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EMG-X vs. SD Blackouts.

19K views 53 replies 26 participants last post by  Josh 
#1 ·
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Has anybody had experience with both of these and would like to offer up some knowledge? A friend of mine is debating which is best, the clinch is, he needs them in white, and I can't find Blackouts in white over here :(
 
#7 ·
I have blackouts in a mahogany guitar and I think they kick fucking ass :lol: different strokes for different folks!

Don't think you can get them in white though... I'm not sure about that. I totally recommend them over EMG's.
Yup, you can get them in white. Probably special order, but I got mine on fleabay.

I like them a lot, but they get a bit muddy in low tunings(6 string). Pretty much keeping that guitar in Eb now. :lol:
 
#16 ·
I've already decided that, RGA8 is getting Blackouts and gonna grab a Camo agile 8 when they're out and throw some BKP's or Lundgrens in, that way I have the best of both worlds when it comes to active and passive. Tosh, I cannot understand how basswood/passives would sound clearer than mahogany/actives :lol: Also, I call first dibs on the Xiphos if/when it is sold! That thing is stunning! And you can't get white Xiphos over here either :( I think the UK hates whites (however racist that sounds, it's not :lol:)
I don't understand it either. :shrug: My old S540 sounded like shit in D to me too... :lol: Of course, could just be that particular pair of guitars.

Xiphos is staying for sure. :p
 
#5 ·
I have both EMGs and Blackouts and personally I prefer the EMGs for rhythm guitar and the Blackouts for lead guitar. Probably because the EMGs have more bass and the Blackouts have more mids. For cleans, I actually prefer the EMGs over the Blackouts, but they both sound great. I don't have EMG-Xs, but I have tried them before (on a six string).

Personally I don't think you could go wrong with either.
 
#6 ·
I've had Blackouts and used EMG's in 7 strings before, but the Blackouts where in basswood and EMG's were in Ash, so I can't really compare them. I'm looking at the 6 string ones (since I don't think they do the X series in 7's yet). I'd seriously prefer SD's but like I said, they're almost impossible to find in white over here :( Which is what lead me to asking about comparisons, since the X series was supposed to rival SD's and they're dead easy to find in white. Thanks for all the help guys :) but I suppose it is gonna come down to personal tastes by trying them out myself seemingly. The guitar in question is gonna be an Ibanez RGT6EXFX. You might see something of it soon :)
 
#19 ·
One of the keys to using Blackouts is adjusting the pickup height. They have *substantially* more output than the equivalent EMGs, and because of that they can be set down a little further from the strings and sound killer. EMGs, of course, need to be set as close to the strings as possible. If you're getting muddiness out of Blackouts, they probably need to come down a little, just like a passive.

Set close to the strings, the Blackouts in my various guitars have almost as much gain into the amp as you'd get using an overdrive pedal.

I'm also curious to read anyone's comments about the EMG-X pickups. There's only one review of them so far at HC.
 
#26 ·
On a basswood-bodied guitar, a battery box is essential, I believe. Year after year of unscrewing the control cover to replace the battery is guaranteed to strip out those screw holes on a basswood guitar. Even my decidedly non-basswood '85 Soloist is starting to have some issues with those screw holes. I wish every maker would use threaded metal inserts for those screws.

For Jackson guitars, fretsonthenet.com makes replacement control covers with a battery box built in, and I'm sure he'd be willing to make such covers for other makes, too.
 
#29 ·
I had a set of EMG-Xs in one of my 6-strings, and they were great (SA-X and 85-X), ESPECIALLY the SA-X. one of the nicest single-coil pickups I've ever heard, passives included. Round, warm, and inobtrusive. I'm not in the mood to drop any more coin on pickups, though, so my tests of the 7-string versions will have to wait. I think I'm firmly back in the EMG camp after a pretty decent tenure in the Blackout camp.
 
#33 ·
BUMPALOO

I'm gonna :bump: the shit out of this instead of start a new thread.

I'm going to try a run in the active pickup camp for a while. If it's horrible, I'll know what I'm missing when I come back to the Light Side of the Farce :p

I love my Blackout 8's. I assume they'll be equally awesome (if slightly different) in 7's.

Tied into my quest for some single-coil tone, I've decided the only thing that could bring me out of Blackouts would be the EMG 707TWX. If EMG's "me too!" pickup has some of the great "passive-like" characteristics of the Blackout series, I'll be in for trying them.

I didn't particularly care for the 707 or 808 that I tried (Hellraiser and RG2228, respectively).

So has anyone bought some X-series 7-string EMG's yet, maybe even the 707TWX? Most awesome would be if there are any production guitars coming stock with them to try out, but I think the answer to that is "no".
 
#34 ·
Honestly, I'm not sold on the idea of the TW in general, despite having one in my Agile for the past year now. There's a huge volume drop between SC and HB modes, and fwiw, I only use the SC mode anyway. Definitely going to swap the 707-TW out for a 60-7X.
 
#35 ·
Alright, it be time to drop my little piece into this thread.

I'd REALLY like to know about the main diffs between just standard EMG's and Blackouts. I'm having issues with chord definition with my EMG 81's in the bridge. This and the fact that the difference between the 81 and 85 is CRAZY. it honestly bothers me how much bass the 85 has, and the fact that the 81 has so little in comparison.

Personally, I kinda like the 81, and I've learned to dial it in on my amp, but the85, and probably the 60 as well are just obscene in the low end. I'm not sure if this is just because it's a neck pickup, or if this is just how the neck pickup behaves on all guitars.

Going back to my bitching about my 81's. I've been doing a lot of listening to music lately, specifically listening to guitar tones. Something I've noticed that really bothers me is how when I play a 4+ note chord, all I get is gross static, rather than a nice defined chord. I've listened to a lot of dream theater and iced earth for this week and it seems like EVERY SINGLE NOTE in their chords shine right through, even with ridiculous gain. I also know that both players use passive pups exclusively, so really, is my problem with active pups, EMG's, or maybe my amp (a peavey XXX).

I'd like to pull the trigger on a set of white AHB-1 blackouts that have free shipping to canada, but I'm not sure of the tone I'm gonna get out of them. I really fucking NEED that chord definition, and if blackouts sound more like passives in terms of that sort of definition, then I guess it's worth a shot.
 
#36 ·
Alright, it be time to drop my little piece into this thread.

I'd REALLY like to know about the main diffs between just standard EMG's and Blackouts. I'm having issues with chord definition with my EMG 81's in the bridge. This and the fact that the difference between the 81 and 85 is CRAZY. it honestly bothers me how much bass the 85 has, and the fact that the 81 has so little in comparison.

Personally, I kinda like the 81, and I've learned to dial it in on my amp, but the85, and probably the 60 as well are just obscene in the low end. I'm not sure if this is just because it's a neck pickup, or if this is just how the neck pickup behaves on all guitars.

Going back to my bitching about my 81's. I've been doing a lot of listening to music lately, specifically listening to guitar tones. Something I've noticed that really bothers me is how when I play a 4+ note chord, all I get is gross static, rather than a nice defined chord. I've listened to a lot of dream theater and iced earth for this week and it seems like EVERY SINGLE NOTE in their chords shine right through, even with ridiculous gain. I also know that both players use passive pups exclusively, so really, is my problem with active pups, EMG's, or maybe my amp (a peavey XXX).

I'd like to pull the trigger on a set of white AHB-1 blackouts that have free shipping to canada, but I'm not sure of the tone I'm gonna get out of them. I really fucking NEED that chord definition, and if blackouts sound more like passives in terms of that sort of definition, then I guess it's worth a shot.
I use an EMG 85 in the bridge of my Alder jackson with my 6505 and it is middy and punchy as hell. :shrug:
 
#39 ·
Any chance you can point me to a band that uses stupid high gain with EMG 81's? It'd be nice if you could tell me what they record with as well. Using the example of JP and Jon Shaffer, I know JP uses (recorded so far) Mesa Mark IIC+, and Mark IV, with v30 loaded cabs, basswood/alder guitars, with dimarzio pickups of this variety or that. Jon uses fucking $7000 Larry amps, v30 loaded cabs, Les pauls, and WCR pickups...I think he has customs made for him, actually...yeah, The "Ice Bucker".

I don't really hear any tones that make me go "DAMN, I want my distorted chords to sound like THAT"

For reference, I use the EMG's in mahogany winged neck thrus with my peavey XXX. All EQ at 12:00, gain at 9:00. It's boosted with an OD 808 (gain @12:00, level at max, tone at 12:00), with an MXR in the loop.-12db@31.25hz, +4db@2khz, -12db@16khz. All that's run through an oversized 2x12 w/ eminence man-o-war and v128.

It's plenty tight and I think it sounds downright sexy for technical stuff and even cleans (yes I said it. my XXX can get a decent clean sound with a little help from my XXX), but with the distortion on, the even 3 note intervals like minor 3rds and stuff aren't very clear.

[epiphany] Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I've been having this problem for as long as I've had an amp, and have only ever had the XXX as a basis for comparison...

Maybe it is the amp...I gotta get my axe fx FAST!!! [/epiphany]
 
#41 ·
Both Schaffer and JP use medium-hot, or less, output pickups. I've heard the Icebuckers described as "PAF-ish", which is not like an EMG81 at all. You might find lower output pickups to be much clearer with the amount of gain you're using. Schaffer's sound, IMO, is in his picking hand and accents, but I bet a lot of it is that damn Larry, not his pickups.

Of course, you might be happier with a less compressed amp tone in the first place. :lol:

How far do you tune down? I've never been happy with my BO's tuned down below Eb, but others love them.
 
#42 ·
Both Schaffer and JP use medium-hot, or less, output pickups. I've heard the Icebuckers described as "PAF-ish", which is not like an EMG81 at all. You might find lower output pickups to be much clearer with the amount of gain you're using. Schaffer's sound, IMO, is in his picking hand and accents, but I bet a lot of it is that damn Larry, not his pickups.
:agreed: I've been messing around with a song lately that uses 6 string chords (low E to high E, generally barred) with super high gain (Dual Rectifier amp model with TS808 on my Axe-FX) and every single note rings through very clearly. A lot of factors in there. My playing style. My EQ. My "amp." And, of course, my pickups. But EMGs definitely do have good note definition.

How far do you tune down? I've never been happy with my BO's tuned down below Eb, but others love them.
:lol: You're crazy. I use the seven string Blackouts, so obviously my lowest string is B, but I've tuned it down to Ab before with a very very clear clean beautiful sound.
 
#46 ·
:lol: I've only owned actives in seven-string guitars. I first really got into actives through basses. I thought that five and six-string basses using active pickups sounded so much more vibrant than ones with passive pickups. For guitars, I didn't really get attractive to actives until I heard some seven-string EMGs.
 
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