EMG 81 vs BLACKOUTS - Active Bridge Pickup Metal Tone Comparison / Review #1

[@mikestamper]

Hello, everybody! There's a new comparison between these two, with centered mono tracks as some people have asked about that in terms of a better representation of the real pickup sound. You can watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHKqoKxppKmtjtU Thanks for your comments and support! :D

[@ahagamin6180]

finally a pickup comparison done right jesus christ u would think that the internet is so big u would find good stuff like this

[@OTCRock4one]

+Alex G Right! Most comparison videos nowadays are multitrack recordings with bass and drums which don't reflect a proper representation of the actual sound of the product!

[@samarmstrong1149]

Here's my answer. It doesn't matter which is best. The drunks in the pub that you're playing to cannot hear the difference.

[@lucianlangtr]

I know this comment is pretty old but it's still the one of the best comments I've read in a while and I had to say it

[@Admiral_Bongo]

But albums matter.

[@XxHarounXx]

best pick up comparisons on youtube. nice back and forth between the pups with the same riffs. and the riffs aren't overly complicated so we can hear the fine differences between them

[@ThePandaGuitar]

Pickup comparison done the right way! I wish more guitarists used the same format. Thank you so very much :)

[@mikestamper]

+ThePandaGuitar I thought it was a comfortable format to listen differences better, :) Thanks for your comments!

[@MegaWumba]

Beautiful playing btw

[@mikestamper]

+Jeffrey Osborne Thank you so much!! :)

[@krisfrosz133]

Both Slipknot guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson use EMG and Seymour Duncan pickups respectively so this is like listening to them jamming together.

[@mikestamper]

Yes!! And both sound great!! :)

[@EliHariri]

Same thing with Trivium

[@jaychen2000metal]

KrisFrosz133 the mick emg is super trebly though

[@nathanielcava4128]

jaychen mick uses blackouts

[@IsopropylAlchemist]

@@EliHariri matt uses fishmans now

[@deanozx10r]

Thanks for taking the time to show the differences, Its helped me make my mined up what pups to buy,cheers,

[@mikestamper]

+deanozx10r That's the purpose. Glad to know it was useful to you!! :)

[@JaredSmithTheIntern]

I'm somewhat of a budget musician, and if I can glean anything from this, it's that although the Duncans do sound better, to me there isn't a huge difference in tone. I feel like although the Duncans would add to my tone a little bit, the EMG's still sound good, and that the biggest contributions to the tone come from the amp, mic placement, pedals, and post production. Because of that, I thankfully don't feel the need to spend the extra money to grab a new upgrade that I probably really don't need (if anything, I just need to get better at mixing). Perfect compassion by the way--straight and to the point. Greatly appreciated! :D

[@OTCRock4one]

+Jared Smith Yeah! Agree! I have an ESP LTD EC 1000 guitar with EMG 81 bridge & 60 neck. Since both Pickups sound very good, I'll use my money to purchase something I need like an: Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer or something...LOL

[@nekropolisovdisgraced5953]

thanks bro. gonna get the EMG 81/85s for my schecter gryphon diamond series and blackouts for my jackson for sure. love the vid helped so much!

[@mikestamper]

Nekropolis Ov Disgraced so glad to know this helped! you can check another new comparison of these two on an alder body. Check the final annotation at the end of this video to see the link. thanks for your comments!

[@nekropolisovdisgraced5953]

Thanks brother for the reply, ill check it out later for sure! (:

Excellent comparison test, thank you. After a single listening, the choice is clear for me.

[@Kraigmire]

Love the format of this comparison!

[@EzyoMusic]

Both sound wonderful. I enjoyed listening to your playing as well. :)

[@andycornman783]

AMAZING COMPARISION!! Love your riffs too, thanks!

[@claytonicForce]

Wow. Nice playing. Enjoyed the video. Thanks!

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Fantastic comparison video!

[@festushaggen2563]

I like the Duncan's a little more with distortion but I like the EMG's ALOT more on clean. Both are very good.

[@frnkytherockstar7760]

Imagine this sh!t: installing a SD blackout in the bridge position and the EMG at the neck

[@ejw3006]

Wow really? I like the exact opposite cause I like my 81/85 combo

[@john_duncan]

I was thinking that too. Sucks can't get both out of one pickup.

[@ejw3006]

John Duncan well there is the HET set for EMG’s they’re designed for nice cleans and for hard distortion

[@shawngraham4075]

@@frnkytherockstar7760 I did....lol! In a Schecter Damien Solo 6... Blackout in the bridge, EMG 85 in the neck.... same quick connect is used....it sounds phenomenal! Only thing is, the current draw on the blackout is 3 times what the EMG is... but....if you pull your cable out after playing, the drain isnt that bad....

[@AliBahari]

GREAT COMPARISON VIDEO \M/

[@MARIO.GUITAR]

Thanks for this comparison, hard to pick one when using distortion but I preferred the EMG's clean sound.

[@gamian_skillard1333]

wow. those duncans bring out a tone that is unique, yet ultra warn. not to say the emgs didn't do their job, because they are amazing as well. id love to see a guitar mix these pickups in the right way. i believe if done right, the combo of both could be absolutely devastating

[@deathgrind1]

If you want more attack and tighter palm mutes then use the 81. If you like the tone of the Blackouts here then EQ the amp a little more scooped in the mids. Pickups are about changing the character of the distortion and post EQ is about dialing in the final tone.

[@JotunStudio]

Muy buena comparativa, tio! La verdad es que creo que también me gustan más las SDs, pero luego hay que escucharlo todo junto y también depende del tipo de guitarra en el que estén montadas. De todos modos, ambas suenan muy bien.

[@Creepnificent]

I want to see you test the Seymour Duncan AHB-2 Blackouts for Metal bridge pickup(w/jumper boost engaged) against: EMG-81 EMG 'Het-Set' Seymour Duncan AHB-1 Seymour Duncan Retribution You do the smartest, most well thought out, useful pickup comparison tests I've seen. Great job.

[@mikestamper]

Creepnificent Thank you so much!! As soon as I get some of these pickups, more comparisons will be available here!! :)

[@SlickD217]

that riff at 1:44 is so fkn awesome. I really dig your style. I play the same flavor

[@ecumenicalheretic]

EMG FTW! EMGs sound even better when working on 18v.

[@SapperRJMorgan]

Or 24v

[@bauchbart]

Nice Video! I play the 7-String-Blackouts myself. I kinda prefer the clean tones of the EMGs but the distorted tones on the Blackouts somehow better fit my taste.

[@hakonaurlien2698]

Blackouts sounds cleaner, and less compressed. More organic in a way. I have chosen to go with the 81/85 set for that reason. The EMGs sound more like an active should IMHO

[@bauchbart]

I played the 81/85 set in my Ibanez for years. But it seems I became more of the passive type over the years. The blackouts came as stock in my schecter.

[@hakonaurlien2698]

Ye. Blackouts are more passive

[@ElvisPriceless]

+bauchbart What kind of Schecter is that ? Are you happy with it ? I'm looking for a Schecter too. It's a Schecter Blackjack ATX.

[@timmie1013]

Awesome! Love that last clean riff you got going on, Reading the comments, can't understand why people keep asking "What riff, What riff?" Haha. I really do love that last one, reminds me of "Arms Wide Open" by Creed. Just a lot better! Great job! Checked out this vid because I'm using a Schecter Blackjack C-7 SLS with the Blackouts.

[@mikestamper]

The last riff reminded me so of Alter Bridge or something like that, so, when you've said Creed i was like "yeah, the same good shit!!", haha. It was created on the way for this video, and it was later used on a song of mine (that I haven't released yet!).

[@timmie1013]

Mike Stamper I look forward to hearing it! You obviously have great taste in music, Love Alter Bridge, ironic that I actually have the "Blackbird" album playing when I read your comment

[@mikestamper]

Timothy Mueller For me, one of the best bands out there right now!! Such an awesome combination of heavy low tuned riffing with melodic voices and not only screams / growls, which I love too, but sometimes breaking the rules has done great things in music, :)

[@timmie1013]

Agreed! You should give "HURT" a listen, they're my all time favorite, they aren't to big though, they've had, I think 3 radio hits. But they are so diverse, on albums going from face melting roars to the next song being finger-picked acoustic.

[@mikestamper]

Timothy Mueller Gonna listen them without any doubt! I see you have some videos on your channel about, i'm gonna have a look! :)

[@Tony-we9ww]

I own and love them both..it just depends on what mood and sound you want

[@michaelturner5069]

GREAT JOB!!!! MY EARS LIKED THE EMG81.....#1 TODAY

[@mkenny17]

i literally come to this vid to hear the riffs instead of comparing this two lol. i prefer the duncan tho. Super Great riffs m8.

[@skald98]

The EMG81 is clearer sounding. On a flat eq setting like this I definitely prefer that.

[@FoulPhil]

skald98 weird because it was exact opposite for me...

[@alexcarreon9932]

+Foul Phil same

[@overlordofpizza]

***** Yep. The Duncan was way clearer.

[@owwwwcccchhhh]

+Johnny Mickem Not wrong, just preference. I prefer the Emg's too. I think I'm going to put an 85 in the bridge though.

[@Th3R3GuLaToR]

+skald98 I thought the EMG had an overall clearer and tighter sound and was very punctual. The SD was more natural and warm sounding but had harsh high mids.

[@AdrenaLukeYT]

Me and the other guitarist in a thrash metal band I'm in, I use the EMG 81 and he uses the Duncan Blackout. Both are great just minor differences.

[@landofold]

Personally i prefer the EMG 81. Seymour Duncan passives rule the world, however.

[@PunkWithColor]

Great Playing by the way.

[@toddlanctot643]

Excellent playing.

[@JayLand1973]

Finally a descent remove! Thank you

[@GASH_one]

Seymour Duncan PUs with an EMG wiring kit is the best combo imho!

[@mikestamper]

+‡ GASH ‡ EMG wiring kit rocks!!

[@WestKillaGames]

What is that? Sorry, i'm brazilian. Can speak a ridiculous english, but not enough to know what wiring kit means.

[@GASH_one]

Why don't you just google it? Search for "EMG Wiring Kit", and you will see. edit: www.emgpickups.com/accessories/wiring-kits.html

[@WestKillaGames]

Because I still believe that if we know something, we can share our knowledge with anyone. I did it, but even with the images i couldn't understand. Idk nothing about the eletronic parts of a guitar.

[@mozartsthrash]

Damn 3:20 convinced me to like blackouts more . The low strings sounded so heavy and clear

[@davidlambert5123]

I have both. I like the Blackouts way better. I might end up changing the EMG equipped guitar with a set of Blackouts, or Fishman Fluence

[@thespectre3330]

Which pickups do you prefer? Nice video btw

[@SirKiwi777]

Very good comparison! Thx I like the EMG more, but clean the SD sounds definitely better for me. I had both of these pickups and got still the EMG's. I like them more, because you have a "cleaner/straighter" signal as with the SD. The SD has "their own sound"... and that's why you can get more out of your Amp with the EMG's. You have to work with the Amp settings! That's the key - but the sound is cleaner at the end. BR! 777

[@AkiraSpectrum]

fantastic vid

[@PunkWithColor]

I prefer the EMG 81, EMG WIN FOR ME.

[@GhettoGinny]

Dude you are awesome. These reviews are the best. Can I send you pickups to review??? will I get them back?

[@mikestamper]

Hi, Guetto! If you are able to send them to Spain without any problems we could talk about it, and of course, they will go back to you after recording the samples. But we need to check before if shipments to both countries would be expensive or not. My focus now is on active pickups that doesn't require any kind of mods to work on my current active electronics. This excludes Fishman Fluences, as they had another kind of schemes, and any passive pickups (for now, had plans for both in the future). My current focus is on all of the active EMGs and Seymour Duncan ones that were not compared yet on my channel. If you have one of these, we'll talk! Just take a walk over The Guitar Pickup Series playlist to know. Thank you so much for your offering!!! :)

[@dave1986R]

I have always preferred the Blackouts because they're less compressed and have more tone than the EMGs (more organic). On dirty channels the EMG has a lot of punch but they don't seem to cut through as much as the Blackouts. But on clean the EMG sounds more jangly, and the Blackouts sound smoother.

[@Withdrawal.816]

I felt the EMG 81 was a lot better for a clean sound. And the blackouts were beter with distortion.they are both vary bright pickups, but I feel it depends one which direction your goin musically. How about a melodic ambient tone test next.still heavy, but more chorus and a wider spectrum of music.not just clean or metal. Great video, that inspires more questions.

[@Destess]

Unless I really try to hear the difference I don't hear it until 2:10 where the Seymour has a very quiet high pitch and it seems more fuzzy to me. Maybe better in modern metal, but I would definitely want the EMG instead.

[@mikestamper]

That's the key. Both are great, everything depends on your needs.

[@etherlords88]

I got the similar feel with my EMG setups, little less brighter than blackouts when single but when I paired with 85, the bridge got brighter and 85 delivered nice and warm sound.

[@wrzkace1]

u helped me make up my mind active blackouts much warmer tighter sound

[@timmie1013]

By the way, just subscribed. And do you happen to have the 85 vs the SD in Neck position?

[@mikestamper]

Thank you so much for suscribing and be welcome!! I need to make a comparison between them, 85 is one of my pending pickups to compare in my videos (in both neck and bridge positions). Maybe one of the best pickups for bridge I've ever heard. We've tried inverting positions on a typical 81-85 combo and the 85 sounded awesome on the bridge, better than the 81. I need that comparison in my channel too!!

[@timmie1013]

Mike Stamper Yeah, I found this video extremely useful, because before I had the Blackjack, I had a Hellraiser, and I thought it was in my mind that they could sound so different, but this helped a lot, proud owner of the Blackjack now, much better (IMO) than the Hellraiser, not to mention the Ebony fretboard on the Blackjack is heaven.

[@mikestamper]

Timothy Mueller Blackjacks are awesome guitars. I've played two of them (a 6 string one and a 7 one) and i prefer them so much more than Hellraisers. Hope to get one someday. Meanwhile, my Damien 7 with Blackouts installed (instead of the original stock EMG-HZs) is nailing it, :)

[@timmie1013]

Mike Stamper I thought I liked my hellraiser until I played this haha, This one is a 7 string, also have a 6 String Epi LP Custom Pro. Honestly, at first the 7 stringed fretboard felt odd, now the 6 string does haha, like it seems to small. I haven't had the chance to look at your channel yet, hopefully you got some original music on there? If so, let me know which one I should watch haha. I'm going to let this video finish uploading.

[@mikestamper]

Timothy Mueller Your hand gets used to longer scales and then every guitar seems small!! It happened to me since I started playing bass. Recently I get used to an acoustic baritone which is about 28'' scale and my hand was like dying the first days, haha. And yes, I have some original music here in my channel, and I'm working to release my first solo album (melodic metalcore) which will be released on december (if everything goes OK!! hope so!!). You can listen to "Before I Die" which is my first official video, but everything is ordered on playlists, so you can easily find my music here. Hope you enjoy it!! And be welcome again, :) P.S.: Here's my FB page if you want to keep updated! - facebook.com/stampcoria

[@davesaenz3732]

Two different sounds for different approaches. I prefer Duncans, they sound more natural and warm. EMG's sound good too, just not as warm. I need to hear part 2.

[@Colin.W]

This is great! Time for them to go head to head with Fishman pickups now ;)

[@riskyrecords1403]

This was a really good comparison I much prefer the EMGs

[@kenr.b.891]

There was not a major difference, but of the difference that was there, I think I slightly prefer the Duncans. That being said, it was a minor, subtle difference, and it makes me wonder if that difference couldn't be equaled just by tweaking a eq knob on the amp.

[@mobeats8084]

awesome video now I think I might just swap out my emg's with some blackouts

[@Lord_Raptor]

both sound great but to my ears the emg is a little tighter and the sd is a little too saturated. a little too much low end for my taste, but you can't go wrong with either.

[@TrueDragonForceFan10]

On the drive channels I couldn't hear to much difference until I payed closer attention at the second example at 0:33. I could hear more of a chug in the palm muted sections on the Blackouts. It sounds like there's more output in those pickups and is better suited to for metal chugging. The 81 seems like it's lacking but at the same time that lacking trait could create more room in a mix. As for the cleans, that extra low end in the Blackouts seems like it could get annoying after a while. Then again I guess it's nothing EQ can't fix. I guess if I had a choice I'd go with the Blackouts.

[@CodeineCoffee]

I like the tightness, attack, low end, and sizzly focused high end of the blackouts with gain on them. Although, I think that EMG's sound nicer clean.

[@BoozyBeggar]

I think I prefer the 81 a little bright, a little more mids, thanks for the comparison.

[@mikestamper]

+Beery Thank you for coming! Hope this video to be useful to you! :)

[@rsdeepsea]

Do you do any Duncan vs DiMarzio videos? I've been a DiMarzio fan forever, but these Duncan blackouts sound pretty hot. Just wondering how they sound up against some good 'ol 1980's DP100's...

[@mikestamper]

rsdeepsea I hope to get some DiMarzios in my hands someday!! Then you'll have comparisons here, :)

[@randomworld75]

Blackouts for sure! So much more all around tone.

[@jorgea.9988]

A Love the definition of the SD Blackouts 💘

[@jaykeunit]

The pickups are very different when you actually play them. The emgs need to be set up as close to the strings as possible. The blackouts on the other hand are very hot and need to be put further away from the strings, much like you would for a passive pickup. How close you put the blackouts to the strings can be the difference from them sounding great or sounding muddy.

[@jameshewitt891]

The EMGs don't have as good clean tone as the Blackouts, but who buys active pickups to not play metal? Great video by the way.

[@mikestamper]

+James Hewitt Thanks for your opinion and be welcome! :)

[@caltefony]

Now that's the real comparison: great sound quality, clean&drive, nice playing. Like 81 more - definition on distorted channel and clean's more usable.

[@SchecterMongoose]

Exactly. They both have the same amount of saturation and gain. Honestly; if I was recording with them I would dual track; one PU to the left 50%, and the other to the right 50%. The blend would be epic because they both fill the qualities that the other is missing.

[@JonPrints]

The EMG81 sounds really great, but the Blackouts just have this rich tone that is so much more warmer and in my opinion cleaner when on distortion. As for the clean samples goes I feel they sounds just about equal except the EMG has a little more bass to it when playing the lower notes.

[@breal1183]

Blackouts sounds like they have more of that refined Pantera sound which I like!

[@Jmanji12]

Dude that riff at 1:23 is fuckin sick I wonder if I could swap my emg’s for blackouts in my Ltd viper 300m lol

[@BillakosDM]

i'm 100% sure that those 2 pickups haven't got the same settings (i mean on the amp) becouse the distortion on emg sucks wich is not true! i played both and emg have amazing sound!!! both distortion and clean!

[@hulkitaly1031]

Exactly what i thought..

[@BillakosDM]

yeah i have an LTD V500 with EMGs 81 and they are awesome! ;) nothing like this video..

[@FlybyJunkie]

Billy Paschal I feel like the settings are the same, and EMG's do have distortion, its's just more of a mid sounding distortion, where as the Seymour Duncan's have more fuzz, kind of like a trebley sound.

[@BillakosDM]

maybe you are right but i still feel that the settings are not the same.. my guitar with EMGs sounds awesome with my amp.. nothing like this video..

[@FlybyJunkie]

Could be the guitar they're in too. My friend has these in his guitar and I love them

[@myamarana69]

I hear following : the Duncans have a scooped eq without those focused mids like the 81, and slightly more output. Now, the 81 itsef does not really have that much output when compared to other active pickups.

[@SchecterGuitar]

Ambos são incríveis! O certo seria ter os dois para poder ter uma maior variedade de timbres com diferentes guitarras.

[@GoldSK96]

Wow the Black outs sound amazing

[@rubenaple]

🔥🔥🔥I like The SD Blackouts 🔥🔥🔥

[@Nymblz]

Hmm.. based on this, I'd actually prefer the EMGs slightly. They have more, higher midrange to help cut through a mix and add character. The Blackouts sound kind of flat or even scooped. On a lot of the clean stuff I liked the Blackout better, but for distortion, EMG. Overall though, they're both good, and not incredibly different.

[@DiscipleFiveActual]

It's all preference. See, I don't like mids at all.

[@00777guitar]

You need mids in your guitar dude......thats what they guitar is there for, the mid frequency not the bass and treble

[@misfitkid3926]

I like scooped

[@TJ4774]

The emg sounds more bassy and the blackout sounds a little brighter on the mids. I'd say the emg is 400 grit and the blackout is 650 grit lol. And yes, I'm comparing the sound to sand paper. (does that make sense to you guys?)

[@EduardoMartinez-dm5pp]

you just gave to me a whole new perspective of sound lol

[@andiarman5709]

EMG like egg plant, Duncan like cucumber.. how about that..?

[@ChristianVazquez12]

I'm currently building an HH superstrat and I couldn't choose between EMG 81/85 or the Blackouts. I think I'm gonna go 81 on the bridge and blackout in the neck now. 85 is just really meh so is blackout bridge, but 81 and blackout neck are both awesome so yeah.

[@GregWalker88]

This video is super helpful, and your riffs and awesome. Have you got a tab for the one starting at 0:58?

[@axxellrezz]

The EMGs sound a little tighter in the low end, but the blackouts seem to have a more harmonically rich response. I think I'm leaning towards getting an 81 though, just for that tightness. I'll just use my Invader when I want a blackouts type sound, as there doesn't seem to be much difference between their tonal characteristics

[@anjoesatriani]

EMG 81 has definitely has more mids, great for not so low tuning, but on lower tuning it's more of a "mud", there's minimal lows which is why it is sound more compressed. The Blackouts AHB-1 sound slightly scooped but still good and cut through the mix, it has glassy clean tone, more lows(bassy) than 81 but you'll pay for tightness, it's not that tight. overall it's a matter of preference, if you want mid-rangey, go for 81, if you want huge sounding go for blackouts.

[@ravenox00]

Interesting combination as I have a BC Rich kkw with 81 on and NT Jr.V with black out but your clean tones of the blacksouts sounds more tamed in the highs than mine in the clean compared the the 81, I use Marshall VS and Zoom GFX-4 if Ineeded but the cleans of the 81 you have is more tamed in the highes than I get if it;s the same setup.

[@corn1078]

I figured out how to play that tune at 1:40 by ear. Sounds great with my 81! But... I' also play it through my duncan designed blackouts and it literally sounds the same as the regular blackout.

[@mikestamper]

It's an old riff of mine that I used several times. You can watch how to play it in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnvZYoOlpbB3d6c

[@xavierazad]

1:43 - WHAT ISSSS THATTTTTT!!?

[@Colin.W]

And 3:01 !!!

[@masonm6595]

just a simple little tune ...we use it alot to test sounds out. When i say we i mean us musicians

[@KeyDi95]

@@masonm6595 can i get tabs for this thank you

[@heylookabluejay]

Strangely, I like the treble from the emg over the Duncan and the bass of the Duncan over the emg. Fuck. Now I don't know which ones to buy.

[@brandontadday6288]

Make a Duncanstein-EMG hybrid pickup :P

[@PoulChuck]

get a Suhr SSH+ or a Bare Knuckle instead

[@heylookabluejay]

I settled with dimarzios and there's nothing to regret

[@goredrinker2740]

you are in for some rythm ? duncans . Lead playing ? emg . the blackout is a little tighter , the emg more thrashy . blackout has more quality , emg has more volume and quantity . whatever you choose man , metal is still metal and there's just little difference in between the two . good luck

[@TheAir97]

Cristian Popa Hello, you seem like you might know a bit about pickups, or at least know enough to help me out. I'm looking for some pickups that have just enough bass (not so much that it sounds terrible) and just the right amount of treble. I want a great tone, like tone that Havok has, or Megadeth, Anthrax, Metallica, etc. the pickup I'm looking for also should have a good amount of crunch (keep in mind I want an active pickup) Now, the thing is, I don't know if I want EMG pickups or Seymour Duncan (or something else for that matter). Also, I want a pickup with some good lead tone, because I play in a band where my other guitarist and I switch off solos. Thank you, and please reply on whether you know which pickup I maybe looking for, or if you need more info

[@5150forevermore]

the Seymour Duncan sounds like it has a bit more balls than the EMG. Another thing about it is the clean sound is a bit more "passive" than the EMG. Either way I just ordered an ESP LTD EC-1001FR with EMGS. I'm sure I'll love them anyway lol. Never had a guitar with actives and I enjoy hard rock and metal

[@metaldude198]

I prefer the EMG 81. The Blackouts give you more highs and more lows. But the EMG is tweaked perfectly for MIDS. For metal I think MIDS are what you want to cut through the mix.

[@hamtheman222]

I clicked the thumbnail cos it looked like an Assassins Creed menu screen but good job!

[@oo.llpee.7457]

This was using only 9V? How does it affect to have two batteries in series (18V)?

[@jhar9022]

The Blackouts are more low-middy on the distorted end, which is nice, but I don't see it as inherently better, especially considering that the high-mids are more pronounced with the EMG. They're neck and neck as far as definition and articulation goes, which to me are the most initially important things about a pickup. Most of the rest I can dial in. The EMG even breaks up a bit sooner, which I like. Though I love SD and have them in nearly every guitar I own, I don't feel like there's a drastic enough difference here to warrant switching out my 81/85 set just yet.

[@brandonrobinson2907]

You know, At first I liked the Duncan's A LOT more, but then it hit those mids, and I started leaning back to EMG, but the the reverb sound hit, and I liked the Duncan's sound (it had less of a ding at the end of each note), it was a real struggle, but then the last segment on this video came, and it killed the Seymour Duncan's because they sounded very muffled and fuzzy, so I think I will go ahead and buy the EMG, my only issue is I'm not sure how well they will play on my Epiphone Les Paul Junior, because I will be playing mostly punk, and this kind of played everything from light rock to heavy metal, but skipped punk! Any assistance would be nice!

[@justinelkinsstudios7217]

Could you please tab 0:58 - 1:20 ? love that riff!

[@Nyarlathotep637]

ok...have to know what the riff from 1:43 is, thats fucking beautiful and if not already, needs to be used in something.

[@mikestamper]

Whom Who Bringeth Light It exists! It's the song "Decadence" by No Sense Within. You can find it on Spotify!

[@Nyarlathotep637]

Mike Stamper haha sweet, thank you!

[@Nyarlathotep637]

oh damn, spotify deceived me...the song no longer appears to be there

[@Nyarlathotep637]

Mike Stamper sorry if i seem to be obsessive over this, but do you know any other way i could listen to that song?

[@hamzakazi3803]

Whom Who Bringeth Light i checked, spotify took it down and it's nowhere else to be found

[@cameronlastname5751]

that last tune sounds similar to a song I know but I can't think of the name of it Scrolled down the comments and saw someone say the same thing! Arms Wide Open - Creed

[@technologicalsingularity1788]

seymour is more like fuzzy

[@wickedblackmetal6278]

It kinda does

[@keaulana1]

+DarkCrimson less mid

[@wickedblackmetal6278]

+keaulana1 that true

[@wickedblackmetal6278]

+keaulana1 which I have my EMG 81 set to half Mid, Full(Kinda) Treble, And less half bass, just personally

[@alvarg]

lol what? the duncans actually have more mids, and less bass than the emgs

[@vonicrimson3619]

It’s really preference but that 81 clean tone was so saucy

[@jaradfraser8005]

well looks like i know what im getting now! thanks for the vid! :) (emg)

[@hoangnguyennguyen1032]

I'll have the blackouts in the chapman ghost fret! Seems perfect to me.

[@ignaciolopez9284]

i think that we can use the two pickups, the sound is nice in clean guitar with the pick 81 and ahb-1 is a sound strong to the something heaviest i like your video i think i can use the kit (Y)

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

If you test things with Bias FX 1 or 2 you might find that you are fine with emgs if you don't like them. I found some amazing tones with some of the the two amp combo settings and I was even able to recreate some tones too.