Is the EMG 57/66 the New Modern Classic? A Metal Comparison with the EMG 81/60!

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STRAIGHT TO THE SOUNDS!
• Video
Is the EMG 57/66 set the New Modern Classic? Well then certainly are bad ass! I know they sound super similar in comparison but listen closely and you can hear many differences between the 57/66 set and the 81/60 set. Check out the quick swap and let us know what you think!
AGAIN! This is just our opinion! We know there are other great pickups out there but EMG is what gives us the sound we, and our fans, love!
Bandcamp: music.dawnofexistence.com
Purchase and Stream: bit.ly/PaleMythos
Website: www.dawnofexistence.com
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Dawn of Existence is:
Votan: guitars, synths, additional programming
Astor: bass, vocals, guitars, synths
Fern: drums
We proudly use:
www.espguitars.com
www.emgpickups.com
www.drstrings.com
www.krksys.com
www.jimdunlop.com
www.peavey.com
PepersPedals/
Music used:
Intro: “The KZbins”
Music Bed: “Toe Up”

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Hey mate, do you still like the 57? I absolutely love it. Chucking an 81 and 85 in another guitar soon with the 18 v mod. Have you done that mod?

[@DawnofExistence]

I definitely still like the 57. I’ve done the 18v mod on a few of my basses but haven’t done it on any of my guitars. There’s also a drop in battery replacement that’s a 24v mod that I’m considering. It essentially does the same thing as 18v without having to rewire anything.

[@shredward666]

What guitar is this? Is it a signature ESP/LTD for Bjorn Gelotte of In Flames? I noticed it says Jotun on the 12th fret like his signature Epiphone

[@DawnofExistence]

It’s actually an entry level EC-50 that I’ve upgraded everything on. We have a video talking about that as well. The funny thing is I named it Jotun a few weeks before Björn released his signature.

[@shredward666]

@@DawnofExistence oh cool. I’ll have to check that out

[@michalislazaratos6928]

Excellent comparisson! What's your pickup height for this test?

[@DawnofExistence]

Thanks man! I’ll remeasure it for you and let you know. With EMG’s you can get them as close as possible without hitting the strings or causing feedback. There will be much less of a difference in tone compare to pickup height on a passive pickup though.

[@michalislazaratos6928]

@@DawnofExistence Thank you very much for the feedback. For these pickups it seems to be the opposite. Closer to the strings brings a lot of distortion. Kindly let me know when you measure.

[@DawnofExistence]

Interesting! I gotta check that out. It makes sense that pickup height on the 57/66 would make a bigger difference than the 81, 85, 60, etc since it has exposed poles. I’ll definitely let you know my measurement!

[@DawnofExistence]

After measuring tonight, I have them a little higher than my 81/60’s and what I thought I had them at. I have 10-60 strings on this guitar but the bass side, fretted 24th, at the pole the 66 measures 2.4mm and the 57 measures 2.6mm. On the treble side, the 66 measures 2.0mm and the 57 measures 2.1mm. I’m not a lead guitarist, but my action is currently a little higher on the treble side. It completely makes sense that these would need to be setup like a PAF or passive pickup. I’m definitely going to be playing around with this on this set! Thanks for the question!

[@InsomniacMatt]

The distortion difference seems subtle to me but in a good way, and I kinda prefer the 60 clean over the 66 clean

[@DawnofExistence]

Yeah I still love the 60. The 66 is really nice but seems brighter.

[@idontgivea1769]

Of course it's subtle; dude tuned that shit down to Z!

[@peehandshihtzu]

Nice I have the 81/85 set in my Eclipse Baritone, now that I hear this, I can't help but wonder why they didn't equip it with this set. Cool Rando riffs by the way, :)

[@DawnofExistence]

Haha thanks. I never know what to play for these things. I really like the 81/85 set as well! I’ve always used the 81/60 and our main guitarists uses 81/81, 81/85, and he just grabbed a guitar that he’s put an 85/S in that sounds awesome. ESP has only recently started putting this 57/66 in guitars but I hope they’ll use more in the future 🤘🏻 We’re glad you enjoyed it!

[@peehandshihtzu]

@@DawnofExistence I did, thank You. I really liked that 57, just something about it. :)

[@sublyme2157]

1:06, wait, wat? haha

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

High end cxnt 😂😂

[@DawnofExistence]

🤷‍♂️

[@angusorvid8840]

They're all great. I'm considering getting the 57/66 set after trying them in a friend's ESP Horizon. They sound phenomenal. But I love the classic 81/85 or dual 81 sets. I also love the 81TW. It's just got a whole other dimension of stuff going on. The crunch and clarity of EMGs is pretty unbeatable.

[@DawnofExistence]

I agree, you can’t go wrong with EMGs. Between all of our guitars, we’ve got 81/81, 81/60, 81/85, 85/S, 57/66, and I’m looking to try out one of their Retro sets 🤘🏻 All of the combinations sound awesome. The only dual mode EMG I’ve played in a guitar was the 89 and I liked that one as well.

[@angusorvid8840]

@@DawnofExistence I've got Duncans and DiMarzios too, but nothing goes the full mile, and then some, like EMG. I just say make sure you've got a fast access battery compartment. The batteries last a long time, so it's not an issue. You'll be changing your strings fifty times for every time you change a battery. But a fast access that you can pop open with a thumbnail is great. There are a lot more bassists who use active than guitarists, everything from EMG to Bartolini. I'm gonna be popping some EMGs I have laying around into a strat, an 81TW set. I first tried EMGs in '86, and promptly bought my first set. Most of my guitars had passives, but I played my EMG loaded axes most of the time. They make every guitar and amp sound that much better. They are as hifi as it gets. I'm not crazy about Fishmans, though.

[@DawnofExistence]

Yeah I first tried EMGs in the 90’s and put them in everything. All my basses have EMGs, most with an EQ as well. Bartolini makes great bass pickups but I liked something about the EMGs more. A lot of people love Fishman but I haven’t been a huge fan of them so far. I’ve also heard that the battery life is significantly shorter than EMG but I haven’t confirmed that.

[@pmarciano1717]

@@DawnofExistencehave u tried fishmen ?

[@DawnofExistence]

@@pmarciano1717 I’ve played a few guitars with them but never owned them. The ones I’ve played are very similar to EMGs, specifically like an 81/85 combo. They sounded good but didn’t warrant swapping any of my EMGs.

[@pausxd]

Great video bro

[@DawnofExistence]

Thanks man! We appreciate it 🤘🏻

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Hey boyo, I got the Jim Root emgs last week. Theyre very interesting. Definitely reminiscent of an 81 but a bit more dynamic, quite a bit fatter and an extended top end that is very nice. Recommend you try them when u can

[@DawnofExistence]

Nice! I’ll have to try those! Right now we are experimenting with their Retro series for an EP. We’ve got the Fat 55s and I’m about to check out the Hot 70s.

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

@@DawnofExistence ahh nice. They both look appealing, especially the 70s. Their retro stuff (including the JRs) appear to be very underrated. Anything that's active and isn't fishman no one really seems to care about anymore.

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

@@DawnofExistence what are your opinions on the 55s?

[@DawnofExistence]

I think the 55s sound great. They’ve got a nice “old school” tone to them. We recently did a video of the LTD E-200 that has them in it. It seems like very few people are using any of their Retro series stuff at the moment. I’m definitely looking forward to trying the Hot 70s!

[@Max_94]

I want the 57/66 tw, but they are a bit expensive. Eventually I'll buy them but not yet

[@DawnofExistence]

I would love to have the 57/66TW set in one of my guitars but yeah, they’re a bit expensive. Let me know what you think when you get them 🤘🏻

[@marcelcourchesne9519]

i liked the 81 better for bridge and i hate to say it but the 66 has a great tone too. 81/66 would be a nice mix for my tastes.

[@DawnofExistence]

That would be interesting to try out 👍🏻

[@mattz1686]

How far do you put the 57 from the strings?

[@DawnofExistence]

Someone else had asked me about this about two years ago because I was unaware the height of the 57, unlike most EMGs, greatly effects the sound. Most EMGs are designed to be “as close as possible” to the strings. I don’t have most of my gear at the moment because I’m in the middle of moving but this was my response to the other comment: “I have 10-60 strings on this guitar but the bass side, fretted 24th, at the pole the 66 measures 2.4mm and the 57 measures 2.6mm. On the treble side, the 66 measures 2.0mm and the 57 measures 2.1mm. I’m not a lead guitarist, but my action is currently a little higher on the treble side. It completely makes sense that these would need to be setup like a PAF or passive pickup. I’m definitely going to be playing around with this on this set!“ I think I’ll revisit this and do a dedicated video once my new place is finished! Hopefully this helps!

[@mattz1686]

@@DawnofExistence thanks man!

[@DawnofExistence]

Anytime! And honestly when I installed them, I placed them very similarly to my 81/60. I think I made a small adjustment after install to the 66 but nothing was measured out, really just by how it sounded.

[@mercilessforever]

Id keep the 81 and try the 66 in the neck. I like my 85, but love the tone of the 60

[@DawnofExistence]

The 81 will always be the go-to but I like the idea of trying the 81/66 combo. Our guitarist actually has an 85 in the bridge of two of his guitars and those sound really good too. Honestly we have a bunch of different combos we use haha

[@goodwill5756]

EMG 81 is beast

[@DawnofExistence]

Agreed. We still have an 81 in most of our guitars.

[@AlejandroSanchez-qj3jk]

Tengo ámbos set (81 y 57/66) en este video no se aprecia la gran diferencia en la respuesta entre la 81 y la 57 siendo que suenan bastante distintas en realidad. La 57 es más rica en armónicos, más paff style, tiene una respuesta más parecida a una cápsula pasiva pero no es tan eficiente en afirmaciones Drop, las notas graves se enturbian un poco. La 81 es más tosca, «estéril» y muy dura, pero es muy eficiente en definición de notas sobre todo en las cuerdas gruesas con afinaciónes Drop. Personalmente me gusta más la 57; como sonido en general, se siente mejor lograda pero en contexto de mezcla de banda pierde definición en afinación Drop como suelo tocar. La 81 a 18v mod. me ha brindado mejores resultados que la 57 en esas aplicaciones.

[@DawnofExistence]

¡Gracias por responder! Primero, lo siento, mi español no es bueno. Creo que estoy de acuerdo contigo. Me gustan tanto el 81 y el 57 y me gustan mucho los dos para el metal. Puede que haga una nueva comparación que no para metal. Así es como lo usamos.

[@Max_94]

Has usado la 57 con 18v?

[@shotguncrucifix]

The HM2 made it sound like a 10 watt practice amp

[@DawnofExistence]

To be fair, the HM-2 somewhat has that sort of tone.

[@JarrodMedrano]

Thanks Bill Kelliher's son

[@DawnofExistence]

Interesting. I haven’t heard that one haha

[@DawnofExistence]

He’s also only 14 years older than me 😂

[@chrisking6695]

You use so much distortion they both sound like a fountain of mudd. And your picking is so sloppy (min 2:40) that you don't even hit the strings with the right amount of pick depth on time which makes it even harder to discern the difference in dynamics between the two pick-ups. All I hear is string noise and heavy distortion. No note definition, clarity, or pick attack. How can I decide which set of pick ups is better? Totally worthless.

[@DawnofExistence]

Thank you 🤘🏻 I mean, metal is distortion. The rest of it I’m not going to argue with you about.

[@butcher_0392]

The EMG 81 is the undisputed king of high gain, and especially in Drop tunings there is no rival in note definition, fast response, tight low end. The 57/66 combo was just a hype, in the course of its launch, overrated pickups, which have much more output than the classic 81/85 or dual 81, therefore leaving them at a distance of 3 mm or 3.5 far from strings sound better. The 81 at 2mm is its sweet spot and where it responds best. Now we are with other products on the "HYPE" AND "OVERRATED" side, such as Neural DSP plugins, and Fishman Fluence Pickups, which are not the best on the market, but thanks to their misleading advertising, most naive guitarists fall for it, and they waste money on products they don't really need, they might sound the same or better than that, with the gear they already have.

[@DawnofExistence]

I will always love the sound of the 81. We’ve got a good variety of configurations in our guitars and honestly, I still like the 57/66 a lot. As for string height, it definitely makes a bigger difference with the 57/66 than the 81 or 85 etc. The 57/66 react more like a passive in that sense. As for Fishman Fluence, I haven’t used them personally in any of my guitars but from what I’ve heard, not just KZbin comparisons, I’m not sold on them; certainly not over EMGs. They also eat through batteries quicker than EMGs. Collectively, we have about 15 guitars and basses. All of them have some EMG configuration. That should give you an idea of what we like.

[@butcher_0392]

@@DawnofExistence Yeah bro, EMG is far superior to Fishman, sadly guitarists are the stupidest customers out there, and they are easily fooled into believing myths such as "TONE" in different types of wood, poly finish vs nitro, valve amps vs amp sims, Axe FX vs kemper, youtuber reviews, famous guitarists, and more. when in fact they should believe more in their own ear and personal taste, not be so quickly swayed, but well that's the nature of the average guitarist, we can't do anything about it. What you say is very true, about the fact that the batteries last much longer in EMG than Fishman, also if you know what you do and you know your gear, you can with an 81 easily achieve the Vai tone of for the love of god, sweet child of mine, or gary moore guitar tone, also thrash, Death, Metalcore or whatever you want. I wish you the best, your videos are very good, successes and that you grow a lot.

[@JRs-guitars]

EMG is king. DD Blackouts are a close second. I think Fishmans are good for super low tunings, 7+ strings and clean honestly.

[@DawnofExistence]

I like the Blackouts but still prefer EMGs. I know a lot of people like Fishman and I’ve heard albums with them that I like, but I haven’t been a fan of them while playing. Certainly not more than EMGs either. But it’s all preference. I don’t think any of them are bad pickups though.

[@JRs-guitars]

@@DawnofExistence agreed, none of them are bad. But depends on the music that's being played too. A single coil Duncan designed is "bad" for metal and heavy riffing, for example lol.

[@jayz6008]

Horrible tones

[@DawnofExistence]

😂 thanks for the opinions.