EMG 81 Black

592 Customer ratings

4.9 / 5

You have to be logged in to rate products.

Note: To prevent ratings from being based on hearsay, smattering or surreptitious advertising we only allow ratings from real users on our website, who have bought the equipment from us.

After logging in you will also find all items you can rate under rate products in the customer centre.

sound

quality

303 Reviews

EMG 81 Black
77 €
Free shipping incl. VAT
In stock within 8-10 weeks
In stock within 8-10 weeks

This product is expected back in stock soon and can then be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
1
JF
Industry standard for a reason
Jones From The North 03.12.2021
EMG 81's dont really needs a lengthy review, with so many bands and famous names behind them.

Love them or hate them, they've helped shape metal and rock as we know it.

I keep coming back to 81's for bridge PU's because of the consistency and the overall sound characteristics.
They've got a nice punch with a good low-end, and a good treble response.
Sure, they're not as dynamic as a Seymour Duncan JB (passive), but they've got great dynamics nonetheless.

The solderless installation is my favorite. Makes installations much faster, and less chance of a screw up.
You can get every style of switch from EMG them selves, so you wont need to use a soldering iron every again.

In conclusion:
If you're a fan of older (pre-2010) metal/hard rock, then they're definitely worth a look.
Likewise if you're looking for a really hot pickup, with an easy installation, these might also be for you.
sound
quality
2
0
Report

Report

N
2x emg81 + emh 3 way toggle switch
Niky_shred 10.10.2020
These replaced all the electronics in a Musicman JP150 . The pickups were a snug fit but all in all, easy install - Brought an average sounding guitar to stage/recording threshold . As expected of EMG. Superb customer service from Thomann, also as expected; Thanks!
sound
quality
1
0
Report

Report

P
The Original Metal Pickup!!!
Philip669 16.08.2013
What can be said about the EMG 81 that already has not been said?
Well its the industry standard for that searing metal tone, Bands like slayer, In flames, even judas priest now use EMG's.
I've used EMG's for over 25 years mainly in metal guitars for extreme music, but i bought this 81 to go in my Jackson Bengal which will be only used for old 80's hair metal & hard rock, well without a doubt it can nail that sound easy, its now looking that the old 81 is more of an all rounder than many people initially thought, Most think EMG are a one trick pony only for extreme metal.
I must praise the Guys at EMG for coming up with the solderless design.
It makes changing pickups a pleasure rather than a chore, Most people cannot solder very well so the solderless range is ideal for the beginner or if you just want to save money on getting a repair shop to fit the pickups, I am going to try the 18 Volt mod on my guitar to check out the headroom it gives these pickups.
I for one will always use EMG's i love them & they do exactly what it says on the tin METAL!!!!
sound
quality
2
0
Report

Report

D
Excellent with a single "but" for the solder-less system
Dimkasta 09.09.2020
The pickup needs no introduction. It's excellent, well known and used everywhere

What created some issues for me was that my guitar has the output jack on the side and not on the pickguard. This created two problems for me. The solderless wire going to it was too short, and the hole that the wire passes through was too small for the plugs to pass.
So I had to juggle many things to make it work.

I will eventually go full soldered though. I do not like non-soldered contacts if I can avoid them
sound
quality
0
1
Report

Report

P
Undisputed King of Metal
Pravz 12.03.2022
What can I say...I must have bought 10+ of these in my life. They're unbeatable.
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

1
1905 14.05.2023
This is an industry standart for all guitarists. Very powerfull output and good noise cancelation. It kills dynamics a little but positives are way more than negatives.

Package includes everything needed to install.

For tight and powerful sound, this must be in your hand.
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

A
Spice up your guitar
Anonymous 01.04.2016
I installed this pickup in the bridge of an old guitar with useless pickups I had lying around. Since the pickup comes with all wiring and pots, battery clip and output jack, this is the only new "component" I had to buy. It brought that guitar back to life, it went from almost no output to a nice high output when the volume is maxed out.

It's great to play some harder rock and metal and if you tweak your amp and volume you can even get some useable clean tones out of it, alltough that's probably not why you would buy this pickup.

There are loads of well known guitarists using EMG 81's in their bridge position, the 81 is often paired with the 85 or the 60 in the neck to give more versatility to your guitar.

I'd definitely recommend this pickup, It's easy to install, great for heavier music and not that expensive if you think about it (wiring, pots, etc included).
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

A
Classic Metal Tone
Anonymous 23.11.2015
Little more to say than if you are looking for the sound of Metallica, Zakk Wylde, Jim Root (Slipknot), etc., or looking to upgrade your pickups for rock or metal actives then this is most likely where you will start. I bought this for a Hetfield 'Rusty' tribute that I wanted to do with one of my Gibson Explorers.

Plenty of reviews and sound tests online and on YouTube. People will debate the benefits of active and passive, compression with EMG's. For me, they deliver the tone that I want for certain types of guitars while trying to replicate certain bands/artist tones. You really just have to try them to see if you like them.

One thing that no one else seems to have mentioned is while they are traditionally used in the bridge, I have had also had an 81/81 combination in a Epi LP Midnight Custom and found it to be just fine.

Note that I, in my own personal opinion, have found that the 81 responds better to Gibson/Orville/Epiphone Custom models as opposed to Standard models. Tone is generally 'darker' and helps with the 81 being somewhat brighter or having a greater treble response. Again, my own personal preference, and this can always be adjusted with EQ on the amp, or indeed your tone knob.

There is an excellent video demo from EMG for the installation if you are worried about the wiring diagrams. The quick connect system is very straight forward so do not be too nervous if you have never done this before. I do recommend that you experiment with voltage variations - Google 18V modification.

Price, customer service and shipping from Thomann was excellent as always.
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

VK
An amazing difference from the standard EMG 81s that are installed in the ESP LTD.
Vitalik Kuprin 29.04.2023
A completely different sound compared to the standard EMG 81s that are installed in - ESP LTD EC-401 Black weigh. I immediately noticed that despite the same name they are completely different, for prefabricated pickups like this the sound is much more sensitive, the tone knob when interacting gives a more noticeable difference from the older versions of EMG 81s, the tone really noticeably changes from muffled to very bright and exhaust. You can easily install it in any guitar, but you need to cut a passage for the wire with a needle file (35minutesт). I was surprised by the significant difference from the standard EMG81 in ESP LTD EC-401 from these new builds.
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

LA
Makes me scared!
Lucas Aarden 25.01.2024
This sound is just so good 🤣everybody! Buy this emg pickup for an good metal sound. And clean or the blues too!
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

EMG 81 Black