i heard Zack Wild play on youTube sweeTwaTer and i loved he sound of The EMG's so i swapped ouTmy Les Pauls 490's for a seT of EMG ZW and i ook me minues o insTall and he Lows To The Highs were poweful and snappy
i play Heavy Music and i works greaT

I purchased the baritone guitar from Sweetwater and I'm a very happy with when arrived, not a single scratch and the Guitar play immediately and they're still playing and I'm starting to learn how use the sustainiac pickup

Put these in a Zakk Wylde signature signature guitar... doesn't help the fact I can't play anything like the man himself, but it does sound amazing! The solderless installation was challenging having to fit a battery and the junction in such a tight spot, but a little carving with a Dremel fixed that easily.

Its the 81/85 active EMG set. Its the classic. Consistent tone and quality. This is the gold standard for active pups. The pots are smooth and the volume roll off is like butter. These are exactly what they say they are.

It's just the 81/85 combo, which are excellent pickups.

Although EMG doesn't make very "straty" sounding active single coils, they sure excel in the humbucker department. Like Dimarzio's classic Super Distortion or Seymour Duncan's JB/ Jazz combo the EMG 81/85 is simply the best as they set the bar high for the one and only potent active pair in the 80s. Many players used this combo and for good reason. Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Glen Tipton ,Kerry King, Gary Holt and Zakk Wylde. Scores more now. Some argue you could put EMGs on a broomstick and it sounds the same. Or the line went "EMG pickups: Making every guitar sound the same. NOT true. The dynamics, overall tone thickness, bass, less treble and that fat but slightly scooped midrange is unmatched. I put them in a Jackson Soloist and the guitar had a whole new life. Very easy to install the plugs and wires. Just make sure you have room for the 9V battery in the pot compartment. The battery lasts forever too. Just missing a half a star as EMGs are not meant for the blues or country music.

I love the aggressive midrange that these put out out any other active pups…imo

Sounds great. Seems to be clearer and fuller tone than the old style pickups. Also, no pesky lip on these pickups to catch my high e string on. That was really bothersome during gigs! And pleasantly surprised at how easy the install was. EMG also has a nice video showing how to install to supplement the written instructions and diagrams. A 9V battery fit in snug on my SG. I'll be buying more of these for my other axes in the future.

I own a few high end guitars, but my old 2003 Epiphone LP Studio is the one I keep out for "couch practice," haven't plugged it in for about 10 years and when I did, the wiring was fried. @Cliff Franklin in sales helped me pick these ones out and was pleasantly surprised with just how easy the install really was. Probably took about 45 minutes not including removing/replacing strings.

Plugged it in and the sound quality from this old Epiphone I bought brand new for $200 almost 20 years ago was insane - I'd say even on par with my Gibson LP Standard and Fender Ultra Tele. Worth noting - if your toggle switch is due for a replacement, I'd grab one of these EMG B289 Solderless Toggle Switches. With that, I was able to fully replace the electronics in my guitar with zero soldering - it's all plug-and-play. Not sure if Sweetwater carries those but worth asking - the switch is great.

I've tried the newer brands but these are the good standard and I've installed them on over 30 guitars! Consistent sound and allows me to hear the differences in each guitars own tone so much better. Hot and beefy. I think the clean tones are absolutely fantastic! Don't listen to the idiots who wanna push the latest boutique pickups that sound shrilly or muddy. EMG has been the standard for 30+ years for a reason. Worth every penny! The easy switch out plug wiring pushes them over the top for versatility and offer countless options. EMG user for 30 years and yes I've tried a LOT of pickups...

I have a ZW Limited set, came in a Les Paul I bought. All I can say is WOW. Crisp and articulate, they really pick up on all the subtle nuances in your pick attack. Palm muting is vibrant and crunchy. They really bring the guitar to life. I'm addicted.

My Jackson already had emghz's (emg h3). Being a huge fan of Zakk and KFK, I got a great deal on this set and couldn't pass it up. My volume pot was messing up anyway so I got home and tore into my guitar. If you order these, specify what kind of guitar, I couldn't and ended up with long shaft pots for a Paul. To excited to wait I installed anyway, these are solderless. O yea, did I mention they're solderless. Brilliant idea &+&$"-+;'$$, those are hands clapping to emg. So I had a question, called emg, they're awesome too, got the answer and they sent me short shaft pots at no charge. I enjoyed installing them. So my night was great, then I was ready to plug in. My night got even better, my lack of sleep made work rough but worth it. I read something and didn't pay attention, but now I have an all tube Marshall ( purchased at Sweetwater, another great day) and these pickups really do shine through a tube amp.

I have an 81-85 set in an LTD JD600. First let me say that I do not play metal, or anything resembling "heavy" music. I work part time in a small independent music store, and mostly play guitar for a living. I'm 45 years old, I've been gigging and touring for over 30 years, and I'm way past caring what my guitar looks like or what name is on the headstock.

The LTD came into the store as a trade, I picked it up and played it. It played like a dream, was super lightweight, and had nice hardware. I bought it without even plugging it in, figuring I'd be changing out the pickups anyhow. I was wrong.

These EMG's are simply killer pickups. Mine are reversed from the way most people use them. The 81 is in the neck, the 85 is in he back. They are a lot higher output than the pickups I traditionally use. It's not a really a problem. I had to bring down the gain on my amp, and adjust my overdrive and boost to compensate, also change EQ settings on the amp a little, but these pickups seriously have the goods.

The ceramic 81 in the neck position is the opposite type of pickup that I've used in the neck my whole life. And I love it. So super tight and focused, especially in the lows. No mud at all. Extremely defined attack, great sustain, lots of girth without getting wooly. Excellent for fast clean passages, and liquid syrupy overdrive tones.

The alnico 85 in the bridge position is delicious. It's like a vintage humbuckers on steroids. Warm, but with great mid cut. Smooth highs, super tight lows. No woof or splat. Very articulate.

I do not understand how anybody could call these pickups "flat" or "sterile". They definitely have a lot of character. They are not traditional, passive pickups, so you can't treat them that way and expect good results. I think they'd also be too hot to get good cleans out of a low powered amp. But through a high powered amp, adjusted for optimum useage, these things sound amazing. Chiming, almost hi-fi cleans with a warm mid presence and tight lows. Fluid and super smooth overdrive sounds.

I play vintage honky tonk style and alternative country, a lot of blues and blues rock, and mostly jam band (Dead and related) music, as well as classic rock stuff like Petty, the Byrds, CCR, SoCal country rock, etc. Like I said, NOT metal. I'm digging these pickups a LOT.

Installed in my Epiphone Les Paul Studio Gothic wow is all that can be said... These sound mean has the aggressive tone I've been looking for great tone for Gritty Blues Hard Rock and sounds good on clean channel now if your looking for crisp cleans these aren't for you but if you don't mind some bite you can't go wrong with these....

Was wanting some more agressive sounding pickups for my epiphone les Paul searched for a while came across these love them took the guitar to the next level for sure great cleans awesome dirty and the neck pickup is great for blues would recommended them to anyone who likes classic rock heavy rock or blues style music

Let me first say, the subject of tone is very personal. What some consider awesome, others do not. I think the pickup consideration and purchase should lay heavily in the style of music you play. That being said, I think we all know what kind of stuff the namesake of this set of pickups plays (and many others who use this set). If you're a high gain player, there isn't much out there that can compete in the passive pickups, and if it can, it's usually boutique and you'd better be ready to tack on another $1-200 for a set. I've had these in a few different axes, from ESPs, to Les Pauls, SG's, and a Washburn or two. If you like modernish high gain, these will slay, and in my experience, there aren't really any substitute for that style. That being said, I don't find them terribly diverse, and they don't clean up as well as even some of my super hot (22k ceramic) passive humbuckers. I also find the cleans to be extremely sterile and lacking that round warmth that I get with most passives. That being said, if you want to hit hot harmonics, razor edged riffing with snarl, this IS your pickup set.

Let me give my take on these AWESOME pickups. These are rockets! I mean they scream. I put these in my Les Paul and WOW! Sustain, pinch harmonics... And a great , rich tone. I play several styles of music and these are great for Metal, Blues, Classic Rock. Despite the negative comments I have read about the 81/85 set sounding sterile, lifeless or dull let me give you the truth. Plain and simple these pickups sound great clean. I use a Black Label Chorus for my clean tone and the sound with these 81/85's is crystal clear. Full , rich tone. I bought these because I love the sound. True, I am a huge Zakk Wylde fan but these guys just sound so good it doesn't matter who plays them. They are just that good! I will ONLY put EMG 81/85's in my Les Paul. So go ahead and take your tone to the next level!!!

I recently got these and installed them into my les paul and as soon as i flipped my amp on it was exactly what i was looking for and what my guitar needed to bring it to life.and the solder less install is soo easy.Sweetwater got these out to me really fast and i had them in myself and my guitar plugged in and was playing in no time.Sweetwater is the best and if your looking for some nice active pickups these are the ticket.

If your looking for a high gain sound or a bluesy tone
Just switch amps lol
But if your lookin for a set of pickups that do all the heavy metal/hard rock tones seamlessly then these will do it along with any other EMG pickup
Bridge sounds great aggressive and doesn't get muddy in lower tunings
Neck is nice and clear and very dynamic
And the solderless Kit makes it great for those of us who hates wiring diagrams
Very self explanatory

They were just as I expected. Put these pups in my Epiphone Zakk bullseye, now it feels true.

Love 'em! They seriously improved the sound of my BC Rich Warlock. Added a ferocity to match the paint job I did.

These pickups are great! For certain genres, but not a very versatile pickup. Good for overdriven and distorted tones. But cleans must be EQ'd a lot and the volume noob must be low or else the sound peaks and sounds very fuzzy. But for metal they're awesome! Great rhythm and lead sounds. Chugs are thick, riffs are fat, and solos sound great. I found harmonics sound sick as well. Great pickups for someone looking for heavier genres.

These pickups really pack a nice punch! I'm not into Zakk Wylde's music very much so I was hesitant to purchase these. I'm glad I did though. If you are into any form of Rock music, and want a killer Rock distortion tone, or a glassy clean tone, these are for you.

Put These Puppies In My Les Paul And Just Now Les Paul Custom These Will Blow You Away.And Now Thinking Of Putting These In My Gold Top,Just One Thing Let The Store Put Them In For You Extra Money But Worth It....

The sound is very oversaturated on a high gain setting, which is what most consumers will be using. If you've never owned active pickups, they are very thin sounding. I need to use the neck pup just for the warmth of a passive bridge pickup. I have tried many amps, and messed with my EQ (Peavey 6505+ Combo) and I just cannot get a warm enough clear sound out of these. They aren't dynamically responsive, and the volume knob does near to nothing for them. They don't lower much in gain with guitar volume even on one. I would look at a good set of passive DiMarzio pickups. You won't regret it.

Really nice set of pickups with completely solderless install unless you choose to put them into something real odd like a double humbucker Epiphone Wilshire reissue. Huge amounts of signal and pleasant usable tone. I think the clean sounds are remarkable and that EMG gets unfairly tagged with the distorion crunch tag. Sure they are what Zak Wylde, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, or Toki Wartooth use if that drives you. They happen to be very articulate and quiet (as in zip noise!) so what you do with that signal is your choice.

I have a zakk Wylde Epiphone with the passive equivalents. I put these in my SG and wow, huge full sound. I don't know what people r on when they say these R sterile because they r not. the 81 is warm and crunchy in the bridge and the 85 is huge sounding neck pickup. tried it 85 in the bridge and 81 in neck love it that way too. 81 has an amazing distorted tone in the neck almost acoustic sound clean. Not sure how the will stay!