Zakk Wylde Pickups

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The EMG 81, an active humbucker guitar pickup by EMG, Inc., is often regarded as a lead pickup for bridge position use in conjunction with the EMG 85 as a rhythm pickup in the neck position; Zakk Wylde is known for this configuration. Some guitarists even utilize two EMG 81s in both neck and bridge positions, such as Kirk Hammett's EMG-KH21 pickup sets. The EMG 81 is favored due to its high output and consistent sound during string bends, thanks to its rail magnet design that maintains a constant "rail." Traditional pickups have individual polepieces under each string, which can lose signal strength as the string bends away from the polepiece. The EMG 81 is identifiable by its dark grey humbucker body and silver embossed EMG logo.