EMG 81 vs BLACKOUTS - Active Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison / Review #2

[@shredit_nyc]

Using EMGs for years now, but can't help but notice the warmness of the blackouts. Very subtle in this video but more apparent in Review #1.

[@KennyJosephNiven]

the more basss the more you notice it theres not a lot with the mids thouggh

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

Thanks for these comparisons all these years later, they're still useful. - There are so many of these freakin' things out there and I decided to just list a bunch of wild guesses and then look for comparisons between them. XD - And then still make a slightly more educated guess as to what would work for a particular guitar and whatever I might play on it.

[@danadane2501]

The original S.D. Blackouts sound excellent. However to my ears 👂 👂 the EMG 81 and 85 set has always been the gold standard. After a lifetime. I finally have an axe with the EMG 81 and 85s installed with easy battery access and I won't change them out for anything. 95 percent of my favorite guitarist used them and still use them. Of course I'm talking about 1980s-early 2000s bands but there's a reason a lot of guys stick to them. Granted there weren't a fraction of options we have today but IMHO all these active pickups are obviously modeled after the EMG pickups.

[@danieljames5480]

I replaced my EMG's and noticed more of a difference than I hear with the video. For me the Blackouts definitely win; they are hotter, have a better EQ (more lows), and project better. They really take the idea of what an active pickup should be, and get it right. The Blackouts Modular Preamp is a knockout product as well

[@gregkeen4907]

Couldn't agree more. I hope EMG is taking notes.

[@stevenxowens792]

One of the best series of comparison videos. Blackouts have more lower and mids in EQ. The Emgs had a slight bit of quack in the cleans. I’m sure you can roll off tone and volume to clean up. Fishmans are quite similar to blackouts in default modern eq.

[@DS-fi4hf]

I have both and prefer cleans, and leads on the EMG, while the Blackouts are my favorite for rhythms, as they're a little less harsh in than EMGs.

[@Chris-qp5zx]

Another good comparison. Love both but always go back to my EMG’s. Nice playing once again!

[@BA99253]

Have had both in same guitar. The 81 slays

[@thb219]

The SD has some similarity with the 85. Hotter and warmer sounding compared to 81

[@osamabushdemolition]

I have both and i love em both. I had been using 81s for the past 15 years but when im in the studio i like the contrast when using both. Its about preference , also the settings in your amp. They are very similar..

[@mat.b.]

was leaning towards the EMG on the cleans but with distortion the Blackouts were hands down, much fuller sound

[@Wargasm644]

The Duncan’s don’t sound bad, but EMG’s are just badass. They got that “bite”. I’m sure with some amp tweaking one could be happy with the SD’s. All my guitars have EMG’s. But if I see a guitar I like and it’s equipped with the SD’s, I won’t run away from it.👊🏻

[@monstruonegro05]

Both are great pups, I like more the 81 for the cleans

[@danadane2501]

I've wanted a guitar that had EMG 81 and 85 pickups since I was a teenager. That began in 1995. It's 2023 and I'm 42 finally got one on sale. Schecter C-1 Platinum in emerald green. No other pickups sound like EMG 81s or 85s for those rare times I'll play something clean. The blackouts are great but I'm sorry there is absolutely no better pickup than EMG 81 and 85. There's a reason all the great use them or at least 95 percent of all my favorite guitarist.

[@freddykruger3320]

same, me 40 and I just got some of them on ebay for my rig last week. Now comapring them irl to some immitations I bought from aliexpress and did an 18v mod to it, they almost sound identical XD Active picksups ftw, regardless of brand

[@danadane2501]

@@freddykruger3320 That's awesome man and yeah no disagreement here. If it sounds great who cares what the brand name is?!!

[@v8sandfreeweights439]

95% of your favorite guitarists didn't have anything else to use. it was EMG by themselves for 30 years...

[@danadane2501]

@@v8sandfreeweights439 I know it's considered cool to dis the EMG active pickups especially 81 and 85s. If I heard an active pickup I'd like more I get them. If the EMG 81 and 85 didn't exist I'd go with the original S.D. Blackouts and if I played 7 strings I'd go with S.D. Retributions.

[@v8sandfreeweights439]

@@danadane2501 im not dissing the EMGs you blind gorgonite. Just stating facts.

[@tanshaomala]

I have 2 pretty much identical guitars (alder body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard, same shape), one with the Blackout and one with the 81. The 81 is hands down the better of the two for me. The blackout has way to much gain and low end, to the point where I have to physically adjust my amp and noise gate settings. The the blackout I set my amp gain to around 2-3/10, normally I have it 4/10 for the 81. Otherwise it just produces too much noise. The low end also isn't something I particularly like, I much prefer the mid-range character of the 81 but that's just preference.

[@darkaliebaba99]

I ordered the Jackson Pro SC, which has blackouts. I really like the sound of it!

[@triknomad3988]

3:07 EMG shuts the door and kicks everyone in the face they've been the king for metal for a long time now at least at the bridge position! Especially really heavy detuned stuff. Love my Dimebucker in my V too though!

[@triknomad3988]

It may be wired wrong or a weak battery cause they Crush! Especially Hetfieds. *And not trying to make u look stupid but here's my story: I bought a LTDV300 with 81/85 and I thought the same thing. I have a DIME V with a DIMEBUCKER (real-i installed).So I'd plug the Washburn in and it would SMOKE the LTD. I was like F this active pickup garbage! Then I sold it for 169$ less than I paid just to off it. Only my buddy that bought it opens it up and looks at the wiring and it's wired wrong! Hahaha He wired that bitch up right and I tell u the chunk out out that guitar will rattle the walls with PRACTICE amp. Now I'm going to put 81/85's in the DIME PRO V.

[@21stcenturymetal31]

I use the blackout in the bridge and put the 81 in the neck. Best of both worlds.

[@SoFlaFishing]

does the blackout plug directly into the emg wiring kit or do you need to do something special to make it work?

[@21stcenturymetal31]

Yes it plugs in directly to the emg wiring already installed. @@SoFlaFishing

[@danadane2501]

Not a bad idea. I know some guitarist would have an 81 in both the bridge and neck position but I've never seen your combo utilized. I prefer the old EMG 81 and 85 set but the original Blackouts are killer pickups.

[@21stcenturymetal31]

Absolutely. Try it works like a charm. @@danadane2501

[@Zarag0d]

Like Gus G said the blackouts really are very clean when you play bigger chords on distortion.

[@alonsopalazuelos7599]

i would go for EMG 81, sounds cleaner and darker

[@angellwildchild9874]

I like Seymour duncan sound in this review !

[@danadane2501]

Honest assessment based on this video. The blackouts have a bit more of a fatter sound yet EMG 81s have have better clarity and cut. I would be happy with either pickup but for my purposes I would prefer the 81s.

[@trevordolhan1060]

It's a hard call. I like both of them for different applications

[@gregkeen4907]

The Blackouts have all the bottom end, articulation, and clarity that the EMG's have been missing. So if you like that compressed, thin, high-midrange sound, go with EMG's. If you like to hear wall shaking clarity, choose Blackouts. It's a no brainer for metal musicians.

[@BaneOfFreeSpeech]

as much as i like pick up reviews. I sometimes find certain pickups easier to play with, sounds better with the way I pick and frett. So always go play a guitar with these pickups first and then decide!

[@campar1043]

emg had more clarity on the lower strings duncans on the higher

[@AdamYoudell]

solution = use 18+ volts(for EMG)

[@campar1043]

Adam Youdell what does that do?

[@AdamYoudell]

Changes the way the preamp responds. When you use a 9v you are constantly dropping below 9 volts slightly as you play. When you add another battery it keeps well above 9volts going to the pickup and what happens is you get more headroom and IMO clearer response. If you have room for 2 9volts on your guitar there is an inexpensive harness you can buy on Ebay just search for EMG 18 volt mod. OR there is a website called 24 volt mod that uses a small battery back that uses 2 12 volt batteries(EMG's will handle up to 27 volts) That's the simplest solution but a bit more expensive it runs about 20 dollars batteries included

[@campar1043]

Adam Youdell amazing, do any bands do This?

[@AdamYoudell]

Yeah there's alot of EMG players that swear by it. I just switched to it and I think it makes a difference, one of the first things I noticed was clearer highs. There's some videos on here comparing it but it's something you just have to hear and feel for yourself. The 18 volt harness is like 7 bucks I think

[@HoneyBadger213]

I own both. Blackout is higher gain. Emg is cleaner

[@itsCONTROVERSY]

lets be honest you dont buy these pickups to have a clean tone. its metal. and the EMG's sound darker and better to me

[@Pleusch]

I have a ESP FR-7 with EMG and a ESP Kiso Custom Shop with Blackouts and the Kiso sounds much more aggressive and high gain in the room than the EMG pickups. But on record they sound similar Weird!

[@str8edge142]

Mahogany/Basswood like EMG 81 since they need a tremble boost Ash/Alder like Blackouts since they need a bass boost you are all welcome :)

[@BrunoCSG]

No. I have both, two mohogany guitars. The Blackouts are perfect,harmonics, bass, middle and treble. The EMG dont have harmonics and bass like the SD, just like in the review

[@SonOfNiall]

The Blackout's sound like if the 81's finally blew their nose.

[@mr.b111]

EMGs are sharper and more precise on the chugz.

[@GunnarLoeb]

The EMG 81 can play clean (if you like). Both sounds good distorted

[@patdonaldson839]

Blackouts are clearly the better sounding pickup when used for high gain. There seems to be this static sound in between the notes with the EMGs. Listen to 3:13

[@mroland808]

I heard that noise too, not sure if it's from the recording process or the pickup itself

[@noah_glover]

@@mroland808blackouts are supposedly noiseless pickups, emgs just have this ring you can never get rid of its annoying

[@noah_glover]

@@DerSilvano not even a mechanical noise it just rings through the notes 🤷‍♂️

[@YeOldeMachina]

I wanted to pull for the Duncan's here, but a bit more clarity in the 81. Otherwise very similar pups. I also think the Duncan is a bit brighter, but I prefer the more low end attack from the 81. I was sure I'd like the blackouts better

[@tommy.n.guitarist]

SD for my taste, beefy as hell, especially when chugging, but EMG cuts through the mix better anyway...

[@raakareiska9804]

Just drop that bass from your EQ and now you have more cut

[@dustysteidl2581]

2 of my Favorite Humbuckers. I have them both and both Sound amazing in the Instruments there in. Emgs Bc rich Villain, Duncans Gibson Sg.

[@mercatorjubio3804]

EMG-81 3:31 SD AHB 3:43

[@mr.b111]

*3:06

[@bigchocolate8547]

Emg 81 for me

[@VitaTristis]

Emg 81

[@alexc2234]

Blackouts sounded better in the first review. Now I'm leaning EMG in this review. :/

[@decadence3001]

interesting why are these videos so different

[@CJZonneveld]

Seymour Duncan Blackouts vs. Mayhem please😎

[@mikestamper]

Hi! Mayhem is the SH-6 Distortion. You have that comparison vs. Blackouts here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nprJhHhrgMtorbM

[@brennerpurdy5241]

my guitar is a dean razorback v. mahogany body, I think maple neck and rosewood fretboard. i just switched out some floyd parts for titanium. I wonder how it will sound with blackouts

[@Tabris291283]

I got a Razorback V as well. Some years ago I changed Dimebucker with Blackouts. A huge output for high gain, maybe also too much, it's quite difficult to make the guitar sound "clean" on the clean channel. But really a badass sound for metal.

[@gonza.shreds]

More low end and mids in the blackout

[@svetlanasobenia815]

Blackouts for sure

[@ianhinkle1878]

This is the opposite of what I expected, but the 81 actually sounded a bit fatter. The Blackout IMO for the most part sounded a bit clearer/brighter but not always in a good way.

[@JoelHarberCarpAngler]

Can any one tell me the chords / notes played at 4:28? I prefer the Blackouts on this review. thanks.

[@yeahwhatevermike]

EMG needs to market better. They need to market as THE SOUND of Metallica

[@XChristianNoirX]

Like EMG's don't come stock in guitars enough. EMG has dominated for a looong time. Metallica even has signature EMG pickups for James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. I'm not sure what else can be done but renaming Metallica to "EMGtallica." 😂

[@jackscoines6969]

The SD has a meatier sound I feel. Hilariously however you will never know as the sound we are hearing can only depend on how good the device your are listening to them on are.

[@nullpointa]

Seymour Duncan wins for me on this kind of wood combination (alder/maple). More deep and organic sounds. EMGs sound awesome too, but they have more treble. The body itself is "treblier", so, SD fits better in this particular case.

[@mikestamper]

Thanks for your comment! Wood is always important. You can check an older comparison of these two using a basswood body this time. You can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYfMn6xue7OqeM0

[@thadood4373]

I feel like this is splitting hairs. I can’t hear much difference at all.

[@KennyJosephNiven]

thgers not untik you get into the scoopdtones then its a lot noticeab;e bit as always its in te hands

[@PlainVanilla308]

EMG sounds Natural for Lead.

[@CREEPLAIR]

This is the 2nd Versus video I've watched and the Seymour Duncan's have a weird metronome clicky thing going on in the high end I just can't get my head around

[@jaychen2000metal]

It seems there is a tad more low mid in the sd

[@ShaggyRoofus]

EMG's have higher bass, while the Duncan's have much higher mids, lower bass, and slightly higher treble. EMG's are more "meatier" which is the bass you're hearing, the Duncan's are higher output and have that "twangy" sound on cleans and more of a punch on distortion from high mids, and higher output. You can also hear the higher output from the sound that's made when he strikes the strings

[@toblessedtobestressed9107]

I'm my experience with both of these pickups. The 81 is a much better balanced pickup. The Blackouts are way too hot! and the low end is too overpowering! There's no mids in Blackouts as you can hear. When you play through them it always feels like somethings missing. The 81 is the basis for Fishman fluence moderns. It's the standard for active pickups

[@moribnd]

Do you feel also that the EMG 85 and 57 have mid character that the 81 lacks (for bridge pickup)? Would you rather use one of these instead of the 81, typically, for rhythm?

[@IntellectuallyEliteMedia]

Agree

[@5150forevermore]

81 just cuts through better. Those extra mid lows from the Blackout dont matter much in a mix.

[@danadane2501]

I was thinking almost exactly the same thing..EMG 81 have been the go to Heavy Metal active pickups these past 42 years for a reason.

[@metalhead8338]

EMG 81 is better imo. It's clearer, and i can crank up gain whenever i want. And yeah, i think it's good for death metal. Plus on the highs on the SD i heard some chirping sounds so nah. Yeah EMG has a mid-treb plus, and blackout is better for rhythm, while EMG is good for everywhere. Paired with an 85 is a dream of mine. I'll buy a Jackson Dinky DK2X HT, and i want to swap the pickups, because Jackson's pickups aren't sounding like how my dad introduced it to me. And i wanna sell my js32 8, and i wanna buy that from that money. And then, my early dream guitar is there. (The neck through design would be a bit better, since i play solos too, but i don't really want a tremolo, because i have an ibanez rg320exz, and this tremolo thing is too hard. Hipshot is more simple. (That doesn't mean, that i don't want a tremolo soloist (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)

[@KennyJosephNiven]

sorry bud i disagree but to each their own age comes into this now before pas youll not hear a diffence

[@brandonharris9160]

Both of them clip on the cleans so I will stick with Seymour Duncan passive pickups

[@danadane2501]

The other individuals response is dead on correct a lot of people like to have an EMG 85 in the neck position. Which will give a more mellow rounded smoother type clean with exceptional clarity. You can put an 81 in the bridge and neck. Kirk Hammett does this. His cleans on the black album were incredible but you can get them to where these pickups shimmer. No mud at all.

[@burtkokain42069]

Use the volume pot. EMG react incredibly well to rolling down for cleaner sounds. It's all I use, I don't even switch channels

[@cristianinternationaltrade9227]

I prefer seymour duncan blackouts in this comparision. It sounds louder, it has more mids and gets more gain, I have the blackouts 7 string set on my ibanez prestige basswood body and lo-pro edge 7. The blackouts give a lot of power and thickness sound to my guitar, that 7th string low sounds fat, heavy and breaking speaker. Blackouts are great to play metal and soling leads, amazing mids and highs but sometimes I think it is too over the top, even I have to dail down the gain level, anyways it is a metal pickup very loud and with more mids than emg 707 and 81.

[@mikeroe7942]

81 is best

[@angusorvid8840]

The 81 is unbeatable for clarity with high gain. I use other pickups, but have been using 81s since about 1987, so I'm not new to them. My favorite set is an 81TW bridge paired with an 89 neck because I get all the coil splitting I need because I also play a lot clean, funky jazz rhythms. For leads the 81 just slays.

[@InkedAquatics]

Emg does better actives Seymour Duncan’s passive’s seem to better to my ears and brain especially in the chuggier tones

[@sirishinobi4248]

EMG 81 better.

[@brandonbehc]

In fact it has much to be the gear and the occasion, for example EMG sound shit for me when playing alive, and SD sound harmonious with the band, but when recording, sometimes SD aren't enough. But the blackouts does

[@tmt7912]

I like both but i cannot buy ..

[@mikeroe7942]

they are 199.99

[@tenebriomortal4889]

blackout best

[@chinobr]

EMG-s are cleaner on clean

[@MrFeric30]

Who the fuck uses an EMG for the cleans?

[@mikestamper]

More people than you think, :)

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

Ever heard of this little band called "MetallicA"?... They've loaded up all of their guitars with EMG 81s and 60s since the late-'80s or so (though later custom ones) and they actually get beautiful clean sounds. - I don't know where your comment comes from, why you would think it's not suitable. Probably because it's said because it's for "high gain" because it's active, but that doesn't mean it's only for distorted sounds. It's just for compression and sustain and also clarity. But guess what, that makes it great for clean as well. They also have Ceramic blades in them, which makes them nice and bright, almost "hi-fi" like. - Also, EMG makes passive and vintage style pickups as well. And even if nobody did use them for clean sounds, this video is for the comparison in tonality, which you need to try clean as well.

[@KennyJosephNiven]

metallicawit their jc120s do ok with cleans

[@moribnd]

EMGs and Fishmans are the best out there as far as I know. DiMarzio and SD are almost completely uninspiring or just messy --unless (with SD's Black Winter) you want extreme black metal sound, I guess. Not I. A few of the Bareknuckles might be worth a shot though.

[@Yxzjvc]

Honestly, i don't hear that big of a difference (atleast in this video)..

[@tibetsonmez6664]

What are you talking about? Some of the best rock and metal tones ever produced have been created with SD's.

[@MrMiskut]

🤦🏽‍♂️ I do recordings with both in a major studio. EMG is good for hi gain stuff SD runs the yard for everything else. Fishmans are all hype. You are basing this off youtube vids or real experience?

[@moribnd]

@@MrMiskut experience, but I have my bias against the typical sound of SD and other passive pickups that emphasize "articulation," or separating string sound. Fishman seems to straddle SD and the typical "active" sound, yet so far sound more like passive pickups without noise to me. I have tried two or three BK pickups also and they suffer from the same "rockin'" sound that I dislike in the Seymour Duncans I've tried. In other words, I LIKE the "compressed" sound (whatever you want to call it) of EMGs and I dislike the washy high frequencies from many passives and Fishman moderns; I don't WANT the "string separation" on low E and the A either. Guitar isn't even guitar for me in the traditional sense; EMG helps make it more of a percussive instrument than the other pickups --in my limited experience with guitar. Some of what I am speaking of here is directly related to also not going full-throttle on my amp. Do you have any suggestions on pickups? Right now I am using Fishman moderns, and EMG GTV.

[@MaestroJericho]

@@MrMiskut can't stand FIshmans, had the Devin Townsend, Classic, Merrow sets and to me they don't sound that good and the battery doesn't last nearly as long. Much prefer passives and 57/66s

[@anthonysweitzer7228]

IMO these are both very powerful and have a similar sound. EMG requires batteries while the duncan doesn't. That's kinda where I'm at.

[@mikestamper]

Both need batteries, my friend! They are both active.

[@AdamYoudell]

Be sure you check out the EMG X-series, EMG 57/66 set, and fishman fluence pickups. I do think fishman owns it in the active pickup sound dept. Right now. EMG is best for ease of install

[@mikestamper]

I did comparison videos for the 57 and 66. Hope to do the same with the X-series and Fishman Fluences if any of them falls into my hands someday :)

[@Peesashit284]

So you can play them without the battery but bear in mind, active pups have inherently weaker magnets and rely on boosting the signal (using the battery) so if you choose to go without the battery you'll end up with a pickups thats weaker than most passive pups.

[@mikeroe7942]

@@AdamYoudell emgs are easy to install in because you don't need to salder wires

[@walpurgisnacht9234]

The 81 seems to slay almost any pick up that you put against it when it comes to metal or rock playing. The Seymour definitely has more mmmf depending on what you are playing. That’s why it’s good to have a variety of instruments. IMHO.

[@KennyJosephNiven]

i put e blackouts slightly better with the mids up but scooped the blackouts so emgs in 1 and blackouts in the otheer or active defo the fishmans are good too

[@телеболельщикжесткий]

emg

[@Loudbish]

I actually prefer the blackouts

[@KennyJosephNiven]

me too the diffeernce is subtle til you go scooped so early 90s defo blaclouts