Central to the Schecter Hellraiser guitars, this is one of EMG’s most popular pickups, the 81  that started a revolution. The EMG 81 uses powerful ceramic magnets and close aperture coils to give its tone incredible amounts of high end cut, detailed intensity, and fluid sustain. Most often used in the bridge position, with this pickup your leads will cut right through any mix. Most often paired with the 85 in the neck position, this pickup has found its way into the guitars of some of the greatest players on the planet, and yet it still manages to be misunderstood by a wide swath of musicians.

Now an EMG classic is taken to a new level with the 81TW humbucking pickup. The dual-mode design allows for maximum flexibility, with the original 81 providing all the crunch and aggressiveness it’s famous for and an all new single-coil that features a fatter tone with plenty of punch and clarity. The versatility of changing coil modes is easily accomplished with a push/pull pot. Dual internal preamps, one tuned for single-coil mode and the other for dual-coil mode, give the 81TW two distinct sounds while delivering EMG’s well known noise cancelling technology in both modes.

If you’ve used an EMG-81 before, your first impression of the 81TW will be very much what you’re used to.It has the same strength, definition, and clarity in the mid-range, the big low-end with very percussive muted string rhythms, and the screaming upper harmonics of the high-end. This tone works great for lead riffs and heavy chords alike, and the tightness on the lows is brought out even more when you drop the tuning, explaining why today’s modern rock players love these pickups.Anyone who has wished for something just a little cleaner when using an EMG-81 will love this pickup. But it still rocks as hard as the original. Put it close to the strings and watch your amp sing like never before with your Schecter Hellraiser.

Pulling out the push-pull pot to give a single coil-type sound yields a pleasant surprise, as it gives a much more Strat-like sound.The sound is sparkling and clean, similar to an EMG model SA single coil pickup, almost in country music territory.  You will appreciate this pickup if you’re looking for a hard-rocking pickup that’s suitable for everything from classic rock to new metal.  Standard in every Schecter Hellraiser.

Which guitar should I buy? Schecter or Ibanez?

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