EMGs vs Blackouts - Metal/Clean/DI Comparison

Same strings
Same pickup height
Same amps
Same settings

Which pickups do you like better?

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[madmod]

Blackouts seem to have a more passive bell like tone. Emg's have a bit more of an edge that helps them cut. They'll both sound killer in any axe.

[BrandonBurch]

I like Seymour Duncan ones. I have EMGs in two of my guitars and wish for more life in the sound.

[veldringr]

Jackson WRMG and Charvel Desolation DS-1 ST user, so I have some experience with 81/85 and Blackouts.
The EMGs are standing out when you are using a lot of gain on your amp or setting. Great for live situations or just practising..
However, the Blackouts win in cleans, low and mid gain, hands down. Mid-gain does include recordings. The EMGs in clean are just brittle, which is not good in a mix, and in mid-gain situation are very muffled and uneven in response.
I prefer the Blackouts, but they're very different beasts to the EMGs.

[tommygibson]

My first impression of the blackouts where they sacrificed a little bit of definition for a little bit more warmth

[GlennJimenez]

The EMGs did the cleaner sounds very well. I even heard qualities similar to the resonance in my Gibson guitars.

[metalmonster]

EMG all the way. They cut through the mix alot better. Duncans have too much bass. Thats what a bass player is for. Its popular to hate on EMGs for some reason and any active pickups nowadays. Even though most metal heads favorite albums were recorded with EMG pickups. But always go with your ear, dont follow the trends. If it sounds good.... its good. Plus it depends on what kind of rig youre running

[corn]

I like how the Duncans are a little more tight in the distortion . But in the clean the Emgs win hands down

[chrisbrown]

To my ears the SDs are better for distortion while the EMGs are better for clean tones

[jamesgoodman]

Great comparison. Just judging on the bridge pickup alone, the EMG just nabs it with the tight snarl.

Impressed with the SD too 👍🏻

[Sanderson]

To me the 81 distorted sounds more clear and defined in comparisin to bridge SD which sounds muddy to me. But on clean the 81 sounds thin a quiet in comparison to SD. The neck pickups to me are equal. I'm a SD guy all my life (own distortions, black winter, invader and nazgul/sentient) but in this case I'd go with EMGs.

[raul-valentinapostu]

From what i can hear, for the riffs i prefer the scooped sound of the emg’s (i’d like a more scooped sound for that as i think it has a certain grind and a more heavy sound than the mid rich blackouts) and the blackouts for the clean setting.
But this is just my opinion, this is how i like them
Also, if you don’t like the scooped midrange of the emg’s you can always dial in some mids on your amp or fix that with an eq pedal

[oldgoattheantichrist]

The Blackout is somewhere in-between the 81 and 85 to my ears. I don't like the 85 or the Blackout in the neck. I prefer the 81 bridge for metal, it really captures high speed palm muting the best for me.

[beatlejuice]

the blackout's sound muffled and muddy compared to the EMG's

[therealchich]

I like the beefier mids in the blackouts, emg sounds more high end.

[MadNut]

I'd use the DI of the Blackout ALL DAY!

[johnconiglio]

In my humble opinion if all your going to play is heavy metal style music with distortion EMGs are slightly better. Blackouts have better clean sound. Both sound really good and have thought of changing my active pick ups to black outs

[garthbrooks]

I have old emg wired first gen with the Brown epoxy and I can tell they sound better than the new solderless ones. Anyone else notice this?

[chrisbrown]

The think in EMG 85 Bridge with a Seymour Duncan Blackout Neck would be pretty cool

[alexmars]

emg wins! emg is a very very evil hi gain machine!

[kevinerickson]

I have both. I've played then both in a jackson and ltd and the blackouts seem real bassy but great highs. Don't like them for chugging. Emgs are great but missing the high.