800-ZZOUNDS Open_Monday!

Mention reference number MFV-9DCY when you call.

Contact | Hours | FAQ | My Order

Pay Plans No Interest

Free Shipping No Sales Tax

Lowest Price Guarantee

Cart

EMG 81TW Humbucker Pickup

Updates the original EMG 81 pickup with a new single-coil mode with fatter tone than most single coils.

enlarge

User Ratings

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

What do you think? Rate and Review This Product

"Great pickup for 80's and 90's metal. You can effortlessly get great Metallica or Zakk Wylde tones out of this. Single-coil mode" submitted January 13, 2011

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Hobbyist

Music Style: 70's to 80's rock/metal/thrash

Back to Product Information

VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: I bought this to replace the stock bridge pickup in my Epiphone SG Deluxe so I could get a more aggressive thrash metal tone from it. And it's blown me away! On humbucking mode with the lows and highs on my amp (Peavey ValveKing) maxed and mids all the way down it sounds almost exactly like mid-80's Metallica, which is a sound I couldn't even approach using stock pickups. This pickup has tons of low-end power and doesn't have much on the high-end and so it's great for chugging metal riffs. If I switch to clean and roll the tone down a bit it sounds just like the quiet clean part of Master of Puppets. And with a flat EQ on the amp it sounds very close to Zakk Wylde's Ozzy Osbourne sound. In single-coil mode the pickup sounds pretty similar to a stock Stratocaster, though the tone is somewhat lower. That's generally not my cup of tea, but more options are always better. I bought it for the humbucking tone. The only reason I picked the TW model is ZZounds had an open-box kit for slightly cheaper than a normal EMG-81 kit. There is pretty much no noise on this pickup, even with the gain maxed out on my amp. Feature: The solderless kit was awesome to work with, except I bought an open-box kit and it was missing one wire so I actually had to do a small amount of soldering to make up for that. The included wiring diagrams cover most common cases and are easy to follow. The push-pull knob to switch the pickup works great. Now my guitar can easily switch from thrash metal to a much twangier tone if I wanted to. Ease of Use: Easy to use once set up. Installing it was more complicated than installing passive pickups, but I knew that when I bought it. If you're not the adventurous type you might want to find a friend who can install it for you. Quality: Great quality. I bought it open box and it looked brand new. I'm not worried about it breaking or anything. Value: Great since I bought it open-box. I wouldn't have purchased the TW model otherwise since I was looking for a normal EMG-81. Manufacturer Support: Haven't had to deal with them. The Wow Factor: EMG pickups are a must for thrash metal. The single-coil mode doesn't help in that area at all, but it will give you a more versatile guitar. Overall: I highly doubt I'll be replacing this pickup. If I do it's because I might move it to another guitar, not because I'm dissatisfied with the sound.

Did you find this review helpful?

Thanks for your opinion!

close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Great versatility, value, and sound." submitted May 1, 2011

By a customer from yahoo.com

Overall

Sound

Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: proffesional musician, professional engineer

Music Style: anything from country to pop to rock to metal

Back to Product Information

VERIFIED BUYER

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.

Sound: I love the control I get from it. I play out weekly and am able to go from true single coil twang to all out heavy tones with ease. I have it wired as the bridge pickup in my emg david gilmour set. It works great with the active tone shaping controls and mixes well with the active emg sa's. Feature: I do wish that there were an included toggle switch option to switch from single coil to humbucker mode. Ease of Use: As with any pickup, you have to get used to how it interacts with your amp. I find it a bit difficult to pull the knob out very quickly on the fly. Quality: Excellent build quality. beefy knobs included. Value: if you want true versatility in one guitar, this is your answer. I can play anything on one guitar and control most tones froom the guitar without touching my m13 or my amp. Manufacturer Support: never had to use it Overall: This pickup is great. It isn't for the novice player to install, though. It involved wiring and routing of the guitar body. It is also not a good solution for the novice player to use on stage given that it is extremely reactive to volume and tone pots.

Did you find this review helpful?

Thanks for your opinion!

close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

Questions? Our gear experts can help!

800-zZounds Open_Monday!

Mention Reference Number MFV-9DCY When You Call. Toll Free En Español: 800-460-7976 m-f 9AM to 5PM EST Follow zZounds on:

Customize Search Results for Your Location

Sitemap View Our Sitemap Contact Us By Email Place a Purchase Order Return Request

Let Us Help You FAQs Product Condition Shipping Information Payment Options Order Verification Returns Affiliate Program Join Our Affiliate Program

[x] close

Send cool stuff to my old-fashioned mailbox, too

To get your cool stuff, we'll need your address:

Available on
orders $249+

learn more

Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

Fast approval.: We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
No interest. Ever.: It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
No paperwork. Nothing to track.: No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

We'll wait on your money so you don't have to wait for your gear!

When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

on most orders $49+

Just $2.99 on
smaller orders

Really heavy stuff might cost you a
little more

learn more

Why fight traffic and pushy salesmen when we'll bring your gear straight to your home, free of charge?

zZounds free shipping is really free!: No hidden charges or hassles on returns.
Fast, reliable delivery: We have warehouses on both coasts, so most shipments arrive in 3 days or less.
We don't collect sales tax. Bonus!: Only NJ residents pay tax during checkout.

A guarantee so solid, you never have to worry about price when shopping at zZounds

We'll beat any price: Simply click the Seen it for less? link next to the gear you want or call us at 800-zZounds Open_Monday!
Got a coupon from another site?: Use it with us - we'll beat those prices, too!
Find a better price after buying from us?: No problem. We'll refund you the difference for 30 days, so you'll never regret buying from zZounds.

You'll still get the trustworthy service you've come to expect from zZounds, without paying more for your gear!