It depends on the sound you are looking for. Chuck Schuldiner (of Death fame) uses DiMarzio x2n pickups, which he describes as "the key to his sound." I would reccommend either these or Supra distortions, both very clear with high output. (btw- EMG's, being active pickups, are cross-wired and are very difficult to install, especially in a guitar with passive pickups. And active pickups need batteries.)