I have crossed over to the dark side! EMG 57/66

[ShatnersBassoon]

So, Im building a headless at the moment and wanted something that was capable of very modern progressive tones but with a hint of the vintage thrown in. Spurred on by sound clips and extensive research I have *gasp went the active route and bought a very competitively priced set of EMG 57/66 's. I understand it to be a typically highly defined active but with a hint of the PAF sonic palette thrown in. Looking forward to fitting them! Anyone here got any experience of these?

Edited December 3, 2019 by ShatnersBassoon

[mistermikev]

emg was making a lot of passive models at one point... they did not go over well.  For so long they dominated the marked among all metal-heads and as such commanded top dollar... but never really used it to try to innovate.  Now that the tide has turned and folks just seem to hate on EMG (not for bass so much) you can get their stuff for much more reasonable prices.  What I'm getting at is I bet they are great... but I bet they won't be all that well received because the timing is wrong.  I hope they redeem themselves with much more innovation.  I'd kind of like to try a set as I've read about these and thought they might be interesting.  You'll have to let us know how you like them. 

[curtisa]

I used the 57/66 combo on a fan fret build a few years ago. They were a pleasant surprise in deviating from the hyper-clean, typical EMG81 sound that they became known (and to some, loathed) for in the mid 80s. They are clean, but they do have that vintage lower-mid push of a passive humbucker.

Don't expect true PAF tones, but do expect something a little more wholesome than your typical active pickup. They should be a good pairing for a modern prog metal axe. Both Chris Letchford and Devin Townsend demo them on the EMG TV Youtube channel, and you'd be hard pressed to consider their sounds lacklustre for the styles of music they do.

[ShatnersBassoon]

13 hours ago, curtisa said:

I used the 57/66 combo on a fan fret build a few years ago. They were a pleasant surprise in deviating from the hyper-clean, typical EMG81 sound that they became known (and to some, loathed) for in the mid 80s. They are clean, but they do have that vintage lower-mid push of a passive humbucker.

Don't expect true PAF tones, but do expect something a little more wholesome than your typical active pickup. They should be a good pairing for a modern prog metal axe. Both Chris Letchford and Devin Townsend demo them on the EMG TV Youtube channel, and you'd be hard pressed to consider their sounds lacklustre for the styles of music they do.

Sounds roughly what I’m aiming for.  I was tempted to get the 81/85 set but was hesitant on account of worries about them being a bit of a one trick pony and having a slightly clinical sound. 

[willliam_q]

I was going to start my own topic on this very subject but you beat me to it!  I have the ZAKK WYLDE set (81/85) in a prs se and really like them.  In a JCM800 they are definitely not a one trick pony.  I can get really good ac/dc tones with a little eq tweaks on the amp.

My current build is based on a Jackson Dinky but don’t want to go the 81/85 route again.  I’ve been looking at the 57/66 after seeing them on YouTube on the Richie Faulkner Epiphone guitar.  I reckon they could give great Classic rock/metal tones. 
 

I’m also seriously considering a pair of EMG 89’s for the versatility of the additional single coil and a bit of a thicker sound.  The JCM800 is a bit bright and the 89’s could work well with it.
 

The next dilemma I have is whether to get them in black chrome or the basic EMG black plastic finish.  I like both!

[JouniK]

Have you considered Fishman Fluence lineup? I am fitting Tosin Abasi 6-string set in to my headless build. Cannot wait to test these out.

[mistermikev]

11 minutes ago, JouniK said:

Have you considered Fishman Fluence lineup? I am fitting Tosin Abasi 6-string set in to my headless build. Cannot wait to test these out.

I wouldn't be opposed to trying them or anything, one of these days.