ZW Zakk Wylde Active Signature Humbucker 2-piece Pickup Set - Black Review

Easy Install

Sounds great. Seems to be clearer and fuller tone than the old style pickups. Also, no pesky lip on these pickups to catch my high e string on. That was really bothersome during gigs! And pleasantly surprised at how easy the install was. EMG also has a nice video showing how to install to supplement the written instructions and diagrams. A 9V battery fit in snug on my SG. I'll be… read more buying more of these for my other axes in the future.

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Great pickups, brought my old beater guitar back to life!

I own a few high end guitars, but my old 2003 Epiphone LP Studio is the one I keep out for "couch practice," haven't plugged it in for about 10 years and when I did, the wiring was fried. @Cliff Franklin in sales helped me pick these ones out and was pleasantly surprised with just how easy the install really was. Probably took about 45 minutes not including removing/replacing… read more strings. Plugged it in and the sound quality from this old Epiphone I bought brand new for $200 almost 20 years ago was insane - I'd say even on par with my Gibson LP Standard and Fender Ultra Tele. Worth noting - if your toggle switch is due for a replacement, I'd grab one of these EMG B289 Solderless Toggle Switches. With that, I was able to fully replace the electronics in my guitar with zero soldering - it's all plug-and-play. Not sure if Sweetwater carries those but worth asking - the switch is great.

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The absolute best

I've tried the newer brands but these are the good standard and I've installed them on over 30 guitars! Consistent sound and allows me to hear the differences in each guitars own tone so much better. Hot and beefy. I think the clean tones are absolutely fantastic! Don't listen to the idiots who wanna push the latest boutique pickups that sound shrilly or muddy. EMG has been the… read more standard for 30+ years for a reason. Worth every penny! The easy switch out plug wiring pushes them over the top for versatility and offer countless options. EMG user for 30 years and yes I've tried a LOT of pickups...

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Lethal.

I have a ZW Limited set, came in a Les Paul I bought. All I can say is WOW. Crisp and articulate, they really pick up on all the subtle nuances in your pick attack. Palm muting is vibrant and crunchy. They really bring the guitar to life. I'm addicted.

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They don't disappoint

My Jackson already had emghz's (emg h3). Being a huge fan of Zakk and KFK, I got a great deal on this set and couldn't pass it up. My volume pot was messing up anyway so I got home and tore into my guitar. If you order these, specify what kind of guitar, I couldn't and ended up with long shaft pots for a Paul. To excited to wait I installed anyway, these are solderless. O yea, did… read more I mention they're solderless. Brilliant idea &+&$"-+;'$$, those are hands clapping to emg. So I had a question, called emg, they're awesome too, got the answer and they sent me short shaft pots at no charge. I enjoyed installing them. So my night was great, then I was ready to plug in. My night got even better, my lack of sleep made work rough but worth it. I read something and didn't pay attention, but now I have an all tube Marshall ( purchased at Sweetwater, another great day) and these pickups really do shine through a tube amp.

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