# EMG X Series



## AlexWadeWC (Jul 9, 2011)

Can someone tell me a little bit about EMGs "X" series? I'm interested in the 81-7X and the 808X. EMG describes it as "bridging the gap between passive and active", so what exactly do they mean by that? The output of an active with the tone of a passive? It says the X series has "increased headroom", and I know doing the 18 volt mod to an EMG increases the headroom, so could one say that an 18 volt modded EMG sounds similar to an X series EMG? 

If anyone who has experience with the X series, or better yet has actually switched from a regular EMG to an X series one, could chime in I'd be grateful, thanks!


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## Metalus (Jul 9, 2011)

Ive heard that all they do is achieve the "same" tone as 18 volt modded regular emg's except they run at 9 volts, and that they sound like blackouts


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## setsuna7 (Jul 9, 2011)

Got one in my 8,sounds awesome!! very ass tight!!


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## Curt (Jul 9, 2011)

I have a couple friends who use the 81x/85x combo and they sound to me just like the 18v mod.


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## Rook (Jul 9, 2011)

Firstly, your comment of 'passive pickup with active output' is off. Mostly because your average EMG 81 has about the same output as say a Seymour Duncan JB, anything labelled as 'High Output' by the better known brands (DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, Bare Knuckle) will be considerably hotter and it's actually an in-built compression in EMG's that makes them feel like a hotter pickup; leading nicely to the X. The X has far less if that compression, so takes the advantages of Actives, such as low noise and good balance, and takes away some output and some compression, giving them in my opinion a much clearer voice and more dynamic feel. I don't think they sound like 18V modded standard pickups as the X is notably quieter and more elastic feeling.

In brief - more clarity, more headroom, less power, more dynamics - EMG sound, passive feel.


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## Curt (Jul 9, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> Firstly, your comment of 'passive pickup with active output' is off. Mostly because your average EMG 81 has about the same output as say a Seymour Duncan JB, anything labelled as 'High Output' by the better known brands (DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, Bare Knuckle) will be considerably hotter and it's actually an in-built compression in EMG's that makes them feel like a hotter pickup; leading nicely to the X. The X has far less if that compression, so takes the advantages of Actives, such as low noise and good balance, and takes away some output and some compression, giving them in my opinion a much clearer voice and more dynamic feel. I don't think they sound like 18V modded standard pickups as the X is notably quieter and more elastic feeling.
> 
> In brief - more clarity, more headroom, less power, more dynamics - EMG sound, passive feel.



Maybe it's just that all EMG's sound the same to me through my amp. 

The rhythm guitarist in my old band had the 81/85 modded to 18 volts in his ESP viper, then he swapped to the X series and they sound quite the same to me, but then again, I haven't tried them for anything other than crushing metal. maybe if I play some clean/chordy stuff or some dynamic lead playing I might hear the difference. but tonally, mostly the same as the 18v mod.


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## AlexWadeWC (Jul 9, 2011)

How would you guys they say they are tonally compared to regular EMGs? Less low end and punch? Or about the same low end characteristics, just more clarity as they have more headroom?


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## Curt (Jul 9, 2011)

same amount of low end and punch, to my ears. Just a bit less compression/more headroom.
you actually get some dynamics from them. But I don't think dynamics play as huge a role in your type of music as with others.


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## Rook (Jul 9, 2011)

Lol Curt, don't go there man 

I'd say the lows are more rich than punchy, but they're certainly there. The mids are crunchier and more defined and the highs are pretty much the same.


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## Curt (Jul 9, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> Lol Curt, don't go there man
> 
> I'd say the lows are more rich than punchy, but they're certainly there. The mids are crunchier and more defined and the highs are pretty much the same.



Wasn't intended to be a negative comment, although it did come off that way.

I love whitechapel, honestly. been in the pit at a couple of their shows, even. It's basically a giant wall of brutality, not much soft attack to the guitar playing therein.

sorry if that seemed like a dick-ish comment, alex! no offense intended.


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## Kamikaze7 (Jul 9, 2011)

Alex I'm glad your considering the X-series for your guitars. I started making the switch on my ESP's and my FM-408 was the first one to be the guinny pig for the test. I'm honestly glad I did now... I had recently come to find out about a Dino Cazarez model - the DC707 - and was told by James (Kearney) and Rick (tech) @ EMG that the 707X is very close to, if not identical to it. Then they explained why and how and it got me more curious than ever to try it. As  once said, "Help you I will!!!"

The 808X compared to the normal 808 has a lot more headroom, more than a normal EMG w/ the 18V mod IMHO. The clarity is so much better on the 808X, especially on the low F# or low F in your case... It's a lot less muddy and a lot more refined, while still having lots of dynamics of a passive pickup and clarity of most passives and of actives. Same low-end qualities, but much clearer and more headroom by far. I've also heard - have yet to try this myself - that the X-serie


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## Rook (Jul 9, 2011)

Curt said:


> Wasn't intended to be a negative comment, although it did come off that way.
> 
> I love whitechapel, honestly. been in the pit at a couple of their shows, even. It's basically a giant wall of brutality, not much soft attack to the guitar playing therein.
> 
> sorry if that seemed like a dick-ish comment, alex! no offense intended.





I meant the bit about EMG's sounding the same, let's not open that can of worms again.

I dunno anything about whitechapel, but from what I've heard it's not my kinda thing, so I wouldn't be commenting on that


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## leonardo7 (Jul 9, 2011)

Im expecting a guitar with the X series in a couple days. I honetly wish it wasnt such a bitch to switch out the electronics in this Ibanez RGA427z that I bought. It comes with a AA instead of 9V shitty sounding Ibanez pickups but is routed for EMG's. My tech had to order parts more than one time and hes been working on the guitar now for quite some time. I should be getting it within a couple days and it will have an 81-7X and a 707X TW reverse coil. As soon as I get the guitar Im gonna play it and should be able to chime in with some help on this thread. Im someone that really loves the EMG 81-7 for its tight qualities. My experience at least with the 18v in my H-307 is that it makes the overall feel a little "softer" which doesnt translate to a bad thing, just different.


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## Rick (Jul 9, 2011)

The next guitar I get is gonna have a 707X in the bridge and the 707TWX in the neck.


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## JMP2203 (Jul 9, 2011)

are the x series noisy like the originals?

i like emg for some things but i hate the noise thru a hi gain amp, pasives are much quiet


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## Kamikaze7 (Jul 9, 2011)

I have NO noise with the EMG's, never have in the numerous years I've been using them...

And I have to ask those who have the 707TW-X's, how are they? I'm still dying to get my hands on the 707X's and then the TW-X's for a few of my guitars... Let me know how you guys like them, as I can't wait to get them... Thanks!


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## djpharoah (Jul 9, 2011)

I found the 81-7X to be a great EMG with a newer preamp internally. It doesn't sound anything like the older 81-7s. It's not the same as an older 817 with 18V instead of 9v.

It's got a richer more dynamic feel and you can totally mess around with the tone pot and volume pot to get a different feel. I really really loved mine in my Jackson and it was a great pair with the 707-TW-X-R in the neck.

The X-series are worth trying - however if you like the older style then you'll like those more since those are more compressed and have that unique EMG taste. 

These also don't sound like Blackouts one bit. Blackouts are just fucking over the top in output. They clip on everything and have too much bass. These EMG X-series are more medium hot pickups and thus you get more subtleties in your playing to come through.


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## anne (Jul 10, 2011)

djpharoah said:


> Blackouts are just fucking over the top in output. They clip on everything and have too much bass.



Why not just turn down the volume knob?


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## littlephil (Jul 10, 2011)

anne said:


> Why not just turn down the volume knob?



You shouldn't need to turn the volume down to stop clipping.
In all the clips of Blackouts I've heard, they've been very noisy, not hum but you could hear the players hand on the body, like they were very microphonic. One guy was tapping on the pickup, and it was coming through almost as loud as his playing was.

I'm going to put an 85x/60x in my Charvel soon.


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## Kamikaze7 (Jul 10, 2011)

anne said:


> Why not just turn down the volume knob?



If you turn the volume dowm from the guitar then you lose gain and distortion from the amp. The more you turn it down, the cleaner it gets - especially on a tube amp...


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## Kamikaze7 (Jul 10, 2011)

littlephil said:


> You shouldn't need to turn the volume down to stop clipping.
> In all the clips of Blackouts I've heard, they've been very noisy, not hum but you could hear the players hand on the body, like they were very microphonic. One guy was tapping on the pickup, and it was coming through almost as loud as his playing was.
> 
> I'm going to put an 85x/60x in my Charvel soon.





djpharoah said:


> I found the 81-7X to be a great EMG with a newer preamp internally. It doesn't sound anything like the older 81-7s. It's not the same as an older 817 with 18V instead of 9v.
> 
> It's got a richer more dynamic feel and you can totally mess around with the tone pot and volume pot to get a different feel. I really really loved mine in my Jackson and it was a great pair with the 707-TW-X-R in the neck.
> 
> ...



^ This is the reason why I took the Blackouts out of the guitar I had them in and replaced them with EMG's. I would recommend the X-series over the Blackouts anyday!


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## AlexWadeWC (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks for the help guys!

I'm gonna try out an 81-7X and an 808X here in the next couple of weeks and I'll report back what I think!


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## AlexWadeWC (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks for the help guys!

I'm gonna try out an 81-7X and an 808X here in the next couple of weeks and I'll report back what I think!


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## Andromalia (Jul 12, 2011)

JMP2203 said:


> are the x series noisy like the originals?
> 
> i like emg for some things but i hate the noise thru a hi gain amp, pasives are much quiet



 
EMGs are some of the less noisy pups I've ever used. You got sold an X2N with EMG covers.


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## Curt (Jul 12, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> I meant the bit about EMG's sounding the same, let's not open that can of worms again.
> 
> I dunno anything about whitechapel, but from what I've heard it's not my kinda thing, so I wouldn't be commenting on that



Oh, I don't mean they ALL sound the same through all guitars or whatnot like has been said before...

I just tend to find that no matter what I do, they all have that signature sizzle/squished high end that I hear in all the EMG's I put in the guitar I had them in, through my rig. 

different basic EQ'ing but they all were too compressed and not near dynamic enough for me... Even the X series...

Great for some, just not my preference. Again, no matter what i'm talking about, I never mean any offense by it, just stating my opinion.


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## cyril v (Jul 12, 2011)

eh, fuck it... you're going to love the 81-7x, it's quite a beastly pup. I've got one in my SC607 bridge position and after using the 81-7, both blackouts in there and the 707/707TW, I can safely say the 81-7X is staying there until I can save up for a NT7, at which time I'll pull the pups in that, sell the SC607 and throw the 81-7X into that guitar.


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## Purelojik (Jul 13, 2011)

From my experience (81, 85, 60x + 60x 7 string both 18v mod)

The X series is much better because of a few things:

the whole "increased headroom thing" which basically means the pickup sounds more dynamic. The old EMG's tended to sound like they were constantly pushing the amp to its fullest even when the volume knob was low. 

so the whole being like a passive holds up because you can roll the pickup vol knob down and coax the subtle nuances out. 

Also the X series has less gain which allows for a lot of clarity. Not to mention the clean sounds have improved a ton. 

Someone mentioned Clipping earlier. i found that i had the same feeling when i was running the old EMGs thru an amp or processor. the X series alone dont have that problem and with the 18v mod the tone becomes very broad. as in the highs mids and lows are much fuller and accentuated without becomming louder or more in your face. basically just an overall increase in the Quality of the sound coming from the pickup.

Im not a fanboy but i do enjoy these pups because they constantly deliver and with the solderless system are cake to install. They sound great recording too. I have BKps in one guitar and SD's in the other. They are all good and have their own advantages over another. Since this is an EMG thread i thought i'd put my two cents in. hope its helpful

here's some stuff i've recorded with the EMG 60x thru PODxt + Sonar.
SHORYUKEN by SheHatesMyTie on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Cradled by the Stars by SheHatesMyTie on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

An Ode to Suku by SheHatesMyTie on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Enjoy!


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## Rook (Jul 13, 2011)

Curt said:


> Oh, I don't mean they ALL sound the same through all guitars or whatnot like has been said before...
> 
> I just tend to find that no matter what I do, they all have that signature sizzle/squished high end that I hear in all the EMG's I put in the guitar I had them in, through my rig.
> 
> ...



I have to say I largely agree, but the statement 'EMG's always sound the same' tends to start wars here


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## Curt (Jul 13, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> I have to say I largely agree, but the statement 'EMG's always sound the same' tends to start wars here



Or anywhere on the net, for that matter. 

Hell, I know a dude in a country group that's local to me that uses nothing but EMG's.
SA set in his Strat, T set in his Tele(duh), and the 89/89R set in his Dean Evo.
sounds great through his rig and with him playing. I just don't much care for them with my playing.
As i've said many times, play what makes you happy, nothing more, nothing less.


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## anne (Jul 13, 2011)

Kamikaze7 said:


> If you turn the volume dowm from the guitar then you lose gain and distortion from the amp. The more you turn it down, the cleaner it gets - especially on a tube amp...



I guess I'm not understanding something -- I thought amp break-up was a function of absolute signal strength and that that was all the volume knob contributed.


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## Kamikaze7 (Jul 14, 2011)

anne said:


> I guess I'm not understanding something -- I thought amp break-up was a function of absolute signal strength and that that was all the volume knob contributed.




Well yes it does. But the less of a signal you supply to the amp by rolling the volume back on the guitar, the cleaner the signal gets and the cleaner the tone that comes from the amp. A good audio example of this is the song "Tender Surrender" from Steve Vai's Alien Love Secrets album. It's right at the end of the song is where it's most noticable, although he's on his distortion channel the whole time and just rolling the volume up and down until he gets to the solo in the middle of the song. At the end of the solo he rolls the volume on the guitar back down to get back to the clean tone without switching to the clean channel on the amp.

Try it on a tube amp next time you go to GC or any other music store. Get the amp set with a nice, meaty distortion and roll the volume back on the guitar and you'll see what I mean for yourself. This is why you don't wanna roll the volume back on your guitar, and re-tweak your tone from your pedals, amp and everything else.


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## atticmike (Jul 19, 2011)

AlexWadeWC said:


> Can someone tell me a little bit about EMGs "X" series? I'm interested in the 81-7X and the 808X. EMG describes it as "bridging the gap between passive and active", so what exactly do they mean by that? The output of an active with the tone of a passive? It says the X series has "increased headroom", and I know doing the 18 volt mod to an EMG increases the headroom, so could one say that an 18 volt modded EMG sounds similar to an X series EMG?
> 
> If anyone who has experience with the X series, or better yet has actually switched from a regular EMG to an X series one, could chime in I'd be grateful, thanks!



The EMG Xs are known for being not as edgy as the regular ones, which is truly a good thing. 

The tone is therefore less artificial and leaves more room for the corpus tone color, similar to the seymour duncan blackouts.


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## leonardo7 (Jul 26, 2011)

Im like you Alex in that I use the 81-7 because I like the razor sharp aggressive bite that it has. I also use a neck thru ESP 7 string like you. I also prefer the 81-7 over the 707 like you. The 707 is good but lacks that sizzle the 81-7 has and the Blackouts are too damn bassy and have way too much gain they clip too easy. I need to have the input level on my axe fx at like 11 o clock with blackouts whereas I can have it around 1 oclock with the 81-7. That being said, I doubt you will prefer the 81-7X to the 81-7. I just got my Ibanez RGA427Z back from my tech who installed the X series and my initial feelings on the 81-7X is that it sounds alot like the HZ pickups, more like a passive and not at all as aggressive as the 81-7. All the qualities I love about the 81-7 are not present in the 81-7X so much so that I might actually prefer the 707 or even some type of passives over the X series. For some reason, from my experience so far, the 81-7X doesnt do it for me like the regular 81-7 or even with the 18V mod. In fact, my ESP LTD H-307 with 81-7 18V mod retains the aggressive and razor sharp qualities I like about the 81-7 but it just smoothes it out slightly. I may grow to love the X series but right off the bat the 81-7X is just too much like a passive and lacks what I really enjoy and crave with the 81-7 and 81-7 18V. Thats my opinion, I thought it would be of good information since we have similar taste. I will be eager to read about your impression of the X series so please share once you try it out. If your like me and it seems like you are, then you wont like the 81-7X as much as the 81-7. But hey, I could be wrong though because I have yet to try out the 81-7X in a maple neck thru guitar. Like I said, my LTD H-307 with 81-7 18V sounds better than my Ibanez RGA 427Z with 81-7X. Go figure. For live or recording it could sound better to have one of the guitars with the X series and another with the regular. Both together might be a good thick sound. Since Im the only guitarist in my band, I will be sticking with the 81-7 over the 81-7X, it just works quite well for me. For those of you who never really liked the 81-7 or the 707 much, you would probably love the X series. They should have given them a completely different name, they really are a different pickup entirely.


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## ffcwoods (Aug 9, 2011)

I, personally have tried them all and decided to go with the Blackouts for my 8 string. Don't get me wrong, I do love me some EMG's. However I have found that the blackout sounds a little more organic. As far as the pickups clipping the input, both the 808, 808X and the Blackouts all produce about the same amount of that in the environments I've tried.


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## TheDisease999 (Jan 31, 2013)

Alex I am anxiously anticipating your opinions!


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 31, 2013)

I doubt you'll get it. He's a DiMarzio player now.

Plus... The date. This is the 2nd thread you necrobumped.


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## Felvin (Feb 1, 2013)

EMG's are noisy only if there's something wrong with the wiring.

I have the 81-7x as a bridge pickup in my Loomis and I looove it. It's EVIL!

Too bad I don't like the Loomis.


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## TheDisease999 (Feb 1, 2013)

fuck what a noob I am, good to notice that dates are shown here..... I have much learning to do... 

Ever since I made the conversion from schecter to esp, I cant stand the baseball bat necks on em now. The Loomis is sexy though


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## Abolyshed (Mar 8, 2013)

So basically the X series just adresses the typical complaint EMG gets that they sound sterile and lifeless, especially for clean tones, thats what it seems like to me, does anyone think I'm on the wrong track here? I love metal, crazy hi-gain distortions. Everyone says EMG is a one trick pony. I agree but damn what a trick! I have the popular 81/85 combo, and ya not very versatile. Cleans are very sterile but I guess I'm willing to sacrifice versatility for the great distortion (wich would be my main tone anyways). I think when you distort the shit out of your guitar the organic characteristic tone goes out the window, the gain is now your tone and I think it has plenty of character. Does anyone think that the X series lacks the crazy "in your face" gain the regular EMG's provide?


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## vick1000 (Mar 10, 2013)

Kamikaze7 said:


> Well yes it does. But the less of a signal you supply to the amp by rolling the volume back on the guitar, the cleaner the signal gets and the cleaner the tone that comes from the amp. A good audio example of this is the song "Tender Surrender" from Steve Vai's Alien Love Secrets album. It's right at the end of the song is where it's most noticable, although he's on his distortion channel the whole time and just rolling the volume up and down until he gets to the solo in the middle of the song. At the end of the solo he rolls the volume on the guitar back down to get back to the clean tone without switching to the clean channel on the amp.
> 
> Try it on a tube amp next time you go to GC or any other music store. Get the amp set with a nice, meaty distortion and roll the volume back on the guitar and you'll see what I mean for yourself. This is why you don't wanna roll the volume back on your guitar, and re-tweak your tone from your pedals, amp and everything else.


 
Output level is the same no matter what pick up is producing it. If the SDBOs have more output than EMGs, or any other Pup, rolling the volume back can reduce the output level to match any lower output Pup.

The tone may change based on the voicing of the differing Pups at any given matched output (gain), but the gain level remains the same, even though a portion of the signal is getting shunted, which is what the volume pot does. And the effect on the preamp remians the same, so far as clipping is concerned (distortion), which is what you are talking about.


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