EMG KH20 Kirk Hammet

I'm already familiar with the sound of these EMGs so they're great for the style I play. The build quality overall seems very good and neat.

However, the pickguard doesn't fit properly with my '95 Mexico Strat. EMG and Thomann are of course not responsible for Fender's variations in specs over the decades. However, EMG is responsible for not publishing the schematic with the dimensions. It's such a simple thing to do and it will save a lot of grief. 3/5 stars because of this. Otherwise the product is great.

Ordering precut pickguards and loaded pickguards is always a gamble when there are no schematics available. I decided to "risk" it since the price was competitive and I was willing to DIY it to fit in case it wasn't a match plus I don't really care if there will be any cosmetic issues from the DIY.

For potential Mex Strat buyers, it will need about 3-4mm removed from the tremolo pocket side and at least half of the screw holes have to be re-drilled above their current position. The remaining empty holes can be "camouflaged" with some white tape behind the pickguard or can be filled with some white plastic filler. Better to use hand tools and patience instead of power tools like a dremel, to avoid mistakes that can't be repaired e.g. cutting out too much material. Don't expect perfection but the result will be good enough and the sound is great.

I ordered this to upgrade an Indonesian-made Squier Stratocaster.
My customer asked especifically for this set of pickups, because he is into metal and made me upgrade a other guitar to sport EMGs 81 and 85.
The pickguard is an exact retrofit for the original 11-screws Strat's with no need for extra routing. You don't even need a soldering gun, because the pickups are already connected and the output lugs are inserted directly in the output Jack, and these pickups don't need a ground wire being soldered to the tremolo claw.

Only downside for the instalation: these are active pickups, so you need a routing for the 9V battery in the rear of the guitar or install the battery below the pickguard...in the latter case, you will need to remove all the pickguard to change the battery.

In terms of sounds, It does exactly what you expect-: modern compressed heavy metal sounds in the Bridge (EMG81) and powerful but clearer single coil sounds in the other positions. The neck one is more mellow ant the middle more funky, but don't expect the bell-like quality of a Strat. All of this sounds with almost no hum.
Overall very satusfied

J'ai installé ce kit sur une Strat mexicaine standard, et j'avoue que la différence est incroyable. Aucun besoin de souder ni autre manipulation difficile, j'ai juste profité d'un changement de cordes pour l'installer. Inutile de se prendre la tete pour le logement de la pile, celle-ci trouve naturellement sa place dans les cavités de la guitare. Le son délivré est puissant en aigu grace au 81, mais les simples amènent un coté tres "Gilmourien", ce qui fait une assez grande polyvalence. Ce kit est tres différent du kit David Gilmour, mais se complete tres bien. C'est agréable de jouer sans ronflette !!