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I agree, very trebly the 81 is, I like the sound Im getting now. I once considered selling the guitar but now Im going to keep it. For emg's getting a lot of crap, I like how easy it is to swap out the pickups rather than having to rewire and solder everything again. I wish all pickups were like that

I know its an old post but I thought i would throw my 2 cents in.

In my experiences, Active pickups sound like powered magnets in any guitar.. With the passive pickups the wood is always a variable where with the 81s and blackouts, you can set them in anything and always get the same tone (with one exception). In a cheap BC Rich, they are great IMO but I think its a crime to pop them in a Gibson Les Paul.

I use Passive EMGs in my Ibanez SA220.. Originaly I had H4 in both but the girlfriend bought me a H1a Hot Rod for the bridge. Still love that guitar. There are passive high output alternatives to using batteries.. I recommend the Gibson Dirty Fingers because I use it in my cheap BC Rich Virgin.. Sounds wicked.

The exception mentioned above is the reason I don't use active pickups. I want to have a consistent tone each and every time and my current Ibanez bass is the "Active" reason for this. I have played shows way out in the sticks were I forgot to get a new battery and my bass sounded flat. It's also worth mentioning that my old guitarist would constantly use his afterburner switch and kill his batteries… so when none were around, he would shut it off and play some AC/DC instead of Slayer when we wanted to play Slayer.

Final thought: Active pickups sound great, but I highly prefer passive.

It's not uncommon. A guitarist I jammed with gets his Warlock (w/Floyd Rose) set up once a year. The tech reversed the pickups and popped the 85 in the bridge.. Buddy never looked back.

Thats exactly what my point is slim.. Active pups will always sound like active pups regardless of what guitar you wire them to. Great for cheap guitars though.

I just got a coupon in the mail along with a new catalog. You can combined the coupon code and any online promotion too. But I noticed lately they are allowing only one coupon code if you order online. I called in and they honored both discount deals for a case I ordered. A secret I learned a while back about about MF also is that they will haggle on certain items. You just have to call in and ask for a lower price, within reason.

Watched TTK video of the SD Blackouts vs the EMG 81/85's. Got a BCR Warbeast Trace T that came with the factory BSDM pups. My son wants active pick-ups for it and likes the EMGs just as well as the Blackouts. I would consider him a higher intermediate player. Plays Metallica Megadeth any of the Big 4 Thrash type music, but he also plays a varitey to become more well rounded. Are either of the pups more "forgiving" than the other? He plays really well but i know active pups can be touchy. And are the Blackouts installed like the EMGs or is there a difference? Thanks for the help.

Thats a good point about Kirk Hammett, and even James Hetfield's "Het Set". Looking to get him an LTD EC1000 in Vinatge Black for his birthday, and if i'm not mistaken it comes with EMG 81/85's. So maybe put Blackouts in his Warbeast, then he would have a guitar with each. I will let him decide then suprise him with the end result. Never put pups in a guitar active or otherwise myself. Anyone know how much it would cost to be done the right way? Or is it something you can do at home with a little electronics and soldering exp? Thanks!

Speaking of the LTD EC1000 VB (vintage black) i was back on ESP's website last night to see if it was EMG's they were putting in. Well for 2012 the EC in VB now comes with Duncan pups. Last years had the EMG 81/60's I think. At least thats what muscians friend still has it listed by.

Yeah, I like the new range of ESP gives you the option of passive Duncans and the EMG's. Personally, if i'm spending that much money on a guitar, i would get passive pickups. The reason being, at that level the wood quality used in the construction of the guitar should be pretty good, and if you have active pup's in there, you're not going to get any of that wood-goodness coming through in your tone.

However, on the cheaper LTD's, like the 401, the EMG's are a good option.

While we are on the topic of pickups for metal…until recently i had no respect for Burst Buckers as far as Metal goes…however a friend of mine recently came over with his Gibby LP Standard, and plugged it into my Blackstar amp…with Gain all the way up…these Burst Buckers weren't that far off my LP with EMG's. If anything they had a bit more soul to them then mine.

Maybe its just me…but right now, Burst Buckers are my favourite humbucker!

Sammy