47 Guitars with EMG Pickups – Plus 3 Best Ones

Last Updated on November 26, 2022 by Teemu Suomala

EMGs have been a weapon of choice for many legendary guitarists from James Hetfield to Jim Root, and from Alexi Laiho to Jeff Hanneman. EMG pups have shaped the sound of metal for decades (founded in 1976).

So if you are a metalhead, it’s no wonder you are here. Getting mean-sounding pickups that will serve you well in your next metal jams is a killer idea. Personally, I have been shredding ESP LTD MH-400 equipped with EMG 81 (bridge) & EMG 85 (neck) since 2012. These pups really chug. And since I also like the aggressive tone of active pickups, I was happy to put together this article listing the cream of the crop guitars with EMG pickups. I also reveal the 3 best ones. If you have any questions, just check the FAQ section or leave a comment.

Let’s get started!

Author: Teemu Suomala

I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I also noticed that most guitar websites don’t do a really good job, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website. I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar. I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog(I guess that went the right way…).

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EMG Pickups

EMG pickups have magnets with copper coils around them like any other electric guitar pickup. But they also have a preamp circuit and battery to power up the signal and circuitry.

35 Guitars with EMG Pickups

ESP LTD EC-401 is one of the best guitars with EMG pickups under $1000(the best EMG single-cut under $1000 in my opinion). It’s equipped with EMG 60 & EMG 81 humbuckers (Hetfield used these back in the day) and these pups offer killer thrash metal sound. Playability is comfortable (not the best upper-fret access tho) and the value for the money is high.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $380-499

$$= $500-899

$$$= $900-1299

$$$$= $1300-1899

$$$$$= $1900-

*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂

If you want more guitars with EMG 81 and EMG 85 or EMG 81 and EMG 60 pickups to choose from, check these articles: 21 Guitars with EMG 81 & 85 Pickups – Plus 3 Best Ones & 23 Guitars with EMG 81 & 60 Pickups – Plus 3 Best Ones.

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3 Best Guitars with EMG Pickups – My Favorites

Best Budget – Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR

What I like

• Smooth Hard Rock Maple neck
• A really thin neck (1.625″nut) and thin C neck shape make playing easy for my small hands
• EMG RetroActive pickups offer well-balanced but aggressive sound
• Easy access to truss rod from the bottom of the neck
• Great all-around quality

What I don’t like

• A compound radius would be just awesome

Who is it for?

If you are after an affordable metal machine with aggressive EMG pickups, Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR is one of the best options. It offers great value and there’s almost nothing to complain about for this price.

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Best Overall – ESP LTD EC-1000 Vintage Black

What I like

• Great metal tones
• Stunning looks
• Spot on the action and smooth neck make this axe comfortable to play
• Works well with small hands too
• Versatile
• High quality
• Tons of different color options are available
• You can get LTD EC-1000’s with tons of different extra features from piezo pickups to Floyd rose

What I don’t like

• Upper fret access is not great
• The use of plastic nut feels a bit cheap for this price

Who is it for?

I’ve been lovin’ this guitar since I first tried it out a couple of years ago. With this axe, you get excellent value for money. It’s built for metal but can handle different music too. For people who mostly play metal, but want to explore other genres too, this guitar is definitely worth the money.

And another awesome thing is that there are so many different versions of this guitar available. Versions with:

• Evertune bridge
• Seymor Duncan pickups
• Floyd Rose
• Piezo pickup
• etc.

I know, it can be hard to decide which one, but it’s awesome that there’s an LTD EC-1000 for almost everyone. It’s an awesome, versatile metal machine, and this version with EMG pickups is one of the best options out there (the one with the Fishman Fluence pups is awesome too).

You can read my full review of ESP LTD EC-1000 here.

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Best Premium – ESP LTD TE-1000ET Koa

What I like

• Evertune bridge and LTD locking tuners will keep the guitar in tune
• A thin U neck with a 1.653″ nut width makes this axe smooth to shred
• Comfortable to play
• Stays in tune well
• Premium quality
• Not that expensive

What I don’t like

• The use of plastic nut feels a bit cheap for this price

Who is it for?

If you are looking for a premium-level guitar with EMG pickups and smooth playability that doesn’t require you to apply for a second mortgage, ESP LTD TE-1000ET Koa is a great option. It does have a plastic nut, which is a bummer (doesn’t ruin the guitar tho), but if you replace that, this guitar is a true pro-premium-level beast.

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FAQ

What Are EMG Pickups Good For?

EMGs are active pickups, and they are made for playing metal. They offer hot & heavy sound. They can handle softer music too, no question about it. We all have heard beautiful clean segments played in metal ballads, and many times, EGMs were used to play those parts too. And as you can see from the EMGs artist page, most of the guitarists there are associated with metal.

Are EMG Pickups Good?

EMG pickups are a good option especially for metal. They handle rock and hard rock really well too. They are not the best choices for jazz, blues, funk, and country. But still, EMGs are usually surprisingly versatile.

What EMG Pickups Does Metallica Use?

Nowadays James Hetfield’s ESP signature guitars come with EMG JH-N Active Humbucker & EMG JH-B Active Humbucker. James has previously used  EMG-81 (bridge) and the EMG-60 (neck).

Kirk Hammet’s ESP signature guitars usually come with 2 x EMG Bone Breaker Active Humbucker. Kirk has previously used EMG KH-21s (Dual 81’s).

Do EMG Pickups Work Without Batteries?

No. EMG makes active pickups and they require a battery in order to power up the signal and preamp circuitry.

Alternatives to EMG Pickups

The main alternative to EMG pickups are Fishman Fluence pickups. They use completely different technology and are more versatile. Check some cool guitars with Fishmna Fluence pickups out and learn more here: 33 Guitars with Fishman Fluence Pickups – Plus 3 Best Ones.

Guitar Brands Using EMG Pickups

Here are a couple of great guitar brands that frequently use EMG pickups:

• ESP
• Jackson
• Schecter
• Harley Benton

Here are a couple of brands that sometimes use EMG pickups:

• Kramer
• Fender
• Ibanez
• Dean
• Cort
• Suhr

Conclusion on Guitars with EMG Pickups

EMGs are one of my favorite active pickups. And the most legendary to me for sure. They do offer mean sound, and many popular metal masterpieces are shredded by using them. That’s why getting a guitar with EMGs is usually a solid choice for metalheads. With them, you can achieve sound really close to those metal masterpieces.

I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

Now go, my son, and Rock!