| has gloss | eng: EMG 81 is a famous active humbucker guitar pickup manufactured by EMG. It is usually considered a lead pickup for use in bridge position, paired with EMG 85 as a rhythm pickup in neck position (Zakk Wylde is famous for this configuration). Its not uncommon, however, to see a guitar with two EMG 81s in both bridge and neck positions (for instance, Kirk Hammetts EMG-KH21 pickup sets, which include 2 EMG 81 pickups for both neck and bridge positions). The EMG-KH20 has an EMG 81 in the bridge and 2 EMG-S single coil pickups in the middle and neck positions. The EMG 81 pickup is preferred as a lead pickup because of its high output, and smooth control from having a rail magnet. Rail magnets tend to sound smoother through guitar bends because they have a constant "rail" that runs through the pickup, while typical ceramic magnets have poles at each string that lose signal strength as the string bends away from the ceramic pole. |
