have you tried a 57 ? or an 85 ?
Both remove that top end clang you dont like. Tbh, I mostly attribute that top end you dislike with Ceramic magnets which the 81 is.
Alnico always seems rounder and smoother to me and avoids that (unless you use plenty of EQ adjusting in the signal chain)
I tried using an 85..still hated it. I just don't like EMGs and I've never heard one I really dug. Except the Het Set. If I recall, I liked those but certainly not enough to buy them or want a guitar with them. I'm a passive kind of player.