To the page content
seventy years logo
Join Thomann's Anniversary! We reward your loyalty with special offers! Get your deals

EMG 85X Black

47

Active Pickup for Electric Guitar

  • High output humbucker with long sustain
  • Alnico magnets
  • Can be used in neck and bridge
  • Newly developed preamp with open and dynamic sound concept
  • Colour: Black
  • Incl. solderless installation,volume/tone control set with split shaft, output jack, battery clip, screws
Available since June 2009
Item number 230246
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Active Yes
Wiring Completely Wired
Output High
Cap Yes
Colour Black
Position Bridge, Neck
£81
Including VAT; Excluding £10 shipping
In stock
In stock

This product is in stock and can be shipped immediately.

Standard Delivery Times
Delivery approx. between Friday, 8.11. and Monday, 11.11.
1

47 Customer ratings

4.9 / 5

You have to be logged in to rate products.

Note: To prevent ratings from being based on hearsay, smattering or surreptitious advertising we only allow ratings from real users on our website, who have bought the equipment from us.

After logging in you will also find all items you can rate under rate products in the customer centre.

sound

quality

23 Reviews

F
Very clear and warm, enormous output
Florian4355 20.02.2014
The Emg 85-X is a quite warm sounding Pickup that still lets very high frequencies get through. I first used it in the bridge position, now I am using it as a neck pickup, where it sounds warm, yet still retains high overtones if mounted close enough to the strings. It does not compress or clip like previous active pickups, but the output is so high it can cause some clean channels to clip. Also the high output can cause too much compression when you play hig-gain solos with it, so it is best used with a less compressing amplifier. If so, the sound is still very articulate and not muddy.
Compared to the 81-X in the bridge postition it sounds warmer/less aggressive, more boomy and like it had some mid frequencies missing. I rather like the 81X used with a thick pick.
sound
quality
2
0
Report

Report

sr
ultimate metal pickup with insane output levels.
santu ronzu 16.08.2024
I won't repeat my long review of the EMG 85, refer to that for more details. All I'll say here is that this is an 85 with more steroids, the output level is insane, I tested it against the standard 85 with my audio interface, all good, but then I installed the 85X in the same guitar, and the 85X immediately made my interface peak so I had to set the trim the interface gain lower. So the 85x DEFINITELY has higher output than the 85 (though the latter is still a high output pickup, make no mistake, but the 85X gets into insane territory) it reminds me of the sound and feel of my DiMarzio Super Distortion. I think EMG is pretty much spot on when it refers to the 85X as 'bridging the gap between actives and passives'. I used the best passives for 30 years, so I think I know how these feels. Now I am a total EMG convert, if you record with computers you need actives.

If you play metal and you want the ultimate 'pickup on steroids', get this one. And the price is a bargain, these are top notch American made pickups, super quality.
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report

S
EMG 85 on steriods
Seger 25.12.2014
The EMG 85-X has the same high quality as all the EMG products.

I bought two of them in 2010 and installed them in a brand new Gibson Explorer and the sounds is simply amasing.

Currently I own 3 guitars with EMG 85 in (a Jackson SL-3, 2 Music man Luke II) and the EMG 85-X is more brighter and has a wider dynamic than the EMG 85.

I encurrage you all to try this pick-up as an better alternative to EMG 85.
sound
quality
4
0
Report

Report

W
Great Rock/ Metal Pickup and EXTREMELY easy Installation
WesleyGuitarWebb 07.10.2021
I bought this pickup for a single humbucker project and it was so easy to install. I can confidently say that I am the worst person ever at soldering and I saw this pickup and I love the solderless system EMG provide so I went for it and It was amazingly easy to install!

No effort what so ever and took no longer than 30 mins to install.

Great Heavy sound from this pickup and also some awesome smooth cleans!

If you are looking for a pickup for cleans, heavy sounds and everything in between, then look no further!!!
sound
quality
0
0
Report

Report