EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set 

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

I'm a lifelong ESP player. I have an ESP Phoenix that is my favorite axe. I've played it with the Seymore Duncans that were stock. After a year, I replaced them with the EMG JH Set. Normally I use the EMG 81's, but I heard so much praise about these, that I figured "why not?".

All I can say is the hype is true. Using the bridge pickup on my thick, Marshall distortion, the walls rattle more than before. The tone is so heavy, yet more defined than the 81. Using the neck on a clean tone is nothing short of beautiful. These pickups are amazing. Now I get to spend a slew of money to replace the old EMGs in my other guitars. LOL

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

Put these pickups in my Gibson Les Paul and they were exactly what I was hoping they would be! Im not an EMG guy at all , but I really dig these pickups.Ive always felt that EMGs mask the true sound of your guitar and make any guitar sound the same , but these do not. My Les Paul still feels and sounds like my Les Paul , just hot rodded. Tons of output , very tight and the cleans are great.
My only complaint is that nowhere in the description does it say whether the included pots are short shaft or long shaft. I had to call EMG and have them send me the long shaft pots because the included pots would not work in my Les Paul

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

Already had EMG's so install was a snap, installed in my ESP JK-1 these things were an incredible improvement over the stock 81's that came in it. All the things you'd expect from EMG and more. The tone first off is very smooth, lots of output yet very clear and a nice range. Notes are very defined and the pickups articulate the sounds great. They are very tight but not overly compressed and they have more output than the 81 with more clarity. Roll the volume back and they chime very nicely clean. They actually have a similar quality to very high end passives with the punch of actives. I've read some negatives on the finish and so far I've not had an issue. If you like EMG pups but want a little more of your guitars tone to shine through look no further, these will not disappoint.

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

Nice tight sound with the bridge pickup. Distortion felt more saturated than an EMG 81 which to me was perfect. Great clean sound, never had so many people compliment me on my sound after a show(clean and dirty wise). My only real complaint would be with the bridge pickup cosmetically. It is composed of ceramic and steel. The steel components led to some oxidation issues. The exposed pole pieces rusted and turned orange. Not pretty. Over all pretty much a EMG 81/60 combo with higher output. My recommendation stick with what Het originally used, the 81/60 combo or try the 81/85 combo. I am personally gonna stick with dual EMG 81 pickups in my guitar.

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

I read online about em didnt believe the hype so i went and bought a set i didnt use the neck pickup because the guitar i was working on was a ibanez prestige one pickup the bridge. I set it up did my thing hooked it up to multiple amps i normally play a jcm 800/900 i cranked it up got killer cruncy with lots of lowend dope sound switched to clean and dear god never got that kind of sound from any of my emgs. Emg killed it with this pups its crazy i never write reviews i had to for this one. I play mostly hardcore and thrash and this do the trick. I record all types of music and i laid down some like christian praise and worship and the notes just sang. I have tried tons of pickups dimarzio, pafs, seymours, and other emgs hands down this is the best set i have tried to date.

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

after reading a bunch of reviews, listening to sounds clips, and doing some test drives, i decided to buy a het set. right out of the box, you know you have two black bars of pure sex and tone waiting to grace your rig. with the solder-less electronics, this is a quick install for you diy'ers out there; however, i'm not much of a risk taker so i brought it to my local guitar tech for the install/set up. hitting that first chord after the install is like falling in love with the instrument all over again. they make bad amps sound good and great amps sound amazing. i paired these pickups with a tusq xl nut & saddles along with a pair of ernie ball cobalt: these pups can sing! you can get perfect cleans to saturated distortion and everything in between.
two things to note:
1. if you are switching from passive to active, your electronics cavity is gonna be tight because of the battery. some minor routing for a battery compartment could solve this but is not required.
2. the black nickle is a little aesthetically clashy when paired with chrome hardware, its dark enough to blend with other black hardware though (in the off chance you can't find black nickle hardware)

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

Ive watched so many videos of these things before i bought them when i installed them in my PRS Paull Allender Guitar I was like OMG these things are incredible. The pickups have the purest clean sound when you play on a clean channel and then when you play on the overdrive channel these things pack some serious high gain punch that can still clean it up. The EMG 81 Delivers some serious punch and the EMG 60 cleans up everything perfectly. These Pickups are amazing if your want some serious high gain sound that packs a punch but can still give off a nice clean warm tone get these pickups

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

This set went into my Epiphone Les Paul Custom. I was not happy with the sound of the pickups in the Les Paul and it became a wall orniment. My ESPs had the EMG 81/60 combo and thought I would give the Het Set a try. The shine of the Het Set (as opposed to EMG typical flat look) looks amazing in the alpine white les paul. Many people think EMGs are made for metal. I tell you, the EMG 81/60 combo or the Hetfields are the most versitile pickups on the market. I use them for contempory Christian music at my church, blues, clean softer suff all the way to playing my favorite Metallica, Mudvayne and everything inbetween. They will not let you down!
I have always been an EMG fan. The 81/60 combo has been a staple in my eletrics. The "Het Set" takes them to a new level. While based off of the 81/60 combo, these pickups are not just a different look. The bridge has that added crunch and when needed in leads, slices through the mix. The neck pickup has amazing clean sound and when the distortion is added, wow, thick and heavy does not do them justice.
So far so good. Easy to install.
Great value! For under $250 I got a brand new guitar!

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

overall going with these pickups is a win win. If your looking for that big classic EMG sound but with a little more saturation and harmonic overtones then pick these up imediately.
I am a EMG endorser. All my guitars have them. This set is basically just like any other when it comes to features. your standard EMG but if thats what you want like me the your good.
I have to say i was a little weary about this set at first. EMG trying to put a passive tone into the monster that is an EMG 81. Im glad i went and bought them. I love metallica and was sure it could do what i wanted so after installing i went right for the dirty channel on the Mesa and WOW!! this thing blows the 81 away. For me i love the sound of the emg pickups but i always wanted just a little more satuation without having to sacrifce clarity. They nailed it with these!....from the moment i plugged in you could just here the saturation and the harmonic overtones that come with a passive pickup but it was that classic wall of sound that the EMG 81 brings. PERFECT!!!!!!. The neck pickup i think was configured a little different and to me sounds like the EMG 60 which is the combo i use 81/60.......all of this on top of the Black nickel classic look these are awesome pickups!!
durable black nickel on the outside makes for a classic looking pickup with a killer tone.

Comments about EMG JH James Hetfield Humbucker Set:

Seriously...Buy for perfromance and performance alone. The Black nickel coating will not last... even under light/moderate use... But the tone and sound is still phenomenal!!!!!
These pickups are Freaking awesome sound wise!!! Put them into a Ibaneza 700VBT V style guitar and playing them through a Marshall JVM 410 amp. Only minor changes are needed per channel to achieve a very close Metallica style sound...IMO.
Only thing I knock it for is endurance...

Had it for a few months installed as per instructions and, after very light use, the bridge pickup paint/coating is already beginning to chip and peal... badly.
The tone and sound of this pickup is totally worth it if your going for ANY kind of Metallica sound, but the finish is poor at best... seriously... i'm ameratuer at best and the bridge pickup makes me look I'm an expert who's been playing it for years...
Buy for tone, not for looks!!!