The sound is very similar to an EMG 81/60 combo while distorted. It has much smoother and usable clean tones. Overall I find the tones to be pretty balanced.
JH Set
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 28, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 239
Purchased from: sam ash
Sound: Strong output but rolls off nice, used with Baron K88 KT88 tubes. Tone is now more midrangy less bass to counter heavy bassy amp. Sounds nice and balanced on both pups. Cleans up nice on neck pup. Aggressive tight attack on both on high gain. Tracks notes and riffs tight. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Seems ok required 4 hours to remove old from Epiphone and install new, with stew mac battery box mounted vertical /slant in cavity plastic cover plate. I believe this is worth the trouble as to facilitate battery changes without removing plate and not have battery movement into pots etc. This should remedy any reliability issues. // 9
Impression: I like all so far for my Epi 2007 Standard Plus. Slight chip out or route of cavity to accommodate box was necessary. Overall I'm impressed, would like to know what to clean smudges off pickups with. These even look fairly cool in honey burst guitar as they kinda match rosewood. I left creme surrounds in place. // 8
JH Set
Reviewed by:
mazerfaka, on october 21, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 239
Purchased from: Sam Ash, Hollywood.
Sound: First off, I'm not a big fan of Metallica (only the first album). When I bought the EMG 81X, that was suppose to be a regular 81 with more headroom (the punch of a passive) I was surprised about how good it sounded.
After some time playing the 81X I heard that James would release his own signature pickups, saw the interview with him and he talked about the punch of a passive and the wall of an active. About how the 81X was designed I got interested and thought that they had taken this one step further.
I have recorded some stuff using the same presents as I used with the 81X and I have to say that the JH Set has a little bit higher output. Witch is high! I love the output on these, reminds me of the Gibson Dirty Fingers.
I use a Marshall JCM 2000 lead and it sounds very very good with the JH Set. The tone is fantastic! Tight bass, super awesome mid and nice treble. This is how an pick up should sound to my ears.
I play alot of pop-punk, Hardcore and easycore, and the JH set is perfect for that sound. It's not only just for metal or so it fits my style perfect (blink 182, found year strong, set your goals). The dirt fingers is a 10 but this is 99% of an dirty fingers in my ears so I will give it an 9. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I seems really solid! When I first started using the EMG solderless system I didn't think it would stand our live performance since we jump around and throw our instruments all around the stage but everytime I open it up to change batteries I see how well it stands my shenanigans.
Yes I can depend on it! I have had some trouble with other guitars and electronics, nothing is as solid as these, no loose cables or anything. // 10
Impression: It's nothing to hate about it, maybe I find something to hate when I try it with an different amp or something but I don't think so.
What I love is the quick connect, it is so good, didn't change anything other than the pickups it self, and I did it in three minutes. I putted these in my Hagstrom Ultra Swede, basswood body, and it sounds really bada-s!
I really love the bridge pickup and to be frank I don't care to much about clean tones or the neck pickup. Buy these if you like modern distortion and attack! // 10
JH Set
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on october 13, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 230
Purchased from: Online
Sound: I came across these as I was searching for pickups to complete my warmoth explorer project and I decided to give them a shot. These aren't yet available in Canada so I had to email a half dozen different online dealers to find someone who would ship to Canada. I might be the first person in Canada to own a set :). Anyways, on with the review!
I've used an 81/85 and 81/60 combos before in other guitars, and I think we all know the pros and cons to them. This bridge has a little less bass and a little more midrange to them, just a touch. Makes them sound more "crisper" than your standard 81. The neck wood on my warmoth is ebony on walnut, and the body is made of black korina, so that might be just the wood tone characteristics, but I've found that emgs sound pretty much the same throughout all guitars. The neck pickup is just wonderful. Absolutely beautiful chimey clean tones through my Marshall JVM. I was absolutely stunned to get a really nice blues tone with crunch orange(channel on the jvm) and a BBE Green Screamer in front of the amp!! Really makes these feel more like passives with low to no gain.
And the high gain is just right. I've always disliked the overscooped mids and excessive bass on the 81's and the slight adjustment on these really makes these feel like a more well balanced pickup.
At home I practice on either a Line 6 pod xt or a Blackstar ht-5. I can get really good tones out of either or both combined, ranging from crystal clean to blues to metal. My other main guitar has a bareknuckle ceramic Nailbomb in the bridge and a cold sweat in the neck, which are also nice pickups, but I find the Nailbomb to be too bassy and lacking in mids, which is much more evident when compared to these emgs. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Comes with a sexy black nickel finish, which unfortunately is very easy to smudge up with fingerprints. No problems otherwise though, installation is fairly simple. Built to last, I've never had emgs fail on me, but always make sure to unplug your guitar to save the battery! // 8
Impression: Great upgrades to the 81/60 combo, seems like they really wanted something special with these, and I think they nailed it. Everything I hated about emgs seems to be addressed with this setup. Better cleans, more mids, less bass, thank you! My only choice for active pickups right now. // 9
JH Set
Reviewed by:
syntheticocean, on july 18, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 239
Purchased from: American Musical
Sound: The sound is very similar to an EMG 81/60 combo while distorted. It has much smoother and usable clean tones. Overall I find the tones to be pretty balanced. I'm as happy with these as I am with the 81/60's and even happier with them clean. I couldn't be any happier than I am right now. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Generally EMG pickups last the life of the guitar from my experience. I don't see any reason why these would be any different. I have only owned these pickups for 2 weeks, however I have not had any problems. // 9
Impression: I absolutely love the look of the pickups. I was going to put a 81/60 combo in the guitar, but I saw these were about to be released. I purchased them without seeing any official reviews and I have no regrets. I'm not crazy about the fingerprints. However I expected this long before I got them due to the fact that they were glossy. I put them in my custom Warmoth build that I just finished. The set came with both a bridge, and neck pickup. // 10
Just going to buy them - how much did you pay for them?
I'm getting my custom Ken Lawrence Explorer, and I'm thinking 60/81 (which I already have in my other guitar) or JH Set.
The JH Set is a totally new dimension for EMG with the design being driven solely with the input of James Hetfield. In early 2009 James Hetfield contacted EMG Pickups president Rob Turner and presented him with a challenge: to create a “stealth” looking set that captures the clarity and punch of a passive pickup and still retains the legendary active tone that molded a generation.
So they are passive At least they say at emg
The JH Set is a totally new dimension for EMG with the design being driven solely with the input of James Hetfield. In early 2009 James Hetfield contacted EMG Pickups president Rob Turner and presented him with a challenge: to create a “stealth” looking set that captures the clarity and punch of a passive pickup and still retains the legendary active tone that molded a generation.
So they are passive At least they say at emg
JESUS CHRIST! They are active! If you bothered to continue reading the SAME sentence you were referencing, you would see that goal was to get a more passive-esque sound, while still retaining the active tone. I don't even care about these pickups, but use your damn brains people.
The JH Set is a totally new dimension for EMG with the design being driven solely with the input of James Hetfield. In early 2009 James Hetfield contacted EMG Pickups president Rob Turner and presented him with a challenge: to create a “stealth” looking set that captures the clarity and punch of a passive pickup and still retains the legendary active tone that molded a generation.
So they are passive At least they say at emg
They are active. The quote you just used even suggests that they are active. I fail to see how you managed to come to the conclusion they are definitely passive from reading that quote?
THE PICKUPS ARE ACTIVE. YOU'LL FIND THEM UNDER THE 'ACTIVE PICKUPS' SECTION ON THE EMG WEBSITE.
They dont sound very different from the normal 60/81's. Perhaps they'd work better with all of Hetfields equipment (they're made for him, after all), but you'd be better off just getting the 81/60 combo for less and with a little less stigma. I prefer the 85 anyway.. more EQ balance for recording.
Funny thing is that EMG and Hetfield talk about the black nickel finish like this set is the first to have it. Seymour Duncan Livewire Mustaine Sigs, anyone? They busted those things out around '05, I should think. Just another way Mustaine has been ripped off by someone in Metallica.
Funny thing is that EMG and Hetfield talk about the black nickel finish like this set is the first to have it. Seymour Duncan Livewire Mustaine Sigs, anyone? They busted those things out around '05, I should think. Just another way Mustaine has been ripped off by someone in Metallica.
There are many, many pickups with the black nickel finish like these, except none of them are EMG's. The idea was to create a unique set of EMG's not a unique set of pickups in general, and i think they succeeded being as there's no other EMG's that look anything like these. You're talking as if Mustaine should have been praised for his innovation in designing a pair of pickups that had a black Nickel finish and Hetfield has just stolen his glory or something? Nobody really gives much of a crap about what either sets of pickups look like, just what they sound like, both have been praised.
Man after reading the comments from the U2 deal now this it seems some people are having major roid rage-----Chill or not I find the comment rather funny to read.
I want to eventually put this set into my Les Paul, but I'll just have to wait until they are a bit cheaper. I'd be happy to pay in or around $150, $175 for the set, but I just cant justify spending 200 on pickups. They do look and sound pretty impressive though. . .
i have a decision to make, to buy this or buy a line 6 dm4 (the distortion that james uses) according to his latest gear rig info
From my understanding (bearing in mind losing all my credibility in music history being a 90's kid) James hasn't used a distortion pedal since Ride The Lighting ('85, I believe.)
they are awesome...got the first ones at my local music store.....i had all set ups from emg and this is the one i like the best,,,,,i use it on my Blackstar HT5RH with no distortion pedal.....freakin badass.....guitar player for 20 years.
Am on the fence with these....gonna ne a total groupie n get a Snakebyte, however I think they'll sound killer cos it's MADE FOR JAYMZ anyway lol. Can anyone describe the tones in more detail?
they do awesome megadeth tones from RUST IN PEACE . the 60's have nice cleans as thats what they were made for. the 81's are a little fatter than the original 81's and more output, like using 18v instead of 9v. tone is like old megadeth mixed withnew metallica
Just installed these on my Les Paul last night and have to say I was disappointed that I had to bore out some of the inside of the guitar to get the tone and volume controls for the neck pickup installed because the pots were too short to fit. Aside from that little snafu, I'm thrilled with the way they sound - great sustain and intonation. Can pick up harmonics, natural or artificial, at any volume level like you're playing through a cranked up tube amp. The space required for installation in the guitar is a little tight once you get the battery and everything else in, but totally worth it.
At least they say at emg 
I'm getting my custom Ken Lawrence Explorer, and I'm thinking 60/81 (which I already have in my other guitar) or JH Set.