Best Pickup Combo

[slayer63636]

i recently got an esp EC-300. i love palying it becasue its so easy to play. what i dont like are the pick ups. it came with the stock EMG-HZ. now im thinking what do i want to put in it. im looking for a versitle sound.

for the bridge I have my eyes set on a EMG 81, but im open to sugestions. i play mostly metal. i like the older 80's thrash metal sound but i also like the thick sound of the new metal now adays. ive played with the EMGs befor and i really liked the sound.

now here is were im having trouble. on the neck pick I am looking for some thing VERY clean. i didnt really like the EMG 85 in the neck. one of my guitars has a seymour duncan jazz and i love the sound. ive heard online that the Bill Lawrence pick ups are even better! has anyone had any experince with them? if so can you recomend a modle? i would look at the reviews @ harmony central but i have to go to work in about 45 mins.

Now if i were to go with the EMG 81 and a Bill Lawrence would that be a problem? the emg is active as where the Lawrence is passive. my guitar has 1 tone and 2 volume contols.

[Nitefly SA]

it is for the most part decided that having both an active and a passive pickup in a guitar is more trouble than its worth, maybe you should get the X2n in the bridge and the BL in the neck, the x2n is supposed to be very close to the emg 81.

[slayer63636]

would the trouble be from the wiring? the only thing im thinking is how would i wire the the tone to be able to run on both pick ups?

[Nitefly SA]

no its an impendance issue, the pots for EMGs are 25k and passives are 500k, I think if you were to do both you would need 2 volumes 2 tones and 2 outputs.

[GodBlessTexas]

You could always try a Bill Lawrence and an EMG H4. EMG says it's the passive version of the 81, so you shouldn't have any impedence issues since they're both passive. Even better, they can be found cheaply if you look.

n/m, I just read your post completely. The EMG HZ that comes with your ESP is the H4 model. If you don't like the sound of it, then either it doesn't sound like the 81 in passive form as EMG says, or maybe the 81's not what you're after.

GBT

[slayer63636]

You could always try a Bill Lawrence and an EMG H4.  EMG says it's the passive version of the 81, so you shouldn't have any impedence issues since they're both passive.  Even better, they can be found cheaply if you look.

n/m, I just read your post completely.  The EMG HZ that comes with your ESP is the H4 model.  If you don't like the sound of it, then either it doesn't sound like the 81 in passive form as EMG says, or maybe the 81's not what you're after.

GBT

←

I looked into it and the pick ups are the EMG H1. here are the specs from a site. well i really didnt look into it that much, i just know that H4's dont have adjustable pole pieces and the ones i do have them.

Set neck 24.75" scale.

Mahogony body, 3pc Mahogony/Rosewood neck/fretboard

Flag inlays with model name @ 12th fret

Black hardware

tune-o-matic bridge (fixed)

White binding on neck and headstock

24 frets, 2 EMG HZ H-1 passive pickups

2 volume knobs, one tone knob, 3 way toggle switch

i was told about the EMG 81/60 combo. befor work im gonna go to emgs site and get some sound bites. if all else fails ill look into a dime pick up, i heard those are good.

[GodBlessTexas]

OK. I was under the impression that the H4 was now the standard bridge pickup for all ESP LTD guitars, at least according to EMG's web site.

GBT

[Jivin]

I don't think you are going to get a SD Jazz sound out of any EMG pickup, however all EMG pickups are, by nature, extremely clean, and have their own trademark clean sound which you can easily recognise. Depending on what slant you want to put on that sound in the neck position will determine what EMG you choose. The 85 as you probably know is quite fat and round (although not without enough bite and clarity to hold things together), whereas the 60 is mucher sharper and snappier. You can always experiement and swap them out later if your really unhappy, so dont spend half your life trying to pick the PERFECT pickup without having actually played it in your guitar.

As far as passive alternatives to the EMG 81 goes, word of mouth seems to hint that the JB or Bill Lawrence L500-XL are as close as you will get. I have never even heard an X2N so im afraid I can't comment there.

- Dan

[Nitefly SA]

x2n its the most powererful passive pickup manufactured, and they have a lot of trebble much like the 81 but they do have a tad more bass than the 81

[Samba Pa Ti]

x2n is the dimarzio although it has 15.8 k and is extremely powerfull the lace sensor red dually is 30k wired up correctly

[Nitefly SA]

arent lace sensors active?

[Samba Pa Ti]

not the ones ive used all passive they do have a unique design though, i dont think lace do any active pickups

http://www.agi-lace.com/

Edited December 29, 2005 by Samba Pa Ti

[slayer63636]

today i took my 1/2 stack over to a buddys place and got to try various pick ups on my amp. there were 3 set ups i REALLY liked. first was a bill lawrence l-500Xl in the bridge and a bill lawrence l-500C in the neck these were in a dean ML. first thing i noticed was how clean the neck was and when i ran it thru the stereo chorus it was one of the best tones ive heard. the bridge on the other hand was a demon! i had the gain at 8 and it was like a sound that came from the heavens. for these things being 50 bucks from bill himself its a wonder why not many artist use them. these things are aswome.

the next was the seymour duncan jb and jazz combo. i do have them in ym jackson witch is a alder body with a maple neck. i got to try them in a all mahogany SG. i say the sound was a bit thicker sounding than my jackson.

last was a epiphone les paul with the EMG 81 and 85. the 81 was pure metal! really thick and such great deafination. the clean with the chorus was such a pure sound. as Jivin pointed out they have thier own unique and with the chorus it was even better(that and last time i played one it was thru a crappy crate amp).

now the question is witch set up? ive narrowed it down between the EMGs and the bill lawrences. money wise its only about 80 bucks differnace. right now i dont know witch ones to get. i liked them so much im willing to settle it with a coin toss. any opions?