NPD: EMG 57

[McLeanAB]

Oh my stars and garters...

Okay, I've been an EMG 85 fanboy for nearly 30 years... heard the 81, someone suggested trying an 85 and I was hooked.  Over the years I've tried the 81, 81x, 60a for high gain stuff and thought the 85 smoked 'em all for the type of tunes I play and write.  It's beefy and chunky and smooth with tons of output whereas the 81 always sounds thin and sterile to me...  I have the HA, HAX, SAV and SAVX in other guitars but I don't use those for high gain stuff, but cleans mostly in my Ibanez semi-hollow...

So, I'm getting my old Diamond by Aria guitar re-fretted and the neck shaved and then the frets dressed, polished and leveled... so, I needed a new pickup.  I was thinking of grabbing another 85 since it sounds a bit different in that guitar than the 85 in my Charvel.  On a whim, I decided to give the 57 a try... swapped out the 85 from my Charvel, put it in the Aria and shipped it out to get it's work done... threw the 57 into the Charvel and WHAM...

I was expecting to have to make demos and shootouts to hear a difference... nope.  The cleans are punchy, clear, smooth with lots of top end and no spike, with rich complex mids... very cool.  Same characteristics with the high gain stuff... punchy, smooth, rich and clear... LOTS of output like the 85, but lots of clarity... articulate and mean! 

I spent hours playing just to enjoy the sound... and it looks hot as hell in my Charvel!  If you like EMG's, I would HIGHLY recommend the 57. 

[Systematic Chaos]

Adam!!!!! Nice Axe!! would even look better without the EMGs  :metal: :metal: :metal:
Best EMG sound I ever heard was when it reached the bottom of a dumpster  :wave: :wave: :wave:  :lol: :lol: :lol:

[rnolan]

Hey Adam, very nice axe, I'm not an EMG (or active PU in guitar) fan either but those 57s do look good.  So what is the "57" is it trying to be like the Gibson 57 reissues I put in my SG ? (complete with nickle coating, so tarnishes just like the originals), they sound great although a bit expensive $.  Anything you like that much - spending hours enjoying the sound is a good thing  :thumb-up: