# Passive Pickup That Sounds Like an EMG 81



## ZeroTolerance94 (Mar 14, 2015)

I use a Mesa Dual Rectifier and play in a brutal death metal band. I found my favorite tone with the Mesa in using an EMG 81 in a BC Rich. Well I just bought a new guitar that plays freaking amazing, an Ibanez RG752 Prestige. 

While the stock DiMarzio PAF-7's do sound really good... they don't have the bite I'm getting with an EMG 81. I have no desire to ruin the guitar with soapbar pickups and routing the guitar for it. It's so beautiful as she sits. (NGD coming soon when this honeymoon period is over). 








Basically, I want a 7 string passive pickup (DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan) that sounds as similar as possible to an EMG 81. And cosmetically, I'd like to see pole pieces, but it's not that big of a deal.

Please no BKP recommendations, I will not buy BKP pickups. 

Does anybody know of such a pickup?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 14, 2015)

EMG 57-7H/66-7H set if you want pole-pieces. EMG 81-7H/85-7H or 60-7H in the neck for something spot-on.

You need to do very minimal routing with those. Just need to round out the pickup cavity corners.

Otherwise you're out of luck. The DiMarzio D-Activator 7 I tried sounded nothing like an 81.


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## TRENCHLORD (Mar 14, 2015)

Can't speak for the 7 version, but the standard x2n sounds very much like the standard 81 in the mids and highs but has a bit deeper lows. Maybe a tad less compression across the whole spectrum, but really VERY close overall.


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## TommyG (Mar 14, 2015)

Can't really answer the question directly, but I've been trying to find the perfect 7 string pickups and I'm finding lower output ones seem to sound better and are more manageable.
Let us know how you make out.
Best of luck...


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## Humbuck (Mar 15, 2015)

Get a Duncan Distortion in there and tell me it's bad.

Why no love fro BKP?


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## ZeroTolerance94 (Mar 15, 2015)

TRENCHLORD said:


> Can't speak for the 7 version, but the standard x2n sounds very much like the standard 81 in the mids and highs but has a bit deeper lows. Maybe a tad less compression across the whole spectrum, but really VERY close overall.



I used an X2N in an old Jackson I had and it sounded really good... I'm definitely _considering_ going back to it for this guitar. I just want a pickup that i can see the poles 



TommyG said:


> ...I'm finding lower output ones seem to sound better and are more manageable.....



I agree wholeheartedly, the PAF-7 in the bridge that comes stock sounds perfect when I use POD Farm at home. It's nowhere near as high output as an EMG 81, but it's still a great pickup. So low output pickups are great with high compression amplifiers, but low compression amplifiers need higher output pickups.
The dilemma is with my Mesa Dual Rectifier, the rectifier even on really high gain still has very sensitive dynamics. The EMG 81 really pushes it to give the compression that I need playing brutal death metal, and sounds beyond ....ing fantastic, I wouldn't trade that tone for anything.
If I was using an ENGL E635 like I was a year ago, I would just keep the PAF-7, that amp has the compression that I need... But alas, I prefer the tone of the dual rec 



Humbuck said:


> Get a Duncan Distortion in there and tell me it's bad.
> 
> Why no love fro BKP?



I have a Duncan Distortion in my Jackson soloist 6 string, and it freaking rules, as well as sounds brutal as .... through my Mesa. 
I'll be honest, that's the pickup I'm mostly considering at this point. 

And I have my reasons for disliking BKP. It is my *unpopular* opinion that they are overpriced, and overrated hype.


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## KailM (Mar 16, 2015)

If you like the Duncan Distortion, you might like the Black Winter set as well, as it is based on the Distortion. I absolutely love mine, but I haven't ever tried the plain Distortions to compare with. The BW bridge is fairly bright, but has a nice balance of mids, highs, and the low end is still there. It really responds dynamically to input from your pick attack, palm-muting pressure, and chord voicing. I find that I can greatly vary my tone just by adjusting those things for the type of music I want to play. It sounds absolutely terrifying for death and black metal though.

And I'm with you on the Bareknuckle pickups opinion. I don't have anything against the company, but it seems that all of their pickups sound 'djenty' to some degree or another, and I hate that sound. So why pay double to get a tone I hate???


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## p88 (Mar 16, 2015)

I too am a massive fan of the 81 tone and love the way it sounds and feels. All the passives I have tried (SD, Dimarzio + BKP) just don't cut it for me (just personal preference, I have nothing against those brands and their pickups). If you're like me; not much of a tweaker and someone who doesn't really have time or money to experiment, then just go for the safe bet of what you know will work.

I say that because...when I was going to get my guitar built, I did the exact same thing. I looked around for a passive pickup that would sound like an 81. I partly did that because I didn't want soap bar 7 string routing (no 81-7H at that time) and because I wanted to experiment a bit (or so I thought). I settled on the Seymour Duncan SH-2b (Distortion).

When I got the guitar and plugged it in, I slowly began to regret deviating from my tried and tested 81. I ultimately hated the way the SH-2 sounded...so much so I found it hard to pick up and play the guitar.

Fast forward roughly 1.5 years later: the EMG 81-7 was available in humbucker sized housing. I ordered a set from America and had my local tech install them. The difference was night and day. I fell in love with the guitar in different ways. I always loved the way it played and the construction of the guitar is flawless, but the tone always turned me off.

EMG's have a certain sound and feel (which is a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences/experiences).
If you're looking for that sound and feel, just go for the real thing where possible.

They also look pretty rad aswell:


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## Shask (Mar 17, 2015)

ZeroTolerance94 said:


> I used an X2N in an old Jackson I had and it sounded really good... I'm definitely _considering_ going back to it for this guitar. I just want a pickup that i can see the poles
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The EMG 81 is basically a low output humbucker ran through a boost. A lower output pickup would have more similar tone than a really high output pickup.


The distortion is a pretty good pickup, but I find it tends to sound overly fuzzy. Kind of like it is cranked up too much all the time, and you cant turn it off. It sounds good for a fatter sound, but I dont like it as much for fast clear playing. 

The pickup I am liking right now is the Duncan Custom. More clear than the Distortion, lower output so it is more dynamic. It still has the lows and upper mids though, so it chugs and sounds aggressive when needed.


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## MerlinTKD (Mar 17, 2015)

Doesn't EMG make 7-string pickups in passive housings now? Isn't that what the 7 String Hum Cap version is?


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## RustInPeace (Mar 17, 2015)

I figure the BKP Miracle man is maybe the closest in terms of how its eq is shaped.


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## ZeroTolerance94 (Mar 17, 2015)

Wow you guys are awesome!

I didn't even know EMG made an 81-7H.
I sat down for awhile with my Dual Rectal-fire, and managed to actually get a really good and useable death metal sound from the DiMarzio PAF-7's that come stock in my guitar. They really are not bad pickups at all. VERY different from the EMG 81 --> Dual Rec sound that I fell in love with, but still is very capable of a clear, brutal sound. It just took a bit of EQ'ing on the amplifier and a slightly bit more boost from my OD808 to get it. 

I really appreciate the help from all of you. Now I know of the EMG 81-7H's existence, it seems like the most logical thing to go to haha. And they just look so freakin good. Wow.


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## macgruber (Mar 18, 2015)

rectifiers seem to love emg 81s - they really compliment the amps natural eq by filling in the lacking frequencies.

if it aint broke....


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## simonXsludge (Mar 18, 2015)

Maybe my 7-String Pickup Shootout will help:

https://soundcloud.com/sludgestudios/sets/7-string-pickup-shootout

It includes the EMG81-7, so you should be able to compare it with the 13 other pickups I tried (10 of them passive) and find which ever sounds the closest or even better to you.


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## Itchyman (Mar 20, 2015)

I'm an 81 guy too, and for passives, I've found the BKP Aftermath a pretty close contender, if only in feel. It's one of the tightest passives I've ever played with. It's a bit more present in the mid's though. 

And yes, the 81-7H is a thing lol


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## gay4ass (Mar 24, 2015)

I had it installed on my prestige once and it sounds pretty much like a EMG 81 to me.

Clean, focused and compressed. The pinch harmonics fly out just like actives. However, I found them to be be a one trick pony and work well only for more modern metal sounds. Good for low tuning too as the pickup remains tight below E standard.

If you like the compressed emg sound, I am sure most passives with boost will give the same sound and feel.


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## jerm (Mar 24, 2015)

Dimarzio D Activator or Evolution, or XN2, they're supposed to be the most compressed Dimarzio's from what I've read. 

But to be honest, compression isn't really what is needed for death metal. Natural compression from you're high gain is all that's really needed....


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## bostjan (Mar 24, 2015)

The only thing that sounds exactly like an EMG 81 is just that. Even the 81/7 is a little different voicing.

That said, though, it is the closest you'll come.

There are hundreds of options nowadays. I love the sound of the Evo7 through a Recto. X2N7 is a great pickup, too, but neither of these sound like an EMG to me, although other people compare them a lot.


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## Atomic Kemper (Mar 24, 2015)

^+1 agreed, the EMG 81 only sounds like an EMG 81. Not the 81-7 not the 81-8, not the X series, nothing sounds like an EMG 81, which is why its considered to be THE definitive heavy metal pickup by most 80's based shredders and thrash fans.

With that said, the Lace Deathbar is definitely the only pickup that is close, at all. I mean the Deathbucker/DB7/Deathbar (x)mm.... Its as silent, if not quieter, its as clear, if not clearer, its as bright, if not brighter [in a better way], and its ALMOST as hot, of course a passive cant be hotter than active lol

Lace all the way! lol jk....I love the EMG 81 too, but the other incarnations of bridge pups fall short of the classic 6 string original.


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## leftyguitarjoe (Mar 24, 2015)

RustInPeace said:


> I figure the BKP Miracle man is maybe the closest in terms of how its eq is shaped.



Hey OP, I'll sell you one of these for a good price. I replaced the Miracle Man in my 7 with a set of BKP PIG90's.

The pickup is in perfect shape. PM me.


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## beyondcosmos (Mar 24, 2015)

ZeroTolerance94, your setup is _nearly_ exactly what I hope to have in the near future if finances permit me to: a blue RG752 with an EMG 81-7H and 60-7H, or two 85-7Hs.

Nice to know there's someone out there with the same tastes as me.

I was going to suggest looking up the 81-7H but it seems everyone else has already done that. Definitely go for that pickup if it's the sound you prefer. I love passives as well, but that'll be for a different guitar.

FREAKING SHRED THAT AXE ONCE YOU PUT THE EMGS IN IT!


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## Atomic Kemper (Mar 24, 2015)

No, don't, its horrible comparatively speaking to the 6 string ver. What is closer to an 81 is not EMG, its SD. You're better off with Blackouts AHB-1, phase I (I believe are passive sized actives), if you MUST have an active pickup.


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## TedEH (Mar 24, 2015)

I would guess that you're not going to find something to sound exactly like an 81 without getting an actual 81- but what about using a boost instead? I say that because EMGs tend to do just one or two things. They do them well, granted, but there's no versatility. Using a reasonably strong boost might get you into the same vague territory as the actives, but with the option to switch it off and return to all the wonderful things that passives can do.


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## p88 (Mar 24, 2015)

Btw guys, it's very interesting to note that according to the EMG website, the 81 + the 81-7H have the EXACT same specifications.

The EMG 81-7 (soapbar) on the other hand has slightly different specifications:






That could be why people find that the 81-7 sounds different (some people say worse) when compared to the 6 string version. I've never tried the 81-7 so i can't really say.

I do however currently own both the 81 + 81-7h and I can say that they sounds very much the same. There is a very tiny difference in tone between the two, but they are in two very different guitars and that tonal variance could be down to any number of things, e.g. a difference in string brand/gauges, wood, construction, hardware/bridges etc.

Don't let the 81-7's inconsistent rep put you off the 81-7H


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## bostjan (Mar 24, 2015)

p88 said:


>



Extremely interesting. How was I not aware of this?!


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