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Posted by: Guitarman700 Nov 26 2008, 05:09 PM

My guitar is a Jackson DK2T Dinky, heres the specs;
Body Species:
Alder with Flame Maple Veneer on Transparent Colors

Electronics:
Bridge Pickup:
Seymour Duncan® JB™ TB4 Humbucking Pickup


Neck Pickup:
Seymour Duncan® Jazz™ SH2N Humbucking Pickup

Pickup Switching:
3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups Position 3. Neck Pickup

Controls:
Master Volume,
Master Tone

Hardware:
Black

Bridge:
JT390 Adjustable Bridge with Strings-Through-Body

The Duncans in the guitar are great, but i REALLY want some actives in there as i tune down to C or even B alot.
I was considering the Blackouts, but was looking at the EMG 81/85 as well.
Can anyone with experience with either of rhese pickups give me some advice?
This is the guitar i use for Death and black metal and the like.

Posted by: jer Nov 26 2008, 05:14 PM

I have a Jackson with an 81 in the bridge. Love it.

I have an ESP LTD MH-400 with the 81/85 combo. Love it.

I have not tried the Blackouts but have asked a lot of questions regarding them. The consensus I get is they are abit higher output but it is adjustable upon installation of the pickup. I also heard that they are compatible with EMGs. So you could mix it up if you wanted. EMG in the neck, Blackout in the bridge...

Posted by: skennington Nov 26 2008, 05:21 PM

Same here. 81/85 in a DK2M. Harmonics are awesome and sustain should be even better in your string-through. A bit quiter as well if you are recording around other electronics. I think EMG pickups have an internal pre-amp, which not only makes the pickup louder, it also reduces the noise.

Posted by: fatb0t Nov 26 2008, 05:48 PM

I just ordered a Schecter Hellraiser with 81/85s I'll let you know how they are... I only tried blackouts once and they seemed comparable to EMGs.

Posted by: ZakkWylde Nov 26 2008, 08:34 PM

It's not THAT much of a diffrence between the two... EMGs are classics but some artists turned to the Blackouts as they are somewhat of a slightly more organic version of standard emgs

Posted by: kjutte Nov 26 2008, 08:49 PM

Sounds about right to me. Duncan is known for versatility also.

Posted by: Praetorian Nov 27 2008, 12:00 AM

I just spent a ton of time at Guitar Center playing different guitars with EMG 81/85's and Blackouts to compare the two. I ended up getting the EMG 81/85 Kerry King set to put in my Ibanez. The EMG's were just BRUTAL! The Blackouts were very good sounding too...but sounded like they were more aimed at being a "well-rounded" pickup going for cleaner highs than the EMG's. The EMG's are all metal...and they sound KILLER!!! \m/

Keep in mind...this is just my opinion!

Posted by: jer Nov 27 2008, 01:32 PM

WHat color DK2M ya got Skennington?

White here. Yours came with stock duncans and you swapped em out for 81/85?

What was the biggest change you noticed?

Posted by: skennington Nov 27 2008, 02:38 PM

Actually Jer, It's a limited run "White Bengal" I bought it last year through AMS as a factory 2nd for the same price as a regular DK2M. These come from the factory with the 81/85 combo.I have played one with the Duncan designed p/up's and imo, no comparison. Here I am with it in Ivan's Rockabilly collab...

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=11221 http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=11221

Posted by: Trond Vold Nov 27 2008, 04:14 PM

I tried the blackouts once on a Schecter through a Marshall top (cant remember which model) at a local store.
Well, i think the guitar was blackout equipped
Anyhuu, i thought it rocked! Sound was dense and heavy yets still clear but they werent as full-on metal as a 81/85 EMG combo.
Personally i wouldnt mind having blackouts in a guitar, but i think i would still use the EMG's as my main sound.

Posted by: vikingraider1 Nov 28 2008, 08:35 AM

If anyone is using EMGs, there is a great modification you can make which is dirt cheap and requires no drilling or routing. Some clever fellow on Ebay has devised a 24-volt power pack to replace the standard 9v battery. This extra voltage makes a big difference to the sound of active EMGs giving them less of a gritty, compressed sound and a much wider tonal range. For the money its a no-brainer really. I won't post links to ebay on here (Not sure what the policy is, but if you search on the UK ebay site for EMGs you should see it.

Posted by: bamba23 Nov 28 2008, 12:09 PM

emg,if i were u il put the emg

Posted by: Guitarman700 Nov 28 2008, 01:12 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys, Ive decided to go with the Backouts, I really like their more "organic" tone, and the Schecter i played with them was just Brutal!
Again, Thanks for all the advice!

Posted by: jer Nov 28 2008, 06:36 PM

Wow! Thats really cool!!!!!

Yeah, DUncan Designed's are crap......

Posted by: Marcus Siepen Nov 29 2008, 03:22 PM

I'd always go for teh EMG's, they can turn a guitar into a weapon But since I dnever tried the duncans I can't really compare both.

Posted by: Wilska Nov 29 2008, 05:30 PM

In my other guitar, my old Jackson Kelly I installed the standard EMG metal-setup, and in my newest guitar I exchanged the original EMG HZ (or something like that) with seymour duncan blackout. To me the Blackouts sound meaner and better, however. The difference is _not_ spectacular. I think it comes down how every person feels when playing the different pickups.

Posted by: vikingraider1 Nov 30 2008, 01:09 AM

To be honest, Bare Knuckle pickups leave anything EMG and Seymour Duncan standing still. Bare Knuckle are expensive but the sound and tone is unbelievable.

Posted by: skennington Nov 30 2008, 01:15 AM

I agree!!! But $350 for a set..