Nuno Filipe
You talkin' to me?
Maybe I am becoming deaf because I didnt hear much difference. I wouldnt pay more money for the most expensive one. If I cant hear it in the guitars alone, much less I will hear anything in a full mix.
YT: EMG 81 vs 57/66
- Thread starter Jaymz
- Start date
BearOnGuitar
Member
Thanks for creating this comparison! I just decided on purchasing a 57/66 set for my next guitar and trying them out on 24v. I love EMGs for their tone and had the 81/85 sets and 707s in all my guitars so far. I'm hoping that the 57/66 set with 24v will offer much more dynamics, closer to a the dynamics of a passive pickups.
Josh Burgess
Member
It's pretty surprising to me how similar they sound here, honestly. Is the 57 modeled after the 81 in any way? I kinda assumed it would have a more smooth tone with a lot of low mids like the the 85/707/808 due to it using alnico magnets instead of ceramic, like the 81. Maybe they wanted it to have a similar voicing, just a little less harsh?
I haven't yet tried the 57/66 set, but I'm not sure I would like them based on this. I thought I would, but maybe not, considering I generally always like the 85/707/808 and didn't like the 81-7 very much at all when I tried it. I've heard plenty of albums with the 81 I love the sound of, but it doesn't really feel right to me for my own playing... too thin and harsh (which I've always associated to be more from the ceramic magnet more than the voicing.)
I haven't yet tried the 57/66 set, but I'm not sure I would like them based on this. I thought I would, but maybe not, considering I generally always like the 85/707/808 and didn't like the 81-7 very much at all when I tried it. I've heard plenty of albums with the 81 I love the sound of, but it doesn't really feel right to me for my own playing... too thin and harsh (which I've always associated to be more from the ceramic magnet more than the voicing.)
Rex Rocker
Call me Hugo!
I don't think there's anything "official" on the matter, but there's been a lot of speculation regarding its similarities to the 81 and JH. People suspect it's one of the prototypes that James Hetfield mentions in an interview about his sig pickups.
Josh Burgess
Member
Spectivum
DisMember
Found this, 57 steals the show here as well. Convinced me over the 85 and I can hear the 85X is meh...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxEPYr-07wU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxEPYr-07wU
Josh Burgess
Member
BearOnGuitar
Member
I can't find the post or comment anymore but an EMG employee named Chrys Johnson said that the 57/66 set was developed by him, Rob Turner and Andy James, and that it has nothing to do with any James Hetfield or Dave Mustaine prototypes.
I was seriously worried about giving up the classic 81 for something else since i've used EMG's for 95% of the time i've played guitar and the sound/feel just seems natural to me....however I gotta say these aren't a million miles away/brand new pickup from scratch. It's more like a modded 81 with less high mids and more low end, two things that people have often criticized EMG's as having an overabundance of.
If you dig the EMG flavour then have no fear about losing any of that. It's like the goldilocks analogy....the 57 is just right
If you dig the EMG flavour then have no fear about losing any of that. It's like the goldilocks analogy....the 57 is just right
Rex Rocker
Call me Hugo!
Yeah, I had read the Dave Mustaine thing too. Interesting...
I really want to give it a try. Slightly beefier 81 seems like what I want. The JH is really cool too, though... guess I'll have to A/B them both.I was seriously worried about giving up the classic 81 for something else since i've used EMG's for 95% of the time i've played guitar and the sound/feel just seems natural to me....however I gotta say these aren't a million miles away/brand new pickup from scratch. It's more like a modded 81 with less high mids and more low end, two things that people have often criticized EMG's as having an overabundance of.
If you dig the EMG flavour then have no fear about losing any of that. It's like the goldilocks analogy....the 57 is just right
Matt-Steele
Member
I was seriously worried about giving up the classic 81 for something else since i've used EMG's for 95% of the time i've played guitar and the sound/feel just seems natural to me....however I gotta say these aren't a million miles away/brand new pickup from scratch. It's more like a modded 81 with less high mids and more low end, two things that people have often criticized EMG's as having an overabundance of.
If you dig the EMG flavour then have no fear about losing any of that. It's like the goldilocks analogy....the 57 is just right
Jaymz, totally agree with you here. I have a guitar with 707's in it and another with the 57-7/66-7 combo. I love both guitars and both sets of pickups. It just so happens that the 707's in this one particular guitar are the best 707's I've ever heard. But in comparison, there isn't a lot of difference. They both feel like EMG's. The 707's probably are a bit more compressed and are a bit more harsh, but some days, they are perfect for what I'm going for. The 57/66 on the other hand feel a little less compressed and more PAF sounding but with all the benefits of the EMG pickup, but it's really not worlds apart from the 707. At the end of the day, if they are EMG pickups, you're going to be ok. As long as they aren't the X series.
Rex Rocker
Call me Hugo!
Josh Burgess
Member
Jaymz, totally agree with you here. I have a guitar with 707's in it and another with the 57-7/66-7 combo. I love both guitars and both sets of pickups. It just so happens that the 707's in this one particular guitar are the best 707's I've ever heard. But in comparison, there isn't a lot of difference. They both feel like EMG's. The 707's probably are a bit more compressed and are a bit more harsh, but some days, they are perfect for what I'm going for. The 57/66 on the other hand feel a little less compressed and more PAF sounding but with all the benefits of the EMG pickup, but it's really not worlds apart from the 707. At the end of the day, if they are EMG pickups, you're going to be ok. As long as they aren't the X series.
I don't agree with this at all. The 707s and 81-7s I've compared sound and feel drastically different from each other. In the clip posted here, the 81 and 57 sounded pretty damn similar (just with the the 57 being a little less harsh)... so, I don't think the 707 would be all that similar sounding. The 85/85-7/707/808 are more round and warm sounding pickups. The 707 and 808 have extra treble, but they aren't harsh... they have a lot more low mids and feel more liquidy/round/smooth, whereas the 81 and 81-7 feel more rigid and sound more harsh with the sharp upper mids.
I've got 707's in my Loomis but i'd like to compare them to the 57-7's. Interesting how that would work out...although i've never directly compared the 81-7 to the 707 myself i've heard plenty of comparisons and it's pretty much as above ^
Matt-Steele
Member
They are on my two guitars. Like I said, in comparison, the 707's are a bit more compressed and harsh to the 57-7/66-7 combo, but in general they are quite comparative to one another. Mind you, not every guitar I've played with 707's sounds like the guitar I'm speaking of. But the point of the discussion was at the end of the day be it 81-7, 707, 87-7 they all have the EMG character.
I am glad to have read this.... I have hear no difference between the 57 and 81 in high gain except maybe 10% less hi's. In the mix I would never hear it in fact not in the mix guessing I wouldn't know. It is there but subtle. Played clean you can tell a difference though. I have a LP custom with 81/85. Has anyone heard comparisons between the 66/60/85 in neck? I love 85 in neck for soloing. ala John Sykes.
