I personally dig the EMG 81x a lot more. The 81 on its own has a really good sound to it, but i can imagine it would be easier to use the X Series pickups for more applications than just Metal.
As it says in the instructions PDF for the X series, the maximum output voltage of the new preamp they use is 8.5V vs the old 4.5V (on a "Strum"). You should find when playing very hard, even with the guitar volume rolled off, the regular 81 will hard clip when set close to the strings, and I'd imagine the 81X doesn't do this, even at just a 9V supply. Just ordered myself an 85X for the bridge since I prefer it over the 81 when running into a boost before my recto. Lets see, but from a specs and engineering perspective, this should be the difference. Edit: it is. X series is like using an 18V mod but only needing 9V for completely undistorted output. All you have to do is play very hard, clean, with the volume pot rolled down and you will find the non X series clips like crazy by comparison at 9V.
@@2hi2dye yes hard clip just just like a mild distortion pedal on the non X series, likely because the preamp circuit on the classic EMGs just can't handle the output the pickup wants to create. There are some examples on YT of this of recorded DI tracks from EMGs clearly demonstrating it
So that's why my 24v pack realy makes a difference and I love it so a amg 81x with 24 well he'll woch out Fishman granted. I like the 81 regular better than the fisherman's. I think the mids are better. I think it has a better chug, just better.
@@MetalHead123345 I don't have firsthand experience with the Fishmans but all demos sound like they are even more aggressive in the mids like a cocked wah effect. 81 has a lot of mids and not much bass or treble but it's still not as extreme so a bit better balanced as far as I can tell. Right now I'm running a Het Set at 24V which is way too hot for 9V, but I've got an 81X, 85X, and 60X too. Even the X series can run successfully at 24V but it's not really necessary. Have fun
@metal571 hmm I get a lot of bass out of mine but I got mine close to 15 years ago they say they got built a bit different frome USA to Japan and the Earley video I sall me. and all the Commentary. Thalt the emg better and thalt they had more fatter tone and warmer huh I'm rilly thanking about getting a 81 x thow wasn't shure if it was worth it cus with hi gain there is little difference Watch spectrum media group. It does all the test back-to-back.but you know us guitar players where picky but yes the info on the pre amp helps it seems there the same pickups just a better pre amp in the x is this Wright or am I Speculating too much.
I really have a love/ hate relationship with this axe. I currently own the black one (second time, had to pawn the first...big regret because it became unavailable shortly thereafter) My issue is I'm not sure the Emg 81 is the big, bad, Uber hot and articulate bridge pup I remember it being. My second epi explorer I currently own is great don't get me wrong, but in the beginning I thought I had a bad bridge pup. Took it to my luthier, checked wiring, batteries, and it still seemed almost neck pickup like tone from the bridge 81. Then I considered my new variables. My old Epi that I sold was the only guitar I had at the time, and I was playing it through a spider 4 120 on the insane red, and it sounded super hot. This second one I have is played in a 5 guitar rotation with a significant gear upgrade: through a helix Lt and axe fx3 mk2. Once you switch it up,(my other axes have a Duncan distortion, JB, and het set) you start to hear the 81 differently. It's nowhere near as hot as my distortion or het set, and super compressed. Turns out though, the MAIN culprit all along for me was...too aggressive noise gate. Once I backed off the noise gate, all of the balls, metallic "clink clink" in the palm mutes "flooded" back in again. And, believe it or not ...LOWERING the 81 (just a tad, I still keep it rather high) helped tremendously with adding the missing dynamics back in. That sucker will clip your input if it's kissing the strings. Yeah it gives you a bit more treble, but all of the "bite" and dynamics pop if there is just a bit of air between the pup and strings. I sure learned a lot. The Emg 81 is basically a one trick pony...but man what a trick. Lowering the master volume also helps when using my epi, it "opens" the 81 up a bit also. They sure aren't all that hot though. They are really on the higher end of medium output, or the lower end of high. Killer tone man, I love your videos!
Regular 81 is tighter, and more bottom. 81-X has more mids and a little looser. Having used both, including swapping out the 81 for the 81-X in my ESP Eclipse just this morning I can say that I prefer the 81-X and the bigger difference between them isn't the EQ, it's the FEEL. The 81 is very firm with a hard, consistent attack. The 81-X has a slightly softer attack and it responds more to your playing. But, they are still both 81. It's not a complete change, it's just a variation of the same thing.
I was thinking the same thing😂 Having more bottom end makes things sound looser and more flubby/congested. Having less bottom and and more mids is exactly what tighten things up. That's basically exactly what boost pedals do, reduce low end and add mids. He described these pups backwards and contradictory to his descriptions. And it's nothing personal to the OP.
I’m kinda thinking about changing my EMG 81 in my ibanez baritone to a EMG 81X cause I do feel that the regular 81 in Drop A sounds a little too bright, especially since the guitar is a 28 scale.
Honestly I have a 81-7x and a 81 18v mod and cant tell the difference. Maybe save $100 and 18v mod your circuit. That would be a cool comparison video.
@@Amsgrind very easy look it up you can buy the harness or tear apart anything with the 9v clips diagrams everywhere. Sounds completely different no matter which active pickups you use.
I'm running the X's in an 97 RR1 at 19v through a Boogie MK5/25...the tone is just thunderous... and i have a 97 rr1 with regular 81/85 so i can tell you the X's sustain better are more dynamic and Clean.
@@witch382 really? I was asking if the 81x was similar to the 81 with the 24v mod, but you’re just saying that you run the 81x at 24v? Someone told me that it doesn’t help the X series pickups at all... running them higher than 9v. I’m curious now.
Kommt auf die Position an, spiele zwei 81er in meiner Jackson, davon eine X Version. Der normale 81er bleibt auf jeden Fall am Steg der König, am Hals gefällt mir der 81X besser, grade bei High Gain klingt er da wesentlich artikulierter. Aber am Steg mag ich ihn nicht so gern.
Thanks for the video. The demo was a bit messy in my opinion. Made me wonder if this was a pickup demo or just a showcase of some trebly riffs (at earlier part of video) second half of video was good with cleans.
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I personally dig the EMG 81x a lot more. The 81 on its own has a really good sound to it, but i can imagine it would be easier to use the X Series pickups for more applications than just Metal.
As it says in the instructions PDF for the X series, the maximum output voltage of the new preamp they use is 8.5V vs the old 4.5V (on a "Strum"). You should find when playing very hard, even with the guitar volume rolled off, the regular 81 will hard clip when set close to the strings, and I'd imagine the 81X doesn't do this, even at just a 9V supply. Just ordered myself an 85X for the bridge since I prefer it over the 81 when running into a boost before my recto. Lets see, but from a specs and engineering perspective, this should be the difference.
Edit: it is. X series is like using an 18V mod but only needing 9V for completely undistorted output. All you have to do is play very hard, clean, with the volume pot rolled down and you will find the non X series clips like crazy by comparison at 9V.
Hard clip??
@@2hi2dye yes hard clip just just like a mild distortion pedal on the non X series, likely because the preamp circuit on the classic EMGs just can't handle the output the pickup wants to create. There are some examples on YT of this of recorded DI tracks from EMGs clearly demonstrating it
So that's why my 24v pack realy makes a difference and I love it so a amg 81x with 24 well he'll woch out Fishman granted. I like the 81 regular better than the fisherman's. I think the mids are better. I think it has a better chug, just better.
@@MetalHead123345 I don't have firsthand experience with the Fishmans but all demos sound like they are even more aggressive in the mids like a cocked wah effect. 81 has a lot of mids and not much bass or treble but it's still not as extreme so a bit better balanced as far as I can tell. Right now I'm running a Het Set at 24V which is way too hot for 9V, but I've got an 81X, 85X, and 60X too. Even the X series can run successfully at 24V but it's not really necessary. Have fun
@metal571 hmm I get a lot of bass out of mine but I got mine close to 15 years ago they say they got built a bit different frome USA to Japan and the Earley video I sall me. and all the Commentary. Thalt the emg better and thalt they had more fatter tone and warmer huh I'm rilly thanking about getting a 81 x thow wasn't shure if it was worth it cus with hi gain there is little difference Watch spectrum media group. It does all the test back-to-back.but you know us guitar players where picky but yes the info on the pre amp helps it seems there the same pickups just a better pre amp in the x is this Wright or am I Speculating too much.
I really have a love/ hate relationship with this axe. I currently own the black one (second time, had to pawn the first...big regret because it became unavailable shortly thereafter) My issue is I'm not sure the Emg 81 is the big, bad, Uber hot and articulate bridge pup I remember it being. My second epi explorer I currently own is great don't get me wrong, but in the beginning I thought I had a bad bridge pup. Took it to my luthier, checked wiring, batteries, and it still seemed almost neck pickup like tone from the bridge 81. Then I considered my new variables. My old Epi that I sold was the only guitar I had at the time, and I was playing it through a spider 4 120 on the insane red, and it sounded super hot. This second one I have is played in a 5 guitar rotation with a significant gear upgrade: through a helix Lt and axe fx3 mk2. Once you switch it up,(my other axes have a Duncan distortion, JB, and het set) you start to hear the 81 differently. It's nowhere near as hot as my distortion or het set, and super compressed. Turns out though, the MAIN culprit all along for me was...too aggressive noise gate. Once I backed off the noise gate, all of the balls, metallic "clink clink" in the palm mutes "flooded" back in again. And, believe it or not ...LOWERING the 81 (just a tad, I still keep it rather high) helped tremendously with adding the missing dynamics back in. That sucker will clip your input if it's kissing the strings. Yeah it gives you a bit more treble, but all of the "bite" and dynamics pop if there is just a bit of air between the pup and strings. I sure learned a lot. The Emg 81 is basically a one trick pony...but man what a trick. Lowering the master volume also helps when using my epi, it "opens" the 81 up a bit also. They sure aren't all that hot though. They are really on the higher end of medium output, or the lower end of high. Killer tone man, I love your videos!
Emg 81x while playing battery sounded a lot more clear and tight, but then again the 81 messiness is preferable
Thanks for watching, I agree, the messiness of the 81 is part of the allure.
Regular 81 is tighter, and more bottom. 81-X has more mids and a little looser. Having used both, including swapping out the 81 for the 81-X in my ESP Eclipse just this morning I can say that I prefer the 81-X and the bigger difference between them isn't the EQ, it's the FEEL. The 81 is very firm with a hard, consistent attack. The 81-X has a slightly softer attack and it responds more to your playing. But, they are still both 81. It's not a complete change, it's just a variation of the same thing.
You're high
I was thinking the same thing😂 Having more bottom end makes things sound looser and more flubby/congested. Having less bottom and and more mids is exactly what tighten things up. That's basically exactly what boost pedals do, reduce low end and add mids. He described these pups backwards and contradictory to his descriptions. And it's nothing personal to the OP.
81X is clearly more crisp than the 81. Sort of a no-brainer here which one to get. Thanks for the head-to-head demo!
Freaking sick playing dude! Felt like I preferred one or the other depending on the riff you were playing.
The 81x sounds fuller with clean tones .
Could it be that the 81x is a little clearer than the 81?🤔
They say it has a tighter response, so yes, you could say that! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
I’m kinda thinking about changing my EMG 81 in my ibanez baritone to a EMG 81X cause I do feel that the regular 81 in Drop A sounds a little too bright, especially since the guitar is a 28 scale.
Did you do it?
Honestly I have a 81-7x and a 81 18v mod and cant tell the difference. Maybe save $100 and 18v mod your circuit. That would be a cool comparison video.
Can you tell me.how to mod it?
@@Amsgrind very easy look it up you can buy the harness or tear apart anything with the 9v clips diagrams everywhere. Sounds completely different no matter which active pickups you use.
I like the high end of the 81x but i still love my 81. The 81 is just a legend with a 18v mod.
Very nice comparison, I suppose EMGx , thanks theirs high end, more suitable for drop tuned or even baritones.
The x sounds like an improvement.
Is the 81x plug and play or do I have to do anything different to the pots to install it into a guitar that had the regular 81 already?
X had a slightly clearer tone. I bought a 81X....still sitting in the box...8 years later lmao.
I'm running the X's in an 97 RR1 at 19v through a Boogie MK5/25...the tone is just thunderous... and i have a 97 rr1 with regular 81/85 so i can tell you the X's sustain better are more dynamic and Clean.
Do you think the 18v mod is the reason the X’s sound better? Or do they both have that?
I use the x version on my more dense body and neck wood guitars. It balances the brightness for example a maple on maple neck
How does the 81x compare to the 81 with a 24 volt mod?
81 x with 24 volt mod awsome
@@witch382 really? I was asking if the 81x was similar to the 81 with the 24v mod, but you’re just saying that you run the 81x at 24v? Someone told me that it doesn’t help the X series pickups at all... running them higher than 9v. I’m curious now.
How did you recorded the sound?
Using an USB Audio Interface direct to the guitar, or using a mic in front of an guitar amp?
Too much gain for me to make out any major differences with the right tweaking I’m sure the 81 can sound just like the X
81X, I have them in my Ibanez baritone, I like em, but hard to compare with anything else
Didn't expect the x to have so much mid content whoa
You have a horrid can of bees tone but the 81X definitely sounds better and more natural out of the 2.
Exactly the 81X leaves the 81 for dead and is more versatile too.
@@chickentwisties2298 I went with the 81TWX and 89R because I love the single coil option. They're built to order but worth the extra $20 bucks or so.
I pick 81x
Kommt auf die Position an, spiele zwei 81er in meiner Jackson, davon eine X Version. Der normale 81er bleibt auf jeden Fall am Steg der König, am Hals gefällt mir der 81X besser, grade bei High Gain klingt er da wesentlich artikulierter. Aber am Steg mag ich ihn nicht so gern.
did you also use the x active tone pot with the emg 81x?
You have to lol
I have the opportunity to buy a squier strat with an emg 81 pickup for 60 bucks off a friend who I trust. Should I do it?
If you like it, then definitely. An EMG 81 is about $100 new, plus the guitar is worth $100 even used. So yeah go for it!
@@GuitarGuts No regrets so far. Been loving it.
Hell yeah
Amp?
Axe FX II
i like em both
Thanks for the video. The demo was a bit messy in my opinion. Made me wonder if this was a pickup demo or just a showcase of some trebly riffs (at earlier part of video) second half of video was good with cleans.
Do you have a buzzy A string on your white explorer or is it the pickup?
Appreciate for the video. Can 81x work with 9v source or do i need 18v? Thanks.
Nope, 9v is fine 👍🏼
👍🏻
the x sounds way nicer more brightness and less mud
Distorted it's hard to tell the difference frankly maybe more squashed bass frequency.
81x sounds like a demarzio d activator