EMG Pickups 81/85 vs 57/66

EMG Pickups! I've used them in some of my guitars for years, and today I'm comparing the 81/85 Combo to the New EMG 57/66 set. KZbin audio always compresses things, but in the room I could definitely hear a difference. I like them both! test guitars were a Washburn Nick Catanese signature, and a Washburn Boogiestreet Elite Idol.
A true original, the 57 is a bridge pickup designed for today’s player regardless of style or genre. The unique combination of Alnico V magnets and steel pole pieces evoke an unmistakably PAF-like quality in its tone. The active attributes provide the headroom and punch necessary to deliver unparalleled definition and presence.
The 66 is a result of pickup design innovation inspired by the specific needs and requests of today’s players. Alnico V magnets provide the warm, smooth mid-range and expansive lows while the ceramic pole pieces bring out the clarity in the upper register.
Designed and voiced specifically as neck and bridge pickups, the 57 & 66 humbuckers come in EMG’s exclusive brushed steel caps giving the set a sleek modern look that compliments any instrument.
This is an AMAZON AFFILIATE LINK to the pickups if you want to order some EMGs there. We will get a tiny commission at no cost to you if you purchase form amazon! You could always order them from us though too!
EMG 81/85
amzn.to/39rqrcp
EMG 57/66
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
RNA MUSIC MERCH!
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#EMGpickups

[@kurglekreutzer6344]

The difference in sound of those pickups is really obvious and was nicely evident in this video.

[@RNAMusic]

Kurgle Kreutzer Thanks for the comment!

[@RNAMusic]

haha i will take that as a compliment, Ryan is great! and we have the same name and beards haha. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@collectivesartori]

Became increasingly obvious with the useful tests

[@oreobiscuit7143]

The video I've been waiting for, thank you

[@jakeperozzi]

FINALLY SOME ONE MADE A GOOD COMPARISON OF 57/66 to 81/85!!!! I don't really know why(outside of being a pickup junky/nerd), but ive been wanting to try the 57/66 set. This certainly helps give me a better idea of what to expect. Although now i'm contemplating 81/85 in conjunction. Excellent vid dude!

[@genephillips4809]

Goddamn the 57’s sound AMAZING on the bridge setting!!

[@stevenstanley5109]

I have a set of 81/85's in my Epi LP and was so happy when I finished and played it the first time.

[@homevalueglass3809]

Thanks for the great comparison

[@wolf42i40]

Thanks for the video man!! Much love from Fort Worth 🤘🤘

[@RNAMusic]

Thanks so much!

[@F3502000]

Great video and comment section! Thinking about the emg 81 85 in my schecter c1 -fr.

[@brodieondasidewalk]

Great confidence. Great shootout. Great demo. Great video.

[@RNAMusic]

Thank you! Very kind of you!

[@lassymavin2740]

Very cool video. I liked the 57/66 combo better. Looking forward to the next set of pickup comparisons.

[@RNAMusic]

Lassy Mavin Thanks Lassy!

[@seandaly7369]

Great video mate. Thanks for thag

[@shred5]

The 57/66 seem to do a pretty decent job of addressing my complaints on prior EMGs. I really want to get a hand on a pair and try them out now.

[@alelollipop1903]

Thanks for the demo dude 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@RNAMusic]

Thank you for watching! This is an old video now lol!

[@WithoutAChance64]

Great video!

[@kiivje]

Sounds great!

[@wagnernoise]

Nice shootout Ryan! I liked them both ;)

[@RNAMusic]

Wagner Rosa Thanks Wagner! I do too!

[@nathanielmathers9099]

That first riff is simple and absolutely gorgeous. I love it

[@RNAMusic]

Nathaniel Mathers thanks so much! Appreciate that!

[@voidtremors5814]

Sounds like everlong by Foo fighters

[@evlkenevl2721]

Nice to see a pickup comparison properly done. Same type of guitar, same wood, same strings, same pickup height. Respect.

[@RNAMusic]

+evl kenevl thanks for watching!

[@kevincourcey813]

great vid. The 57/66 has more high end, but doesn't sound as clean to me. The 81/85's sound smoother with better definition to me. I much prefer them to the 57/66's. Thanks for helping with the selection of new pickups for my Schecter!

[@collectivesartori]

No contest. 81/85 all the way

[@angusorvid8840]

I love EMGs, but I consider them to be much more than pickups. They are like an extra dimensional sound system for your guitar. They are extremely versatile, capable of great subtleties, incredible cleans and smashing distortion.

[@Metalbass10000]

Absolutely agree, particularly when paired with their preamps/control sets and systems, for active and passive pickups. This is even more evident with their bass pickups and electronics. The passive Geezer PJ is so impressive in its tonal and dynamic ranges, and the p&j pickups are so varied, and versatile, far more than three quarters of the active PJ sets I've tried over three decades playing and working on basses. My main active bass has the PJ-X set and he EMG BQC System and still, several years later, it impresses me the incredible tonal variety, going from Jaco sounds to blues, to rock, to funk, to a clean metal bass tone, to a grinding and gritty metal bass tone or thrusting into an overdrive and/or distortion for truly awe inspiring distorted bass tones. However, with all of that gushing seeping praise for their products, the quality of the build, quality of the tones, the very satisfying reliability of the solderless system, and how much easier it makes the life of someone who loves to work on instruments and build instruments, the best thing about EMG is the people and how gracious they are for your patronage, how readily they step up to help you, even when installing a customer's pickups that are from a different manufacturer and matching them to one of their preamp and controls sets. The pickup manufacturer wasn't accommodating to advise with attaching their pickups to the EMG wiring, and acted offended that I even was going to ask for, not a walk through, just anything I need to look out for, any advice. When I asked the same thing of EMG technical support, they just walked me through the entire install and testing. Another manufacturer's pickups, married to one of their Systems, and I got a complete walk through. More than once they have gone out of their way to make sure that I had everything I needed, including once when they had to send me three different wires to complete a build, and each one was sent the day I called. That's why the EMG wiring controls are default standard regardless of what pickups are being installed with a guitar or bass build. I just have such confidence and faith in their products and their service, in well over two decades of building instruments, and now finally building instruments professionally with our social media platforms getting up and running very soon, I've never had a single instrument come back, never had a single customer complain that had EMG wiring and pots and preamps regardless of who made the pickups (and I've definitely installed a significant number of EMG pickups over the years as well).

[@angusorvid8840]

@@Metalbass10000 Yeah, they seem like a very solid company all around. I've just always admired the pickups. I became familiar with EMGs shortly after I started playing guitar in 1985 when I was about eleven because two of my guitar teachers were both highly in demand session players in the L.A. scene. One after another they got too busy to teach and made good money doing studio and live work. One used a Charvel with a Floyd and an SA system, replacing the DiMarzio Shockwaves he previously used, and the other used and 81 SA/SA set on a very similar custom ax, I think a Tom Anderson. I began to think of EMGs as THE professional's pickup, even though I still owned other brands. But I used the 81 more than anything. I played in a lot of hard rock/hair metal bands back then, quickly accelerating my playing ability. By 1989 I was playing clubs quite often. I played clubs till about 1993 when the rock scene disappeared. It actually started fading about 1991 because Nirvana and that Seattle grunge crap got so popular. Anyhow, yes, EMGs are outstanding. My next experiment with them will be to try a passive EMG system with an active boost to see what that's like. Their passives are also great. I like the idea of using a boost switch so I don't have to step on a pedal for leads. One thing about bassists, as opposed to guitarists, is they are way more open to change, to new technology. That may also be because the electric bass is a relatively young instrument compared to electric guitar. So bass players are not so static in their thinking. Even bassists who use passive pups still like active circuitry to sculpt their tone for different songs or different movements in songs. A lot of guitarists just don't touch any knobs at all, not even the volume. I was watching a cool interview with Billy Sheehan where he was demonstrating how he uses the tone knobs on his bass. Not only does he manipulate them all the time but he also has two jacks on his bass depending on the level of output he wants, and he uses passive DiMarzios. I remember when players made a big deal of the DB boost in the Petrucci and Lukather Music Men signatures. They thought it was weird to have an active circuit with passive pups, but they didn't know about the long history of active electronics in guitars going back to Neal Moser in the seventies putting his preamps in BC Rich axes. EMGs kind of remained a rumor till about '85 when they just exploded in popularity with Lukather, Eddie and so many players using them, and of course the bass world went bonkers. I remember the Spector basses that came with EMGs as well.

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

Some of emgs modernish pickups I might check out at some point for comparing for my dream guitar I might one day get. EMG is know for classic metal tones with some of their older pickups for sure.

[@mhajas725]

Cool, nice comparison ☺

[@RNAMusic]

matt Hajas Thanks Matt!

[@thepurplepuppet...5261]

I have both a hellraiser c1fr and a helltempest hybrid and must say the pickups are close to the same I use the 57/66 for my standard tuning blues tone and the 81/85 for my drop tuning metal tones great video

[@blackfender100]

They both sound very good in their own way. It's amatter of personal preference I guess .good demo thanks.

[@RNAMusic]

Very true!

[@eht03]

a 57 85 would be my preference. I bought an LTD viper with 81 85. When I went to swap the pups found they had two 81s. The 81 sounds really good in the neck. A 57 81 would be a good combo.

[@jhuliotorres2298]

good demo, thank you. It definitely has to do with the genre you want to play.

[@moforockband]

Swap the 81/85 around. Put the 85 in the bridge. It is one of the balliest, thick middy pickups I've ever used. The 81 is too thin IMo and best in the neck. Never had so many compliments on my sound. I was using 4x12 Marshalls and a valve rack set-up and it was growling like a dog. The emg's are spot on for loud clean chord picking as they pull each note and out and make it sound very clear. Passive p/ups don't have that clarity. Useful if you play in a loud rock band and everyone has tinnitus.

[@Wrathofkala]

I believe Killswitch Engage uses the 85 in the bridge. Great sounding pick up but I love it in the neck for leads.

[@pablom2274]

i use a 85 with a 18v mod and sounds even better

[@KevinHarrington55]

I did the same on my SG years ago and never went back, great tip!

[@billk9628]

I'm sorry, what was that? :-P

[@QuikdethDeviantart]

What about doing 85/85, will the position make them sound different enough to bother?

[@undertherock264]

Cool!

[@tgdb4968]

Sweet guitar dude,never seen one before

[@stevenadler9174]

Great test! Will you please do the reverse test? I mean, with the 85 on the bridge position? That is, 85/81 and 66/57? That would be interesting!

[@diegoambrosio9121]

The 57 sings when soloing in bridge position! Fantastic. CHALLENGE: to configure a cool distortion sound with those pickups WITHOUT batteries. That would show the TRUE sound of them.

[@wayunaikiapushana5913]

81- 85 more balls, period.

[@HOLD1]

Your 1,000th like, Jason wade sent me here, liked and subscribed, heck yeah we have same taste in music, take care music friend:)

[@thevileirish6764]

I've been debating on trying out the 57/66 combo for a future build. I've installed the 81/85 in my neighbors son Jackson dinky model and it took the guitar to a whole new level. So my thought was to pick up a used BC Rich Beast model, upgrade all the hardware, level and crown the frets, install new EMG wiring harness and pop some 57/66 pickups in it. My only question is will they get muddy or lose any articulation in drop tuning (drop b or a standard)?

[@jackfisher9833]

Great demo. Now try compare these to alumitone pickups, you will be surprised how much more sound ringing you get out of these passive aluminum blocks.

[@chadbierman8058]

Thank for the great video! Very helpful! God bless!

[@GregoryPearsonMusic]

They sounded more alike than I expected - the only place I thought I heard a definite difference was the 66 distorted chord sounded a little better than the 85 to me, but the 85 lead tone sounded better than the 66.

[@triumph9044]

I like 81 and 60 instead of the 85. Now the 57 and 66 is a very nice combination.

[@smbmxdirt3427]

I'd have to go with the shiny ones.

[@StuK323]

The boogie street idol looks so amazing. 57/66 for me personally. More versatile.

[@RNAMusic]

Stuart Kenney Thanks for the comment!

[@MikeSuttonXerox]

Cool review! I like the bite in the 57/66 set but the 81/85 would probably play with a cleaner tone if you don't like to ruffle anyone's feathers. Personally I would rather ruffle a lot of feathers!

[@MrMotherfuck123]

Actually both sound great in their way.

[@dr.stevenpennym.d.3241]

Nice video...My 81/85 sound great with my Big Muff Pi and the BMP Op-Amp...

[@fodge333]

I`m maybe the only one here....but still prefer the original 81

[@RNAMusic]

Nothing wrong with that! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jayz6008]

I'm kinda with you. I find the 81 has a tighter more percussive sound for metal . but the 81 doesn't sound as good for clean sounds .

[@steveerwin9224]

that's why we have an 85 neck and sa mid hence Ibanez hsh the only config of any brand

[@utubehound69]

Try the 18 volt mod it helps.

[@trevorD1156]

My problem with the 81/85/60 isn't that they sound bad, it is that they take most of the character from my guitars, amps and speakers. I could bolt an 81 to an acoustic and play through any amp and it'd still sound like Metallica, which is cool if you're in a Metallica tribute band. IMO The HZ is by far the best, most dynamic, EMG pickup I've ever played through and only one I didn't sell off years ago when I got a real tube amp and didn't need active pickups to cover up for my shitty rigs sound.

[@jstyle129]

81/85 best sounding pick ups IMO.

[@DanielT116]

Thanks bro. really helped with my decision.

[@RNAMusic]

Glad you found the video helpful, thanks for commenting!

[@attilathehun0]

Dayum that guitar looks the off spring of a tele mating with a les paul.

[@FeckUpFearzy]

attilathehun0 kinda reminds me of the ibenez tall man

[@USAlien234]

Now thats how you do a comparison video ! Thanks brother ! Im still not sure which one to choose. Im looking to get a nice heavy but clean sound, looking for something similar to Marty Friedman. If you can send me any advice I would be extremely grateful. Thanks again. Liked and subbed ✌😊

[@dupawolowaish]

Great video pal ! I'm still going for 85 81 Metallica forever < e

[@hardcore7298]

nice!

[@severgun]

81/85 - more "meat" 57/66 - more precision

[@Wargasm644]

Just do an 81/66 set-up and have the best of both worlds👊🏻

[@RNAMusic]

Not a bad idea!

[@colintraveller]

Enjoyed that ,, wonder how a mix n match would sound ? , Q -what pups compliments a V30 / G12h .. am looking to upgrade my non branded HSS pup's to something better

[@BlaineLudeman]

i'd probably need to play em but i was surprised that the 81/85s did ok on cleans. niether broke up like a passive and i could deff tell the difference but not enough. het set for the win!

[@Wargasm644]

81/89R Gary Holt set rips🤘🏻

[@butthole9580]

Well I guess I gotta buy all 4

[@mohammedalasfoor8145]

hey.. nice video, I need your help, I used to play my esp guitar and it has passive pickups and I loved it's sound, but since I see people using emgs alot not mentioning my favorite guitarists "zakk wylde" so I wanted to check the emgs, I wanted emg81/emg85, but it was not available it the shop, but they had emg H, I bought it, after I installed it in my guitar, I noticed that the output is too way less than the passive pickups that I removed! and it doesn't provide much distortion! the passive pickups were providing more then the emgs! it was good actually! .. and these emgs are so bright in tone, I wanted warm sound for soloing and warm fat sound in the bridge for clean sound... any comments? suggestions? thanks again

[@thrashcore7]

In my opinion 57 and 66 have a more organic sound, better note separation and sounds more real than 81 and 85. Maybe becouse of alnico magnets. They aren't ice picky and metal like 81-85 but I think in a mix they would sounds better, especially in the solo parts

[@Sublight77]

Interesting most are saying the 81 and to me its hands down the 57, fuller, just more tone across the whole range, a little hotter even too with more precise pick attack. 81 is alil mushier. 57 demands a little more in your playing but rewards you. They really nailed something special with the 57, amazing pickup. and the 81 is awesome too, definitely not hating on it, the tried and true metal warrior that inspired all this.

[@gattart]

Excellent comparison... I just wanted to hear how much better the 57 was over the 81, and it really is... but that 66 sounds great too! Not a fan of the 85/81 set, but at least I know what the sound and feel like to play. Trying to decide between a 57/66 set I can get cheap, or going crazy looking for a 60X set in chrome... (I'm loving the 60X I just got, but black pups look like crap in my red SG). That Washburn looks great too... Thanks!

[@RNAMusic]

Thanks for watching, and taking the time to comment!

[@Oilid]

This was the very video when I started following your channel. Yeah, your beard was different! 😉

[@RNAMusic]

haha thank you so much! THis was a few beard cycles ago lol

[@RNAMusic]

haha thank you so much! THis was a few beard cycles ago lol

[@Oilid]

RNA MUSIC You're welcome.

[@jackgrant4795]

Here's a really stupid question, since i know nothing of the 57/66, are they active p/u's? Because if not, damn they got some output

[@Wargasm644]

With that flag in the background you better be rippin’ some Dimebag 🤘🏻

[@RNAMusic]

Love some dime! No one plays it like he does!

[@zzr7502]

81 as always!!!!!

[@elijahconnolly5528]

I put the Zakk Wylde set in my epiphone SG pro and I love them I just wish there was a way to make the 81-bridge pickup a little brighter?

[@stuartz.h1774]

Elijah Connolly may sound dumb but put the 85 in the bridge!!!!

[@elijahconnolly5528]

@@stuartz.h1774 okay thank you

[@fernandodossantos7152]

I love my 57/66!!

[@RNAMusic]

+Fernando Dos Santos they’re great!

[@bobbyberetta4206]

What would be the passive pickup counterpart?

[@DP-eb2yn]

Explains why Metallicas sound is muddier these days .. I still like The 81/85 . As I'm using in a Schecter. I just think the 81 has that piercing cutting edge also with bottom end chug as well .. comes down to your settings too . Still love Tallica the sound Is huge . I just miss the crunchy older tone aswel .. thanks EMG...🤘🇦🇺

[@JJsiN84]

I actually did something different. I like the 81 but I also like the Alnico 5 plus the Ceramic poles of the 66. So I have an 81/66 combo. I am surprised that more people don't do that!

[@JJsiN84]

***** Thanks man! Thats cool of you to say. Its sounds great too. All the punch and aggression in the 81 with a calmer and versatile 66.

[@chaseboone6271]

+Jason Nolet I switched it up a bit as well. I'm using a 57 in the bridge and a P85 (P90 sided) in the neck. Great combo either way you use it!

[@tomroberts5805]

Im actually about to try that combo in my next guitar! I bet its a killer combo?!

[@RNAMusic]

great thought, a few people suggested this! I will definitely give it a try!

[@JayTheWorst1892]

Riddle me this Texan brother if you will, how do you see a mix of 81/66 working out?

[@RNAMusic]

I think I should give that a try and see! Great suggestion. thanks for commenting!

[@eht03]

Man mix away. A 57 81

[@Michael-fr7lt]

I was thinking a 57b / 85n

[@bradleycarroll156]

I'd kind of like an 81/66 set myself.

[@shred5]

+Bradley Carroll not sure how the balance would work out but imo the 66 was much hands down less muddy and much cleaner, where there 57 vs 81 is a preference thing. But I will say the 57/66 are both much more open sounding, so I'd probably pair them together.

[@michaelguenther3141]

+Bradley Carroll A 81x/60x set might do the job, sticking to the classic sound while adding more dynamic/organic feel to it. I went through the HetSet, 57/66 and 81/60 in the X and none-X versions lately after switching amps, in the end the X-series won with the most balanced sound and the rest went on eBay.

[@RNAMusic]

That would make an interesting video! Thanks for commenting!

[@Kabayoth]

The snag with EMG, Blackouts, and Fluence pickups is their quality control. Specifically: it's too good. Slap an active set of pickups into a brick with a scale on it, and it'll sound like a proper guitar. The body behind it is near irrelevant. They say pickups are 3% of the tone of a guitar after the amp and the player. However, this isn't true of passive pickups. The build behind it is an additional 30% or so with passive pickups. My hat is off to EMG especially for getting their production consistency this immaculate, but I just don't like the tone. Been looking at some of their oddballs recently, but those are all passive. If I were a gigging musician, I suspect these would be just the thing. Much like the Fender Tonemaster, it doesn't matter if the tone is specifically what I want. It matters that if something went wrong, I could go to any store, get a new one, and be back in business immediately. Guitar gets stolen? Go out and get a cheap Jackson with a set of Fluence pickups or Blackouts in it, and I'd be good for the show in less than an hour if need be. The same cannot be said for even a high-end Gibson with a set of P90 pickups. The individual EQ could be completely unsuitable to the occasion. Active pickups are the equivalent of form correcting devices. Bit of a bad build? So long as the intonation is good, it's not going to matter. Different bridge? It doesn't matter, it'll sound exactly the same. Different strings? It doesn't matter, the response will be the same from gauge to gauge. However, I have a number of... odd guitars. My orphans, as I like to call them. Percival has a piezo, a Strat knock-off, a lipstick, and a P-rails in it. I counted it up once and I have 19 different voicings I can get out of it. This simply would not be possible with active pickups. Fishman claims they can put three or four voicings into each pickup, but I fail to hear the distinction. I might install a set in another guitar I have, Caradoc, but not yet. It may have a Fishman Powerchip for the piezo, but after playing the Fluence on other guitars, I'm not impressed. My other guitar, Mordred, has an LR Baggs piezo, an SH-15 and a Duncan Distortion in it. The whole problem with this guitar is in the piezo rather than the magnetic pickups. The last one is Kith'Rith with the RMC piezo and the Dirty Fingers pickups. Each of these guitars has its quirks, and I would prefer they keep their individuality. But if I had these fleshed out with Blackouts, Fluence, or the Het Set, they would be indistinguishable from one another.

[@189harvesterofsorrow]

I really liked the sound of the 57 but I didn't care for the 85 or the 66. I think I would like to try a 57/60 or 60a combo

[@RNAMusic]

+189harvesterofsorrow That's a great Idea!

[@NightNox06]

nice dude..

[@AaronQ1222]

I would say that the 81/85 combo has more "presence".

[@t-boog2173]

I liked the 66 in the Neck(more Bell like and clear) and the 81 in the bridge(less bright & brittle and more solid in the lows and mids). Good comparison btw.

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Hey, thanks for the Demo. I am buying a Schecter C-1 Platinum Series with the 85/81. I am kind of afraid I won't a kind of clean sound like my Seymour Duncan Hot Rod set on my other guitar. I play classic rock, like AC/DC, Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones, Lynryd Skyryrd, Sabbath, that kind of music. I am hoping the 85 81 does this well. What is your opinion of this?

[@RNAMusic]

I think the 81/85 excel particularly at over driven and rock tones for sure. A lot of times the Schecters will have an 89 in the neck which you can split which sounds great.

[@shawntyson4339]

Angel Martinez They are perfect,for classic rock keep the volume lower on your guitar and turn amp up.

[@meloshredder86]

Almost bought the same guitar on reverb, glad I didnt after finding out about what's going on with Nick. Would be kinda hard to be inspired playing an instrument with such a negative connotation

[@RNAMusic]

thomas runge i actually sold mine a few weeks before the news about Nick became public.... sad indeed, but I'm glad I sold it when I did.

[@QuikdethDeviantart]

Creepy fuck

[@123pwop]

What tuning are you using ? Thanks ! Nice review.

[@RNAMusic]

Drop D I believe it was.

[@123pwop]

Thank you,those 57/66 pups sound great !

[@edwardsnow4149]

i thing EMG 81-EMG 61 (ESP ECLIPSE Standart) it forever core classic =))))

[@RNAMusic]

that's a great combo!

[@TacoSupreem]

Het set vs. 57/66 please

[@shethinksimironman]

I think the 57/66 were modeled after Het's original pickups

[@Wrathofkala]

Remmy 315 how do you know this?

[@JuanLega]

Rican GuitarGod I just read the info. Apparently Dave's contract was running out and he started working with EMG to develop his pickups, well something happened and Dave went back with Seymour Duncan but EMG released the pickups anyways.

[@Wrathofkala]

Juan. Lega Very interesting. Good stuff... thanks for sharing

[@RNAMusic]

It will happen! thanks for commenting!

[@guidscunha]

I have a pair of 81/85 and when I play clean the sound is just really distorted. I play them with a Roland cube. Why is the sound not clean? Also, when playing big chords, they just seam really hard to listen all the way through. Any help??

[@RNAMusic]

Guilherme Cunha if your battery is dying or running low it will start distorting. First thing I’d do is put in a fresh battery. Second thing is roll the volume on the guitar down a bit. They are hot pickups so if running wide open in your guitars volume knob, and you strum hard, you will get a bit of breakup. Rolling the volume back a tad and lightening up your strum/pick attack will make big difference. I would start with the battery though.

[@borgonianevolution]

I got my first emg 81 back in 1986 and never looked back. Active pickups are so much tighter across the range. Non actives even the EMG's always sound muddy in the low end and have a strange mid artifact component with certain speakers. The analogs always sound farty to me no matter how eq'd on 12 inch speakers. I just 3 days ago put a Zakk Wylde 81/85 set in a build I am doing for the Great Guitar build off. I originally wanted to try the Glenn Tipton Vengeance series but they were not available at the time I needed to buy the electronics.

[@chrisking6695]

You know I think I agree with you. I bought my first 7 string with EMGs a couple weeks ago. It came with 707s which are pretty muddy but they sound so fluid, especially the one in the neck, and so punchy that every time I pick up one of my other guitars it feels like something is missing. It sounds farty or scratchy and I tend to bump up the gain to get more sustain which makes it muddy and more farty lol

[@RoddyDukes]

Let me tell you...its so nice when you have an issue/decision to make and someone out there made the EXACT video necessary and they did it well. Thank you very much! Seems as if the 57/66 is basically the het set...am I right on that?

[@HeavyMetalCowboy90]

Not even close. hey set is thin and scooped. the 57/66 is thick and mid heavy (but scoops easily).

[@RoddyDukes]

+troymassey90 so is 57/66 more versatile for going between metal/vintage rock?

[@HeavyMetalCowboy90]

+Roddy Dukes I have a set in EC-1000 and it does it all. I havn't recorded with them, but from the speaker to my ears, the 57 is just as tight as an 81 but it's thicker and Bassier for mean chugs although slightly less aggressive in the mids, it's still aggressive. The 81 is definitely far more compressed and "Metal" sounding. The 81 is definitely much nastier. the 57 is Much more touch sensitive than the 81. It does metal exceptionally well but it has a cleaner, less hot tone. You'll get less fizz through an amp such as a 6505 but you also need a bit more gain to get it overdrive. It cleans up and does crunch and rock tones like a champ. the 66 is thinner than an 85 so closer to a 60 but it's cleaner and chimier than both. It can handle the dirty marshall crunch tones with ease. That said I am swapping the 57/66 for the 81/85 literally as we speak lol. I MIGHT go with the 66 in the neck instead of the 85 though. I love both sets and you can't go wrong.

[@HeavyMetalCowboy90]

+Roddy Dukes As far as the Het set goes, I hate it. It's great for Metallica tones, but that's it. They'll make a good amp sound like shit.

[@jammyfacefook]

Roddy Dukes just swap 85/81 around get more chime in neck due to 81 being a finner hotter sound and get the full fat sound of 85 in bridge works amazingly well.

[@avocadodip2157]

I wanna put the 57/66 in the Jackson I just got. Then I’ll get another and put the 81/85 in it.

[@rjpoole1979]

Honestly I've got both and I reckon the 81/85s win hands down. The 57/66s just seem to be missing some bite and clarity under gain. Too mid rangey or something. The only thing they have going for them over the 81s is there is more of a middle ground between gain and clean. And they might be a bit more organic sounding. But my retro actives fill that void in a different guitar!

[@RNAMusic]

Thank you for watching and taking time to comment! I like the retroActives and well and will be getting them soon for one of my guitars. Appreciate the comment!

[@garthbrooks8336]

I need help! my emg 81s are experiencing some noise issues. I was recording and the engineer had to turn the input level down on the plugins. he said my guitar had a some weird humming noise. I tried grounding the pots but didn't fix the noise. but when I walked around the room the noise was getting worse in certain areas.? any help thnx

[@carlos2796]

The battery?

[@garthbrooks8336]

+Carlos guevara enciso I replaced the battery, tried different cables. but starting to think the controller cavity needs shielding, the pots and those thin wires aren't shielded. I hope it helps!

[@ChadEklund]

I like this guy

[@TheBluezInc]

Can these pickups be installed on my guitar with a tremolo bridge, will the pole pieces and string spacing align?

[@RNAMusic]

+mingchoding it can be installed. as far as spacing, i'm not sure if the poles will be perfectly aligned or not.

[@danaeverhart6487]

I've got the 81in the neck position and the 85 in the bridge! Much better placement

[@RNAMusic]

That’s an awesome way to do it!

[@EinBierMedia]

Would be nice if you make the videos more compact, labelled and back to back comparison of each pickup sets. N v N, B v B.

[@RNAMusic]

This video was 5 years ago, have learned a bit since then. Thanks for the feedback!

[@PlantisHere1]

Is the 81/85 supposed to be more bass?

[@timbuk1126]

81 bridge in a Strat is all I need.

[@RNAMusic]

lying to the moon a great combination!

[@CARLOSFRANCO1000]

Je vous remercie Excellent travail RNA Music Votre sujet est vraiment très intéressant .... ♫♫ ☺ Beaucoup de salutations et de félicitations, bon début de semaine ♫♫ Votre ami Franco du Pérou - Amérique du Sud♫♫♫♫♪♪♪

[@StueyDoo]

I've got the 57/66 combo in one of my guitars. Love 'em for rock/metal. Gotta admit I got them because Richie Faulkner from Judas Priest uses them :)

[@RNAMusic]

StueyDoo Thanks for the commetn StueyDoo. They are cool pickups. I like them!

[@love4steel]

Thats why I got em as well haha

[@claygang199]

Do you by chance have a tab for that bridge distortion riff?

[@RNAMusic]

I do not, I’ve never tabbed out any of my own music at this point. Maybe someday though!

[@acasadorocknroll-tv.1359]

57/66 SHOWWW

[@pizzamonster9758]

EMGs kick ass.

[@RNAMusic]

+Pizza Monster we think so!

[@motleyford]

My wylde audio sounds nothing like you 85/81...

[@lucaswense6483]

Nice review, just advise you to check your D or G string on the 57/66 guitar, they were slightly ou of tune :P. Thanks for the video