software

i hear this a lot about EMG mostly but what exactly is meant?
they are too clean???

When I refer to sterile I mean a sound with little character or coloration. People may refer to EMGs being sterile because the pickups themselves, IMO, do not quite have the complexity in the tone that a passive pickup has. Not to say that EMGs do not have character, it just isn't as colorful, IMO, as that of Duncans.

You'll typically only see those who dislike EMGs exclusively calling them sterile.


Originally Posted by MikeS
You'll typically only see those who dislike EMGs exclusively calling them sterile.
Yeah....silly description of the pickup IMO. THey complain that EMGs impart too much of their own sound on the guitar then say they are sterile. Hell by those standards one could call the JB sterile.....EMGs just sound *different* that's all there is to it.


Originally Posted by ranalliYeah....silly description of the pickup IMO. THey complain that EMGs impart too much of their own sound on the guitar then say they are sterile. Hell by those standards one could call the JB sterile.....EMGs just sound *different* that's all there is to it.

Ranalli as you already know i respect your UNBIASED OPINION
and i agree that the JB will make any axe sound like it has a JB in it.
I dont feel the EMG stuff is anything but clear,punchy,articulate, dynamic,and just plain friggin QUIET!

To me when I hear the term quot;Sterilequot;..... I think of a Lack of warmth. Its like comp[aring a really good tube amp to a really good (if there is one) transistor amp. The Tube amps typically have much more warmth to them!

quot;If you think EMG's are sterile check your picking!quot; ---A very wise reviewer

I always use the term sterile to show something is lacking in character, for example i would say the cleans from my invader are sterile and unexciting, not un-usable, but certainly boring and lifeless. However i think this is pretty standard for alot of pickups designed for high gain, and perhaps a reason why EMG's are often called sterile.

My experience with EMGs is that they are perfect... but this is the problem...
If you met a person who was quot;perfectquot;... you wouldn't like that person very much. EMGs feel like they dont have imperfections... they have no quot;characterquot;... alot of bands that play with EMGs have a pretty bland tone. MANY people will argue at this, but IMO it is the truth. Children of Bodom, while a damn good bad that farkin SHREDS, is a good example. They are fun to listen to at first... but after a while they sound generic and boring... i BELIEVE it is because of the EMGs. I find the same is true with many bands that use them, they just have no character.

among the four old horsemen: metallica, megadeth, anthrax and slayer my favourate tone is megadeth by a big margin.

I think its your playing and style that has to reveal a pickup's character and not vica versa. EMG's need to be worked with differently. Think of Diminished7th (some might remember him here).


Originally Posted by RipShredScreamMy experience with EMGs is that they are perfect... but this is the problem...
If you met a person who was quot;perfectquot;... you wouldn't like that person very much. EMGs feel like they dont have imperfections... they have no quot;characterquot;... alot of bands that play with EMGs have a pretty bland tone. MANY people will argue at this, but IMO it is the truth. Children of Bodom, while a damn good bad that farkin SHREDS, is a good example. They are fun to listen to at first... but after a while they sound generic and boring... i BELIEVE it is because of the EMGs. I find the same is true with many bands that use them, they just have no character.Im gonna roast ya one!! C.O.B use passive EMGS!! Another person that will jump on the sterile band wagon..........

My complaint with everyone is that they are quick to jump on digitechs, distortion stompoxes, overdrives, digital processing units and then they say their PUPS are sterile!! Give me an FN break. I love passives and actives the same each one can come off as sterile depending on the rest of your rig!!

Here's another EMG vs Duncan post!

I've stopped referring to them as quot;sterilequot;, instead describing them as quot;overly linearquot;. They do a fine job of reproducing string vibration with high fidelity and that's really the problem. Just as a (clean) SS amp reproduces its input more faithfully than its tube counterpart but lacks tube mojo, I find that EMGs sound more hi-fi but don't sound as warm as conventional pickups.
Horses for courses.

i dont know

i guess the term sterile would sound like it's lacking something, and you cant really put a finger on it.

with that said, i like EMG's, but just not for the music that i play nowadays

I find alot of people judge EMGs by the 81, which has a pretty extreme EQ to it.

I'm sure that if everyone judge Duncan's based on the Dimebucker......

I think emg and most (not all) ceramic pickups to be sterile. So for more on this lets go to kinman
It is a fact that Ferrite (Ceramic) magnets play absolutely no part in tone shaping of a guitar pickup simply because they are non-conductive, non-metal magnets and do not influence the electrical behaviour of the coil, and exchanging these with Samarium Cobalt magnets has similar sonic results; in other words these magnets are completely toneless / soundless (ie they play no part in tone shaping). On the other hand we have Alnico, the magical magnet. Alnico is unique because it imparts a TONE flavour and certain dersirable performance characteristics into the sound. It does this because it is metallic and conductive and does influence the electrical behaviour of the coil. There are those that will tell you that a clever designer of Samarium Cobalt or Ferrite magnet pickup can somehow, miraculously, compensate for the missing Alnico by clever magnetic circuit design, this is simply not so. Magnetism is just magnetism, but 'coil core' material is a whole different story. Core material and behaviour is one of the BIG subjects that old time Electrical Engineers (not the modern electronic variety of engineer) had to study during their education. You have probably heard about Inductance (measured in Henrys), it's one of the most important and revealing specifications that a guitar pickup possesses. Did you know that Inductance is primarily derived from the core material? Steel had high inductance, Alnico has low inductance, about 1/4 that of steel. Fender sound demands just the right amount of inductance derived from the core.

You could say, generally, that EMGs are more sterile than Duncans. But the ones with Alnico magnets like the 85 and SA single-coils have more personality but sterile enough to take heavy processing with out farting. I kind of like that. I feel that I can work an amp differently with actives, I hear the amp more than the pickups. This is VERY subjective though.

What I'm saying is that my SA set is a chameleon with the right amps. I can cover so many sounds with it (and the SPC booster). I had a set of high-quality passive single-coils in my strat before but they couldn't take the big-ass chorused clean settings I like so much (every listened to Cocteau Twins?). With a very warm amp I can still get some nice blues overdrive and jazzy cleans with great definition.


Originally Posted by alecleeThey do a fine job of reproducing string vibration with high fidelity and that's really the problem.
Just as a (clean) SS amp reproduces its input more faithfully than its tube counterpart but lacks tube mojo, I find that EMGs sound more hi-fi but don't sound as warm as conventional pickups.

You're so d*mn right, I felt like quoting it. Nice job.


Originally Posted by fusion101There are those that will tell you that a clever designer of Samarium Cobalt or Ferrite magnet pickup can somehow, miraculously, compensate for the missing Alnico by clever magnetic circuit design, this is simply not so.

I have always wondered why all (sc size) dual blade type pups are made of ceramic magnets and a lot of them are pretty good strat replacement pickups.
does anyone know why?

Some say clean and transparent while others say sterile. All in the ears of the beholder.