Tell me about the EMG 57/66 set

[bwgintegra]

I have a ESP LTD Viper 1000 and considering getting a set of these. Anybody care to tell me how these compare to other EMG pickups like the Hetfield set, 81/85, and 81/60.

 

[feintguitarist]

I have a ESP LTD Viper 1000 and considering getting a set of these. Anybody care to tell me how these compare to other EMG pickups like the Hetfield set, 81/85, and 81/60.

I'm going to start with this: I have no experience with them first hand.

However, yesterday I watched an ESP Namm video with the Captain from Andertons... and the ESP guy said the Het Set is 'way hotter' (loosely quoting) than the 57/66's.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Less compressed than the 81/60 set. Still an EMG, but feels and plays more like a passive. Still tight for riffs and great cleans compared to the 60 on the neck...if you heard it and no one told you it was an EMG you'd never know. Basically everything I always liked about the 81/60 but better. Hetset is hotter, not as expressive to me. I dig the 57 and have it in a few guitars.

Guess it would depend on what you wanted it for. I always liked the 81/60 in my Vipers...have the 57/66-7 set in a 7 string, a Gus G Star and a LP. I always used the Vipers for sludge and like the smeary edge the 81/60s gave em.

 

[midnightlaundry]

57 has a lot of highend that will seduce you. But in the end i got an 85x that is worlds better for what i like.

 

[cardinal]

Much different than the 81/60 combo. I've used only the 7-string version of these pickups, but the 57-7 is much thicker/wider sounding than the 81-7. Same for the 66-7 vs the 60-7. They work better for different things. To me, if I want EMGs, I want EMGs like the 81 and 60. If I want something more passive, I use a passive pickup. The 57/66 just weren't what I was looking for.

 

[bwgintegra]

I have 81/60 in my Jim Root Jazzmaster, Hetfield set in my Esp Ltd 400 Viper. From what I heard so far it's probably enough for me to give these a try in my other Viper. I like both passive and active pickups and feel the active pickups have their place for certain music I play.