EMG Humbucker with Expander

[Wizard of Wailing]

      I've never found a clean tone from a humbucker that I liked as much as a good single coil tone, until now.  I replaced an EMG SA single coil with an EMG 85X in the bridge of my daphne blue strat.  I have the EMG EXG Expander in the guitar (which I think David Gilmour uses).  Without the expander the humbucker sounds mediocre, but with it, the clean tone is amazing.  I'm so glad I gave EMGs another chance after my horrible experience with an EMG 81.

 

[DustyCat]

Thanks for sharing.

I had an episode LP'S with 85/81 about 16-17 years ago. I remember being able to get good pinch harmonics out of the 81.

Unfortunately my ears were not very developed an I had difficulties with both intonation and the girls string so I traded it in.

The DG20s with SPC I had installed on my strat brought new life into that guitar. It was a squire and all of a sudden it was my number one guitar all over again!

This was around 14 years ago so my ear was a little more developed this time.

Now tone comes in all shapes and sizes and sounds. And there are many recordings of good guitar tones that will contradict the type of gear used: Active vs passive, single coils vs humbuckers vs p90 vs tele tone, tube vs transistor.

What I remember liking about the active pickups was the consistency and strength of the signal grom rig to rig and maybe most importantly the notes from the high register not flaking out on me.

But lately I also like that chimey bell like tele bridge tone too.

I intend to find some kind of compromise
SA SA 81/Bell like tone (tele or not)