I've been meaning to post a review of my Emeralds for a while now, as they don't seem to get much representation here outside of Slarti's review of them being too bright for his PRS.
I've got a set in a Gibson LP Classic '17, and they are fantastic. All the balls I could ever need (I prefer them to the JB in my V for metal, the bridge is super tight) but a very definite PAF character.
The Emerald bridge is bright, but not in a harsh or brittle way - in fact, it's FAT. It sounds oxymoronic, but in the right guitar, every note has a lot of weight to it. So for classic rock crunchy chords, which is where I'd say it's most at home, it sounds like a bright PAF, but with no loss of detail in the mids and a tight bottom end. Single notes are fat and weighty, and there's a sweetness/roundness to the very top end - it won't scream like the JB does.I don't really notice the brightness until I plug my V in and I have to check that I haven't switched to the neck by mistake, as outside of leads the JB feels much rounder.
The neck is very, very fat and creamy. It's hot by neck standards, certainly much hotter than the 59 I've got paired with the JB in the V. But all that means is there's a pleasant evenness to everything and a wonderful depth to chords and cleans. Supremely clear, but without the chime or brightness you'd get from the 59 or, say, a Mule neck. Turn on the gain and it's big, fat and commanding. Again, all the notes have a weight to them, like an underlying solidness that's very reassuring.
The Emeralds a definitely a hot PAF set, but still very much a PAF set. They don't sound especially modern, but they do modern things very well. The guitar they're in replaced my old Epi LP which was stolen; that had Mules in it and if the Abraxas is Mules on steroids, the Emeralds are Mules on a high protein diet and a full-time gym regime. There's still the character, but they're leaner and more specialised at being bridge and neck pickups - they feel like opposites that complement each other perfectly rather than the same pickup tweaked for position.
I hope that's made sense, I will write up a proper review in its own post soon, but for now I hope it helps you get an idea of the sound and whether or not it's useful to you.
