Seymour Duncan INVADER SH-8 vs EMG 81 - Bridge Guitar Pickup Comparison Tone Demo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Clean and distorted rhythm comparison between Seymour Duncan Invader SH-8 (passive) and EMG 81 (active) pickups for electric guitar on the bridge position. Settings are the following:
GUITAR
Tuning: Eь / D#
Strings: D'Addario EXL140 (010-052 gauge)
AMP
Clean: EVH 5150 III profile (Kemper Profiler)
Distortion: Peavey 5150 profile (Kemper Profiler)
RECORDING TECHNIQUE:
- One centered mono track per pickup.
- Same config and EQ for both.
More Seymour Duncan Invader pickup comparison videos:
www.youtube.co...
More EMG 81 pickup comparison videos:
www.youtube.co...
Seymour Duncan official website:
www.seymourdun...
EMG official website:
www.emgpickups...
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00:23 Clean test
03:06 Distortion test
#pickups #comparison #guitar
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EXCELLENT comparison, FINALLY one of the few people with the intelligence to realize clean comparisons are crucial for accurate results! Thankyou Sir
If you're looking for clean tones from pickups designed for high gain metal then you have very confused ideas.
@@lovecraftmusic8717 dumb comment. The clean comparisons are critically important because adding an amp completely changes the output tone. The parts of this video with an amp literally make both pickups sound identical because the amp is responsible for like 95% or more of the sound, rather than the pickups.
Comments like yours are why real musicians and pro sound engineers hate guitar nerds. Pure ignorance.
@@Molotov_Milkshake hahaha didn't you take your pills today, have you paranoid snowflake? 😂
@@lovecraftmusic8717personally I find that high output passives give the warm full clean tone I like without getting muffled or muddy like say burstbuckers often do.
Of course, with my favourite (Invaders) I usually have to turn down the volume pot to get clean from my valve amps.
@@lovecraftmusic8717it seems as you’re the misguided one bud…
The invader has been one of my favorite pickups for years. I bought a set when I was a teenager and listened to a lot of A7X, but even now like 15 years later I still love the sound I get out of them. I bought a H/H configured Mexican tele and I put an invader in the bridge and a pearly gates in the neck. Probably sounds like a really weird setup but it gives me great rhythm metal tones while I still have my preferred fender neck and lightweight body. I’ve always preferred playing background rhythm guitar and the invader gives the perfect amount of chug.
That sounds like an awesome setup
Im using 500T in my gibson flying, still for me is the great bridge pup.
Ive had my Invader on my Shredder Strat since 1992, love that pickup the ultimate high output pickup
and played through the new Marshall DSL40CR's its a wonderful sound
Not a weird set up at all dude. Sounds killer though.
Loved this comparison: My EMG 81/85's were gobbling up too many power cells so I placed a set of Seymour Duncan Invaders in my Schecter Diamond Series (C-1 Platinum) and switched to 500k pots. Suffice it to say I like the SH-8 a lot more. The EMG's sound good but the Invaders sound even better IMHO and I do not need to worry about replacing those insufferable 9v batteries.
Invader sounds so cool clean. I really like the EMG-81, I think maybe only Fishman fluence modern sounds better, but after listening to this video, the invader comes very very close to the EMG81. I really like it.
invaders are better than emg81 but thats a biased opinion, its your preference on the sound, i feel the emg already sounds little too digital but its still a nice pickup nonetheless
invaders sound better clean...
@@vevz7286 tbh they are muddy as hell i got both deffinitely 81 is my pick
Hello! thaks for the comparison!
Invader Is the best: no matter clean or overdriven. You pleasantly surprised me showing the Invader`s clean side - it`s great! this was unexpected from such an extreme high output pickup.
Personally, I like the Invader better. The tone is more natural. I will definitely be putting a Seymour Duncan Invader in my Schecter Omen-6
The Invader sounds so good! I’d love to hear it compared to the black winter. Maybe a few vids with the X2N too?
X2N is a decent pickup, I'd say Invader is better in general, I have an Invader in my Ibanez XP300FX and a guitarist of a metal band I know has the X2N on same guitar, his sounds a little too trebley I think, like, even he plays a good solo it sounds like a Slayer solo
I really like the comparison. I’m leaning more with the Invaders. I heard Tom DeLonge play with the Invaders in Enema Of The State and I’ve always loved that sound. The Invaders with the Boss Katana MK2 gonna sound sweeet.
I run a double set of invaders in an Ibanez Iron Label through a line 6 spider 75w an man it's unreal the difference between my friends active guitars
Fun fact: even if the delonge strat had a invader, enema of the state wasn’t recorded with him guitar. Tom probably use Jerry Finn’s Les Paul and a tele with p90. 😊
Im using Seymour Duncan invader and i have to say it's is the best pickup i have buy,the eq is balancing bass,middle and high.
Truly an accurate comparison between these two legendary pickups. Each one is deserving of its status. At the end of the day, the question is not which one is best for whom, but what one is best for YOU? Make your own judgment and use videos like this to make your own decisions based on the tones you like. This is a great capture of tones thru each pickup, and both sound great, yet different. Well done, sir!
I’m super indecisive what kind of music do you like and which one do you prefer ? 😅
@@newbeginning1510 I listen to all kinds of music genres, but I prefer hard rock, classic rock, and old school metal. That makes me gravitate towards the Invader ever so slightly because I dig the raunchy sound that passive p-ups provide. For drop tuning with heavy strings, EMG without a doubt. They have that slightly warmer tone and clarity used in modern metal guitar, and they sound good in standard tuning. Choose based on what suits your taste, not mine, but given a choice if I could have one and only pickup in my guitar for eternity, I would choose the. Seymour Duncan. No batteries to deal with...nuff said. I hope this is helpful.
I like the Invader more. I have the bridge version of it in one of my guitars. Great sounding pickup and what is notable not only on full gain but also sounds wonderful on cleans
For clean, the Invader wins to my ears, hands down. For high gain though, it's really close. I feel like the Invader wins as well as the 81 sounds just a little muffled and compressed in comparison. This video probably helped me make up my mind to get the Invaders
I bought an invader bridge pickup the day it came out and put it in a 80 Gibson Les Paul Custom silver burst ! Sounded freaking amazing !!!
wow, thanks for that comparison... Just got the HetSet and have been playing EMG 81 for a bit, and for metal with thumping/chugging/bite etc the EMG's are definitely intoxicating. I picked up my old faithful Suhr strat that sports the Invader and was blown away AGAIN... now I know why I put it in in the 1st place. It took months of playing and really getting used to the EMGs , and then a stark switch to the Invader to realize (for me anyway) that the Invader can do pretty much everything the EMG can, but so much more! The thing the Invader does that can't be matched was it's sensitivity, it's dynamics, the emotional connection.... where the EMGs were more of a one trick pony, albeit one hell of a trick! I liken it to my experience with vinyl and cd's. When I first heard cd's in the 80's, I was blown away by it's clarity and no po, ps hisses etc. But of course now I only own vinyl and that difference between Dig and Analog is analogous to what I experienced between the EMG (active) and Invader (passive). .. my $0.02... QQ for MS, was the volume accurately matched? Each comparison seemed to my ears to be a bit more db heavy on the Invader side, but that could just be better dynamics? Also, EMG more compressed and even.. which can work for or against you. Depending on you're ability to id and use the lack of that "compression and evenness" (or others would say, hella more dynamic) with the passive pu.. hey, how 'bout get both!
Hell yeah can't wait for more Invader comparisons, very curious to see how it sounds compared to Nazgul, Omega and Pegasus
This is exactly what I wanted. Thanks for the video. I haven’t played in a long time and was thinking about getting back into guitars and amps. These are two of my favorite pickups and the ones I used the most often. I must say, the passive Invader sounds a little more lively to me. The EMG sounds good but it somehow sounds compressed and a little artificial, if that makes sense. The Invader always sounded good in just about every guitar I put it in while the EMG 81 didn’t always deliver the desired result. The Invader seemed like it was more responsive to the tone shaping controls on the map and my pedal board. The EMG 81 always like an EMG 81 and there was very little I could do to change that.
i was thinking the same thing about the artificial sound too, like the passives sound more genuine i guess? i like the sound of both but i think its invader for me
To my ear, the EMG sounded better with the clean sounds, but once you hit the gas, the Invader took over!
Really fun! The invader was used on master of puppets apparently, so we get to hear record tone vs live tone
Only difference is the EMG has a little extra push from the battery and maybe a little more brightness.. Otherwise...both sound very close to each other and are great pickups. Thanks again Mike!
In this video kind of. I own both of these pickups though and I absolutely hate the invader and love the EMG 81. Invader is just so muddy when I play it. Granted, it actually sounds ok in this video, though still muddy.
Dustin Farnum The Invader sounds muddy AF in a mahogany bod. I put the Invader in my brother’s cheap Jackson Randy Rhoads knock off and that thing is a monster now. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@michaelray5023 you are so right. I have one in a syn custom... And it baffles me why that was his pickup of choice in an all mahogany body with a mahogany neck.
Dustin Farnum Yeah I used to own a mahogany neck and bod. PAF type Alnico 5s, Alnico 2s, and Ceramic mag pickups sound great in mahogany guitars. I know mahogany balances well with brighter amps like the 5150. Some of my favorite metal guitarists use that combination a lot. The Dimarzio Super Distortions are very nice. They sound great in almost any guitar. I think it would compliment a 5150 amp.
This is pretty accurate. I have two guitars. One with an invader in the bridge, the other with the EMG 81. How you described is perfect.
Nile turned me on to Invaders and I've love them ever since, currently running a 7stg version in F# and it does well w extreme low tunings. Needless to say one doesn't want to run too close to the strings, the magnetic pull will throw off intonation and it will pickup every little string scrape etc.
Can you elaborate when you say, one doesn't wanna run to close to the strings? Do you mean to not leave the action to close to the pickups
@@aegisreflector1239 you can adjust the pickup height, basically he's saying to lower it further away from the strings.
Good demonstration of two of my favorite pickups Invader dominated bottom chug EMG does better on a different amp cabinet with bottom end adjustment like this thanks for sharing
Invader sounds great for a rhythm player. Love that beefy low end, but would probably still stick with the EMG just because I like the crunchier tone.
probably nothing that an eq/boost couldnt fix. imo, it's more important to work with what you've got than gear chase for tiny tonal differences.
@@DaarthPingas Amen. About honestly the only thing I could really upgrade would be my pedal. But that's just cause its older.
Glad I stuck around for this after making my comment. Exactly what I was looking for, I just had to wait.
I like the invader for lead stuff more. I feel like the emg is a little too tight, however I do prefer the emg for chopped up riffy stuff.
Such an underrated channel.
I would really love to see a making of video.
Where do you get the pickups? Are they lent to you? Do you borrow or buy guitars with these in them, or are you constantly swapping pickups?
Or, do you have one of those quick swap jigs like Duncan has?
I really want to know how these videos are.
You can order them from the companies, kinda like buying aftermarket car parts.
@@ryanp7782 The quick swap jigs you mean... Or the pickups? I am aware that you can buy pickups. I'm just wondering if he buys them, borrows them, or is given them as a promotional thing.
He must spend a lot of time doing pickup swaps. It takes me about an hour an a half to do a complete swap.
I like both but emg sound colder, brighter and more compressed.
Best pickup comparison I've hear tbh.
Helps hearing cleans
5:09 noticeably more bass oomph with the invaders too
I found this comparison to be very insightful. Both had great pick-up response. I found the Seymour Duncan to be more bass than its predecessors. It also sounded kind of muddy. Where as the EMG was more mid-range and clearer. Now comes the choice. If you buy the EMG's than you have to make another hole in your guitar. But if you buy the Seymour Duncan's then you will need a foot pedal to clean up the muddy sound. Both fixes cost about the same, but with the EMG's you have to buy batteries. So basically it's up to you to decide. Choices choices choices! But know this, there are other choices out there for pick-ups too. Plus before you decide to go the pick-up switch, I recommend you look at your pots first. A better set of pots on your guitar is cheaper and you just might get what you are seeking. Because with after market up graded pick-ups, you will still have to take a look at your pots because it's like this, just because you switch from a 6 cylinder to a V8 doesn't mean you will have a faster running car if you still have the exact same carburetor. So check your pots first.😊
This video comparison is reality SH8 is real huge & big tone but EMG81 deserve for oldschool metal high output with bite & sharp tone and more sustain pickups.
Nice. I think the SD sounds better clean and the EMG sounds better distorted. Tough choice.
My favorite pickups for metal music in general: EMG81 > INVADER > everything else including blackwinter and nazgul
I put a pair of invaders on my cheap Dean Vendetta. It sounds so heavy!
Excellent demo🤘🔥🤘only thing I'd reccomend is the harnesses pot values and pickup output ohmage. Especially for coil tapping and what not. I wish there was more straight up IN DEPTH NERD talk🤘🔥🤘 AWESOME DEMO!!!!
3:31 3:43 🤘💪😈 3:55 4:06
Awesome video The Invader sounds amazing
Would you mind to compare the Invader to a Hot Rail? They have almost the exact same EQ and are made out of the exact same materials. Would be very curious to hear them compared. Thanks for reading and thanks for the vid! 🙏
I liked the 81 better for the second distorted riff. It sounded totally massive while chugging. But for the rest of the riffs, I thought the sh-8 was as good or better than the 81.
So so close but the invaders sounded a bit warmer... but just as bright as the emgs.. the invaders sounded like it had just a but more volume n a smidge, a hair more of a bite to them. My personal opinion is ya cant go wrong with either!
The emg sounded a little harsh in comparison but was definitely tighter.
its so feaking hard to decide between pickups
The Only pickup to rival the EMG 81 or the Hett Set Is the Invader. Invaders are the go to for EVERYTHING but play with your ears and hands :)
I have a 90s invader in my shed Ive had it since 2005 and hated it back then but maybe ill pull it out and see if its any good I have seen a few decent reviews of them
Seymour Duncan ♧
PASIVAS YEAH
i think duncans sounds way more agressive because of some more lows, and is it me but everytime i hear active pickups it sounds like line 6 amp? so electronic? not a complaint just taste wise, because i always thought i like the emg and line 6 lectronic sound intill i tried passive pickups and tube amps and "better" solid state amps.
Without a doubt the invader wins! More real, organic and human!
Invader (and all passives) for cleans, and EMG 81 for drive.
For clean tone, I'm surprised they sound similar. Under a lot gain, SH8 is way fuller in the mid than 81.
Nb: I'm still waiting your comparison of SH-16. I'm very curious of that one.
You can really hear that on the last riff 🤔
The Invader sounds great. Just ordered one. Are you using 250k or 500k pots?
always use the 500k once. They open up the voice of the humbucker. 250 are fine for single coils.
Cheers!
Great series of comparison video, I wondered if you mind to do a comparison of the Invader with Dimebucker?
Everything was so close until we hit distortion invader is so muddy almost sounds like a line 6 spider i cant get the clarity from them
Jackson® High-Output Humbucking (stock low end pickups/) vs EMG 81, please :)
you can change capacitor on invader cause is passive...on active not...you can put more mids and a little bit of presence and treble and less bass....depends a lot on your speaker too... ge-7 or mxr 10 band gives a nice mid boost with sad face too. I use emg 81 85. for 10 years now and prefer the invader...maybe i'll gonna change it or put in other guitars. And keep in mind...i've put in ibanez and GIBSONS. EMG NOT ALWAYS SOUNDED GOOD. Only in two of my guitars. They are both PRS. And invader...hummm don't put it on gibsons because your low end will xplode
the riff on the 1:49 sound like a song but i cant remind whitch one, is it any song you know?
Invaders. Hands down
Invader sounds way better for cleans, however I'd grab an EMG any day for high gain distortions. So much tighter.
I own a Fender Player HSS Stratocaster (alder body, maple neck and ebony fingerboard). I recently got an SH-8 Invader humbucker and I have a question: which single coils will work well with this pickup? I will also add that I play heavy music such as rock and metal. Rock on, guys...🤘
invader sounds deeper, fuller and more emotive. But most importantly, it sounds like it came out of HELL!
Ill take 2 invaders please....
For years i liked emg....id put 24v mod in it...but there was things about that not good in that if you have even active single coils, those are weaker and unless you have wiring set up to have just the bridge 24v for bridge, it destroyed the clarity of those single coils...like, the emg-sv which I still stand behind but 24v made what made it just beautiful and well..ruined it.... i just bought a HSH and i think it needs 2 invaders but theres that (s) in the middle...i had a Seymour duncan STK in a jackson i really liked.. i may return to that...only problem is the new trem on my HSH needs to be pulled out and replaced with a GOTAH floyd rose...so it may be i can do this in steps... thank you for the video... i kind of knew the invader would be better.. your video confirmed that..
Damian
el invader tiene mas cuerpo sonando la guitarra sola pero en el contexto de banda el emg se mezcla mejor y tiene mas ataque
Im getting an invader/sentient combo to swap out my 81/85 but am now like should I? The 81 as an amazing metal riff pickup but I feel like invader/passives add more to the tone . The emg is just so tight and clear under high gain
Upon getting my invader pickups I also noticed this. My very simple remedy was to use a tiny bit of compression but don't use too much or harmonics will be impossible to grab. I havnt modified my settings in quite a while however if I remember correctly I think I used threshold maybe an 8th or even a 16th of the way turned up and released also just a hair but turned up you don't need very much but if you don't the feedback is going to be a bitch to tame the invaders are super sensitive and pick up all kinds of noises which is a nightmare when tracking however the huge pro to these bad boys is you can legit throw as much bass as you want at them and they just handle it beautifully
The EMG sounds thinner. Invaders have a fuller sound.
Metallica used invaders on Master album...i found a green one gonna put it in my Ibanez
I've had an invader in my Rhoads since. 05. Think it's time to take her out of storage.
One thing i noticed is invader do not have a trembucker version, do they work fine on Floyd Rose bridge guitars?
There's not any noticeable difference in sound between a F-spaced pickup and a non-F-spaced pickup, just the visual disalignment with the individual magnets depending on the guitar.
@@mikestamper thank you so much for the information Mike! I have an Invader set which i was hesitant to install on a Floyd Rose guitar so that's a valuable insight!
Invader sounded fuller and the emg sounded brighter or almost like it wasnt as hot as the invader
i used emg 81 & 85 on all my guitars
Had an Invader when I was a teenager and all I can say is, it's a teenager pickup :D. It's always breaking up.
Do you mean the tone breaks up with distortion? What do you not consider a teenager pickup? I'm searching for some new pickups is why I am asking
@@aegisreflector1239 feels like you have a built in clean boost
Was looking for Invader review & found this channel. And if anybody can help me with the 3rd song title? Really appreciate it.
I got to give the win to the invader here, it just seems to have more gain to Me, Maybe it seems that way because it's what I'm listening to it through
.....which right now? Is a fucking phone!
These are very close pickups, but I prefer the 81s since they look better to me, defiantly both have a more classic metal/rock sound to me.
Invader vs Hetset!
The invaders sounder better on all clean settings
I have an invader in my synyster gates guitar and the clean sounds like shit but it’s the best thing I’ve heard when you crank up the gain
EMG81 is a Legend, though not versatile and those high-mids can be itchy. Invader sounds a bit too fat, I have to try it out)
Which neck pickup goes with the Invader?
can i put this one on my Ibanez RG 350M
Metallica used both pickups I prefer the invaders though.
Metallica use EMGs but the SD Invader is a great pickup for Metal.
@@kanalR3DX Now use emg, before invader
@@kanalR3DX Hetfields Jackson King V had Seymour Duncan invaders and in ‘87 replaced them with emgs bc Hammet switched to them.
what's the second distortion song?
EMG
⚡
Классный интересный обзор.
Invader all the way
I think the 85 would sound closer
At most times it sounded like the Duncan had more volume than the EMG, which is pretty shocking.
that is because the EMGs slightly compress the signal they feed the amp. i describe the sh-8 sound as "more open" or some would say "organic". it's amazing to me how close the two sound through distortion, though.
Active pickups are able to give out high current, while they aim for pretty standard volume (voltage) level. I mean, they aren't designed to be loud as hell..
4:18-4:36 - that riff sounds familiar. What's song is that from?
Over half if this video was wasted on clean tones that no one gives a shit about.
Invader is way too dark when distorted and too shrill when clean.
Same sound??
EMG cuts better in the mix, the amount of bass in invader is really useless and makes it annoying to work with.
I really like that bass in the clean sound though.
it depends on the genre
EMG wins, too much pointless lows on the Invader.
EMG