Please Help with pickup choices for my new ESP M-1

[chrisjd]

I have my new alder bodied/ebony board ESP M-1 comming in a day or two. The guitar comes stock with 1 emg 81 in the bridge.

My Framus Cobra and Dragon HATE the emg 81. My mahogony bodied guitars sound good with the 85 going through the framus heads, and AWESOME with my SD distortion pickups. I wasn't a huge fan of the blackouts.

I dont know if i should swap my 81 for an 85, or just pull all the emg components out and throw in another duncan distortion, custom, alternative 8or dimarzio super 3. maybe a tom anderson or bareknuckle?

Should i be putting a darker pickup in an alder guitar? I really want thick and cutting. I need a lot of midrange as well, i like a grinding tone.

I DUNNO!!!!

[Diurno]

In my ESP SV (alder body) i felt the 81 sounding like a razor...so i change it with the 85: another world! Now she's perfect!:rollin

[ESPVIPERCAMO]

i just tried the 85 in an iceman the other day for the first time, def had some chug, i would try the 85 if u want the mids

[Brian]

I have an 85 in my M-I. I had the shop swap it out before it came to me so I never heard what it sounded like with the 81. The 85 sounds terrific. It can even pull off some nice sounding cleans.

[Bridge The Void]

85 or 89, that'd be my first choice in a single pickup guitar.

[Ignoramus]

Just a suggestion, but you may want to just wait until you get the guitar and decide after several days of playing it. You may just surprise yourself.

Somewhat related, I swapped out the ESP humbucker in my M-II Deluxe with a SD Invader. Righteous! And better as it gets louder.

[D-EJ915]

invader =3

[borkthrone]

gibson 500 - T

[RejecterSR]

Blackout ne1?

[Llexileon]

gibson 500 - T

Man i love those pickups. the vintage dirty fingers from the 70s are awesome too.

[andrei]

EMG... 81

at least, like Ignoramus sayd, give it a shot... you're searching for pup's and haven't even heard the guitar yet.