The 85 is one of EMGs first pickups and is the slightly more sophisticated and well rounded half of its famous brother, the 81. Featuring close aperture coils loaded with Alnico V magnets, the 85 is a powerful guitar pickup with exceptional tone and versatility.

The Alnico magnets of this model provide a muscular growl and smooth lead tones enabling you to play everything from the blues to the most extreme metal. Although often used in the neck position, make no mistake, the EMG 85 sounds great as a bridge humbucker thanks to its exceptional smoothness and soul. This pickup pairs well with just about every other humbucker in our line and using our solderless system, it makes changing your tone easier than ever.

Note: This pickup is the short shaft version.