# EMG 808x or Blackouts?



## Vince Caruana (Jan 22, 2013)

The 8 string I have now has the EMG 808's(not the 808x) and the guitar I'm most likely buying comes with blackouts. I love the low end and heavy tone of the EMG 808s but the can get a bit harsh sounding at times, muddy chords with heavy distortion etc. I hear the EMG 808x cleaned up this problem and gave them a cleaner tone. The blackouts are supposed to have a cleaner tone which I like, but my problem with the blackouts is that they seem VERY midranged, although I will say they sound nice. I'm looking for the same low beefy tone of the EMG 808s I'm using now just with a little more clarity. Anybody know if there is any noticable differences between the two?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 22, 2013)

Do the 18v mod.


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## Given To Fly (Jan 22, 2013)

Try the 18v mod first, if you don't like it, get the 808x's.


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## setsuna7 (Jan 22, 2013)

I have the 808X in my RGA. Sounds tighter than the blackout in my previous 7.


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## cronux (Jan 22, 2013)

Blackouts


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## crg123 (Jan 22, 2013)

+1 blackouts - the only active pickups I've ever liked haha


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## Navid (Jan 22, 2013)

Blackouts


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## Jessy (Jan 22, 2013)

40DC X.


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## no_dice (Jan 22, 2013)

I might be doing something wrong, but I have Blackouts in my SLS C-8, and they sound like they're clipping if I play too hard. I've tried 808s in several guitars and didn't like them, but I hear great things about 808Xs.


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## Decipher (Jan 22, 2013)

Another vote for Blackouts here!


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## Jessy (Jan 22, 2013)

no_dice said:


> I might be doing something wrong, but I have Blackouts in my SLS C-8, and they sound like they're clipping if I play too hard.


What's clipping? The pickup itself, or an amp? 

It's _good_* for a pickup to clip an amp, because a pickup that is very loud has more potential to have a good signal-to-noise ratio. Control the output level outside of the pickup.

* Potentially good. Generally, a loud pickup just has a bunch of useless extra wire that just kills the high end.


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## Vince Caruana (Jan 22, 2013)

So which one handles lows better?


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## Jessy (Jan 22, 2013)

Vince Caruana said:


> So which one handles lows better?


What do you mean by "handles"? All pickups (including single coils) reproduce low frequencies just fine. You can dial more in with EQ if you need it. Highs are what you need to worry about.


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## Vince Caruana (Jan 22, 2013)

It just seems like every clip I see of the blackouts they are very mid ranged. I'm just going to give them a try when I order my guitar. I wish agile had the option to swap pickups and put your own gauges on like other companies.


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## Mprinsje (Jan 22, 2013)

try the 18v mod first, it's cheaper than new pickups


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## Vince Caruana (Jan 22, 2013)

Where would you put the extra battery just with the wiring? Wiring isn't a problem but I don't really wanna chop up my guitar ya know?


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## Jessy (Jan 22, 2013)

Vince Caruana said:


> It just seems like every clip I see of the blackouts they are very mid ranged.


I don't disagree. I bet they have more wire than EMGs, which would lower their resonant peak. You can make an EMG sound like a Blackout with EQ, but the reverse doesn't work. However, you can dial out the midrange of any pickup. Whether that leaves you with weak highs or not is dependent on the pickup.


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## Vince Caruana (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback. You know if their is any noticable difference between the 808x and blackouts?


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## brutus627 (Jan 22, 2013)

im getting my 5150 back from the shop and im going to be able to a/b/c the 808, 808x, and the blackout. im excited to see how they compare to eachother because i have gone 808 vs blackout but not all three. originally i loved emg's but was converted to the blackouts because i thought the blackout had much more of a passive feel with the active responsiveness than the 808 (makes the F go dur instead of bow to my ears ). i cant wait to try the 808x to see how it is up against the blackout because i what i always noticed 707 vs blackout, was that the blackout was a lot brighter and had much more of that angry bite that i love. going back and forth from the blackout to the 707 i would have to crank things like presence and highs to get it back with the 707.


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## Corrosion (Jan 22, 2013)

18v mod, and put that spare in the control cavity. I did it, and will be keeping my emg 808s in the RGA8 forever.


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## allseeingeye (Jan 26, 2013)

I just ordered a set of Blackouts for my RGA8 today. I cannot wait to toss those stock Ibby pups!!


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## Dayn (Jan 26, 2013)

I haven't tried Blackouts, myself. I've heard them, and... they're just far too overpowering for me.

I had EMG 808s. I used the 18v mod by rigging up a battery harness and my word did they sound more open.

But then I put 808Xs in them with just one battery. They sounded less compressed and... more dynamic, really. Unless you like the standard EMG sound, I'd recommend the X series instead. For my cleans, I don't even use an amp. Direct line-in sounds perfect to me.

Besides, EMGs come with the quick-connect system!


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## HOKENSTYFE (Jan 27, 2013)

Get an 85/81x, 8-string set. Awesome solved.


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## JLocrian (Jan 27, 2013)

Blackouts for sure


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## noise in my mind (Jan 27, 2013)

I had blackouts in my old rga8 and they sounded great. Very tight and focused on the low end. I had a regular 808 in my old agile and thought it was too muddy. This 18volt mod intrigues me though. Sounds like it's worth a shot for the the money. I am curios though how a blackout or 808x would sound with the 18volt mod?


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## Veritech Zero (Jan 27, 2013)

I know most everyone here loves their blackouts, but I really can't stand them in 8 string guitars, but I'm not really a fan of the regular EMG line up either. Both have WAY too much gain inherent in the pickup. I find that the blackouts are even muddier than the 808 pickups. Though you can get a really driving distorted tone from them, unfortunately with that low 7th and 8th string it is just too much. I much prefer the EMG X series over anything, or at least until they release the 57/66 in a 7 and 8 string variation. But fair warning the EMG X series are a lower gain pickup, so in comparison to your 808s, you will need to turn up the drive just a bit to achieve the same amount of distortion, but I feel that they are much more tight and responsive.

Best solution would be to find someone with them and see for yourself.

Oh and to answer the question of how Blackouts sound with 18v of power. They don't, they aren't made to work with 18v and therefore do not. I thought I did something wrong at first when I wired up a guitar with a switch to go between 9v and 18v on blackouts to hear the difference and they went from normal to sounding like they had a dead battery. But after just direct inputting the 18v on several guitars with Blackouts I discovered that that is how they sound. Try for yourself if you feel the need, maybe you will have different results, after all, it only costs MAYBE $1 for the wiring to do so. And adding another 9v of power to the EMG X series guitars yields a very shrill and fragile tone. Unless you are into that, I wouldn't recommend it.


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## Given To Fly (Jan 28, 2013)

Veritech Zero said:


> I know most everyone here loves their blackouts, but I really can't stand them in 8 string guitars, but I'm not really a fan of the regular EMG line up either. Both have WAY too much gain inherent in the pickup. I find that the blackouts are even muddier than the 808 pickups. Though you can get a really driving distorted tone from them, unfortunately with that low 7th and 8th string it is just too much. I much prefer the EMG X series over anything, or at least until they release the 57/66 in a 7 and 8 string variation. But fair warning the EMG X series are a lower gain pickup, so in comparison to your 808s, you will need to turn up the drive just a bit to achieve the same amount of distortion, but I feel that they are much more tight and responsive.
> 
> Best solution would be to find someone with them and see for yourself.
> 
> Oh and to answer the question of how Blackouts sound with 18v of power. They don't, they aren't made to work with 18v and therefore do not. I thought I did something wrong at first when I wired up a guitar with a switch to go between 9v and 18v on blackouts to hear the difference and they went from normal to sounding like they had a dead battery. But after just direct inputting the 18v on several guitars with Blackouts I discovered that that is how they sound. Try for yourself if you feel the need, maybe you will have different results, after all, it only costs MAYBE $1 for the wiring to do so. And adding another 9v of power to the EMG X series guitars yields a very shrill and fragile tone. Unless you are into that, I wouldn't recommend it.



I think the jargon gets mixed when we talk about output and gain. A stronger signal comes from the 808x's compared to the 808's. EMG talks about it being a clean gain. My experience was after putting 808x's in my guitar, which took the shop awhile, I got the guitar home and proceeded to clip every single track I tried to record through my Eleven Rack. Nothing had changed on the Eleven Rack and my other guitars were recording at the same levels. Then I realized it was the 808x's. 
The 808x's do have a deceiving sound though. My first reaction was "Where did the bass go?" After about 15 minutes you realize EMG cleaned it up which made the pickups sound more open, something not often heard with active pickups.


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