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Inspired by the sound and tonal behaviour of the original PAF pickups with the best sound of the 50s and 60s
Alnico magnets in traditional open coil units deliver a rich, warm bass without losing their clarity in the treble range
A newly designed external preamp offers the advantage of a low-impedance output and prevents background noise while preserving the passive character of your sound
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I love these pickups. A bit of a hybrid between active and passive, Easy to install. Hum free. I did have some issues with the output distorting my amp, but adjusting the pickup height and not using an extreme string gauge worked like a charm. Very happy with this easy to install, great sounding, 100% humfree set.
sound
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4
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B
Interesting Pickups!
Birdy 11.02.2025
I'm a big fan of the classic EMG 81/60 set, but I had an extra guitar with passive pickups lying around and I thought I'd give these a try just for fun, instead of having another guitar with an 81/60 set.
I've installed these on a 24.75" scale length guitar with a Tune-o-Matic bridge.
Compared to other passive/PAF pickups, this EMG Fat 55 set is much brighter and more open sounding, but with the same dynamic range.
It's more versatile and can be shaped into more tones, especially if you're using an amp modeler.
You don't get that muddy low-mid boost of a typical passive humbucker, so the sound is much more open, but can sometime be perceived as a somewhat "hollow" if you don't set your amp accordingly.
You do get the high-mid bump that give you that "quacky" sound like a typical PAF, but it sounds a bit wider in terms of the resonant frequency, less narrow and less "honky".
The high end extends way farther than a passive humbucker, so you get that sparkly "HiFi" string sound that helps with note/string definition and adds articulation.
This of course can be filtered off if you don't want it in your sound.
They're quieter than a passive pickup, but not as dead quiet as a classic active EMG set.
Compared to an EMG 81/60 set, the Fat 55 are much brighter overall.
They have less low mids, more high mids, more low end, and less high end.
They're less compressed and give you more dynamics, even when playing with high gain, but it can also be perceived as a less smooth and consistent sound, a bit more "pokey", depending on your preference.
Overall, I still prefer the classic 81/60, as I'm not a big fan of the passive pickup sound.
However, if you're someone who likes the PAF sound but wished it was more versatile, open, and clear sounding, these are for you.
I'm a big fan of the classic EMG 81/60 set, but I had an extra guitar with passive pickups lying around and I thought I'd give these a try just for fun, instead of having another guitar with an 81/60 set.
I've installed these on a 24.75" scale length guitar with a Tune-o-Matic bridge.
Compared to other passive/PAF pickups, this EMG Fat 55 set is much
I'm a big fan of the classic EMG 81/60 set, but I had an extra guitar with passive pickups lying around and I thought I'd give these a try just for fun, instead of having another guitar with an 81/60 set.
I've installed these on a 24.75" scale length guitar with a Tune-o-Matic bridge.
Compared to other passive/PAF pickups, this EMG Fat 55 set is much brighter and more open sounding, but with the same dynamic range.
It's more versatile and can be shaped into more tones, especially if you're using an amp modeler.
You don't get that muddy low-mid boost of a typical passive humbucker, so the sound is much more open, but can sometime be perceived as a somewhat "hollow" if you don't set your amp accordingly.
You do get the high-mid bump that give you that "quacky" sound like a typical PAF, but it sounds a bit wider in terms of the resonant frequency, less narrow and less "honky".
The high end extends way farther than a passive humbucker, so you get that sparkly "HiFi" string sound that helps with note/string definition and adds articulation.
This of course can be filtered off if you don't want it in your sound.
They're quieter than a passive pickup, but not as dead quiet as a classic active EMG set.
Compared to an EMG 81/60 set, the Fat 55 are much brighter overall.
They have less low mids, more high mids, more low end, and less high end.
They're less compressed and give you more dynamics, even when playing with high gain, but it can also be perceived as a less smooth and consistent sound, a bit more "pokey", depending on your preference.
Overall, I still prefer the classic 81/60, as I'm not a big fan of the passive pickup sound.
However, if you're someone who likes the PAF sound but wished it was more versatile, open, and clear sounding, these are for you.
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0
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S
Active...but not
Slawek 17.06.2019
They should sound sterile, as actives usually go. But as a matter of fact, they are very 'live', can be used both in hi gains and cleans, overall very versatile. Though, seem to feel better in hard rock situations, definitely would recommend
sound
quality
5
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G
Nice sound
Gigel 02.03.2018
Sound warm and fat. The assembly kit is very simple without many soldering. It looks very well mounted on the guitar, I bought the zebra. I am very pleased and recommend
