EMG 81 on Fender LH Strat

I have been looking to beef up my axe with an EMG 81 in the bridge of left handed fender strat. I was thinking of putting an EMG 85 in the neck (zakk wylde style). But I was wondering if that is indeed possible. I cant think of any reason why it wouldnt be but i'm not an expert yet as far as electronics goes.

Thanks,

Phil Charron

Sure it's possible, might need some routing in the body though.

Take off the pick guard and see how wide the hole is in the guitar. If it is already routed for a humbucker than you have a drop in replacement if not than you need to route it which takes a bit of skill or at least get help if you've never done it or dont have a router. You can also buy a twin coiled pickup like the hot rails Seymour Duncan it only takes up the single coil size but has more output like a humbucker for that "fuller" sound. Tone is subjective I wouldnt route unless if thats your only option.

Good luck,

James

I'm with Thomyorke...don't route the body unless it's the only option. Pull that pickguard up and it may already be wide enough...if it is GREAT...then all you need is a new pickguard which you can pickup online for a decent price. Goodluck.

Swimming pool routs *SHUDDERS*

EMG actives are the only way to go

The emg 81 is more versatile than you may think. I had one as a bridge pickup(duh). I think you can get a good punk sound, metal, just a real special sounding pickup the rest of your effects can set the mood as much as how you play. However if you want metal or punk I'm sure it would sound great for that, most definitely.

Thomyorke575

i would like it a lot if somebody explained to me wut the hell you guys are talking about . I never replaced a pickup on any of my guitars so can sumone give me the basics real quick?

The pickup adds to the tone of the guitar. They can be "hot" meaning they tend to produce a louder more ballsy signal or quieter or more mellow. I think live pickups for the most part tend to be hotter or louder and more ballsy. They also lend theirself good to metal, such as the aforementioned EMG 81(which is a humbucker). Pickups are a way to add tone to your guitar without buying a new guitar. I believe they simply transfer the sound produced by the string to the amplifier, however I am sure their a much more technical explanation. They can add versatility and range to your guitar and be alot of fun to explore, tweek and play with. I installed all my replacements myself however was told it would run me ~$40 to change just one and ~$80 to change a set of three. By doing it yourself you can learn alot more about what the guitars inards consist of and how to tweek them. Guitar tech will try to sound all smart sometimes like their gods and shake their magical wand of mysticality above the guitar to replace them. Well it can be tricky but like I said you will learn more about the instrument and have fun in the process. Explore some famous artists and see what they use(ones you like) and try out a few, thats if you feel your tone could be impoved and I think we all do.

Good luck my friend,

James