Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 vs EMG 81 - Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Clean and distorted rhythm comparison between Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 (passive) and EMG 81 (active) pickups for electric guitar on the bridge position. Settings are the following:
GUITAR
Tuning: Eь / D#
Strings: D'Addario EXL140 (010-052 gauge)
AMP
Clean: EVH 5150 III profile (Kemper Profiler)
Distortion: EVH 5150 profile (Kemper Profiler)
RECORDING TECHNIQUE:
- One centered mono track per pickup.
- Same config and EQ for both.
Seymour Duncan official website:
www.seymourdun...
EMG official website:
www.emgpickups...
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My official website: www.mikestampe...
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00:23 Clean test
03:06 Distortion test
#pickups #comparison #guitar
You are by far the best channel on youtube when it comes to pickup comparisons. Thanks for putting in all the effort and time.
I would really like to see a Seymour Duncan Black Winter added to these comparisons!
Thank you for your words!! If you find these videos useful, that's it! :)
I chased Black Winters for ages. Hope to get them for testing someday, as they are a pending business!
Hi, Jannes!! Black Winters are finally here. Their comparison series will start today against every other model previously compared here, :)
@@mikestamper I’ve already seen your announcement in my subscription feed earlier today but nevertheless thank you very much for reminding me!
I’m really curious to find out how the black winters compare to the EMG 81, 57 and the fishman fluence modern ceramic.
JB always and forever!
I’ve had (and still have) both of these.....and they are both great!!! They are classics for a reason!!!
Same here and completely agree.
Agreed. Both awesome in their own right. I also have both.
Here I am comparing these pickups again after years of experience with both sets. Your comparison confirms what I learned long ago: The JB excels as a versatile, well rounded pickup with beautiful tone that applies to a wide range of styles. Certainly in clean and crunch tones the JB is superior to the EMG. The EMG excels by a slight edge where it comes to high gain applications. Personally, as a mature guitar player with several EMG laden guitars from my youth -I've got enough guitars when it comes to that "EMG" sound... and any new guitars I select pickups that have real tone, not just gain. Because IMO high gain is all EMG's are good for. -End even when it comes to high gain leads, -I prefer something with more tone.
I agree, I listened to the video blindfold without looking at which pickup was playing and there was a very clear difference in quality and tone, with the EMG just lacking tone and on the "tinny" side when played clean, on high gain the jb Sh4 was excellent and the EMG was closer to the sound but lacking TONALITY. I was surprised because I thought that the EMG being active would be much better, excellent video.
Agree
You're really the only legit pick up comparison UA-cam channel. All the others are weak and should bow before you.
Always glad to know you find them useful, Wrath!!
LESSTALK MORE TONE IS ALSO VERY GOOD.
Matt tuck from bfmv used a seymour Duncan jb sh-4 on the bridge of his jackson rr1t usa but switched to emg 81 on his signature jackson rr
Really shines thru at 4:18 when the chord shapes ring thru, the EMG really loses the dissonance of the notes themselves and just turns into high gain mush, the JB is alot clearer.
This has been my experience too. I also recommend the Duncan Custom SH-5 (ceramic) and Full Shred (A5). They are also great for clarity, crunch and harmonics. At a certain point EMGs just sort of lose it and feel like they're doing their own thing, not really connecting with the player. Duncans feel wonderful to play.
@angusorvid8840 I didn't end up being super happy with the JB, but I have some other SD pickups that are absolutely killer. Mark Holcomb's Alpha Omega set may be the best sounding pickups on the planet
I'm a Seymour Duncan fan, but the EMG 57/66, is a more versatile combination, than the 81/85, for example. And with the "Solderless Connection System", it's very easy to swap different EMG models out!! The 57's are great for "Metal Power Chording", and for leads!!
I like the clarity, tightness and oomph of the EMG 81 for this kind of aggressive riffing.
The dynamic range of the JBs is insane and sooooo musical. The EMGs sound compressed. Clear, but compressed. No soul. If i was recording, i would actually prefer the EMGs but when playing live, I'd use Seymour Duncan JBs all the way.
I dig the sound of both, but it seems to me that if you throw some gain on with an EMG you’re pretty much only going to get the Metallica sound. That’s perfect if that’s what you mainly play, but if you’re needing any sort of versatility the JB takes it for me
I got a guitar with emgs because zakk wylde and it does sound good but it just has its own sound. Very consistent but it just gives you what it does and theres no magic outside that tone.
Back in the 80s I had 2 guitars custom built for me. 1 had the Sh-4, 1 had the EMG 81. EMG had a great high powered output but the SH-4 was more versatile. I recently got a Tele with humbuckers and swapped out the pups to an SH-4 in the bridge and a Jazz in the neck. Much like the TeleGib Seymour Duncan designed for Jeff Beck. Plays like butter and sounds amazing
Did you use SH-2 as a neck pickup? I have fender blacktop telecaster and I want to swapp stock humbuckers with SH-4 in the bridge and SH-2 in the neck. Do you have any regrets, or would you suggest some other pickup for a neck position?
@@knupistondaed Yes I have an SH-2 in the neck. I'm very happy with the sound but that's me. Everyone has different preferences but it sounds and plays great.
I'm not a pickup expert, and Im really not brand "picky" but come on...how many epic solo's and riffs have been written on both! I love the EMG but...there's just something about a good ol JB. Great video man. 👌
The emg clarity is insane but the loss of dynamics is pretty much a make or break for me. I can’t go without some punch and the emg just didn’t have it.
Try the 18v mod
They don't clean up with the volume knob rolled back either.
@@timbuk1126 I figured it all out. I have several sets of emgs now lol. If you have a clean channel you can use on your amp they're fine. Clean enough for me at least and if you can set your amp up to sound clean until you hit the strings hard it adds a pretty cool effect. They have plenty of dynamics considering they're an active pickup but in order for that to really shine the amps gotta be up there in volume lol
Emg has way more treble. Great for cutting in leads. I used the Emg 85 in the bridge to try and get back that low end and warmth lacking in the 81.
I use both. EMG is fantastic for shreds and fast rhythmic stuff-every note counts, but Duncan, I like better for chords and slower stuff; but in all fairness, each brand offers many different flavors. These are just two popular options, but I think they both have a place.
Duncan JB is definitely a heavy hitter! EMG 81 for drop C 🤘🏾 and JB for everything drop C# back down to standard!
It's trendy to hate on EMGs nowadays but I prefer the precision, brightness and clarity of the 81, which is not to say that the SD isn't a fine pickup in its own right. I guess I just prefer bright tones even with respect to Fender vs Gibson.
I think it’s more because there was a time where every guitar geared toward metal had the 81/85 set and to change them to anything passive meant a complete re-wire. The same will probably happen to the Fishman Fluence
I think people tried emgs and collectively went “ehhhhhh not so much”. I have a set, they sound good but they sound just like these clips and the next guy with an emg is getting the exact same sound. I prefer the sh4 and sh6 because theres more nuance and they seem to become something else when they are loading the front of a tube amp. Like magical shit
Same here!
If anyones on the fence, I’ve had a JB in my tele for years and it’s gnarly even in that. Other guys who’ve played it have been low key shocked at the sound coming out of a telecaster with a passive pickup.
I’ve got a couple of guitars with EMGs in them too, and I do really like them. But I don’t know what is about the JB, it’s just got this tight low end bite to it that the EMGs don’t.
I greatly prefer the JB over the EMG!
Love them both, but my EMGs 81 and 60 in both of my Explorers are the best. Nevertheless, I want to buy another Explorer soon and refit it with a SH4
After making the switch myself I will never go back to emg they cost more use batteries and don't sound anywhere near as good as dumcans !
JB SH-4 all the way. I find that 2.5 to 3mm distant from the strings sound the best. I use Duncan Hot Rod set with Orange drop tone cap on the tone control of the Guitar.
That is exactly what I found with my Duncan Distortion as well, when sitting at the recommended height of about 1.6 mm it had a very EMG type sound that would not clean up very well.. but when I lowered it to about 3 mm it was perfect
Both are fine pickups. It comes down to whether or not you think it's worth it to put a battery in your guitar, which you will need with the EMG. I'd go with the JB. Been using them for years. They just work.
Seymour! Everyday. All the way!
If you haven't tried it yet and still have it around, a demo of the 85X in the bridge would be awesome. I am really digging the 85 in the bridge, even though the 57 sounds very similar but with less bass. But they don't make an X series 57 yet with the new preamps - can verify the 57 is using the old one via the specs from the EMG site, interestingly enough
I regret for not trying the 85X on the bridge when I had it! If I have the chance again, I won't doubt, :)
JB is great, I had it in several guitars. But I end up putting EMG 81s in every single guitar, since you know what to expect sound wise and don´t have to adjust the amp settings for every single guitar.
Emgs don't sound the same in every guitar though.
@@timbuk1126 They have a similar sound, the same king of frequencies and punch in every guitar I've tried it in.
In the clean the JB did good, in distortion EMG did good
I prefer the cleans for jb and the distortions for emg
Something worth mentioning regarding this, JB equipped high output guitars usually have far more feedback noise and general noise than EMGs. My JB equipped Kelly makes a lot of unwanted noise, compared to my EMG equipped Charvel, which does no such thing.
1:49 really nice progression there lol i ended up spending a while figuring it out
I have always loved the JB. The 81s sound good but they’ve always always sounded thin to me
sustain gain has to be tweaked back to let active pickups breathe correctly adjusted justifies the capacity of both pickups two individuals components have to be adjusted separately
It's hard to decide. They both have their strengths.
04:27 that made it for me, EMG ftw.
Holy Cow because of this video I'm no longer going to Buy EMGs The Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 sounds amazing! going to put it in my Les Paul Custom!
The rhythm section distortion. Sounds like a song I wrote in 2008
Although it’s through a 6505, I notice my JB shreds just as much as the 81 and even squeals and sustains easier while keeping tone. The 81 was nice but a bit limiting.
Glad I found this comparison channel. Hello mate I just want to ask for an advice, I'm planning to change pickup, what pick up do you think is best for Suhr Modern Pro, My only choice is between the Seymour Duncan SH4/SH1 (above) and an EMG 81/85. just want some expert opinion. thanks! subscribed!🙂
Una comparación de la jb con la jb jr estaría buena. Buen video por cierto y me quedo con la SH4
Duncan all the way!!
great video man, insane tone! i prefer the JB :P btw, what guitar pick you use?
I did a shootout video with my two Kramer Baretta’s on my channel, one has a JB, the other has an EMG and I found the tonal difference between them to match up with what I hear in your video. Def prefer the JB on it’s own, more full and warm. But surprisingly, in my comparison, I preferred the EMG because it was in a mix with other instruments, the bright sound helped the guitar stick out better. Still not sure if I’ll change the EMG out for a JB but your vid helped a lot. Thanks!
Looking to upgrade my Epi Les Paul, which is super bassy (I also put thick ass strings on there), and not quite high enough output to my liking. Jb's should wake it up nicely
jb very good fit for a les paul
distortion and custom good choices as well
@@iamgribs I actually ended up doing this and for the high gain tones most people would probably think they're active in a blind test, but the cleans really sound better being passive.
Excellent vídeo!! I like both, but prefer JB because has that tone I'm looking for... Thanks 🙏! One ask, have you compare JB Sh4 and APH 1 Alinco pro 2? What's the difference?
I have guitars with both. If playing live with a bassist, another guitarist, heavy drummer, keyboardist, and singer, nothing cuts through like an EMG 81. The JB gets lost in the mix. However, when playing the guitar alone, the JB has a wider spectrum and sounds the best, whereas the EMG sounds horrible by itself. It really depends on your application as both have a different purpose.
well now I need to start another partscaster because I want both of them.
Emg 1st, JB isnt bad, but...its a JB. You do an awesome job on here man, the BEST by far! Thank you! 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Seymour Duncan BEST!
JB is awesome, so versatile for all rock hard rock. But if you want dark metal tones, EMG. JB has more lows but it sounds wooly in hi gain. EMG is more mid driven, has more attack, it cuts through razor sharp. I would like EMG for metal JB for hard rock and everything else.
I didn't think the JB could be that metal. The EMG sounds like you put a JB model in a Spider amp.
a lot of 80s metal was done with this, megadeth is a good example. rust in peace was all jb
great choice for classic metal
It almost sounds like the 81 was modeled after the JB
A Duncan Distortion sh6 has probably the closest tone to a EMG 81 then any high output passive pickup I've heard... a Duncan Distortion sh6 and sh4 JB are essentially the same pickups with the only exception being the ceramic magnet in the Duncan distortion and a alnico 5 magnet in the JB... I guess you could say they share similar DNA as far as tone goes.
I use the SD in studios , the EMG on stage . Works for me .
I thought I would like JB sound, but actually EMG’s glassy, sharpness voice was ringing in my ears….
Great comparison is listen to Alex Skolnick he uses the jb and Eric Peterson he uses emg81.
Both in same band.
i prefer the seymours have more lows a wider freq response for sure i think its prob the covers that block some of the lows on the emgs they look nice tho
i own both and i prefer the jb!!!
Thee riff @3:55 i dope.. it remainds me DukeNukem3D
Love the Duncan! Do a 7string too?
JB wins for me!
Jb sh-4 is perfect😎
I guess it’s subjective which one you like. for my ears the JB blows EMG out of the water.
Clean goes to SD but distortion/dirty goes to EMG! Bottom line for me? EMG!!!
jb wins , gracias por seguir haciendo estos videos, saludos
Gracias a ti por comentar, Kilian. Espero que te sean útiles, :)
@@mikestamper de nada, claro que son utilies, en verdad ayudan mucho, saludos
Awesome video. JB all day for me vs the EMG. Personally hate how EMG's hijack the tone of whatever theyre in. Way too much squish
Thats how Ive tried to describe them. They bring their own sound. And its the same in diff guitars. I have a neck through guitar with them. It sustains and sounds great but it kinda sounds the same through a line 6, a bogner or a marshall.
You can put emgs in a 200$ guitar and it will sound like a 600$ guitar. You can also put them In a 3000$ guitar and it will sound like a 600$ guitar.
@@Shoot_and_Scoot Dude yes. 1000% yes
@@miket2646 I will say this doesn’t apply to all emg the passive pickups are different. And the single coil is different. I have the David gilmour dg20 in one of my strats and it sounds just like gilmour but it also will do John Mayer. They are a little more flexible BUT they don’t do high gain very well, so.
@@Shoot_and_Scoot Absolutely agreed. Im speaking to their active humbuckers used in metal. They make some awesome stuff for sure.
Duncan for clean .emg for rock
Both are my favorite in their respective categories, that said I think the EMG are a bit more defined
JB yeah!!
I really prefer the sound of the JB but the 81 is so focused and compressed I can understand why it's such a widely used pickuo in metal/rock.
What wood is your guitar made of? I am building guitar and really like the JB sound, but am also curious about your tone woods for fingerboard/body.
Is the distorted 5150 profile boosted with tube screamer or an Overdrive Pedal?
The 81 sounds suprisingly good clean.
for high gain settings i prefer 81 but i can see why people like jb. jb has a nice sound and is great for leads but isn't as articulate. 81 super articulate which is why this is a popular choice for rhythym players. 81 more compressed which can be good and bad.
I'm not an active pickup fan as I feel that they are a bit too clinical, sterile and electronic sounding compared to passive pickups which seem to be more organic and more Dynamic towards picking styles. In your comparison of the Duncan sh6 versus the EMG 81 I felt that the Duncan distortion had more character to it although they both sound similar... in your comparison of the JB vs Duncan Distortion I still prefer the distortion tightness in Clarity on the lower end... and this video the JB clearly wins as far as I'm concerned. I recently put in a sh6 distortion in my Jackson dinky and I'm loving it but still having a hard time pinning down The Sweet Spot in terms of the pick up height from the strings... I'm kind of wondering if I should have went with a sh4 rather than sh6 because the JB seems to be a bit more versatile, but maybe I have just not spend enough time tweaking my settings... my influences are anything from evh, Randy Rhoads and old-school 80s metal and hair metal... I feel like the sh6 is more in the Realms of hi gain Metallica right out of the box which is great but... but I slightly prefer a brighter more mid-range cocked way type of tone when it comes to my lead playing, have I just not spent enough time with the Duncan sh-6 or should I replace with a jb?
You should try a Lace downstroyer. It was based off a sh6. But way more range.
@@downandloud thanks man...after spending time with the distortion TB-6 and lowering the height to about 3mm I love it... thanks for the recommendation though, I have two other guitars I'm in the midst of refurbishing.
JB SH-4 wins 🤘
I agree the JB sounds better here, but it's good to remember we are listening to pickups in isolation, which means a pickup with more low mids and bass tends to sound better, because it fills out the sonic space.
The EMG sounds a lot thinner here, but in a band mix it may actually be a better choice.
@@meadish i have both of these pickups... the jb sits better in mixes 75%of the time. If you wanna mix the guitar big and have it dominate the sound the emg is a great choice. In fact i discovered a few players i really liked do just that. I never really loved them i was hooked on their sound in the mix. That being said i love Zakk Wyldes tone, Andrew Goldman from the first 3 nonpoint records, and jim root from the duality era slipknot. Similar outcomes in sound and the emg is the magic there. For my own sound its seymour duncan all day. Jb or distortion
If you want to play or mimic the sound of Dyers Eve, Blackened, Struggle Within Sad But true etc, both Rhythm and solos You will choose, EMG, if you want to play Hangar, Tornado, Symphony,you will choose JB. Simple is that. I Can not believe still what is being discussed.
Especially with high gain chugging the JB sounds much fatter and hifi'ish, but the low end is too much for a mix, easily fixed with a high pass though. The EMG sounds ready to go for a mix and has a pretty cool mid pokey sound signature, very recognizable. That said, I don't like playing with EMG's at all, much prefer picking dynamics of passive humbuckers.
gostei do emg 81
I’ve been rockin’ JB’s since about 1992…..I’ve thought about trying EMG’s…….. after hearing this maybe I’ll stick to passive😂😂😂
I want both 😅 time to find someone to do some routings 😆
Seymour Duncan i love you
Jb FTW imo and I use EMG's most of the time... now I'm looking for the JB from my Jackson I swapped for a Crunchlab Haha.
Got a jb 59 set in my esp ltd ec401vf. Love it. very versatile set up. i love using the middle position with cleans addicting like heroine. (Figure of speech) I have a guitar on the way with emgs. tomorrow Hopefully.
The race is a bit closer, once the distortion kicks-in.... In the clean settings, the 81's just seem to have a lil' too much of those "bitey" highs....
Regardless, I'd have to take the JB in both scenarios (especially in a real discerning, recording-type environment.... Live, either one would be fun to play).
I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAY EMG ARE FOR HARD ROCK PASSIVE PICKUP JUST CANT MATCH IT FOR THE CLEAN DISTORTIONS YOU COULD HEAR EVERY STRING PLAY
Just upgraded My Jackson Soloist 2 pro with the TB-4 JB and Jazz 2 in the Neck. Sweet all the way. The SH-6 pickups stock didn't do it for me.
What was the biggest difference you found between the sh4 and sh6? I know that they are basically the same pickup with the exception of the magnets... I recently put a sh6 into my Jackson dinky and I'm liking it a lot, but wondering what I would gain or lose by switching it to a JB? I really like the bright singing high end of the JB but I feel like it is a bit mushy on the low-end compared to an sh6 which seems to be tighter... I I'm also not sure that they sh6 is as versatile, but I still have not quite nailed down The Sweet Spot on the height of the pickup from my strings even though I have experimented with it over the last couple of weeks and even adjusted the pole pieces.
The Sh6 was harsh to my ears. I play through a Peavey Ultra Plus 120 tube Head. I can hear every Little thing. The Alnico 5 pickup sounds More Warm to Me.
@@mrscarey3069 I hear you... I love High Gain but I feel like the sh6 it's like playing through a old DOD death metal distortion pedal that never cuts off LOL... I've been currently playing through a boss Katana 50 watt which is the closest thing with solid-state that I've ever heard to any of the tube heads I've ever owned and even with that as well as my plethora of pedals, the sh6 just isn't versatile enough for me. Thanks for the reply... I'm seriously thinking about looking into a alnico5 Magnum swap with that pick up or just biting the bullet and purchasing have.
What kind of guitar are you playing these in! LP style ST style, tune o matic, floyd style bridge?
ST style
3:06
3:18
3:31
3:43
The battle of mids forward Vs scooped mids lol JB all day
SH-4 all the way!!!!!!
EMG for Rhythm, JB for leads
I have emg in a guitar. It doesnt sound bad but it sounds the same no matter what i play it through. My one gripe. But people who have issues with their rig not sounding consistent would live them.
If i want to play metal is better emg?
The EMG is a 1 trick pony still using the coil wires of the 1980s paf-type. I don't see much change in their formula since 1979. I like the tone from SD coil wires more, EMGs would benefit from that and upping blades coils to atleast 12k. I'm thnking SD Jupiter humbucker made active...which hasn't happened either. com'on guys it's 2022 !!! ...meanwhile they keep winding modern JBs hotter and hotter to the detriment of clarity vs vintage JB specs. Maybe people are just tone-deaf ?
I currently have a semi hollow body with a ”Split-Coil” option. I assume the Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 can be coil split in such a set up?
Every passive with four conductors / wires can be coil-splitted. Modern passive humbuckers from the well known brands come in this configuration. Just be sure you buy a 4 wire (5 if you include the ground wire) version of the JB, :)
@@mikestamper Thanks for that information. After more research I ended up ordering the Saturday Night Special set but the same information applies, thank you.
I know this is an old comment but Id stick with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups on a Semi Hollowbody. I had a Gretsch and pearly gate pickups made it sound better than a Gibson ES-335.
JB 🤘
Jb by far. Particularly on clean and crunch tones.
The EMG 81 has a lot of treble in the clean tone vs the Seymour Duncan JB, which has a lot of bass.
They sound so similar with distortion
JB sounds more Punchy in the mids. EMG sounds more Scooped in the mids
Megadeth style tone vs Metallica one
Yep, thats how I hear it too...
EMG 81 sounds tinny in comparison.
What is the riff at 1:23
3:30 Who knows name song?
Сеймур Класс!👍
Have you compared a Crunchlab bridge VS the EMG 81.
Not yet, Daron! Crunchlab is on the sight for future comparisons, :)