Head To Head - EMG 81 vs. Seymour Duncan Blackout AHB-1 - Bridge Pickups

[joerve128]

I really cant here the difference

[sandmanssicjoke]

Great video. Personally I liked the sound from the Viper 500, even though it is roughly similar to the EC1000. The Seymour's were definitely a lot louder, but I enjoyed the overall tone from the EMG-81 from the Viper-500.

[Deefboy95]

guys this video is good but you can't base your opinion entirely on this video because the weight and properties of wood are also factors to how the tone will sound.

you can see in this video he uses different guitars which all have different body types and probably wood types

[BenoniStudio]

@Deefboy95 All guitars used in this video have Mahogany bodies and Mahogany 'set' necks.

Be sure to check out the new EMG v Blackout video I have posted where you can hear the pickups in the context of a mix (song).

Thanks for watching and commenting.

[StivO2005]

The EC-1000 is sooooo much better than Vipers... and the 301 with Blckouts sound's way better than the 500.

[MrBobbymcBobbers]

oh, and which pickup is more versatile?

[BenoniStudio]

@MrBobbymcBobbers I would say that is a subjective question. I comes down to what you like best, and only you can answer that.

[stupidplants]

@MrBobbymcBobbers

EMGs offer a wider range i feel, but blackouts offer a much better metal tone

[MrBobbymcBobbers]

how can you afford all these guitars and pickups?

[bagera93]

4:10 sounds like at the gates song :)

[Ikillpeopleforfree]

Also, no professional uses digital simulated amp models but instead uses a real tube amp and stack that is miced up. I can tell your video is digital can you do a tube amp demo now?

[Ikillpeopleforfree]

Hi. If you put an 18 volt mod to the EMG 81 it will also increase volume output and frequencies as well. My question is can you just plug in a blackout to the EMG solderless pin wires to try them? I was wondering if you knew?

[WoodyWV38]

This is the second different EMG 81 VS Blackouts (AHB 1) the other had an 81/85 demo though, in that video the blackouts sounded less messy, this one the EMGs did. Wish there was a local guitar shop with each of these pickups already in guitars so i could try em myself. Ive gone from EMG to SD back to maybe EMG again lol

[blackwolfgabri]

There is way to much gain on the amp sim ;(

[BenoniStudio]

@blackwolfgabri I disagree.

[ElBastardo]

What gauge strings are you using?

[Sale15]

My favorite is the first guitar. It's real heavy sound with distortion and has a deep whole tone to it. The third guitar had less distortion but had a high end to it that could be expressed. The second guitar it had more output than the third but still had a heavier tone more like the first but less intensity and sharpness.

[rjsmith452]

Ive had both pickups in may different guitars and currently I purchased a Charvel desolation with blackouts. It sounds awsome what it comes down to is what sounds good you. They both are great pickups so on that note dont take peoples word for it buy what sounds good to you.

[Olivere118]

EMG 81 Wins. Blackouts are a little too messy if you compare them.

[MatKiller1197]

can you please do a demo on the gus g fire blackouts?

[BenoniStudio]

@MatKiller1197 I'd love to but i don't have access to a pair at the moment. Hopefully I can get some in the future, they look pretty cool.

[MatKiller1197]

@BenoniStudio ok thanks by the way send me a message if you do it ok?

[JetpackMcGee]

i like the blackouts a bit better.

[DJ11726]

the blackouts have better EQ in my experience

[TheBIGREDDAVE]

I love passive Seymour Duncans. As far as actives go EMG's got my vote.

[thedealerofcrack]

Hey, could you compare Duncan Invaders and Screaming Demons? I don't care for active pups.

[TinManSilverHeart]

Although the Blackouts seem more powerful, the EMG 81 has a razor sharp sound to it..that is ideal for lead work or solos..cause it allows you to cut through the mix more effectively.

[BenoniStudio]

@TinManSilverHeart Thanks for watching

[Shevaron]

Thanks for this review. I picked the 81 It seemed more crisp. This is pickup in the guitar I want to get the Hellraiser C-7 FR special.

[meattheparents]

the 81 has more cut for sure i like it better then the black ouyt

[DarkEssence17]

Конкретно в этом видео Блэкауты звучат немного живее и отзывчивее нежели Ежи.

Хотя по сути - Разница не вилика,

[forkball1968]

People prefer the EMG's to the Blackouts because the Blackouts produce too much mids....? yeah... how horrible. Seeing as how the guitar is a "mid-range" instrument, why would you want it to have high mid-range? lol. Here's an idea... get the pickup that will re-produce the MOST tonal range, and use an EQ to scoop out the mids if you want that sound.

[SeanHart213]

The Viper-500 had my favorite tone consistently throughout the video. Very clean without boomy lows or hi end sizzle like the other 2 guitars... I go for that less saturated punchy sound.

[ryancr1000]

extra metal growl.all i gotta say

[benroethig]

From what I could gather, the EMGs had more of that compressed muddy crunch that people love for death metal and nuMetal. The Blackouts were clearer and more organic, like passive pickups on steroids.

[BenoniStudio]

@benroethig Thanks for watching

[Ikillpeopleforfree]

@benroethig I agree and 81 will always be best for drop tuned playing. All of my MIJ ESP standard series come with EMGs factory installed for a reason.  Not many pros are using blackouts even after being out almost 5 years now.

[JacoTheSkunk]

Thanks for doing this! It's nice to hear a good side by side to validate what people say on forums. I definitely hear more brightness/highs from the SD, and more of a mid-rangey crunch from the EMGs. Both sound great!

[Vestu]

Definitely EMG-81 hands down! Meaner, leaner, skull crushing machiner.

[thrashtildeth247]

the emgs sound more full and the blackouts seem to have a little more treble/output

[ChaserHUN]

Do a D Activator vs D Activator X vs EMG 81 vs Blackouts :D

[Jeepjones85]

The 81 IMO I'm just not sure what that is with the black outs maybe to much mid sound going on ?

[JesusManPowerKick]

the blackouts had a nice crunch but something about the 81 seems better

[odnick]

The Blackouts sound better to my ears.

[aintnopity]

who needs that much distortion?

[DarkdeviI725]

@aintnopity Who doesnt need that much distortion?

[Maxpound]

@DarkdeviI725 I actually need more distortion. I'm trying to resurrect Elizabeth Bathory here.

[MickMinor14]

is it true that ahb 1 b are crap for harmonics?

[honoriskostra]

Me gustan más las seymour duncan, tienen un tono más grueso y menos agudo.

[Guitarfanman]

it sounds like the duncans handle the lower tuning and the low end a lot better than the emg's, and the dry track for the blackout had a lot nicer of a tone, really it comes down to personal preference, the blackouts have a higher output and a tighter low end, but the emg's have a more pronounced mid range but seem a little fuzzy at times.

[d3athr3b4l]

which ones cheaper in price?

[Sam132161]

Is seymour duncan blackout an active pickups?im curious...

[BenoniStudio]

@Sam132161 Yes, they are active

[0yavuz]

@BenoniStudio

what whould be a good distortion pedal that would sound like 2:43 (i have EMG's)

[maassaarabb]

To me the Blackouts seems to have a slightly more define sound,witch i would prefer.

[SavageDutchman]

I have the impressions that the blackouts have a tighter sound

[GuitarPlayerSkater1]

personally, i like the EMG 81. Listening to bands like For the fallen dreams, i like that heavy but clear sound that they give you. like when you play upper arpeggios or chords then you can still hear them well, and then go back to a heavy chug and it sounds good.

[AcceptInstruction]

Im suprised the seymours are getting so much they sounds alot better to my ears; tighter low end, more punch, and alot better note clarity in F#. tho to be fair i think the string-thru emg sounds better then theones in the ec-1000

[railGUNbrown]

I think that, for a fair comparison perhaps you should have normalized the three tracks to the same volume -- you mentioned this at the end of the video to not mistake volume for tone but some people might not get that and it is hard to be impartial with a direct comparison. Great review though and, for my guitar in F# tuning, you helped me decide EMG. Thanks!

[666jony666]

Thanks very much for this video!!

[Darkend163]

So silly for Seymours to produse such a "EMG copy" pickups, even design is copied. Just to cover market. As if Seymours don't have their own ideas and can't create something new, I'll never buy seymours in future.

[givemeajackson]

@Darkend163 they never created something new? p-rails? triple shot rig? liberator solderless pickup change system? hotrails? and you say they have no ideas? with just a three way swich and and two triple shots i have more tone options than a prs 513! the P-rails combined with tripleshot is 4 pickups in one (single coil, p90, serial humbucker, parallel humbucker) they were the first to make humbuckers in singlecoil size! just cause they copied emg in one little thing doesn make them uncreative!

[ElFrankus]

@givemeajackson You`re right. Seymoud Duncan is way more creative and experienced than EMG. Ditto for DiMarzio. Of course, they have to play the game of the Active pickup or risk get thrown out of business... or missing a big chunk of the market.

[Darkend163]

@givemeajackson That's why I was maybe wondering, why they have made a copy... Maybe you can answer this question: Why did they not copy EMG pickups 25 ears ago? And now, they write on their site: "Oh, look! We have pickups that sound like "EMG®"! " There can be only 2 answers:

1) For 25 years EMG was for 1 step forward

2) SD decided to do this to cover the most part of the pickup market

[givemeajackson]

@Darkend163 first of all there is a tonal difference between the emgs and the duncans. ogf course they wanted to cover some more market! they took the concept of emg, yes, but all humbuckers took the concept of the gibson PAF! btw, emg makes single-coil sized humbuckers too, they copied duncan there. isnt it stupid not to buy a brand cause they copied? all amps with master volume and gain are marshall copies, but i'd still buy an engl > marshall! awnser nr 3: it wouldnt have been rentable then.

[Darkend163]

@givemeajackson you are right., but this copy was so typical... just the same, that's why I was wondering.

(EMG has no humbucker in single-coil size, only hum-cancellers).

[lemom1148]

@givemeajackson Actually,Seymour Duncan did NOT invent solderless pickup systems, nor did he invent rail pickups or coil tapping.

[givemeajackson]

@lemom1148 they invented a pickup ring with coilsplit/paralel/serial option, and they were the first to make a solderless system in a volume pot, and the first humbuckers in sc size were actually duncans.

[nitinlkoin1984]

there is only a slight diff according to me

[Madbutcher305]

Perhaps it may be worth testing some passive pickups; and before people go, "oh, they're not as heavy, idiot", that's a myth. Maybe the SH-6 or The Activator X.

[nakedzen]

I was thinking of trying the 81 instead of the BO that I have on my guitar now. This vid made me change my mind. Thanks for the comparison!

[AkiraSpectrum]

I would rank the tones as such:

1. Viper 301 - Blackouts AHB-1's B/N

2. Viper 500 - EMG 81/85

3. EC-1000 - EMG 81/60

I may have liked the ec-1000 the least because it was the most bright and had the least amount of low end, but this could also be because it had the smallest string gauge. I prefer the blackouts as I prefer the extra bass and darkness.

[PumpkinEscobar405]

i like the sound on the emgs better.

[butcherrebrovski]

Sound on all pickups a shit!

[A7Xguitarplayer0272]

Blackouts have a more defined tone emgs have more of a crunchy tone very good comparison.

[bottleblue]

+1 for the 81 (though the blackout also sounds great). Nice chops btw.

[SirZozzo]

Output also depend the distance from the strings to pickups.

Could you try EMG X series and Blackouts 3 for more Head to head?

[BenoniStudio]

@SirZozzo I would love to review the Blackout AHB-3 and the EMG X and James Hetfield pickups. But I do not have access to these models at this time. If Seymour Duncan or EMG would like to send me the pickups or a guitar loaded with their pickups, I would review them in a heart beat.

As far as the string distance, the 2 Viper guitars were setup pretty much exact.

[WutangClan4LiF3]

@BenoniStudio i had ec-1000 81/60 crappy powerchords maybe my amp's fault. I m now between ESP Mh1000FR with emg 81/85 or the ESP mh1000NT with jb/59 which one do you reccomend? And very very nice video btw

[WutangClan4LiF3]

@BenoniStudio forgot to mention that the Emg pickups is like or you love them or you hate them. I find their sound so "plastic" if you know what i mean like fake. funny thing on the same Crappy amp my ibanez grg170dx ( a 250 dollars guitar with passive crappy pickups ) sound better or same with emg's so i guess i m not an emg guy

[cakire82]

Very professional comparison. I wish you have tested on the same guitar though

[BenoniStudio]

@cakire82 That would be a good test, but it would be a lot of soldering. The New EMG's and Blackouts are solderless, but the ones I have need soldering.

[cakire82]

@BenoniStudio I see. Well, thanks anyways. Great comparison. which one did you like more? Also Do you think V500 being string through affect the tone much?

[BenoniStudio]

@cakire82 I think they all sound good. I am partial to the 81, but the Blackout AHB-1 is a great sounding pickup. They are both useful, especially for layering guitars.

String through does make a difference, but I would not say its "better" or "worse" its just a slight variation.

The Blackout AHB-3 is a pickup I would like to test. As well as the new James Hetfield EMG

[cakire82]

@BenoniStudio AHB-2b with Loud/Louder mode sounds very interesting too. Thanks again for the review.