EMG 57/66 compared to 81/85

[dsguitar1]

I'm thinking about swapping out the 81/85 combo in one of my Les Pauls for the 57/66 and just wondered what people thought of these pickups compared to the 81/85.

I've got great passive pups in other Les Pauls but I want to keep this one active so if this really does have more organic PAF like qualities but with the pro sides of the active this could be what I'm looking for, so if anyone has tried them please share your thoughts.

[littleredguitars2]

to me, they just sound like a less tight 81 in the few videos i've seen

[Alex]

EMG is dead to me.

To elaborate: way too expensive for what they are. I really just have no respect for a company who didn't bother to bring any sort of major update to its product line for a decade, relying on mostly on a few models for most of its existence, and are now trying to get back into the game which competitors have taken over.

[ericsabbath]

more like 3 decades  :lol:

[darkandrew]

I had a 57/66 set pre-installed in a LTD Elite Eclipse and have had the opportunity to compare them to both the new JH "Het" set and the traditional 81/60 combo (but not as yet an 81/85 combination).

First let's start with the 66 / 60 / JH neck pickups: The 66 is quite similar to the 60, possibly a little rounder in terms of having a tiny bit more mid but it is a very nice pickup, quite sweet and I'd imagine quite versatile. The JH neck, on the other hand, is tweaked a little in the other direction - ie. less mids and more bass/treble. It's a great sounding pickup for cleans (the best of all three probably) but is too scooped for high gain rhythm applications and such is not as versatile as the 66 which is probably the most versatile of the three.

Next the bridge 57 / 81 / JH bridge pickups: This is where the 57 really pulls in a different direction to the other two bridge pickups. Whereas the JH bridge is very, very tight with virtually no low end whatsoever and the 81 is also quite tight but also quite scooped in comparison, making it possibly the most popular "metal" pickup, the 57 has plenty of mids and is harmonically very rich (sounding not too dissimilar to a Holy Diver) but this harmonic richness makes it very unforgiving of sloppy technique (rich is why I had to let it go in the end - I've spent too many years as a bass player!).

Both the 57 and 66 pickups are slightly hotter than the 81 / 60 but not as hot as the JH set. I had a set Crawlers in another Eclipse and I would say they are pretty comparable in terms of output, with the 57 / 66 combo possibly being a little hotter but nowhere near as hot as the JH set.  ]

Aesthetically the 57/66 look really good in their brushed metal finish, the JH set look oddly out of place in their not-quite-black nickel finish when fitted in a guitar with standard black hardware and the 81/60 set look like lumps of dark grey plastic!

To sum up:

57/66 - Looks great, versatile but a little unforgiving of sloppy technique.
JH "Het" set - Great cleans on the neck pickup, ultra tight bridge (too tight?) and awkward black nickel finish.
81/60 - Slightly scooped bridge (good for most types of metal), OK neck (a bit of a compromise between good cleans and useable high-gain rhythm), grey plastic covers.

I hope this comparison helps a little - it's not that any of them are better or worse than any other (with the possible exception of the JH bridge which was surprisingly lightweight), it's more a case of finding the best one for your particular needs and playing style.

[dsguitar1]

I had a 57/66 set pre-installed in a LTD Elite Eclipse and have had the opportunity to compare them to both the new JH "Het" set and the traditional 81/60 combo (but not as yet an 81/85 combination).

First let's start with the 66 / 60 / JH neck pickups: The 66 is quite similar to the 60, possibly a little rounder in terms of having a tiny bit more mid but it is a very nice pickup, quite sweet and I'd imagine quite versatile. The JH neck, on the other hand, is tweaked a little in the other direction - ie. less mids and more bass/treble. It's a great sounding pickup for cleans (the best of all three probably) but is too scooped for high gain rhythm applications and such is not as versatile as the 66 which is probably the most versatile of the three.

Next the bridge 57 / 81 / JH bridge pickups: This is where the 57 really pulls in a different direction to the other two bridge pickups. Whereas the JH bridge is very, very tight with virtually no low end whatsoever and the 81 is also quite tight but also quite scooped in comparison, making it possibly the most popular "metal" pickup, the 57 has plenty of mids and is harmonically very rich (sounding not too dissimilar to a Holy Diver) but this harmonic richness makes it very unforgiving of sloppy technique (rich is why I had to let it go in the end - I've spent too many years as a bass player!).

Both the 57 and 66 pickups are slightly hotter than the 81 / 60 but not as hot as the JH set. I had a set Crawlers in another Eclipse and I would say they are pretty comparable in terms of output, with the 57 / 66 combo possibly being a little hotter but nowhere near as hot as the JH set.  ]

Aesthetically the 57/66 look really good in their brushed metal finish, the JH set look oddly out of place in their not-quite-black nickel finish when fitted in a guitar with standard black hardware and the 81/60 set look like lumps of dark grey plastic!

To sum up:

57/66 - Looks great, versatile but a little unforgiving of sloppy technique.
JH "Het" set - Great cleans on the neck pickup, ultra tight bridge (too tight?) and awkward black nickel finish.
81/60 - Slightly scooped bridge (good for most types of metal), OK neck (a bit of a compromise between good cleans and useable high-gain rhythm), grey plastic covers.

I hope this comparison helps a little - it's not that any of them are better or worse than any other (with the possible exception of the JH bridge which was surprisingly lightweight), it's more a case of finding the best one for your particular needs and playing style.

Thanks for the help found that very useful, on a high gain sound did you find the 57/66 to be warmer and more open sounding than the 81/60 ?

[gwEm]

I've been playing with some of the lesser known EMGs in the bridge position recently.

In fact the 58 (yes 58) and 60 both sound very nice there. A little more open and breathy. Still sound like EMGs though, but a bit more organic. The 60 is brighter, like an 81 but more open, the 58 is quite fat sounding but open again.

The 18v mod is for sure worth doing - audibly less compression

I used to quite like the 81 but have gone right off it now.

The single coil models - S and H - sound 'just good enough'. Rather boring, but they do the job. Maybe the new models with proper pole pieces do a better job. The H and S surely don't really sound like a strat ;)

I also have tried the EMG-HB, which is a humbucker sized P-bass pickup for Steinbergers and it sounds pretty good.

Thats my experience with EMGs ;) I'd still like to try the 60A and the SA/HA, but thats for another time.

[darkandrew]

I don't know if I would say that the 57/66 pickups are warmer? They don't have the 81's (and to some extent the 60's too) scoop and as such the low frequencies are less prominent and somewhat overshadowed by the louder (and more open) mids. They don't actually sound like traditional EMGs and to my ears have a lot more in common with a passive such as the Holy Diver. Personally I wanted that EMG sound but I know a lot of people don't like it and will welcome the 57/66.

[dsguitar1]

Do they still cut through the mix like the 81/85?

[FELINEGUITARS]

I liked the EMG58 best back when I was using EMGs - was something more like a P90

I still have one on a guitar that was started pre BKP (about 10 years ago) and the pickup is painted so I can't really change it at all
I do run it on 18v too !



I do wonder though if the BKP forum is really the best place for an EMG discussion.........

[Yellowjacket]

I do wonder though if the BKP forum is really the best place for an EMG discussion.........

AHAHA YA!  I just bought a guitar that comes stock with EMGs and I'm doing everything in my power  (waiting) to get them out as fast as possible (As soon as my BKP order comes in).

EMGs sound alright, but I think the feel is what really gets to me.  Like they're tight but the sort of sustain / response is really weird.  It's like when I'm soloing and holding notes, someone keeps on turning off the tap on me and the notes just kind of choke and die off for no reason.  I don't have this problem with passives  =-/ 

[dsguitar1]

I like my passive pickups just as much as actives, different tools for different things just in the same way I prefer Humbuckers for certain things and single coils for certain things.

"Mule or Warpig?" comes down to what you want it for as is the same for passive and active

[Yellowjacket]

Active vs Passive is kind of like Tube vs Solid State in my books; I like my pickups to have tone...  But this is probably the wrong forum to get in an argument about which flavour of ice cream we all prefer. 

[darkandrew]

But this is probably the wrong forum to get in an argument about which flavour of ice cream we all prefer.

I don't know, one of the many things that impresses me about this forum is its members' open mindedness. We all know there are other pickups available and we can have an open and honest conversation about all pickups in general, unlike someother pickup forums where members are banned if they talk about rival pickups - that's probably the main reason why even though I have some pickups by other makers I don't post on their forums (and why I'm slowly replacing all their pickups for BKPs).

[Toe-Knee]

But this is probably the wrong forum to get in an argument about which flavour of ice cream we all prefer.

I don't know, one of the many things that impresses me about this forum is its members' open mindedness. We all know there are other pickups available and we can have an open and honest conversation about all pickups in general, unlike someother pickup forums where members are banned if they talk about rival pickups - that's probably the main reason why even though I have some pickups by other makers I don't post on their forums (and why I'm slowly replacing all their pickups for BKPs).

If this place impresses you for that then the duncan forum is like a free for all. There's a lot of love for all brands over there even a few hybrid creations using coils from different manufacturers pickups together.