truly over until you add the SPC, my child.....


 By the way, that's a nice looking white mesa half stack in your profile picture, kid 
is that custom ordered?


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## Rev2010 (Mar 29, 2021)

*Edit - ignore me. Thought this was an 85/81 thread, I misread. My bad.


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## Emperoff (Mar 30, 2021)

If you guys like the SPC, you should try the BTC. It goes unnoticed since it's a bass EQ but it works amazing for guitar. It can basically give you a "boosted" tone without a pedal.


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## Marked Man (Mar 30, 2021)

ThomasVB said:


> By the way, that's a nice looking white mesa half stack in your profile picture, kid
> is that custom ordered?



That's my dream, too actually. They are super rare and I have never seen on in person, although I do see them online every now and then for the price of a decent used car. At least I can also gaze at it in my vintage original 1984 Mesa/Boogie catalog as well, which I picked up several years ago on ebay. 

I do have my 3 favorite Mesa amps however, albeit in basic black, which I also dig:





Quad, MkIII, and MkIV (not pictured).


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## Kyle Jordan (Apr 1, 2021)

@ThomasVB Excellent and helpful demos! Plus I love the elephant. I'd also like to thank you for doing great demos of the 60 in the bridge, It's my favorite EMG humbucker and your vids rekindled my appreciation for it.


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## ThomasVB (Apr 2, 2021)

Kyle Jordan said:


> @ThomasVB Excellent and helpful demos! Plus I love the elephant. I'd also like to thank you for doing great demos of the 60 in the bridge, It's my favorite EMG humbucker and your vids rekindled my appreciation for it.


Thanks! I Appreciate it.
I'm actually going to upload a small review of the EMG60A (alnico version) soon, which is quite an interesting pickup too.


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## Xein (Apr 2, 2021)

Awesome comparison, nicely recorded and played
i liked the 57 more, which is also why i kept the 57(TW) as the only active pickups in all of my guitars. It seems to be a bit more full sounding even though the 81 sounds a bit more scooped and more trebly is some way. In this comparison for heavy metal the 81 wins for me, but personally i would prefer the 57 as i think i am a little bit more versatile with it.


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## ThomasVB (Apr 2, 2021)

Xein said:


> Awesome comparison, nicely recorded and played
> i liked the 57 more, which is also why i kept the 57(TW) as the only active pickups in all of my guitars. It seems to be a bit more full sounding even though the 81 sounds a bit more scooped and more trebly is some way. In this comparison for heavy metal the 81 wins for me, but personally i would prefer the 57 as i think i am a little bit more versatile with it.



For bridge position I definitely like the 57 and 81 the most.
How do you use the TW, do you use it in combination with the 66 TW and use a switch or pullable pot to switch to the single coilish mode?
I actually have a 81TW currently installed in the neck position of one of my guitars. It's a nice feature, but I'm not blown away about it.


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## Xein (Apr 2, 2021)

ThomasVB said:


> For bridge position I definitely like the 57 and 81 the most.
> How do you use the TW, do you use it in combination with the 66 TW and use a switch or pullable pot to switch to the single coilish mode?
> I actually have a 81TW currently installed in the neck position of one of my guitars. It's a nice feature, but I'm not blown away about it.



Indeed i use it with a 66tw in the neck and the 57tw as bridge pu. The splittet 66 is pure magic for leads and it responses very good to volume and tone poti adjustments. I think this is because of the alnico magnets inside. The 57 splittet is used when i need more versatility in cleans or i want a more Straty/classy sound. 
I play them i a les paul type guitar and in combination with the thick sounding wood its killer for metal and for all kind of music .

i can imagine that the splittet 81 gets a little bit too thin in the sound as neck lead alternative?


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## /wrists (Apr 2, 2021)

Very much prefer the EMG's over the Fishman as well. The Fluence definitely packs a punch, but there's something about the tone that I'm not sold on.

Played EMG's all my life, passive, 81's, and 57's. Recently switched to Seymours though.

I like the way they look on my guitars and the tone is pretty exceptional. EMG's will always have a place in my heart for high gain riffing though.

Something to be said about ripping out the Fluences and selling them to get your 81's haha.


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## ThomasVB (Apr 3, 2021)

Xein said:


> Indeed i use it with a 66tw in the neck and the 57tw as bridge pu. The splittet 66 is pure magic for leads and it responses very good to volume and tone poti adjustments. I think this is because of the alnico magnets inside. The 57 splittet is used when i need more versatility in cleans or i want a more Straty/classy sound.
> I play them i a les paul type guitar and in combination with the thick sounding wood its killer for metal and for all kind of music .
> 
> i can imagine that the splittet 81 gets a little bit too thin in the sound as neck lead alternative?



Well, the splitted 81 is not bad, but it's hard to describe what it actually is what I don't really like about it.
For example I own a Strandberg Sälen which is a Telecaster-ish guitar and those passive Suhr single coils are just way better than that splitted EMG.
But it's not that the EMG gets too thin or anything. Maybe it's not that dynamic or something or maybe it misses that typical 'passive' warmth which I like for cleans.


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## ThomasVB (Apr 3, 2021)

evade said:


> Very much prefer the EMG's over the Fishman as well. The Fluence definitely packs a punch, but there's something about the tone that I'm not sold on.
> 
> Played EMG's all my life, passive, 81's, and 57's. Recently switched to Seymours though.
> 
> ...



I was very interested in Fishmans when they started to become popular and they're definitely nice sounding pickups, but I still prefer my EMG's over them.
Not a huge difference, but still enough to prefer one brand over the other.
Most Fishmans always sound a bit too scooped and bright. It's like taking how EMG's sound, but just a step too far. (for my taste)
The whole active/passive switch thing isn't that big of a deal either. It's almost as if they just have less gain, but soundwise I don't notice much different with their normal 'active' mode.
Also: Fishmans drain the battery faster... and are more expensive than most EMG's.

Do you use SD Blackouts or passives?


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## Xein (Apr 3, 2021)

ThomasVB said:


> Well, the splitted 81 is not bad, but it's hard to describe what it actually is what I don't really like about it.
> For example I own a Strandberg Sälen which is a Telecaster-ish guitar and those passive Suhr single coils are just way better than that splitted EMG.
> But it's not that the EMG gets too thin or anything. Maybe it's not that dynamic or something or maybe it misses that typical 'passive' warmth which I like for cleans.



Its interesting to hear your opinion about it, so thanks again for sharing your experiences and your recordings with us.
Maybe its just because the 81 was designed to be a metal PU so for sure it was never designed to sound splitted good (?). I can still recommend you to try out the other tw models for a better split sound, which are a bit more like a typical strat/tele singlecoil (especially the 66).




ThomasVB said:


> I was very interested in Fishmans when they started to become popular and they're definitely nice sounding pickups, but I still prefer my EMG's over them.
> Not a huge difference, but still enough to prefer one brand over the other.
> Most Fishmans always sound a bit too scooped and bright. It's like taking how EMG's sound, but just a step too far. (for my taste)
> The whole active/passive switch thing isn't that big of a deal either. It's almost as if they just have less gain, but soundwise I don't notice much different with their normal 'active' mode.
> ...



So far I was less interested in testing the fishman fluence modern but I would have liked to test the fishman classic. Any experiences or references to EMG?


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## maliciousteve (Apr 3, 2021)

I chose to go with EMGs for my Warmoth. I was struggling to pick the 57/66 set or the 81/85 set. After listening to everything possible I chose the 57 purely because it was a little different from the 81 that a lot of people have. Very difficult to pick the 57 over the 81 because I'd be happy with either. The 66 however is certainly my favourite pick in the neck position.


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## ThomasVB (Apr 5, 2021)

Xein said:


> Its interesting to hear your opinion about it, so thanks again for sharing your experiences and your recordings with us.
> Maybe its just because the 81 was designed to be a metal PU so for sure it was never designed to sound splitted good (?). I can still recommend you to try out the other tw models for a better split sound, which are a bit more like a typical strat/tele singlecoil (especially the 66).
> 
> 
> ...



I'm definitely interested as well in the Fishman classics, never tried any of them.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Apr 5, 2021)

maliciousteve said:


> I chose to go with EMGs for my Warmoth. I was struggling to pick the 57/66 set or the 81/85 set. After listening to everything possible I chose the 57 purely because it was a little different from the 81 that a lot of people have. Very difficult to pick the 57 over the 81 because I'd be happy with either. The 66 however is certainly my favourite pick in the neck position.



I have loved the 57/66 combo in my 6-er and my 7, I just find them to be well rounded for everything, where the 81 is a bit of a one trick pony.


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## Flappydoodle (Apr 10, 2021)

I love both the 81 and the 57

81 has the aggression you need and makes a guitar tone that cuts through

57 is much smoother, but so much more versatile. Though it still has enough tightness, brightness and aggression for metal


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## Emperoff (Apr 20, 2021)

Are the EMG 57-7/66-7TW pickups out yet? I have a guitar waiting for them!


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## jl-austin (Apr 21, 2021)

I would love to see a good comparison of the EMG 81 vs the EMG H4 (ceramic). I am not a huge fan of batteries, supposedly the H4 is a passive version of the 81.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 21, 2021)

jl-austin said:


> I would love to see a good comparison of the EMG 81 vs the EMG H4 (ceramic). I am not a huge fan of batteries, supposedly the H4 is a passive version of the 81.



I used both. It's not. The H4 has a more relaxed midrange, a snappier high end, and a fuller bass. Also it's more medium-hot. Playing the H4 never made me think I was playing an 81. Honestly it seemed to have more in common with the Lundgren M6 or Bill Lawrence L500L (another pickup that gets compared to the 81... IME it doesn't either) than it did the 81.


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## akinari (Apr 21, 2021)

I prefer the H4A to the H4 in the bridge position. Sounds a lot fuller to my ears.


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