Some while ago, I posted a thread asking if anyone knew if EMG changed their preamp recently. I was told by EMG themselves that it wasn't, and that the 57/66 set had a different preamp altogether (more on that later). But then there were some interesting posts on the thread mentioning that a. the chip they used for their preamp was discontinued recently and b. the main guy behind EMG told Frank Falbo that indeed the preamp was changed.
Furthermore, a few months ago, I also got a new 85 that I ended up giving away because it sounded too different from the 85 I already had (and recorded different too, but more on that later too).
Well, I wasn't quite happy with the way my 2020-made 57/66 set sounded. It sounded a bit cleaner/less squishy and MUCH brighter (not in a good way, at least through my EVH). I tried recording DI's, and indeed, the waveform was wider (meaning more headroom in the preamp) compared to the couple of 81's, the 85, and the 60 I have at hand (all of which peak at exactly the same level). I traded this new set to a friend who heard them and liked them (they did work well with his amp) for an 81/60 set he had and didn't like.
So I went ahead and ordered an old crummy beat up 57/66 set off eBay to test this theory because I wasn't convinced (and it was cheap enough). In all of the comparison clips I've seen online, this isn't the difference I hear. I actually really liked how the 57 came off in all comparisons you find in YouTube. So after a LOOOOOONG while being stuck at customs, I received the set yesterday. And guess what: this set (from 2014, as seen in the little label behind) sounds like the rest of my EMG's. It records at exactly the same level, proving the preamp is much closer to the 2010-2017 81,60, and 85 EMG's I have, if not the exact same. It also doesn't sound as scratchy and twangy as the new 2020 set I had. I honestly believe the preamp isn't different AT ALL, at least within the first years of production of the 57/66 set, so I call BS on what EMG told me.
So do I like this old 57/66 set? Absolutely! They still have that familiar EMG sound: squishy compression, consistency in the palm-mutes, mix-slicing upper-mid focus, tight low-end rolloff. The 57 in particular has things I like about the 81 (cut and tightness) and the 85 (chunk), albeit hotter and louder than both (even though they are all technically the same output, at least @9V). The 66 is somewhat like the best parts of the 60 (clear and tight) and the 85 (warm and throaty) put into one. They still sound like EMG's, though, so I don't think they came up with a "miracle formula" with these pickups. Are they more passive-like? Kinda. They still resemble the good old classic EMG's more than they do passives, TBH. At least to my ears.
So my recommendations? Buy used EMG's. The new ones sound way too bright and unlike the classic EMG's from the early 2000-2010's.
Furthermore, a few months ago, I also got a new 85 that I ended up giving away because it sounded too different from the 85 I already had (and recorded different too, but more on that later too).
Well, I wasn't quite happy with the way my 2020-made 57/66 set sounded. It sounded a bit cleaner/less squishy and MUCH brighter (not in a good way, at least through my EVH). I tried recording DI's, and indeed, the waveform was wider (meaning more headroom in the preamp) compared to the couple of 81's, the 85, and the 60 I have at hand (all of which peak at exactly the same level). I traded this new set to a friend who heard them and liked them (they did work well with his amp) for an 81/60 set he had and didn't like.
So I went ahead and ordered an old crummy beat up 57/66 set off eBay to test this theory because I wasn't convinced (and it was cheap enough). In all of the comparison clips I've seen online, this isn't the difference I hear. I actually really liked how the 57 came off in all comparisons you find in YouTube. So after a LOOOOOONG while being stuck at customs, I received the set yesterday. And guess what: this set (from 2014, as seen in the little label behind) sounds like the rest of my EMG's. It records at exactly the same level, proving the preamp is much closer to the 2010-2017 81,60, and 85 EMG's I have, if not the exact same. It also doesn't sound as scratchy and twangy as the new 2020 set I had. I honestly believe the preamp isn't different AT ALL, at least within the first years of production of the 57/66 set, so I call BS on what EMG told me.
So do I like this old 57/66 set? Absolutely! They still have that familiar EMG sound: squishy compression, consistency in the palm-mutes, mix-slicing upper-mid focus, tight low-end rolloff. The 57 in particular has things I like about the 81 (cut and tightness) and the 85 (chunk), albeit hotter and louder than both (even though they are all technically the same output, at least @9V). The 66 is somewhat like the best parts of the 60 (clear and tight) and the 85 (warm and throaty) put into one. They still sound like EMG's, though, so I don't think they came up with a "miracle formula" with these pickups. Are they more passive-like? Kinda. They still resemble the good old classic EMG's more than they do passives, TBH. At least to my ears.
So my recommendations? Buy used EMG's. The new ones sound way too bright and unlike the classic EMG's from the early 2000-2010's.
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