NPD! EMG 57

[mcleanab]

Man oh man...

I'm fixing up an old guitar and needed a new pickup. The EMG 85 has been the standard for damn near 30 years... I've tried the 81, 81x, 60a for my standard high gain/leads and cleans... 85 beat 'em all... I own the HA, HAX, SAV and SAVX that are in other guitars...

I figured I'd try the 57 thinking that I'd have to do a shoot out and record a whole bunch to really hear a difference... NOPE. Immediately noticed a huge difference... I started with the clean channel on my ISP Theta and wow the tone was clear, smooth, round and open... lots of rich complex mids and great highs that didn't spike at all... really lovely.

Shifted gears to the high gain stuff and got a searing tone that seems equal in output to the 85, but same characteristics of smooth, round, open and RICH... very articulate on fast leads, huge sounding chords... I'm stunned. I love my 85, don't get me wrong... but I am super impressed with the 57... lots of punch in the low end - so much so, I had to turn down the low end on the Theta just a hair... so much tone!!!

Do yourself a favor... if you are a fan of EMG, get the 57... I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, but damn it's nice...

 

[The Q]

Yeah but certainly not the boring soapbar-ish version!

 

[Grindspine]

I really dislike the 85 for everything. I am a fan of the 81 (at 18 volts particularly) though.

I did get to play through a few guitars with the 57/66 set lately. What did impress me was the 66. It is so clear and has a chime to it that an 85 just cannot touch in the neck position!

 

[mcleanab]

I really dislike the 85 for everything. I am a fan of the 81 (at 18 volts particularly) though.

I did get to play through a few guitars with the 57/66 set lately. What did impress me was the 66. It is so clear and has a chime to it that an 85 just cannot touch in the neck position!

I don't have any guitars that have a hum bucker in the neck position. (Well, my Ibanez semi hollow, but it's home to my EMG HA and HAX pickups with the HAX in the neck... used for cleans only, not high gain). I'll be sure to check out the 66 at some point...

The 85 was always chunky and smooth to my ears... loved it in the bridge position for high gain or cleans... I tried to like the 81, but it's always a bit sterile and thin to my ears... my nephews swear by the 81 and they, like lots of folks who use the 81, make some killer music with serious tone... just never did it for me...

I just spent a few hours wailing away with the 57... my whole arms hurt! It's so good! It almost seems more dynamic than the 85... I can only imagine the 66 sounds just as good...

 

[Grindspine]

I am impressed that EMG could make such a difference in the pickups.

From what I gather, the Het Set was pretty much a tweaked 81 and 60 that added pole pieces (steel and ceramic respectively) to replace the blade. Along with the newer preamp design with less fizz and more dynamics, that was a winner.

They seem to have applied the same logic and the same pole piece arrangement in the 57/66. I know that the 66 had a sound that I would have expected from a ceramic single coil, but it also had some warmth. The combo of an alnico mag under ceramic poles really made something special happen with that pickup.

From the short time playing the 57, it does sound more dynamic overall. I think it is just the overall feel of A5 pickups that I rarely get past. They always seem to lack the attack that ceramic has for me. I did not get to play it cranked, so did not get a great comparison to how that compared to the 85. Besides, I kept switching to the 66 at the neck to play with it some more.

 

[Devyn Eclipse Nav]

I definitely can't wait to throw a 57-8 into my Iron Label RG8, so the fact that you're pleased the 57 makes me really excited. HNPD man!

Also, that guitar looks sick, what is it?

 

[mcleanab]

It's the opposite for me... I dig the Alnico pickups... much more warmth to my ears.

Guitar: Charvel Wild Card #6 Dreamsicle. It's a bad ass guitar.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I used to have an 18V modded 85 and it was awesome, but I was really impressed when I tried the 57/66 set in a 2014 Schecter it's a world different from the normal EMG fare for sure

 

[mcleanab]

Zeno: here's a shot or two of the whole guitar...





It's the finest instrument I've ever played... crossing my fingers for a Jake E. Lee... but that might a few years! And it might be sacrilege, but it's possible if I do get a hold of a Jake, I'd replace the pickups with EMG's...

 

[mcleanab]

Odd question related to the 57...

Has anyone tried putting the 66 in the bridge position? I know it's voiced for the neck, but I'd be damn curious how it might sound...

 

[that short guy]

Congrats on the 57 man. I'm glad you like it. I know I love mine.

 

[JeffTD]

The 57 is my favorite pickup, period. I've loved it in every guitar (6 and 7 string) I've put it in, and don't see that changing any time soon.

That said, I'm honestly amazed that people still use photobucket.

 

[mcleanab]

The 57 is my favorite pickup, period. I've loved it in every guitar (6 and 7 string) I've put it in, and don't see that changing any time soon.

That said, I'm honestly amazed that people still use photobucket.

I'm inclined to agree... I got my old guitar back that is loaded with an EMG 85 and it still sounds great, but just a bit "flat" compared to the 57... I'm still in the honeymoon phase with the 57, but man it's damn fine... I might get another one, but I'm going to wait a bit and see when the newness is gone...

What's wrong with Photobucket? Is it going the way of Myspace?



EDIT: and the pole pieces give the pickup a sexy as hell look...