n00b questions inside...Miracle Man vs. EMG + Bridge/Neck ..

[Matt \M/]

Yo
Sorry if this has been asked before...

I can't seem to find any info on the exact output of an EMG 81 in the bridge... how does a miracle man compare?  Is it as hot?

Also, assuming a bridge p'up had an high output of 15-17 k DC (ish),  would installing a neck p'up of 8-9ish be too much of a difference?

(Had in mind a Miracle Man/Mule set for an LP)

Cheers in advance

[Steve-Mr Pig 2U]

Out put wise they are pretty simular. I dont think that you'll have much of a problem with balance, We've sold quite a few MM/Mule sets and have had good results. forum member hobleguitars has one actually, so hopefully he will chime in!

[Miracle Man Matt]

In my experience as I have an EMG 81 and a Miracle Man, the MM is not quite as hot as the EMG 81, however it pulls clearer harmonics and is ALOT clearer and smoother sounding! People say that the 81 is the ultimate metal PU as it is very tight and doesn't mud up so much.  I actually find the MM clearer and alot tighter than the 81 and has a more pronounced top end.  The bass is even tighter and is alot heavier than the 81, althought the 81 has alot more mid to it.

bearing in mind that the 81 is in an all mahogany guitar and the MM is in an all maple guitar.

I reckon that the MM would sound killer in an LP style guitar.

[Tim]

It's actually quite hard to determine output comparisons on paper as the EMG is active and low impedance and the Miracle Man is passive and high impedance.
From experience, not only of making them but playing them in my guitars(I too have had an 81!!)I would say the MM has a slightly higher resonant peak and therefore sound smore open and less compressed than an 81.The bass response is similar-nice and tight-andthe overall tone of the MM has more character.

[MDV]

Having had an 81 in the same guitar I currently have a MM in, I agree with the above from MMM and TIm, but would say that the MM is certainly heavier sounding, bass accentuates more in palm mutes and chords sound richer and thicker.

The MM is much smoother and more fluid. Its less compressed sounding as well.

I'd estimate the 81 has 15-20% more output (subjectively, of course), but its all in high end sizzle, the MM is the thicker, heavier sounding pickup.

Edit: I need to read harder and sleep more! Apologies for the useless repetition of info in this post!

Something else to note about the MM/81 comparison: the MM has much better cleans!

[hobleguitars]

The MM is what the 81 should have been - it has everything you could want for shred and thrash and is damn fine for nigh on every metal subgenre - when they say the bass response is tight, hearing really is believing. Accompanying my Mule I've actually discovered a sweet clean sound I wasn't able to get with my Lindy Fralins (in my LP), which is fantastic, and on its own, the MM provides some slightly harsh, but surprisingly useable tone.

For blues/pop-clean, I find the Mule neck is perfect, and a quick flick of the pickup selector pushes me into my screaming solos on the MM. I'd say it's a much better combination in practise than on paper.