# The Eight String Pickup Guide



## Konfyouzd

Those of you familiar with the Seven String Pickup Guide already know the deal. 

For all of you who do not know about the Seven String Pickup Guide, this thread was started for the purpose of compiling our collective 8 string pickup knowledge.

Please list 8 string pickups you've had significant (at least 2 months) experience with and give us a review.

If possible please include the following information (at the very least):
-Guitar used (Woods and/or neck construction if you know it)
-Amp used
-Any effects/other gear used
-Your preferred style(s) of music

Mods, if I've missed anything, please help me out!


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## Kamikaze7

So far, I've had experience with the EMG 808 and the 808X. I'm sure many other 8-string players here know how "iffy" the 808 is or can be, and how muddy it can tend to sound. The 808X, like all the X-series pickups, have a lot more headroom and slightly less output than normal EMG's, but the tone is self-explainable. The 808X brightens up the low F# beautifully, and keeps the B and the rest of the strings equally balanced and quite flavorful. From those who have made the switch to the 808X, I've had heard the same results as mine and those 8-string owners were VERY pleased with the end results.

-Guitar Used: ESP LTD FM-408, Basswood body, Maple neck-thru body
-Amp used: Ibanez 10 Watt practice amp with Korg ToneWorks floorboard, but sounds just as good on other amps such as the Bugera 6262, Peavey 6505+ and the Line 6 Bogner 100 Watt tube head


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## caparison_x

I had EMG 808's in a Neck Thru LTD SC608b and thought they were quite clear and glassy, to get out of the mudzone I used a Maxon CP 101 to define the notes more on the Low F# String.


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## Konfyouzd

In an attempt to further assist those who may need to use this thread, would you folks mind listing your preferred style(s) of music, please (or the style(s) of music for which you used the pickup(s) you're reviewing)?


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## Kamikaze7

For my testing an trials with the 808X, I mainly do metal of all types, but also classic rock too. Am slowly venturing into the realms of jazz, funk and some blues also. But regardless of style, the 808X is well suited and rounded for just about everything you can throw at it.


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## alfred

Just received a Lundgren M8C for my RGA8 today. In one hour, I gonna put it into my sweet riffin' machine!


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## ST3MOCON

Cepheus alpha and Cepheus beta- this is a passive pickup that come stock with some agile 8's.

7/10

First impression- I was surprised that these pickups sounded any good. Some one said that the were modeled after lungren m8's in another thread. Wether that's true or not I don't know. 

Clean tone- excellent cleans, a very crystal glassy sound with a good amount of treble and bass. I love the clean tone on these pickups very AAL. 

distorted- the sound pretty good through a distorted amp. There is a lot of treble and bass there is also higher mids present. 

Final thought/opinion- I think it sounds ok for a stock pickup. I plan on switching them out for something else. The cleans are my favorite part of the pickup. Reminds me almost of a single coil just not as week. I'm not a huge fan of the distorted tones but they are definatly usuable till I swap them. 

Hope that helps a little with anyone cosidering them. 


Guitar- agile septor 828 mm natural finish, maple neck and fret board with ash body.
Amp- mesa dual rect. Pod x3.
Genre- metal


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## glassmoon0fo

I have the standard EMG 808s with an 18v mod, thought i'd offer up my review

-Guitar used (Woods and/or neck construction if you know it)- Ibanez RG2228, basswood bady (that's how John Mayer would say it, BADY ), maple bolt on
-Amp used- Pod X3 Live Diety's Son custom patch through a Carvin 2x12
-Any effects/other gear used- whatev
-Your preferred style(s) of music- Prog Metal, Prog Rock, Jazz, Experimental, whatev

I originally didnt mind the stock EMGs but after a while i found it impossible to get a great high distortion sound without the pups clipping and getting harsh in the low and high registers. I really wanted to make the switch to passives but figured i'd try the 18v mod since it was cheap. WOW what a difference! the harshness is completely gone and the pups almost have the feel of a passive, while still retaining the hi-fi quality i like about EMGs in the first place. the tone is deeper and more organic, less compressed, and still punchy without the clipping. i didnt even need to tweak my patches before i was getting an awesome sound out of them (i tweaked anyway though, because im a tweaker haha). anyone hating on their EMGs should try out the 18v mod before they waste money switching pickups completely.


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## signalgrey

KENNETH01 said:


> Martial arts films contain many characters who are martial artists, and these roles are often played by actors who are real martial artists. If not, actors frequently train in preparation for their roles.



hhahahahahahahaha
thanks KENNETH01!!!!


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## General Tso

I have an RG2228. I swapped out my 808s for white 808x's that my teacher was able to hook me up with, thanks T!! I love the difference! It really helps out with tuning the F# down to E. More clarity and headroom as the earlier post said.


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## MulletBurden

Ibanez RGA8 with 808x pickups and a Roland GK3
POD XT PRO Roland GR55
various amps/speakers
styles: Prog, Tech/Math,Jazz, Fusion, Country


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## richardgibsonToN

I have an RG2228, and i have to say i really like the stock 808's in it! Although EMG's get criticised for being a bit synthetic, i like the control they give you. Live, i use a mesa dual rectifier and i find that the 808's keep things compressed quite nicely. The other guitarist in my band has the schecter blackjack atx c-8, fitted with the seymour duncan blackouts, and he says he has more effort to control his low end frequencies, though i guess this could just be the rig he uses (he uses a blackstar HT100 head and the matching cab) i'm excited to hear more about the 808x's though, can anyone tell me more about their experiences with these pickups?


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## Kamikaze7

richardgibsonToN said:


> I have an RG2228, and i have to say i really like the stock 808's in it! Although EMG's get criticised for being a bit synthetic, i like the control they give you. Live, i use a mesa dual rectifier and i find that the 808's keep things compressed quite nicely. The other guitarist in my band has the schecter blackjack atx c-8, fitted with the seymour duncan blackouts, and he says he has more effort to control his low end frequencies, though i guess this could just be the rig he uses (he uses a blackstar HT100 head and the matching cab) i'm excited to hear more about the 808x's though, can anyone tell me more about their experiences with these pickups?



If you like the 808's, then the 808X's are even better. They have more headroom than the std. 808, and it also has slightly less output and it has more of a passive pickup dynamics and feel to them by using a newer and different preamp in them. It's way better especially for the 8-string as the low F# is clear and articulate and not as muddy as compared to the 808 can tend to be. While the F# is now nice clear and even in the mix, the low B and the rest of the strings are even and just as clear as well. So far, the X-series is the best thing EMG has come out with to date. It's well worth the money and replacing the std. 808 with by far. I like them so much more that I'm dying to get the 707X's for my green Kamikaze 7 w/ the SPC & EXG controls, and the 707TW-X's for my Horizon 7 as well. Or better yet, I might just wait and try the 707TW-X's in the new ESP LTD EC-407 that's coming out!!!


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## glassmoon0fo

Update to my last post! I caved and swapped my modded 808s for a set of BKPs, a *cold sweat* bridge and *miracle man* neck. dont think I'll ever go active again =). The passives just suit me so much better, they're easier to tame, clear as crystal, and there's no loss of bite or punch if i want it. I havn't tried the dimarzio 8s yet, but every set of bkps ive had so far have been worth the hype.


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## MobiusR

i don't even have a 8 string yet and this thread is already gonna contain amazing amounts of win!


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## demigod

Can someone tell me what the difference between the 808X, DActicator 8's and Blackout 8's is? I'm trying to decide between the two but its not so easy


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## zimbloth

demigod said:


> Can someone tell me what the difference between the 808X, DActicator 8's and Blackout 8's is? I'm trying to decide between the two but its not so easy



I really loathe active pickups, so my vote would be for the D-Activator 8s. However between the 808X and the Blackout, I definitely like the 808X more. The Blackout is just way over the top with its output and it makes the bottom end a bit murky. The EMG is tighter and crisper.


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## BrandonARC

Great thread. I'll be reviewing a bl5 q tuner and a d activator 8 soon


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## mishabasi

So the 808's tend to sound muddy on the F# while to 808x's fixed the issue. Now does anybody have experience with running the 808's on 18v v.s. the 808x's on standard 9v operation? I have a schecter with the 808's on the way and i'm weighing out whether i should get the 808x's or just run it 18v.


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## JohnBorn

BrandonARC said:


> Great thread. I'll be reviewing a bl5 q tuner and a d activator 8 soon



Cant wait to hear feedback how d-activator 8 sounds like in mahagony and basswood body


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## Konfyouzd

For the sake of keeping this thread useful and readable, could we please not post unless directly responding to another user's question or until we're actually ready to give a review? 

The "I will be using _____ pickup in x days" is reminiscent of a premature NGD.


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## Velixo

Do any of you guys have experience of the EMG 808x AND some other passive pickup? I've only seen people who love passives recommending different passives and people who love actives recommending different actives. I've never seen someone having tried both actives AND passives, and discussing the difference between the two.


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## Velixo

Anyone? Pleeeeaaase?


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## geofreesun

i have guitars with blackouts, emg 808, bkp coldsweat, stock cepheus, and dimarzio 8s. my take: it really depends on the guitar and strings you use. in the first 2 agile 828 i tried, the bkp didn't sound that impressive. then i put it in an ash bodied 827, it suddenly sounded so much beyond awesome, and i am pretty sure i will leave it in there for quite some time. why the change? i think it's a combination of wood/build and the strings. the strings on the 827 are kinda floppy/thin and i really like that sound better. thinner strings=djents right? in general, i really like passives, and i want to say that the stock cepheus are really great pickups, very much lundgren-like. i have put a m7 in the agile 827 before (ignoring the top string), and granted, the m7 sounds tight as hell, the cepheus gives a very similar feel, but the coldsweat is just way different.


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## crg123

I own an Agile Septor Elite 827 with blackout pickups. The guitar is a 5 piece neck through (Maple and ebony strips) with an ebony fretboard and Mahogany wings. My amp is a blackstar Ht-5 combo. String guages: .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046, .062, .080. I play mostly progressive metal, and yes I do on occasion "djent" lol. 

The blackouts sound great. I was really shocked actually since, through my own personal experiences, I find active pickups to be overly compressed, stale and lacking the personality of the wood being used. (I repeat this is just IMHO).

For the cleans (I add a Boss RV-3 Reverb/delay into the mix): the pickups have a nice glassy clean which is crystal clear for large chords and articulation. The bridge pickup is great for AAL like cleans, and the neck pickup is super smooth and warm sounding. Its great for jazz runs.

When distorted: (I use a Maxon 808 tubescreamer, a Boss GE-7 EQ and a ISP Decimator). These baby's sing. Endless sustain. I love how I can roll down the gain and get a clean tone (with the Maxon off of course). I tend to use large chords and there is zero mud, the notes really shine through. The clarity could be a tad bit better when I tune to low E, but that prolly just because of the 27" scale. 
The bridge pickup has great attack and clarity when playing both rhythms and leads. I dont really like the sound of playing heavy rhythms with the neck because is can sound alittle too bassy, but the leads sound like Scale the summit (Or I'd like to think so haha).

These pickups are top notch as far as active pickups go but compared to other pickups (non boutique) I'd give them a 8.5-9/10


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## col

Here's a quick comparison I made of the 808 and the Blackout bridge.

EMG vs Blackout by nakedzen on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## ugly_guitar_guy

col said:


> Here's a quick comparison I made of the 808 and the Blackout bridge.
> 
> EMG vs Blackout by nakedzen on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



So the EMG was first, and then the Blackout second? I like the high end clarity of the second pickup better. Thanks for the comparison!


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## WIDASK

Soo here's my piece of cake: ive got a RAN Crusher 8 since two or three months now which is equipped with a pair of _seymour duncan blackouts_. 

The specs of the guitar are: Mahagoni body and neck (bolt on), fixed hipshot bridge, 2 volume controls and a three-way toggle switch. I've got an orange tiny terror and a carvin legacy which i play through an orange 2x12 box. 

I mainly play prog metal and some jazz.

Now to the pickups: they really have some high output!! probably the most i've ever played. This is not too bad if you want to play metal through a tiny terror but on an engl or something like that you have to pull the gain back at 10 o'clock or something like that to get it reasonably tight. Also i think actives tend to sound the same alot while good actives pronounce the specs of the guitar much better. Because of this i'll probably get some bareknuckles soon, perhaps an aftermath for the bridge and a miracle man for the neck.


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## jrose92081

Guitar: schecter damien elite 8. Mahogany body, maple neck. 26.5 scale.
Pickups: dimarzio d-activator 8's neck and bridge set, 500k volume and tone, (104m resistor?)
Strings: daddario 120-7 with ernie ball 74 for f#
Amplifier: Peavey Vyper 75 1x12.
I use only some of the effects on the amp, no pedals. Will be purchasing the pedal that goes with the vyper series amps. Also purchasing a good noise gate soon. These are great for tight response with the lower strings. I currently tune to standard but also write in 
E
A
E
A
D
G
B
E
This gives you a lower octave for standard E in a way and also gives you drop A.
I play anything from jazz to metal. The guitar/pickup setup is amazing in my opinion. the low strings are clear even with tons of gain. Anyone thinking of buying either the guitar or pickups or both will not be dissapointed. It will take some setting up for the guitar to play with very low action. First I got my neck almost completely straight then lowered my saddles and brought them up little by little until all buzzing was obsolete.


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## jrose92081

Hello
my schecter damien elite 8 came stock with the 808s but I immediatly ordered the dactivator 8's. If you want excellent tone and want a passive p/u..dimarzio or bkp are the best choice..if u use passive but want to add a preamp..semour duncan makes a preamp modular that is a volume knob/ pre in one..lundren m8's are prob best if money is no concern..they are pricy...hope this helps..


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## Brandon

Stock Carvin DC800 Actives

-Guitar used:
Carvin DC800. Swamp ash body, maple neck/fretboard, neck through/string through.

-Amp used:
So far just my GTR plugin in Logic.

-Any effects/other gear used: I'll write more to this when I play it over my Carvin MTS3200 Half stack.

-Your preferred style(s) of music: Mainly progressive metal, although I do play in a more guitar-driven pop oriented setting with my band.


I really didn't know what to expect when I received this guitar. I normally do not like actives, I find them dull and lifeless. These however surprised me. The bright and snappy character of the wood comes through these pickups really well, and there's a lot of headroom. The neck pickup cleans up nicely when I back off of my picking attack. I can tell as well that the actives compress the bottom end a bit, the lower notes hit pretty hard. Also, I don't think this is incredibly important, but the neck pickup seems to have significantly less output than the bridge. I think that may lend to the dynamic room of the pickup though. 

My favorite part is how defined each note is, especially when playing dense chords. It really is remarkable. 

The only con I can think of is that the pickups don't seem to clean up as nicely as passives do when the volume is backed down.

When I play through my real amp, I'll give some more details.

Edit: here's a clip I made the day I got it. Hopefully this gives you some sort of an idea as to how my guitar sounds.

http://soundcloud.com/expressivemusicality/dc800-clip


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## AEP531

If anyone here is interested in the SD Blackout 8 Set, I'm selling a set.
They've seen under three hours of use in a non smoking climate controlled studio environment. I've also included all necessary electronics for installation.
I'm looking for $100 and any US buyers will get free shipping!
Let me know.
Thanks!


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## Konfyouzd

AEP531 said:


> If anyone here is interested in the SD Blackout 8 Set, I'm selling a set.
> They've seen under three hours of use in a non smoking climate controlled studio environment. I've also included all necessary electronics for installation.
> I'm looking for $100 and any US buyers will get free shipping!
> Let me know.
> Thanks!


 
Wrong thread...


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## Moolaka

Guitar: Agile Pendulum Pro Dual seven string multiscale. 3 maple + 2 rosewood piece neck through, ebony fretboard, mahogany wings, ash top, satin finish, .10 D'Addario's.
Pickups: stock Cepheus active set.
Style: Grind, Progressive, Thrash, Melodic/Gothenburg, Jazzy (not real jazz), Ambient, Death, Funk, Rock.

The Cepheus actives in this seven string guitar sound very boring compared to my other 707 set in my LTD MH417. They don't bite (flacid response) or punch (drab but not flubby low end) like EMG's, probably because they're eight's in a seven but I just don't have the experience to say for sure. I don't like them, they are just so BORING to my ears...not "bad" just so much that's not there. Chords and leads sound decent, it's doing them better than chugging. Tapping sounds dull (Operator error perhaps, I'm trying so hard to get used to them even after about three months) and linear, it's really hard to get subtle touches to breathe within tapping runs and accents don't stand out much either. Chords are probably it's strongest point. I like a lot of pop/punch and sensitivity for my playing and these things leave me out in the cold. They don't sound offensive per-say and they're decently quiet for actives. I'd give them a 5/10 oriented as they are in a seven multiscale compared to my std scale 707 set. I plan on replacing them with EMG 808x's but am unaware if you can go an 18v mod on the x's, if not then standard with 18v mod. I'm really open to suggestions as I'm largely unfamiliar with how eight string pick ups stand up in a seven multiscale. I hate djenty twang tone as well, seems like a lot of agressive passives are tailored to favor that sound, but again, I really haven't experimented much.

For what it's worth I had a Jackson SLSMG with EMG ZW set and 18v mod that sounded amazing to me (I LOVE that set for six metal), and an LTD EC400 with Duncan JB's that made the most beautiful sounds for everything else.


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## Oneironaut

So I recorded some sample clips of my new pickups before and after installing them a while ago and I just got around to uploading them. They are a direct comparison of EMG 808 to EMG 808x and EMG 808x to Blackouts. When I say direct comparison I mean same guitar, same amp, same amp settings and same recording method.

They were recorded with a Schecter Damien Elite 8 into a 6505+ and recorded with a shure sm57 into a M-audio Profire 610.

I hope this can help someone. 

808x vs BO 808x vs Blackout in bridge position by Organized Garbage on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

808 vs 808x 808 vs 808x in bridge position by Organized Garbage on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## ma5h

I see everyone is really into actives. I was never an active person so I ve had both D-activator 8s and currently have a PAF 8 in my RGA8. Heres a sample of its clean sound. Tone is a personal matter but as far as clarity and articulation goes, the PAF 8 really does it for me.


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## ViolaceousVerdance

Velixo said:


> Do any of you guys have experience of the EMG 808x AND some other passive pickup? I've only seen people who love passives recommending different passives and people who love actives recommending different actives. I've never seen someone having tried both actives AND passives, and discussing the difference between the two.



I have an Ibanez Rg2228 w/ basswood body and maple bolt-on neck through a Blackstar Ht40. It came with 808x's in already, and I was very surprised by how awesome they sounded. Without a whole lot of effort, I was nailing overdriven rhythm tones that were lush and tame-able. Distorted low string power chords sounded broad and menacing, like a blanket of rage on a crying demon baby. The balance between lows, mids, and highs were subtle and responsive to how you dialed them in. Cleans were just fine, but basswood cleans have never been something I wanted to write home about.

I never realized how much I liked the 808x's until I replaced them with BKP aftermath's. Disclaimer: I'm positive I'm doing something wrong because the tones Misha gets with them melt faces from miles away. That being said, I'm not totally thrilled with them. When the strings were fresh and I dialed in my amp *just right*, the djent sound I was getting from power chords was truly a thing of beauty. It was less like picking a string and more like triggering a punch from a young Mike Tyson into your ear's face. The lead tones I got were decent, but something sounded hollow about them. Through the Fender Princeton in my guitar teacher's studio, there was no setting I could dial to make it sound good. The AM's are not the most versatile pickups, but that shouldn't come as a surprise considering their purpose is to be gatling guns of doom. A lot of the recording I did with these was through a POD HD500, so the jury is out on treble response, but I feel these pickups are a bear to mix with.


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## Philligan

I had the stock 808s in a Damien Elite 8 (mahogany body, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood board). I thought the low end sounded a bit plasticky - a bit flat and harsh, but definitely not really bad. If I had them in a guitar now, I'd swap them out if I could, but I could live with them if I had to, too  Aside from that, they sounded pretty even and weren't too high output, and I thought the cleans were nice and punchy; the actives definitely suit the extended range.

I also had a BKP Warpig (I _think_ ceramic) in an Agile Intrepid Pro 828 (maple/walnut neck-thru with mahogany wings). It was super neutral - not too much low end, slightly more present mids, and smooth highs. It sounded awesome for distortion, again really neutral but with a slightly djenty edge. It even sounded great for cleans - punchy and juicy, especially for a bridge pickup. If I had to complain about something, I'd say it was a little too growly for me (maybe it's got more low mids?) but still definitely something I could live with. I didn't have the guitar with the stock Cepheus bridge pickup before to compare, but the neck Cepheus was just alright.

I play mostly metal, and some general clean stuff, and it was through a Lynchbox at the time I had these guitars.


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## vampiregenocide

I've played the Blackout 8s in a Schecter ATX-C8, can't remember what amp it was into I think it was a Mesa combo of some kind. It sounded tight and brighter, more so than my RG2228 with 808s. However, the tone didn't blow me away. Lacked character.


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## Iron Beard

has anyone tried the lace 8 string pickups? im really wantting to hear some reviews on them.


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## wizbit81

I've got a custom made 8 string with hipshot bridge and tuners, spalt top, mahogany body and neck. It's equipped with DeActivators and I have to say I'd like to try others too. Good clarity, even under uber distortion, but I feel the output is low and there's just something missing. I wanted a monster, but it's tamed!

Possibly the pups are a bit low, may need to raise them and see if that makes a diff.


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## sicair

Guitar: Agile Dual Intrepid RN8
Amp: Marshall Valvestate + Bugera 412 H/F Cab OR the best tone I could get out of the free version of the PodFarm + UX2
Strings: Thomastik Infeld Set + GHS Boomer + D'Addario.
Tuning: Standard
Style: Metal

Pickups: Celphus Alpha and Beta - 6/10

They pickups sound great. They hold a meaty powerchord, and nearly keep up with my other guitars (which have blackouts) in harmonics. That's impressive considering my head only has one tube. They sustain isn't all that great, but I've never been one to hold a note for more than a few seconds. Leads are very basey though, in any pickup position. I had to readjust my amp settings to get the highs to cut through. The cleans are crystal clear; I can play arpeggios or chords using all 8 strings and hear every note distinctly, and it's nice that the guitar sound different in each pickup position.

I don't particularly like the pickups myself though. They sound very abrasive, especially when I try to chug on my low E (6th string). These pickups seem geared toward getting that "djenty" tone, quite a bit of attack but no real power. If you're chugging anywhere higher than the B string, it doesn't sound too great.


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## butterschnapps

Agile Septor 828, bolt on swamp ash bodyPod HD Pro > Rocktron Velocity 300 > Orange 4x12MetalThe stock Cepheus pick ups leave a lot to desire in my opinion. I was okay with the highs, but the lows were muddy as hell. If I were to keep this guitar, I would put some BKPs in em or Lundgren M8s, but instead I'm selling it since I've got a custom 8 string being made with Aftermath 8s. Once that gets in, I'll add to this thread.


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## Decline Of Society

ONLY *Lundgren* for me!


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## Rap Hat

*Lace Alumitone XBar 4.5*

*Guitar used*: Agile Pendulum Pro NAT 82527 (single pickup model)

Mahogany Body
5-Piece Maple & Walnut Neck-Thru
Fixed Bridge (Agile Multiscale)
1 Vol, No Tone

*Amp(s) used*: AxeFX Ultra into PC w/BlueSky ProDesk 2.1 monitors, TS9 into Marshall DSL100 into 1960A Cabinet

*Ease of Install*: This was my first solo pickup installation, and I found it to be pretty easy. The guitar originally had an EMG 45dc active bass pickup, so it was a matter of pulling out the old pickup plus active electronics and tossing in the Lace and a 250k volume pot. The XBar fit well, with only a minor amount of side-to-side wiggle room. For height I used the included foam, which I cut to allow the wires to fit better. I was a little confused about which wire was ground and hot, but the Lace rep here sorted it out.
Going from active to passive gave me a very clean cavity, and it looks pretty spiffy with barely any wires.

4.5/5

*Sound*: In one word, excellent. It's voiced quite different then the typical 8-string pickup. Instead of a bright, middy crunch it's clear, even and responsive. Lace says it's based on an "HD" P90 voicing and I definitely agree. It has some of the P90 bite, but done in such a way that it doesn't sound boosted. Overall gain level is moderately high. It's not blasting the output, but it's definitely loud. The clarity sort of counteracts this though, so in practice it doesn't seem super hot.
Regarding ideal styles, I'd say: progressive rock/metal (including Deliverance-era Opeth), AAL-style "djent", jazz, and in some cases doom/sludge. I don't play heavier death metal or black metal, but from what I've heard the XBar may not be ideal for that. Think music where note clarity is desired and gain isn't dimed.

There's one neat deal the pickup has: when running into the AxeFX with a clean amp and no cab the pickup takes on a near-acoustic tone. I've been able to get it sounding better than some piezos I've used, and this is only a bridge pickup. When doing this with other guitars it's generally too biting or muddy, but the Lace puts out the perfect blend of frequencies for it.

4/5

*Final Thoughts*: I've had experience with Blackout 8s, EMGs, Cepheus and DiMarzio and the only one that stands up (with my styles) to the Lace is the DA8. Since this is the 4.5 XBar there's a chance it's a hair different than the 4.0 one, but other reviews of retail (not prototype) XBars come to similar conclusions. Like I said in the sound section it's not really a one-size-fits-all pickup, but it absolutely nails a wide range of styles.

*Overall Score: 4.5/5*

For sound clips check out the link in my sig. It has the clips I did for the NPD here.


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## Konfyouzd

Guitar: RGA8
Pickups: EMG808
Style: Rock/Jazz Fusion wannabe

I've found that I like these best with the tone knob rolled back which is strange considering I usually remove tone knobs. 

I went with the solderless system this time and didn't want to cut the wires to put in a killswitch or blower switch this time so I opted for the solderless tone knob. Some folks have this weird sound to their tone that kind of sounds like someone chewing potato chips on the attack. I got a slight bit of that out of these initially but was able to dial most of it out. I still get it a tiny bit on the LOW E but noticed I was able to get them to sound pretty good w/ the tone knob rolled back.

Those of you with 808s that are a little unhappy with the tone, try rolling back the tone knob and re-EQing accordingly before swapping to the X series. Not saying you shouldn't try it, this is just a cheaper preliminary measure. I would actually like to try the X series myself.


----------



## ma5h

Hi folks, havent been here in a while. I recently received an 8 string set from Veijo Rautia. So I swapped my D-Activator 8s for them and did a comparison. I m not saying one is better than the other but they are different. Your thoughts/preferences would be appreciated.


----------



## DeltaOrionis

ma5h said:


> Hi folks, havent been here in a while. I recently received an 8 string set from Veijo Rautia. So I swapped my D-Activator 8s for them and did a comparison. I m not saying one is better than the other but they are different. Your thoughts/preferences would be appreciated.




I prefer the D-Activator 8s! 
The Rautia pickups sound thinner and a bit harsh, DA8s have more clarity and more balls.

However, for a full comparison, you should have played some chords, clean and solo stuff too!


----------



## FireInside

Yeah I definitely prefer the D-Actvator 8's as well. The other ones seem to have too much attack and are too harsh.


----------



## Creech

Ibanez RGA8
Pickups: BKP Aftermath Calibrated Set
Neck Material: 5pc Maple/ Walnut
Neck Type: Wizard II-8 (27")
Body: Mahogany body
Frets: Jumbo frets
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: Fixed Edge III-8 bridge


101312-If I had a Nickel by Andrew Creech on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## Konfyouzd

Pickup: Lace Alumitone X-bar 4"
Guitar: Ibanez RG8 (Basswood body, 5pc maple/walnut neck, rosewood fretboard, volume only)
Strings: D'Addario 9 - 54 + 80
Amp: Fender Mustang III (and Pod HD500 whenever I get around to trying to make a patch for it)

I have had these pickups for roughly a week now.

Initially I was going to try a Deathbar/X-bar combo, but all of the clips I heard of the Deathbar sounded very very thin to me which I didn't like much. The X-bars sounded much fatter in comparison through sound clips, but I'd heard that they felt "underpowered."

In my experience, the X-bar isn't at all underpowered--at least not for my needs. There seems to be a very pronounced mid and upper middle range to them. The bass end stays suspiciously clean no matter how low I try to go; I currently have my guitar tuned to drop E with no clarity problems whatsoever.

Now if the bottom end is that clean, we usually end up with problems in the upper registers where notes will become shrill and/or ice-picky... Not the X-bars. The tone seems to almost stay COMPLETELY even across the registers which is something I'm not 100% used to with pickups. Most that I've tried have some variation in the tonality between registers which for some folks/some scenarios may be a good thing.

My style is along the lines of an 80s shreddy/modern thrash/prog hodge-podge and it these things nail that tone for me.

Not only that, but in alternate picked shred runs individual notes stand out like crazy and if you miss one you'll know. Legato runs are articulate but seem to allow the notes to blur together *just* enough to get the legato effect.

On the clean channel I was also very surprised. I have no idea how to describe what the X-bar sounds like in the neck other than it sounds like it's literally sparkling. I've heard people describe pickups before where they'll say that notes seem to "shimmer." And I think this might be what they mean, but this is the first time I've ever heard this in my own clean tone.

In the bridge it still has a similar "shiny" clarity without jumping way up in volume or becoming harsh. Depending on your dynamics it might even be difficult to tell the difference between neck and bridge although if keepin the same dynamics and playing the same lick on either, you'll easily notice the difference.

Very cool pickups indeed.

Oh and did I mention they make like ZERO noise?


----------



## Konfyouzd

Rap Hat said:


> There's one neat deal the pickup has: when running into the AxeFX with a clean amp and no cab the pickup takes on a near-acoustic tone. I've been able to get it sounding better than some piezos I've used, and this is only a bridge pickup. When doing this with other guitars it's generally too biting or muddy, but the Lace puts out the perfect blend of frequencies for it.



Definitely going to try this when I get home. Both my amps are modellers, but I never really took the time to play with the clean tones much... If I can get similar results to yours I can say screw piezo on my next build...


----------



## bluntmasta

lace deathbar or 808x need help


----------



## crg123

Death bar if you want a lot of clarity and not as much output, with diverse applications. EMG808x if you want more of a straight metal pickup with a decent amount of compression (not as much as a standard 808 though). IMO I have the X-bar/Deathbar combo in my 8 and I love it. Don't let the name deathbar confuse you, it's not really a high gain pickup. It's a medium gain pickup with a very open (not tight like say an aftermath) tone. The lace's have a large tonal palette that can be great as long as you own an eq and a compressor.

Also are your stock pickups active or passive. Active>Passive isn't too bad, but Passive > Active requires routing


----------



## Gram negative

The more I hear, the more I think that the Lace pickups might be good for me.

I know Konfyouzd is practically endorsing them at this point, lol. What he descibes is what Im after, "shimmering" cleans on the neck, and clear distortion tones without noise.


----------



## jonajon91

My friend is looking at his first ERG at the moment (8 string) and is looking at the interpid body shape, but is torn on the pickups. Would it be better to get the passive cephus pickups ($699) and save two hundred dollars, or would it be better to get the active EMG's ($899) with the poor clean tone and the muddy low end? Also, we hear that passive pickups are easier to swap out, so he could fit some DiMarzio pickups in a year or so.

How good are the stock cephus pickups?
What do you agile owners think of the cephus'?
passive VS active?
Cephus stock and then swap to DiMarzio or $200 dollars for EMG's?

Any help appreciated


----------



## jonajon91

New EMG humbuckers incoming, 7 and 8 strings.
EMG Launches Metal Works | News @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com
Anyone have any more information?


----------



## yellow

Forgive the disregaurd for format, but this is a general tip for any and all active 8 string pickups, it works for SD blackouts as well, but I just copied and pasted this from another thread:

*THE EMG 808 FIX*

To me, this is the most important innovation and discovery for the ERG/8 string guitar with active pickups. I read and researched all over on how to solve the muddiness of the EMG 808. It is not very clear with high gain as many say. The bass is very promiment and drowns out the high end, the low end is too bassy and boomy. Simply put, there is not enough clarity in the high end, and it lacks definition in the treble area, so I am the first to have pioneered and discovered THE EMG 808 FIX and I wish to share it with all of you, free of charge lol!!! Its quite simple:

*EMG Resonant Peak Control*

The RPC is a variable active control that boosts the high frequency response up to 6 dB at 4000 Hz, while simultaneously reducing low frequency response. Its potentiometer controlled circuitry allows you to sweep from natural sound to accentuated highs typical of single-coil pickups. Like the EMG-SPC, it can be wired to one pickup or at the output of the guitar. 

so there you have it. Anyone with the emg 808's in their 8 string who want more clarity, brightness, and high end in their tone, and/or want to cut out the boomy, bassy, low end a bit, you now have your fix. forget the 18v mod, forget wasting money on another pickup, whether active or passive, this little knob is the answer to your problems.

best part is: there is no routing required, no big adjustements, and no big cost whatsoever. its only $50 bucks. you simply replace the tone knob (which will be set at 10 when you remove it) with the RPC knob. done. The pickup game has now changed and its very affordable 

NOTE: I REPEAT THIS WORKS FOR ANY AND ALL ACTIVE PICKUPS ACCORDING TO EMG


----------



## vick1000

Dimarzio D-Activator 8 bridge, Ibanez RG8, Peavey 6505+ combo or a Crate Shockwave, into a 4x12 with 4 Texas Heats.

Not liking it at all. Stock pickups are better in some ways, though not as hot of course. Ordered a Deathbar and X-bar to compare.


----------



## Poltergeist

Xbar and Deathbar ordered...So they recommend a 250 k pot but if one would choose to use a 500k pot it will give a subtle high end to the tone or more bite?


----------



## manstrom

I'm new to 8 strings having just picked up a dean ml modifier. The emg 808s combined with the shorter scale made the bass flabby and generally nasty. 
That said, I had my soldering equipment out and did a quick 18 volt mod to the pickups... wow is all I can say. Its like a whole new guitar. That said, if you're not digging on your 808s just add an extra 9 volt.

Also, im looking at making a booster like was listed above (I love combining my electro-geek side and guitarist side lol). I'll probably do a thread on it if I get around to it haha


----------



## yellow

manstrom said:


> I'm new to 8 strings having just picked up a dean ml modifier. The emg 808s combined with the shorter scale made the bass flabby and generally nasty.
> That said, I had my soldering equipment out and did a quick 18 volt mod to the pickups... wow is all I can say. Its like a whole new guitar. That said, if you're not digging on your 808s just add an extra 9 volt.
> 
> Also, im looking at making a booster like was listed above (I love combining my electro-geek side and guitarist side lol). I'll probably do a thread on it if I get around to it haha


 
Hey manstrom, you should check out my "EMG 808 Fix" above.....anyway, the EMG RPC is a better alternative to the 18v mod if you have to pick one of the two, wish you saw that post before u did the 18v mod, However, I'd be interested to see what would happen with both the RPC and 18v mods together.


----------



## pauliwally

I have a Schecter Blackjack C-8 that came with Blackouts. I found the Blackouts to be _extremely muddy_. A lot of low mids. Considering the videos I watched on the blackouts, it made me wonder if Seymour Duncan just relabeled some bass pickups?!? Anyway, I switched to 4" Lace Deathbars and I'm extremely happy with the sound. They're a little too hot on the output for djent, but I actually like that my leads still sound cool. Its kinda the best of both worlds. The sound is reminiscent of Architects hollow crown album to my ears. I play through an Engl pre currently and my style is kinda mathrock with the djent stuff thrown in.


----------



## Konfyouzd

vick1000 said:


> Dimarzio D-Activator 8 bridge, Ibanez RG8, Peavey 6505+ combo or a Crate Shockwave, into a 4x12 with 4 Texas Heats.
> 
> Not liking it at all. Stock pickups are better in some ways, though not as hot of course. Ordered a Deathbar and X-bar to compare.



Care to share what it is you're not liking?



Poltergeist said:


> Xbar and Deathbar ordered...So they recommend a 250 k pot but if one would choose to use a 500k pot it will give a subtle high end to the tone or more bite?



I use a 500k pot in my XBars. I'll try to get a clip of something recorded tonight (now that I can do it w/o making everything sound terrible) and I'll upload it as soon as I can. In fact... I have to re-record one of my songs... Maybe I'll just do it on my 8.


----------



## Pezshreds

I use an Ibanez RGA 8 with the stocpickups (Just waiting for the BKP aftermaths to arrive ^_^)

Honestly, I've used a lot of the stock pickups with this type of range of Ibanez, and they've all been quite muddy and very lacking in note definition.
I was slightly suprised that, not only were the pickups playable, the single note clarity was actually not overly bad.

The downfall is as soon as you start doing chords (power chords/chord chords) it loses all definition (while distorted) on any notes used.

In saying that, it's quite nice on clean, the chords come through a lot more defined on clean.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend purchasing this guitar and leaving the stock pickups in for metal/prog/tech, but it is still playable until you get an upgrade.


----------



## crg123

Hey Guys. I know awhile back bareknuckle posted they were making their seven string pickups available with EMG spacing but I was wondering if they started doing this with their 8 string pickups because they've never had covered 8 string pickups before.

Here's the link to the old facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...62536157.32460.141809295967657&type=1&theater

I'm really interested in purchasing a new bridge pickup but I currently have Lace 4.0 x-bars (formerly blackouts).
I emailed bareknuckle but I was curious if anyone else knows. I'm thinking about throwing a warpig into my 8 since I love it so much on my 7 or a juggernaut if they have it available.

edit:


> Hi Dave,
> 
> I'm afraid we cannot currently offer 8 string covers.
> 
> Kind Regards,
> 
> Ben
> --
> Ben French



For everyone else's reference. I was very happy with how quick he responded.


----------



## mnemonic

I asked them the same question a few months back, and tim replied on a saturday! Talk about customer service. 

He had also mentioned the tooling costs to make the covers would be too much, if I remember correctly. So as far as I know, you've got two options if you want BKP's in an 8 string with soapbar pickups; 1.) deal with the extra space, or 2.) put 5 string bass pickup covers over them.


----------



## phantomofalfred

I had to do something about my stock pups in my RGA8.
I tried Dactivator,Lundgren/and Deathbar.
My favorite was def the DeathBar. Its medium output, even eq, so you can shape it any way you want. The sound is focused and very tight.
I play mostly Metal but sometimes get into some other styles.
I can highly recommend the DeathBar. Through my Axe-FX it instantly got me that TOSIN ABASI Rhythm sound. 
Since it's a bar, there will be no drop in output when you bend.
String Spacing on the RGA8 is a bit wide for standard 8string pups, so you are far better off with some sort of EMG or my personal favorite "THE DEATHBAR"


----------



## russmuller

mnemonic said:


> I asked them the same question a few months back, and tim replied on a saturday! Talk about customer service.
> 
> He had also mentioned the tooling costs to make the covers would be too much, if I remember correctly.



HAHAHAHA I had also emailed this past weekend about 8 string soapbar covers because I didn't think to look in this thread. This was his response (on a Sunday even!):



> Not at the moment I'm afraid Russ. The costs involved for developing cover tools is in excess of £6000 and for such specialist pickups as 8s I wouldn't see a return on that kind of investment at the moment.
> 
> Kindest Regards,
> 
> Tim
> --
> Tim Mills
> Managing Director


----------



## MerlinTKD

AGILE CEPHEUS ALPHA/BETA (PASSIVE)

- Agile Septor 828 (Ash body, 3pc maple neck, rosewood fretboard, all stock)
- Ernie Ball Cobalt strings (10-56 + 80 bass string)
- Fender Mustang 1/2/Floor (custom patch based on Metal2000 [EVH5150]; amp+cab only, no stompboxes/effects active)
- No other outboard gear, some EQ+compression in Reaper when recording
- Generally used for metal/rock


Some background: I manage a music store, and have worked in music retail for 6 years now; I've had this guitar for a while (a little over a year), just in the past 3-4 months have I become satisfied with the sound I was getting (more due to changing taste and incessant tweaking than anything about the guitar ). I have to say, I've become a fan of these pickups!

As a comparison, I've got a 7-string with BKP Painkillers; while the Cepheus are not quite in the same league, they are far more impressive than any stock pickup I've ever heard, and honestly I like them as well as any DiMarzio or Duncan I've played. The low frequencies are full but focused, the highs are present but not icepicky, and the mids are... well, there's plenty of them!  I wonder how much the strings are making a difference, because the added lows of the EB Cobalts may be balancing the mids and highs, but I'm incredibly happy with the result!

Caveat: they are NOT the most versatile pickups out there. They have ceramic magnets (both bridge and neck), fairly high output, and have a particular mid-focused sound; I've heard they're based on Lundgren M8's, and while I've never played Lundgren's or heard them in person (other than Meshuggah recordings, of course!), I can believe that's correct. However, I've been able to make some pretty good sounding tones via the Fender Mustang software to cover all sorts of rock to metal sounds, and some nice, fun processed clean tones as well.

Until recently, I'd been pretty sure I would replace them with some type of BKP, but lately I've been rethinking that idea: I'm really happy with the sound I'm getting, and it's inspired me to write and complete a number of new tunes (clips to come later ); at this point, I'm not sure I'd replace them, even with BKP's, for fear I'd lose the tone I've got! 

So, a definite, big  to the Cepheus Passive 8-string pickups!


----------



## blaxquid

-Pickup: EMG 808
-Guitar used: LTD SC608B (Alder body, maple neck-through body construction)
-Amp used: Lecto/POD HD/Axe Fx Std.
-Your preferred style(s) of music: Death Metal, Jazz, Prog, Duhhrr

I'll start off by saying the 808's only quality is that the output is pretty good. The rest has already been said: overly bassy, fizzy high end, muddy on pretty much anything, chordal work require even more effort and spotless technique. The pick attack feels quite soft but you don't notice it because of that shrill high end that tries to fool you.

Cleans are OK on the middle pickup, but has this annoying low/low-mid bump that I don't like on guitar (bass is another story). Poorly detailed high end register. If you like your mids, you'll dearly miss them with that pickup.

The 18v mod is permanent on those but will not change the mushy marshmallow-ey character on those.

OK as OEM pickups but quite terrible all around - I'm sure EMG lined their pockets quite well with that OEM'ing move at the onset of a market for ERGs but now I won't even give a shot at the 808X - probably will go straight back at SD Blackouts or Dimarzio DA8 and deal with the gaps/drilling.

EMG


----------



## zipline7020

So right now i have a schecter hell raiser c-8
its all mahogany with a quilted maple top, and its a neck through.

at the moment, it has EMG 808's, and i really can't get into them.

I'm looking to play something close to Breaking Benjamin, Love and Death, RED, alter bridge, deftones......only in drop F with the occasional A#.

at the same time, i want to be able to tighten it up and have a hint of djent for some cool spacey/groove moments. but djent isn't the priority. 

the two pickups that caught my eye were the dimarzio D-activator andthe BKP Ceramic Nailbomb. If anyone has any other suggestions that'd be awesome too.

All in all, i guess I'm looking for an 8 string version of the PRS tremonti pickups.

thanks!


----------



## AlejoV

Hey guys, what is your opinion on Dimarzio Ionizers? I might get an RG2228, so I'm going to swap pickups and strings. I'm really torn between EMG 808x's and the Ionizers.

I think that the EMG 808x's have a really cool even sound, but the Ionizers are passive and sound sweet.


----------



## Dana

ionizers are gonna be more versatile. emg are one trick ponies


----------



## tm20

I'm really considering getting new pickups for my RGA8 and I can't decide between EMG 808Xs and Seymour Duncan Blackouts. I listened to a comparison test posted earlier in this thread and both sounded good. But I do want to tune the low string down to C# so I'm not sure which pickup would be better, or even if either pickup is the right choice for this. Anyone have suggestions?

*currently I've got a Line6 Spider III (I know, not the greatest thing) and also got a Zoom G5 pedal which I run through a Blackheart Speaker. These things are probably not the best for playing such low tunings but it's all I have for now


----------



## Canis Canem

*Pickup - Seymour Duncan Nazgul 8 (Active Mount)
Guitar - ESP LTD H-208
*

First of all, after owning this for several months, this pick-up is defiantly suited to metal, and with it being specially designed for 7 and 8 strings we can assume its for the more extreme side (Think Meshuggah). So just bear that in mind if you're looking for a strat tone.

I've loaded the Nazgul in the bridge position on my ESP LTD H-208, which is a 
under £400 (600$) just over entry level 8 string which I've had no problem with and I would advise it to anyone thinking of making the transition from 6/7 to 8.

The pick-up is extremely high-output and generally can exceed most of the gain offered by the ever popular EMG 808's. It has a really crunchy, bitey mid range with a good amount of bass that complements the lower strings and treble to keep it all clear. I was surprised by it's ability to maintain the sounds clarity and articulate details considering it's titanic gain capacity. 

I've been running this through a EVH 5150III 50watt Head and a Harley Benton 2x12 Cabinet (which is rediciously good for the money!) and the Nazgul is perfect for all the high gain sounds you might crave from bands like Meshuggah, Periphery etc. But it can also give some sweet and fluid cleans (Think Welcome Home [Sanitarium] - Metallica) which go hand in hand with the likes of the Sentient, the Nazgul's partner in obliteration.

*Pros*

High Gain
Surprisingly Versitile
Responsive to guitar volume + pick attack
Looks the ballz


*Cons*

Maybe too much gain
Feedback issues have happened when close to the amp (Occasionally)

Overall this pick-up is killer and defiantly worthy of the heaviest player. Very responsive to guitar volume and pick attack with very few cons. I defiantly recommend it as a feature to any metal players 7 or 8.

-Tom


----------



## Getoutmyyard

So I've seen a good few people mention Lace Deathbars/X Bars, but does anyone have a clear idea, or opinion, of which one is better? I've seen a lot of people use the Deathbar for the bridge, and X Bar for the neck, and at the same time I've seen people use Deathbar for both, or X Bar for both. I play an Agile Septor 827, mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. I play progressive death metal with a little bit of djent, or clean sections, but the main sound is a lot of heavy riffing and soloing. I'm looking for the best pickup choice for that. Any thoughts?


----------



## Dead-Pan

Lundgren.


----------



## crg123

Just upgraded to a Lundgren M8C bridge. My guitar is an Agile Septor 827 Elite model with a maple neck thru and mahogany wings. Originally this guitar has blackouts then I swapped them out for a Lace Deathbar/ Xbar set. I had this combination for two year and I just swapped out the Deathbar for a lundgren to change things up and since I've always been curious.


My rig (quite long - yet very simple since its all tone shaping stuff):

Boss GE-7 (pre-eq)>Keeley 4 knob comp > Maxon OD808>Boss NS-2 (Hard gate)> Blackstar ht-5 (with upgraded tungsol 12AX7 pre amp tube)> FX loop > ISP Decimator > Rocktron Xpression for post EQ and cab sim > Scarlett 2i2 > Macbook pro > Pro tools 11 

I'm super happy I switched pickups. The Lundgren is much better at handling the low F and less fizzy overall. It sounds almost like the Lace's are single coil in nature. The Deathbars weren't bad they just the pickup equivalent of an FRFR system with no real defining characteristics besides what ever body/neck wood you're using it in. The idea behind the lace's are the are a 10 treble, 10 mids, 10 lows on an EQ scale then you use a graphic EQ in front of it to shape what ever tone you want.

If you can justify the upgrade definitely go lundgren, I'm never turning back. They just have this awesome responsiveness to your playing. The lace's are a great option at a non boutique price though. The lundgrens are just a whole other beast of a pickup even compared to my BKPs.


----------



## MerlinTKD

crg123 said:


> Just upgraded to a Lundgren M8C bridge. My guitar is an Agile Septor 827 Elite model with a maple neck thru and mahogany wings. Originally this guitar has blackouts then I swapped them out for a Lace Deathbar/ Xbar set. I had this combination for two year and I just swapped out the Deathbar for a lundgren to change things up and since I've always been curious.
> 
> 
> My rig (quite long - yet very simple since its all tone shaping stuff):
> 
> Boss GE-7 (pre-eq)>Keeley 4 knob comp > Maxon OD808>Boss NS-2 (Hard gate)> Blackstar ht-5 (with upgraded tungsol 12AX7 pre amp tube)> FX loop > ISP Decimator > Rocktron Xpression for post EQ and cab sim > Scarlett 2i2 > Macbook pro > Pro tools 11
> 
> I'm super happy I switched pickups. The Lundgren is much better at handling the low F and less fizzy overall. It sounds almost like the Lace's are single coil in nature. The Deathbars weren't bad they just the pickup equivalent of an FRFR system with no real defining characteristics besides what ever body/neck wood you're using it in. The idea behind the lace's are the are a 10 treble, 10 mids, 10 lows on an EQ scale then you use a graphic EQ in front of it to shape what ever tone you want.
> 
> If you can justify the upgrade definitely go lundgren, I'm never turning back. They just have this awesome responsiveness to your playing. The lace's are a great option at a non boutique price though. The lundgrens are just a whole other beast of a pickup even compared to my BKPs.




Can you talk more about the Lundgren's, what you like, pros/cons, etc?


----------



## Vehuel

Hey guys,

Mine are BKP vhII neck/Rebel Yell Bridge,
body: brazilian mahogany/flame maple top
neck: maple/walnut ith ebony fretboard
brass nut and frets
music played: pop/rock/jazz/funk/blues/metal

I find the sound too shiny and with a lack of personality, lack of bass, I tried a lot to move the pickups but seems like it doesn't fits me... I don't know how pickups choose, I have a blackat Leon 8 with almost similar specs except rosewood fretboard,frets and nut, and pickups: Dimarzio D Activator, that are really better, with more mojo in it, and really versatile, a good surprise.

Could you please advise me for pickups that could darken the sound ?


----------



## Kittenflower

Anyone done series/parallel and/or single coil stuff on a Sentient/Nazgul? I'm going to get my RGA8 modded for those and was wondering if someone did something similar with good results.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Dimarzio Ionizer pickups

-Ibanez TAM10 (basswood body, maple and walnut neck, rosewood fingerboard)
-Marshall MA50C amp (with different tubes, not sure on model)
-Additional pedals in usage:
-Dunlop 535Q Wah
-Line6 FM4 Synth
-Digitech Whammy pedal
-Boss OS-2 Overdrive
-TC Electronic Vortex Flanger
-Preferred music style: Metal, with plenty of progressive


Okay, so to keep it short and simple, these pickups have had me floored since I first played them. Their clarity and presence is super enjoyable, and the variety of tones available with them is nothing short is encyclopedic.

The bridge pickup is like something of a good middle-ground, balancing crunch and grit with enough clarity and warmth that nothing results in sour notes. The harmonics are gorgeous and fairly easy to nail, though at times maybe a bit difficult, though that could just be my playing style.
The neck pickup is deep and rounder than a bowling ball. The bass just rings on clean sounds, and on distortion it keeps a lower profile for me.
Throw in the middle pickup, and any of the single coil settings call up beautiful strat and tele-esque tones that satisfy a big part of some blues ingrained into my soul. They also have some AWESOME punch with the neck and middle coil combination.

Overall, my favorite pickups that I've ever played. Beautiful tonal range, loads of variety and flavors to pick from, and they never sound muddy or garbled. It makes every pick I make feel wonderful.


----------



## cip 123

Anyone tried those new EMG's?


----------



## frahmans

Guitar: walnut body, rosewood top, walnut neck, ebony fretboard
Pickup: emg 57-8 and emg 66-8
Amp: black star ht20 or positive grid bias
Music: metal, rock, blues

I went from an emg 808 to the 57/66 on my guitar. After changing, I immediately could hear and feel a difference for the better in favor of the 57/66.

For an active, the 57/66 was more dynamic and better showed nuances of pick attack and fingering strength. It was less hot and less fizzy as compared to the emg 808. It felt more open and not as compressed - more like my passive hum bucked guitars. 

In terms of it sound, through a clean channel, it was very clean and very clear. It had a vintage feel to the sound like a good paf humbucker. On a dirty channel, it maintained the clarity and better frequency spectrum. It is not as trebley as the 808. On same settings, the 57/66 had better mids and bass, it was more balanced eq wise. It can do all types of metal and rock. I was most surprised how it can give a very good blues tone too. Responsive to change in volume and my on board gain control.

The 66 is great neck pickups. It is smooth and not as wooly, boomy, or woody as other neck pickups. Compared to the 808 in the neck, again more even frequency response. A brighter neck pickup in a good way. Note separation is very good and not muddy when you play chords or chug.

The 57 is one of my fave bridge pickup. Clarity on all strings esp the 7th and 8th string, very surprised it could do that being it was more vintage inspired. Cuts through very well. Even response with good mids, treble, and bass. It doesn't get muddy like the 808 when you play barred chords involving 7th and 8th string.

There is a volume difference if you switch from the neck to bridge - to me, the 66 has more output volume compared to the 57. So I had to lower the neck a bit more to even it out. Other than that, I am happy with this set. I think 57/66 is better suited to ERG just because it feels open, dynamic, and more even frequency response.


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## UnstableinLINY

GUITAR: Ibanez S8QM
PICKUP: Bill Lawrence L-705

Here is the vid with the nightmare of installation with some crappy sound clips (but still illustrates the difference).

http://youtu.be/oTNjf7QxRQ8

Definitely an improvement over stock pickups and similar to the dimebucker i had installed in my 6 string. High gain passive and clean sounding rail style pickup. A bit on the treble side but cuts some mud out


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## BigHandy

I don't wanted to make a new thread for this, so I will pull it in here: what are your thoughts on EMG 808x vs SD AHB-1 vs SD Nazgul/Sentient comparison?

(These would be my future 8 string stock pickup options.)

Thanks!


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## lewis

Pickups:
Lace Deathbar and XBar

Guitar: Kraken Octa
Mahogany Body
Mahogany Neck
Rosewood fretboard

Amp:
Pod HD Pro direct to PA


Pros:
clearest pickups ever. Unreal clarity
totally noiseless
perfect lead tone
Perfect clean tone
Great for low tunings.

Cons
Maybe a little too much fizz/fuzz but then i did use a 500k pot instead of 250k like they suggest to tame some highs. So its probably that.

In which case there arent really any cons.


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## frahmans

Pickups: Q-tuner 2.0 for 9 string

Guitar: Custom 9 string
rosewood with mango top
maple and zebrawood neck
ebony fretboard

Here is a crude 15 second clip riffing on the 9th, 8th, 7th, and 6th string. The melody line is on the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd string.

The amps used are insane 5150 models in positive grid bias fx with a tubescreamer

https://soundcloud.com/frahmans/9-string-riff-n-lick-q-tuner

Pros
Hifi and extreme clarity
Extremely quiet
Great for extended range riffing and melody
Feels like a single coil with the output power of a humbucker
Extremely dynamic and you can hear every nuance of you fretting and picking

Cons
Bridge can be a bit too bright like a single coil if you never played one
Does not reward imprecise playing

I was initially sceptical because q-tuner sounded different than the EMG 57/66 or other alnico humbuckers I played before. To me, they are extremely clear and hi-fi humbuckers with single coil like characteristics. It has that bite that only single coils can have. And I think you can hear it in the chuggin portion and the lead portion. It's clear and not muddy at all.


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## mousedroid

how do you delete messages


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## coreypla

I want to second this heavily. I hear a fair amount of dislike to EMG pups, and I really think the x series pups are great. Regardless of which EMG you have I think using any mod to get more volts to the pickup has a great outcome. 

I wasn't willing to do an 18v mod. But did go for the 24 volt mod. It's just an adaptor that allows you to hook up two 12 volt batteries in a housing the size of a 9volt. Very nice alternative.

http://www.24voltmod.com

not al all affiliated with the company. Just a fan of the product!!!




glassmoon0fo said:


> I have the standard EMG 808s with an 18v mod, thought i'd offer up my review
> 
> -Guitar used (Woods and/or neck construction if you know it)- Ibanez RG2228, basswood bady (that's how John Mayer would say it, BADY ), maple bolt on
> -Amp used- Pod X3 Live Diety's Son custom patch through a Carvin 2x12
> -Any effects/other gear used- whatev
> -Your preferred style(s) of music- Prog Metal, Prog Rock, Jazz, Experimental, whatev
> 
> I originally didnt mind the stock EMGs but after a while i found it impossible to get a great high distortion sound without the pups clipping and getting harsh in the low and high registers. I really wanted to make the switch to passives but figured i'd try the 18v mod since it was cheap. WOW what a difference! the harshness is completely gone and the pups almost have the feel of a passive, while still retaining the hi-fi quality i like about EMGs in the first place. the tone is deeper and more organic, less compressed, and still punchy without the clipping. i didnt even need to tweak my patches before i was getting an awesome sound out of them (i tweaked anyway though, because im a tweaker haha). anyone hating on their EMGs should try out the 18v mod before they waste money switching pickups completely.


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## KnightBrolaire

thought I'd post up some demos of the Lundgren M8 and X-bars I've done recently.
Lundgren: https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/lundgren-m8
Lace X-bars: https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/lace-x-bars-demo
same amp settings for both, no amp tweaking except adding/removing gain.


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## macgruber

^^^ thats a big difference in tone using the same amp and settings. the laces sounded much more rounded and loose.


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## KnightBrolaire

macgruber said:


> ^^^ thats a big difference in tone using the same amp and settings. the laces sounded much more rounded and loose.


Yeah they're a little rounder sounding but they still get pretty tight. I find that bumping the mids with them really helps tighten them up.
The lace are super versatile, and still get crushing high gain tones (honestly I'd say they're better at super high gain than the m8 due to their clarity). I really want to test the Deathbar and see if it's tighter than the x-bar.


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## KnightBrolaire

Finally Demo'd the C-pig /Cold Sweat combo in my 8 string:
https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/bare-knuckle-ceramic-warpig-8cold-sweat-8-demo
same amp settings as before, Gain is the only thing that changes.


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## KnightBrolaire

threw together some sloppy clips with the omega if anyone wants to hear 'em : https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-san...-bridge-pickup
same amp as the other pickup demos I posted but volume settings are a bit different.


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## kolahola

I had seymour duncan Black Winters on my RG8 for almost two years,
-Ibanez RG8, basswood body, bolt neck
-BIAS amp and Mesa Boogie Mark V 25
I mostly use this guitar for core, death and prog music (not black metal as they are supposed to be for lol) although i made an emperor cover and it sounds REALLY great:
https://soundcloud.com/user-272400266/i-am-the-black-wizards
High output with nice dirty but defined distortion. A bit over-trebled, it might scream a lot.

I also have to mention, clean tone is absolutely balanced and awesome at mid position, i promise, ive never heard a clean tone like this before:
https://soundcloud.com/user-272400266/in-flames-bullet-ride
Here you can hear some cleans and some powerful chords and palm mutes.
Neck pickup is meh, but not bad either, it does its job as soloing pickup. Lower output, and as i said, when combined with bridge pickup cleans are 

Any question you have, feel free to ask, and please don't mind my poor english haha


...., just realized i don't have any sound demo of the 8 string. I guess i dont use it too much. Bridge pickup, combined with a nice amp setting can give good defined 8 string tones, but it depends more on how do you record it.


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## AkiraSpectrum

kolahola said:


> I had seymour duncan Black Winters on my RG8 for almost two years,
> -Ibanez RG8, basswood body, bolt neck
> -BIAS amp and Mesa Boogie Mark V 25
> I mostly use this guitar for core, death and prog music (not black metal as they are supposed to be for lol) although i made an emperor cover and it sounds REALLY great:
> https://soundcloud.com/user-272400266/i-am-the-black-wizards
> High output with nice dirty but defined distortion. A bit over-trebled, it might scream a lot.
> 
> I also have to mention, clean tone is absolutely balanced and awesome at mid position, i promise, ive never heard a clean tone like this before:
> https://soundcloud.com/user-272400266/in-flames-bullet-ride
> Here you can hear some cleans and some powerful chords and palm mutes.
> Neck pickup is meh, but not bad either, it does its job as soloing pickup. Lower output, and as i said, when combined with bridge pickup cleans are
> 
> Any question you have, feel free to ask, and please don't mind my poor english haha
> 
> 
> ...., just realized i don't have any sound demo of the 8 string. I guess i dont use it too much. Bridge pickup, combined with a nice amp setting can give good defined 8 string tones, but it depends more on how do you record it.


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## KnightBrolaire

Updated my pickup shootout, now with juggernaut demos.
https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/overload-rea-8-pickup-shootout
if you want to just hear the juggernaut tracks:
https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/bare-knuckle-juggernaut-8-string-version


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## DeathChord

Dead-Pan said:


> Lundgren.



I 2nd that! The M8 is insanely tight.


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## KnightBrolaire

Black Winter bridge demos:
https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/seymour-duncan-black-winter-8-string-bridge-pickup


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## KnightBrolaire

https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/overload-rea-8-pickup-shootout


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## Tachy

I have a schecter 8 string with the emg 808, it s not my fave from emg, but it does not suck at all imo.
The 808 is the most common pick up you ll find in a 8 string, and for shure is affected by the quality of construction and woods of the guitar itself.
Ther s a lot of crappy guitars that have the 808 in it.


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## jwade

So instead of spending the next week listening to samples of people playing through digital setups, I have to ask for a recommendation based on my setup. 

I have an Orange Thunderverb 200 watt head, and the 8 string I'm nearly finished building is a 29.432" scale with a basswood body/maple top, a wenge neck w/maple laminated, and an ebony fb. 

I know there'll be at least a couple people that want to argue about wood vs pickups but I'm not interested in that, please don't get into that discussion. I just want a recommendation for a few pickups to look at for this build. I like Gibsons standard pickups for the most part, so I'm thinking lower output and probably not ceramic magnets would be my main requirements.


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## KnightBrolaire

jwade said:


> So instead of spending the next week listening to samples of people playing through digital setups, I have to ask for a recommendation based on my setup.
> 
> I have an Orange Thunderverb 200 watt head, and the 8 string I'm nearly finished building is a 29.432" scale with a basswood body/maple top, a wenge neck w/maple laminated, and an ebony fb.
> 
> I know there'll be at least a couple people that want to argue about wood vs pickups but I'm not interested in that, please don't get into that discussion. I just want a recommendation for a few pickups to look at for this build. I like Gibsons standard pickups for the most part, so I'm thinking lower output and probably not ceramic magnets would be my main requirements.


black dog. it's an alnico v mag and only runs around 9.5kohm. Plus it sounds awesome and is pretty versatile/clear sounding.


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## skeeballcore

KnightBrolaire said:


> Updated my pickup shootout, now with juggernaut demos.
> https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/overload-rea-8-pickup-shootout
> if you want to just hear the juggernaut tracks:
> https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/bare-knuckle-juggernaut-8-string-version


Thanks for doing these. Makes me want a Lundgren though


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## KnightBrolaire

skeeballcore said:


> Thanks for doing these. Makes me want a Lundgren though


Yeah there really wasn't any good resources out there for 8 stringers other than simon sludge's clips (which showcase the metal side well). I wanted to show off more aspects of the pickups. Lundgrens are great for metal, especially if you want a tight low end. Just not the best clarity or versatility imo


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## skeeballcore

KnightBrolaire said:


> Yeah there really wasn't any good resources out there for 8 stringers other than simon sludge's clips (which showcase the metal side well). I wanted to show off more aspects of the pickups. Lundgrens are great for metal, especially if you want a tight low end. Just not the best clarity or versatility imo



I’ve got an Rg2228 and it’s strictly for metal so versatility isn’t my aim. Now I just need to find an M8 for cheap


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## Gmork

KnightBrolaire said:


> Black Winter bridge demos:
> https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/seymour-duncan-black-winter-8-string-bridge-pickup


How would you compare the black winter 8 to an emg808? (Bridge wise) 

I feel the emg808 really picks up every tiny scrape and noise of the pick. Wouldyou say the BW is clearer and not as hot in that regard?


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## lurè

Thoughts on Instrumental SFTY3?


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## KnightBrolaire

Gmork said:


> How would you compare the black winter 8 to an emg808? (Bridge wise)
> 
> I feel the emg808 really picks up every tiny scrape and noise of the pick. Wouldyou say the BW is clearer and not as hot in that regard?


i hated the 808. quite dark on the low end,overall clarity was pretty bad. 808x or 81-8x are far better options for emg imo. bw are also darker on the low end but also have more output iirc. Both chug exceedingly well, bw will have slightly better clarity for extended chords. BW has a grindy midrange with a hint of snarl. BW neck is nice for solo work and cleans.
I have clips of the 808x and the BW in my 8 string shootout.


lurè said:


> Thoughts on Instrumental SFTY3?


they're tight and mean sounding, relatively mid forward voicing. Good clarity across all the strings, solid cleans, can be a bit bright in the wrong guitar. Neck isn't super smooth and liquidy but performs well for sweeps/legato. Has a spanky split sound. They've been described as a bkp painkiller but more refined, and I would basically agree with that.

https://soundcloud.com/skwisgaar-sandervaal/sets/overload-rea-8-pickup-shootout


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## lurè

I liked the bridge but the neck pickup was a bit too stiff for my tastes. 
I prefer a smoother pickup with just a bit of pick attack.


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## Kyle Jordan

@KnightBrolaire Can you share where the EMG 808x samples are? I'm not seeing them on your Soundcloud or YouTube pages.


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## KnightBrolaire

Kyle Jordan said:


> @KnightBrolaire Can you share where the EMG 808x samples are? I'm not seeing them on your Soundcloud or YouTube pages.


I think I deleted the clips from soundcloud since I needed the space for other clips. the only thing I have left is this video. 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2R5LG4A-nYtNjk0ZDBLSzVPbWc/view?usp=sharing


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## Acaciastrain360

Has anyone stuck some Lungdrens (don’t know how to spell it) in an active Agile 8?????


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## mrdm53

Thoughts on Guitarmory pickups? I'm interested to put in either Atlas or Polaris set in my custom guitar (Ash body, bolt-on neck)


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## @zwen

Kamikaze7 said:


> So far, I've had experience with the EMG 808 and the 808X. I'm sure many other 8-string players here know how "iffy" the 808 is or can be, and how muddy it can tend to sound. The 808X, like all the X-series pickups, have a lot more headroom and slightly less output than normal EMG's, but the tone is self-explainable. The 808X brightens up the low F# beautifully, and keeps the B and the rest of the strings equally balanced and quite flavorful. From those who have made the switch to the 808X, I've had heard the same results as mine and those 8-string owners were VERY pleased with the end results.
> 
> -Guitar Used: ESP LTD FM-408, Basswood body, Maple neck-thru body
> -Amp used: Ibanez 10 Watt practice amp with Korg ToneWorks floorboard, but sounds just as good on other amps such as the Bugera 6262, Peavey 6505+ and the Line 6 Bogner 100 Watt tube head



I have 81-8X and 85-8X loaded into my Etherial, and they make my tone sound like a djenty laser beam. The cleans are beefy and sharp.


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## RBadel

mrdm53 said:


> Thoughts on Guitarmory pickups? I'm interested to put in either Atlas or Polaris set in my custom guitar (Ash body, bolt-on neck)



I would be curios, too. Especially on the Atlas. heard a lot of good things of this company  

Have played a Lundgren M8 a really long time ago and i really liked it. It just had a little less output for my taste though.

EMG808X sounds really good and tbh they just the most affordable 8 string pups out there  
But i would go for passives if i am able to.


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## kam4ff

Anybody got any recommendations for an rg852mpb? It’s got stock DiMarzio Paf8 and they’re not cutting it for me. I want more clarity and response, they seems to thin on the bottom end and don’t hold up under high gain, though the cleans are good. 

I play either through a jcm800, silver jubilee, Mesa roadster or digital through neural Dsp. 
Overall the sound I want is to be able to have clarity like my bkp aftermath 7s do where I can hit a complex chord and hear the notes, rather than a jumbled mess. I’d still like higher output, non active, but clarity in gain would be best, and a decent clean ( I can roll back, etc)


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