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The slightly more sophisticated and well-rounded half of its famous brother, the EMG 81
Features close aperture coils loaded with Alnico V magnets for exceptional tone and versatility
The Alnico magnets provide a muscular growl and smooth leads for everything from the blues to the most extreme metal
Although often used in the neck position, it sounds great as a bridge humbucker with its exceptional smoothness and soul
Pairs well with just about every other humbucker in our line.EMG's solderless installation makes swapping your guitar pickups easy to do at home
Although the EMG-85 has more measurable output than the 81, its frequency response and string interface are different. The 85 uses two Alnico magnet loaded coils with a wide aperture to maintain a beefy lowend and a fatter top end. Because of a more natural tone, it works great as a rhythm and blues pickup because it has loads of output but isn't muddy. Itís a perfect choice as a rhythm pickup in combination with an 81 in the bridge, which is the same pickup combination used by Zakk Wylde.