EMG Announces New James Hetfield Set of Active Pickups
Yes ladies and gentlemen, front man for one of the most iconic bands on the planet — James Hetfield of Metallica — has a new signature set from EMG. Since 1976, EMG has been a long time manufacturer of guitar pickups including the widely-used EMG 81, 85 and 89.
You will rock JUST LIKE James Hetfield when these pickups come out on 5/18.
So would you like to know how these super-slick-looking pickups came to be? EMG says:
“The JH Set is a totally new dimension for EMG with the design being driven solely with the input of James Hetfield. In early 2009 James Hetfield contacted EMG Pickups president Rob Turner and presented him with a challenge: to create a ‘stealth’ looking set that captures the clarity and punch of a passive pickup and still retains the legendary active tone that molded a generation.
“Featuring sleek black nickel plated caps and EMG’s Solderless Installation System™ components, the JH Set consists of the JH-N (neck) and the JH-B (bridge). Both pickups were patterned after the pickups James has used for 30 years but the end result was a completely different animal.
“The JH-N has individual ceramic poles and bobbins that feature a larger core and are taller than the 60. This produces more attack, higher output, and fuller low end in the neck position. The JH-B uses the same type of core but has steel pole pieces, unlike the 81 that uses bar magnets. This produces the familiar tight attack with less inductance for a cleaner low end.”
To become the Master of Pickups, you can pick these up on May 18th for MSRP $299.99