I think they all sound pretty great! Each pickup had its strengths and weaknesses, and I would probably choose a different set based on what tone I need for the song. But really, no bad tones here. Guess I'll just have to get two guitars, one with 81/60 and one with 57/66!
Encore un super comparatif merci le 57 66 est mon nouvel achat.Franchement continue comme ça ,que ce soit pour les comparatifs de micro ou pour les essais de gratte.
I have had both sets and tend to lean towards the 57/66 as my favorite. That being said I think it really matters what guitar you put them in as well. If you have a bright guitar, maple for example, I would recommend the 57/66, but if you have a dark guitar, something all mahogany with no maple cap like a PRS SE, I would say 81/60.
You're definitely right ! And that's a game I'm playing at home : finding which set of EMG suits best to which guitar ;) I've also found that on cheap guitars, I'd better put fat sounding pickups like the Het Set or the Fat 55 and keep the 81/85/60 for guitars that have a better quality wood ;)
Just when I think I prefer 81/60 I see a vid like this one where the 57/66 sounds much better. Seems like the body/neck wood indeed play a key in the tone.
The tone of this 57/66 set is a bit different from the classic - and still very good - 81/60. I agree that the body wood is very important when you pay attention to details, I discovered with time that only mahogany really suits me.
@@ToroKchannel I have been studying tonewoods lately and it is definitely no myth. I am tending to favor mahogany as well but alder also sounds very good. A maple fretboard seems to be key in "brightening" the 81 just enough to make it sound killer. Thanks for the video :)
Very clean and clear comparisson. Yoy managed to avoid fizzy distrortion with the 57/66. What is your pickup height for this demo while pressing on the last fret? Cheers!
@@ToroKchannel I've seen other players just use both 81's in the bridge and neck for a fuller sound. I think it depends on if you're a lead or rhythm player.
The 81 in neck position is very good for high gain leads but I don’t like it for clean sounds. And the problem is that I’m both a rhythm and lead player :)
Drop c into a 6505+ with the 57/66 has MAD lowend. Perfect. That said, I myself would not use 57/66 for anything higher than drop Db. I'd likely go Hetset for Eb/E.
In 2011 I bought brand new a LTD EC-1000D, it came with a quick connect 81/60 EMG set soldered to the controls. I recently unplugged the 81/60 set and just plugged in a 57/66 set, but it's really noisy and hums...I use ENGL tube amps. I have a 94 Gibson SG with 81/85 set and it's not humming or noisy, neither is my LTD MH-250 with 81/H set, I have a 98 Les Paul with old DiMarzio Distortion 2's in it and it's not noisy at all. I don't understand this, I didn't disturb the cavity control, I didn't have to because all I did was remove the pups from the top unplugged them and then just plugged in the new EMGS...(yes properly I double checked). What could be causing this? I have some left over EMG quick connect parts to replace all the controls in the EC, would this help? I notice that my soldered setup is like any other with a capacitor on the tone pot, but there is a tiny integrated cap on the tone quick connect...could this be why? I haven't changed out the parts yet because I want some input.
You should try the 57/66 in your Gibson SG instead of the 81/85. If it becomes noisy, then it means therés a problem with your 57/66 set (could be the preamp). If not, well to be honest I don’t know. I just think that a solderless kit would not help, unless, for some reason, the electronics in your EC-1000 is damaged. Bit if it is, then even your 81/60 will be noisy.
Super late answer but I had the same issue with my 57/66 set in my esp. They are prone to interference, I have a super distortion that hum just a bit, a seymour JB hum a lot more ( yet acceptable ) but the 57/66...man that is way too much. My place is pretty badly insulated though
Nothing wrong with you, the difference is not easy to hear. It also depends upon what you use for watching. If you use your smartphone, you will probably not hear a difference.
57/66 for the win!
I was sure you would say that ;) So, how do they sound clean to you ?
@@ToroKchannel Good! 👍
Happy to read this from you, knowing that you’re not a fan of clean sound played with active pickups :)
I think they all sound pretty great! Each pickup had its strengths and weaknesses, and I would probably choose a different set based on what tone I need for the song. But really, no bad tones here. Guess I'll just have to get two guitars, one with 81/60 and one with 57/66!
Encore un super comparatif merci le 57 66 est mon nouvel achat.Franchement continue comme ça ,que ce soit pour les comparatifs de micro ou pour les essais de gratte.
Merci ! Oh ne t’en fais pas je n’ai pas l’intention de m’arrêter :)
I have had both sets and tend to lean towards the 57/66 as my favorite. That being said I think it really matters what guitar you put them in as well. If you have a bright guitar, maple for example, I would recommend the 57/66, but if you have a dark guitar, something all mahogany with no maple cap like a PRS SE, I would say 81/60.
You're definitely right ! And that's a game I'm playing at home : finding which set of EMG suits best to which guitar ;) I've also found that on cheap guitars, I'd better put fat sounding pickups like the Het Set or the Fat 55 and keep the 81/85/60 for guitars that have a better quality wood ;)
Just when I think I prefer 81/60 I see a vid like this one where the 57/66 sounds much better. Seems like the body/neck wood indeed play a key in the tone.
The tone of this 57/66 set is a bit different from the classic - and still very good - 81/60. I agree that the body wood is very important when you pay attention to details, I discovered with time that only mahogany really suits me.
@@ToroKchannel I have been studying tonewoods lately and it is definitely no myth. I am tending to favor mahogany as well but alder also sounds very good. A maple fretboard seems to be key in "brightening" the 81 just enough to make it sound killer. Thanks for the video :)
Very clean and clear comparisson. Yoy managed to avoid fizzy distrortion with the 57/66. What is your pickup height for this demo while pressing on the last fret? Cheers!
Thanks ! The pickup height I use is 2mm for the bridge and 3mm for the neck. Same height on both low and high E side.
Idk man that 57/66 seems a bit brighter and tighter to my ears, my mind may have been changed🤔
Amazing comparison!
Thanks !
Unpopular opinion here but I think the 57/66 set doesn't have any substance to it, they're calmer but there's no bottom end.
unpopular but argued. The 57 is brighter than the 81 for sure. That's why I love using the 81 for the rhythm parts and the 57 for the leads :)
@@ToroKchannel I've seen other players just use both 81's in the bridge and neck for a fuller sound. I think it depends on if you're a lead or rhythm player.
The 81 in neck position is very good for high gain leads but I don’t like it for clean sounds. And the problem is that I’m both a rhythm and lead player :)
Drop c into a 6505+ with the 57/66 has MAD lowend. Perfect. That said, I myself would not use 57/66 for anything higher than drop Db. I'd likely go Hetset for Eb/E.
In 2011 I bought brand new a LTD EC-1000D, it came with a quick connect 81/60 EMG set soldered to the controls. I recently unplugged the 81/60 set and just plugged in a 57/66 set, but it's really noisy and hums...I use ENGL tube amps. I have a 94 Gibson SG with 81/85 set and it's not humming or noisy, neither is my LTD MH-250 with 81/H set, I have a 98 Les Paul with old DiMarzio Distortion 2's in it and it's not noisy at all. I don't understand this, I didn't disturb the cavity control, I didn't have to because all I did was remove the pups from the top unplugged them and then just plugged in the new EMGS...(yes properly I double checked).
What could be causing this?
I have some left over EMG quick connect parts to replace all the controls in the EC, would this help? I notice that my soldered setup is like any other with a capacitor on the tone pot, but there is a tiny integrated cap on the tone quick connect...could this be why? I haven't changed out the parts yet because I want some input.
You should try the 57/66 in your Gibson SG instead of the 81/85. If it becomes noisy, then it means therés a problem with your 57/66 set (could be the preamp). If not, well to be honest I don’t know. I just think that a solderless kit would not help, unless, for some reason, the electronics in your EC-1000 is damaged. Bit if it is, then even your 81/60 will be noisy.
Super late answer but I had the same issue with my 57/66 set in my esp. They are prone to interference, I have a super distortion that hum just a bit, a seymour JB hum a lot more ( yet acceptable ) but the 57/66...man that is way too much. My place is pretty badly insulated though
57/66 🥳
Great Video, THX
My pleasure :)
What's wrong with me? I can't hear the difference on distortion
Nothing wrong with you, the difference is not easy to hear. It also depends upon what you use for watching. If you use your smartphone, you will probably not hear a difference.
When it says 81/60 does this mean 81 in neck and 60 in the bridge?
Not in my mind. I rarely read the name of the neck pickup before the name of the bridge pickup, most time it’s bridge/neck.
81 60 sounds thicker