EMG 57tw with my SAS for HSS.... Thoughts??

[SZjammin83]

So I just rebuilt my Strat and I've built two pick guards, one active and one passive. My Strat has an HSS route though even though it came as an SSS. SO... I'm thinking about getting two SAS and adding a 57tw because they are splittable, so I could have SSS, or HSS in the one guitar. But I'm wondering if anyone might have any input on how the 57 would or would not play nice with my SAS?

[Teleplayer]

My EMG 57 from about 2017 was a strong low-mid / heavy sounding pickup. I was never tempted to try it in a HSS setup.

The 85, 89, 89R are well proven bridge pickups for HSS. I don't see any reason to change a proven formula.

[SZjammin83]

This thread went nowhere, but on the off chance anyone else ever does check it out I figured I'd come back and report that I found that the 57tw does in fact sound killer and pairs well with my SA pickups. It has qualities of passive pickups (mind you, I'm saying QUALITIES of passive pickups, not that it sounds like a passive pickups) similar to the SA single coils. When I purchased my SA set, I was extremely surprised to find out that while they are indeed hotter than many passives, they are not so hot that they immediately overdrive an amp, or that you can't turn the volume down a bit and clean them up, just like you can do with a passive pickup. Really, the range on the volume knob is amazing on my SA active pickups and functions noticeably through the entire sweep, where passives too often feel like they are either on or off, even with quality audio taper CTS pots. At least in comparison to my EMG SA set. What surprised me the most after installing my SA set (prior to going with the HSS configuration, when I just had 3 single coils in a straight up SSS Strat setup) was the fact that my Strat didn't just retain it's Stratiness, it had loads MORE of it! My guitar sounded more like what I hear in my head when I think of a Strat than it ever had before. Anyway, the 57tw not only shares this trait that I love about my SA pickups, but it also is a TW (which I found stands for "Twin") type pickup, so with the help of a switch or a push/pull pot, I can change to single coil mode, and essentially still get all my single coil tones. This is not coil-splitting like on a passive pickup either, this is a true single coil pickup, as EMG's TW pickups are like the 89 Dual Mode humbucker in that they are both a humbucker and a single coil all wrapped up into one beautiful pickup package! So I can switch into single coil mode, and other than the fact that the 57tw in single coil mode is a bit hotter than the other 2 SA single coils, there isn't much of a difference so noticeable that anyone would ever be able to tell that it was a humbucker in the guitar if they didn't SEE the humbucker in the guitar. It sounds great when used in position 2, and on its own for those twangy spanky type tones Fender guitars do so well. I purchased the 57tw with a 66tw that came in a set, for a Gibson Les Paul I own (which sounds KILLER btw), and I had purchased an 89 already to go in the bridge of my Strat. So at the moment, the 89 is in the Strat, but I let the 57tw stay in there for quite a while before I swapped it for the 89, because I liked it so much. But eventually I got to where my desire to install the set in my LP won out so I did the swap and now I have two awesome sounding EMG equipped guitars. BOTH guitars do a whole hell of a lot more than just metal music too. I'd happily use either one to play just about anything under the sun, and I'd sound good doing it too. I still love my passive pickup equipped guitars, but the EMGs have definitely been a lot of fun, and in both guitars they have far exceeded my expectations. I am waiting to find another 57tw on Reverb from EMGs online outlet store (if you are looking for EMGs and you already have the wiring available to use, you can get some of their best pickups in b-stock buys for up to half off their usual sale price, but they are mostly always going to be pickup only sales, so like I said, you'll need to already have the wiring and components. Seeing as how EMGs have the solderless system, this is a truly amazing way that EMG fans who own EMG equipped guitars and basses can get their hands on and try just about any EMG pickup they would like to for CRAZY LOW prices. The prices are so low, I find myself being unable to sell myself a good reason why I SHOULDN'T buy one anytime I go up there and check them out) but as soon as one becomes available, I am going to pick it up so that I can put it in my Strat, at which point I may sell the 89, or hold on to it, as swapping them out is way too easy, and it's always a great option to have different tones stashed away in little boxes around the studio. You can spend 10 mins on a guitar, and completely change the way it sounds.

Anyway, that was my finding on the EMG 57tw in an HSS setup with an SA single coil in both the middle and neck positions of my Strat. If you have an HSS guitar with EMGs or one that you are going to convert to EMGs, I can say for certain that this combination will not disappoint. And as far as proven formulas go, I'll grant that there are MANY of them out there, however, NONE of those would be a thing if the people who came before had listened to everyone else telling them that the "tried and true" old way is the only way, and that there is no reason to try anything different or new. While there are plenty of tried and true combinations of pickups, we'd all be playing our Gibson's with the humbuckers they came equipped with if no one were to have ever had the desire to try something new and at times even drastically different. Hell EMG as a company would not exist today if it wasn't for individuals out there who were all about going against the grain and trying new things that were worlds away from what everyone else was doing at the time they began their journey. Playing the electric guitar in general is all about experimentation and trying out all types of new things, so I'll stick with that approach and recommend to anyone else to do the same. Often times you'll strike out, at which point you've got the proven formulas to fall back on. But every once in a while, you'll stumble upon something that will blow you away, and possibly even be the next thing to change the world of electric guitar playing as we know it!

[Teleplayer]

If you have trouble with the range of volume control on guitars with passive pickup you may be able to improve it by using a treble bleed. It can solve the problem where you find the passive pickup only comes to life at full volume. Because I'm used to having a treble bleed, I really missed it when I tried a guitar with EMGs. If I ever use EMGs again, I will experiment with a treble bleed circuit for use with the EMG controls.

I read elsewhere and also on this forum that in around 2019, the preamp IC used in some of the EMG pickups such as 57 (single mode) had been updated to one with slightly higher current draw and brighter tone. It's possible the latest production unit could be more strat-like then the older version I used, but I'm not really confident to be honest. If I go back to EMG it would most likely be the proven 89R, SA, SA setup. Interesting to hear your views on the 57TW and the 89, as you have experience with both in the same guitar.

[SZjammin83]

If you have trouble with the range of volume control on guitars with passive pickup you may be able to improve it by using a treble bleed. It can solve the problem where you find the passive pickup only comes to life at full volume. Because I'm used to having a treble bleed, I really missed it when I tried a guitar with EMGs. If I ever use EMGs again, I will experiment with a treble bleed circuit for use with the EMG controls.

I read elsewhere and also on this forum that in around 2019, the preamp IC used in some of the EMG pickups such as 57 (single mode) had been updated to one with slightly higher current draw and brighter tone. It's possible the latest production unit could be more strat-like then the older version I used, but I'm not really confident to be honest. If I go back to EMG it would most likely be the proven 89R, SA, SA setup. Interesting to hear your views on the 57TW and the 89, as you have experience with both in the same guitar.

The 57tw was amazing in the bridge of my Strat HSS and I loved it. I kept it in there until I got all the parts together to install the 57/66tw in my Les Paul Standard, and then I took it out and installed the 89 I had ordered. Eventually I would like to get an 89R, as I have become familiar with the way in which the single coil in the opposite coil places it a bit further from the bridge, and I could definitely see how this would be a desirable trait. I found my 89 as a NOS sale on the EMG Outlet on Reverb. It was only $59, so I couldn't pass it up. Other than the brand new 89R models I found for $119 a piece, I couldn't find a deal on one, and I had previous experience with the 89 in a similar HSS Strat, so I knew it would be anything but a let down, so I went ahead and saved some scratch for the time being and went with the regular 89 brand new for a great price. EMG Outlet has a ton of great deals on pickups, though most of them are pickup only deals, so they are more beneficial to individuals who have already got all the electronics they need to install the pickup(s). I am looking forward to keeping an eye out on their store and getting my hands on quite a few different pickups to try out in my two newly EMG equipped guitars. I'd like to check out some of the X series stuff, as the preamps in the X series are supposedly updated to offer a bit more of a merge between the tone and feel of passives while still using an active pickup. The reviews I have watched and read have all seemed to be pretty great, with players seeming to agree pretty much across the board that the X Series pickups achieve exactly what they had set out to do. I think it would be pretty sweet to try out a set of SAX, SAX, 89XR, to see how they stack up against the set I have already come to love so much in my Strat. It's hard to believe that there could be much improvement there, as these pickups sound amazing together as they are. I have also purchased two "Original 24 Volt Mods" and installed one in each of my EMG equipped guitars. I always heard so much in the past about how huge an improvement the 18 volt mod was to and EMG equipped guitar, so I figured why not give these a try, and they have been a solid Win-Win across the board in both guitars. They don't necessarily improve tone so much, though they do improve dynamics and attack. It's more a FEEL thing than anything too audible. They improve responsiveness, and produce more headroom in the preamps in active pickups, so they just seem more open. Also, the mod itself is designed to be the same size and connectivity as a 9 volt battery, but it utilizes two 12 volt batteries in series to create 24 volts of power, and the A24 batteries are only $3.50 a pair, so they are less expensive than a 9 volt battery as well. Lastly they are a bit smaller than a 9 volt, so they fit much better in guitars that were not previously EMG (or active) equipped. Where in both my Strat, and my Les Paul, a 9 volt battery was only a hair less than too big to fit, the 24 volt mod is just the right size to where in both guitars they fit right into the recommended position for battery installation without wiggling around , but also without feeling so over crowded that they might otherwise put too much pressure on a component(s) and possibly cause problems down the road. So they worked out in many different ways, and for 24 bucks, I think they are a must-have for anyone who plays EMG pickups.

[PFDarkside]

That LP looks awesome all blacked out.

[Teleplayer]

Thanks for the update and the pic. You did a great job with both of those guitars. I really like the styling.

With the regular EMGs, I generally don't notice a problem with compression. They are a bit too mid-focused compared to the passive pickups I'm used to, so I notice that more than the compression.

[SZjammin83]

That LP looks awesome all blacked out.

Thanks a lot! I appreciate you saying so. The Les Paul is my Number 1. It's a 2013 USA Standard I found after exercising A LOT of patience and trying A LOT of different LPs, and it was just like I've heard so many people say about the search for an LP, when you find "the one", you will just know. It was on Craig's List, and I met the guy I purchased it from at a Rite Aid and sat on the curb in the parking lot to open the case, and as soon as I picked it up and began to play it, I knew. It turned out the PCB was messed up and only the bypassed FULL bridge mode worked once I got it home, but I didn't trip because other than that, it looked like the guitar had never been out of it's case, and I gave the guy $1200 for it. That was the steal of a lifetime, and even if it hadn't been "the one", I could've just flipped it quick and made $400. But I replaced the PCB with traditional 50s wiring, installed a set of Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in it, and eventually did the rest of what you see here, replacing all the hardware and accessories with Black. I spent the time and money to get the direct drop-in replacements for all the component's (aside from the knurled black speed knobs, which I just preferred so much more than the smooth Gibson branded ones, though these are by a company called "Vintage Forge" and they are just as great quality as the factory Gibson components, not at all cheap or a compromise like some of the All-Parts or Pro-Line stuff can be) and so when I got finished, it still sounds and plays JUST like the instrument I fell in love with, only now it's personalized so that it looks the way I always wanted my Les Paul to look.

[SZjammin83]

Thanks for the update and the pic. You did a great job with both of those guitars. I really like the styling.

With the regular EMGs, I generally don't notice a problem with compression. They are a bit too mid-focused compared to the passive pickups I'm used to, so I notice that more than the compression.

Thanks for the compliment, and for checking out the post! Both are genuinely much appreciated! Going into the second one (which was the Strat) I was a little more aware of the fact that black hardware must not be such a big thing, because it's actually kind of difficult to do this whole black thing the "right" way, simply from an obtaining the materials stand point. Even so, the Strat still managed to be even more of an undertaking than the Les Paul was, which really surprised me based on the simple fact that a Stratocaster seems to be the single most modified guitar of them all, so I thought finding the parts the second time around would be much less of a hassle. However, I knew if I was going to do it, that I was going to do it ALL exactly the way I wanted it to be, or nothing. This meant having to do stuff like order Fender Locking tuners, while also ordering 4 or 5 different other regular sets of tuners just to have the knobs on the tuners right when it was all said and done. Fender doesn't sell their locking tuners with vintage style buttons, and tuners do not, as it turns out, share a universal shaft upon which to mount the tuner buttons/knobs. So I bought and returned 4 different sets before I finally got lucky on the 5th, and got my hands on Vintage style knobs to fit the shafts of the Fender (Ping is the company who actually manufactures them, and they just brand them for Fender) locking tuners. I had the very same locking tuners on it before, when it was all chrome, and I ordered those with the vintage style buttons already on the tuners. But because this was in a black finish, they only offer them with the bigger more modern looking knobs with the arched top and straight sides, which I am just not a fan of on a Strat. On a Charvel or Jackson, sure, but aside from the EMGs, which weren't even in consideration initially, I wanted this to look 100% Stratocaster. Then there was the issue with the tremolo. This Strat has narrow 2-1/16 (52.5mm) spacing, which wouldn't pose an issue in the least if I had wanted a chrome/nickel or even a gold finish. But because I wanted a black finish, it turned out there were only 3 (literally ONLY THREE) options for a replacement tremolo system, and none are a direct replacement for the 6 screw vintage synchronized Fender tremolo system. And to top that off, TWO of the three are Babicz tremolos, which are not at all poor quality products, but they are a bit more "contemporary", I guess you might say, than what I was going for, and not so subtle. As a Babicz has the "full contact hardware" thing, where even on the more traditional "Traditional" model, they just wind up sticking out like a sore thumb and instead of blending in and complimenting the other parts of the guitar to look good in an over all cumulative effort, they just seem (imho) to say "LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME" a bit too much, in a way that takes away from the rest as opposed to becoming a nice complimentary inclusion to it. And then there's my favorite part, which is the fact that the guy Babicz himself seemed to feel it was necessary to have his name laser etched into the tremolos his company manufactures, and in a way that is no less subtle or complimentary than the devices themselves, as its always is a color which is directly in contrast to whatever the finish may be, along with the fact that it is big enough that it is easier to read from a distance than the "Fender" brand logo on the headstock. If these things are not directly indicative of an individual with a FAR too over-inflated ego, I don't know what is. Christ, you made some modern improvements to a device which has otherwise LONG since been engineered, put into mass production, and has been widely known and used across the guitar-ing community since the 50s! But because the dude designed some saddles which supposedly provide more resonance, and make string adjustments a bit easier and to a degree, a bit more finite, he feels the need to put his name across 50% of the surface area of each and every one of the products his company manufactures to this day. It just seems a bit overblown to me is all, and if I put a name on my personalized guitar, I would want it to be my own, not the dude who's company manufactures the G.D. whammy bar for Christ sake! One might say "Fender" is a name, though I would argue (and be correct) that Fender has long since been an Establishment which has become a household name, who's position has been well-earned at that. So it is not at all the same. And I will end my rant, which went hard to the left for which you have my apologies, by saying that I was only WAY too happy when I received the PRS style tremolo system manufactured by "Musiclily" (which is manufactured in China, but is no less worthy a component because of that fact. And the only other options I had were manufactured in Taiwan, which, if we were judging based on country of origin, is even less illustrious than China in terms of the overall outlook in regard to their manufacturing infrastructure and capabilities. Comparing the two would be like comparing a single apple to an entire orchard, only the orchard is also considered a world super-power, with a a navy, an air force, and other viable accoutrements befitting an orchard of its size and strength, like space programs and the capability to produce W.M.D.s, and the list goes on, while the lone apple can only boast a strong business relationship with The Dollar Store as its top products manufacturer since they opened their doors.... and damn, just like that, to the left once more) The PRS style tremolo wound up being perfect, and I will install one on any and every Strat I purchase in the future, it is that good a product, and that great an improvement upon what had existed there previously. It doesn't just fit wonderfully without looking at all out of place or causing the vibe of the guitar to be any less Fender-esque, but it too boasts an obvious improvement in the resonance of the guitar, making the instrument brighter and more present, both acoustically and when plugged in. Lastly, this tremolo system is easy as can be to do set ups on, and it just generally functions like a dream. I never have problems with it bringing the strings out of tune, and it beds with smoothness and fluidity that the old Strat tremolo just did not have period. You take all this stuff intro consideration, and it makes the Roasted Maple neck, officially the easiest part to obtain, lol. Regardless how easy or difficult it may have been to obtain, I am 100% glad I purchased it. I wasn't sure how I would like it, but now that everything is together, I think it looks amazing, and no picture I take of the guitar will ever do it justice, because it's got a gloss coat on the front fingerboard and headstock that just makes it look and feel like an instrument twice as pricey to put together than it really was, and the satin coat on the back is remarkable as well. It blows my mind how they are able to sand something and then apply a finish, and this makes a piece of wood literally feel as soft and smooth as a baby's ass! While my Les Paul is without a doubt my number one, even if I am not playing it as much right now because of how much I love playing the Fender, still the Fender is giving it a run for it's money. I just have never loved playing a Strat as much as I enjoy playing mine now. I think it could not have turned out to look better, and it just FEELS killer now all the way across the board. The neck isn't just a different hue of maple, it is a different carve than any Fender I have played in the past. It is noticeably thinner than any other Strat neck, but not so thin that it feels like it doesn't belong, and the profile is what they describe as a soft-oval profile, similar to their "C" profile, but definitely its own new thing, It's certainly a more modern thing, but the radius is the same 9.5 inches which I prefer to 12" or anything flatter (on a Fender that is), and it's still familiar, just better. Nothing has been taken away from the things I love about a Fender neck, but there are new aspects that are present which only serve to make me appreciate it even more. It's just a F'n killer guitar, and it doesn't just play well, it sounds amazing too, and is as versatile as the day is long and the sky is blue, which is one of the reasons it's so hard to put it down, because, if the guitar can do what I want it to do, why go through the trouble of putting it down and picking up another? And if I'm having a great time playing it, then, turn down for what?!

Thanks again to the guys who checked the thread out. I was hoping I might get to share them with some individuals who appreciate playing guitars, but also, the guitars themselves. I am satisfied that I have achieved that, and I appreciate the comments.

[State of Epicicity]

SZjammin83 I've really been wanting to find a bridge humbucker that balances well with an SA in the neck. I actually had an HA-X in the neck of Gibson Flying V, with an 85 in the bridge, but I did feel the HA-X was not a good volume balance with the 85. I was wondering how the 57 works with an SA in the neck, and this is the only thread I could find anywhere about this! I'm now playing a 24 fret SuperStrat, so I'm just guessing how this would all interact in my current guitar. How did you find the volume to balance between the 57 and the SA in the neck? Thanks for your extensive review!

[nexion218]

The 57 is tha sh!t when it comes to EMGs. The company is doing a disservice to themselves by not giving the 57/66 more PR. I only liked EMGs until I tried them. The 57/66 was the last chance I was gonna give them and now I have a set in a 7 and a 6 string axe too. Absolute keepers.

[Juanhanglo]

Thanks for the compliment, and for checking out the post! Both are genuinely much appreciated! Going into the second one (which was the Strat) I was a little more aware of the fact that black hardware must not be such a big thing, because it's actually kind of difficult to do this whole black thing the "right" way, simply from an obtaining the materials stand point. Even so, the Strat still managed to be even more of an undertaking than the Les Paul was, which really surprised me based on the simple fact that a Stratocaster seems to be the single most modified guitar of them all, so I thought finding the parts the second time around would be much less of a hassle. However, I knew if I was going to do it, that I was going to do it ALL exactly the way I wanted it to be, or nothing. This meant having to do stuff like order Fender Locking tuners, while also ordering 4 or 5 different other regular sets of tuners just to have the knobs on the tuners right when it was all said and done. Fender doesn't sell their locking tuners with vintage style buttons, and tuners do not, as it turns out, share a universal shaft upon which to mount the tuner buttons/knobs. So I bought and returned 4 different sets before I finally got lucky on the 5th, and got my hands on Vintage style knobs to fit the shafts of the Fender (Ping is the company who actually manufactures them, and they just brand them for Fender) locking tuners. I had the very same locking tuners on it before, when it was all chrome, and I ordered those with the vintage style buttons already on the tuners. But because this was in a black finish, they only offer them with the bigger more modern looking knobs with the arched top and straight sides, which I am just not a fan of on a Strat. On a Charvel or Jackson, sure, but aside from the EMGs, which weren't even in consideration initially, I wanted this to look 100% Stratocaster. Then there was the issue with the tremolo. This Strat has narrow 2-1/16 (52.5mm) spacing, which wouldn't pose an issue in the least if I had wanted a chrome/nickel or even a gold finish. But because I wanted a black finish, it turned out there were only 3 (literally ONLY THREE) options for a replacement tremolo system, and none are a direct replacement for the 6 screw vintage synchronized Fender tremolo system. And to top that off, TWO of the three are Babicz tremolos, which are not at all poor quality products, but they are a bit more "contemporary", I guess you might say, than what I was going for, and not so subtle. As a Babicz has the "full contact hardware" thing, where even on the more traditional "Traditional" model, they just wind up sticking out like a sore thumb and instead of blending in and complimenting the other parts of the guitar to look good in an over all cumulative effort, they just seem (imho) to say "LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME" a bit too much, in a way that takes away from the rest as opposed to becoming a nice complimentary inclusion to it. And then there's my favorite part, which is the fact that the guy Babicz himself seemed to feel it was necessary to have his name laser etched into the tremolos his company manufactures, and in a way that is no less subtle or complimentary than the devices themselves, as its always is a color which is directly in contrast to whatever the finish may be, along with the fact that it is big enough that it is easier to read from a distance than the "Fender" brand logo on the headstock. If these things are not directly indicative of an individual with a FAR too over-inflated ego, I don't know what is. Christ, you made some modern improvements to a device which has otherwise LONG since been engineered, put into mass production, and has been widely known and used across the guitar-ing community since the 50s! But because the dude designed some saddles which supposedly provide more resonance, and make string adjustments a bit easier and to a degree, a bit more finite, he feels the need to put his name across 50% of the surface area of each and every one of the products his company manufactures to this day. It just seems a bit overblown to me is all, and if I put a name on my personalized guitar, I would want it to be my own, not the dude who's company manufactures the G.D. whammy bar for Christ sake! One might say "Fender" is a name, though I would argue (and be correct) that Fender has long since been an Establishment which has become a household name, who's position has been well-earned at that. So it is not at all the same. And I will end my rant, which went hard to the left for which you have my apologies, by saying that I was only WAY too happy when I received the PRS style tremolo system manufactured by "Musiclily" (which is manufactured in China, but is no less worthy a component because of that fact. And the only other options I had were manufactured in Taiwan, which, if we were judging based on country of origin, is even less illustrious than China in terms of the overall outlook in regard to their manufacturing infrastructure and capabilities. Comparing the two would be like comparing a single apple to an entire orchard, only the orchard is also considered a world super-power, with a a navy, an air force, and other viable accoutrements befitting an orchard of its size and strength, like space programs and the capability to produce W.M.D.s, and the list goes on, while the lone apple can only boast a strong business relationship with The Dollar Store as its top products manufacturer since they opened their doors.... and damn, just like that, to the left once more) The PRS style tremolo wound up being perfect, and I will install one on any and every Strat I purchase in the future, it is that good a product, and that great an improvement upon what had existed there previously. It doesn't just fit wonderfully without looking at all out of place or causing the vibe of the guitar to be any less Fender-esque, but it too boasts an obvious improvement in the resonance of the guitar, making the instrument brighter and more present, both acoustically and when plugged in. Lastly, this tremolo system is easy as can be to do set ups on, and it just generally functions like a dream. I never have problems with it bringing the strings out of tune, and it beds with smoothness and fluidity that the old Strat tremolo just did not have period. You take all this stuff intro consideration, and it makes the Roasted Maple neck, officially the easiest part to obtain, lol. Regardless how easy or difficult it may have been to obtain, I am 100% glad I purchased it. I wasn't sure how I would like it, but now that everything is together, I think it looks amazing, and no picture I take of the guitar will ever do it justice, because it's got a gloss coat on the front fingerboard and headstock that just makes it look and feel like an instrument twice as pricey to put together than it really was, and the satin coat on the back is remarkable as well. It blows my mind how they are able to sand something and then apply a finish, and this makes a piece of wood literally feel as soft and smooth as a baby's ass! While my Les Paul is without a doubt my number one, even if I am not playing it as much right now because of how much I love playing the Fender, still the Fender is giving it a run for it's money. I just have never loved playing a Strat as much as I enjoy playing mine now. I think it could not have turned out to look better, and it just FEELS killer now all the way across the board. The neck isn't just a different hue of maple, it is a different carve than any Fender I have played in the past. It is noticeably thinner than any other Strat neck, but not so thin that it feels like it doesn't belong, and the profile is what they describe as a soft-oval profile, similar to their "C" profile, but definitely its own new thing, It's certainly a more modern thing, but the radius is the same 9.5 inches which I prefer to 12" or anything flatter (on a Fender that is), and it's still familiar, just better. Nothing has been taken away from the things I love about a Fender neck, but there are new aspects that are present which only serve to make me appreciate it even more. It's just a F'n killer guitar, and it doesn't just play well, it sounds amazing too, and is as versatile as the day is long and the sky is blue, which is one of the reasons it's so hard to put it down, because, if the guitar can do what I want it to do, why go through the trouble of putting it down and picking up another? And if I'm having a great time playing it, then, turn down for what?!

Thanks again to the guys who checked the thread out. I was hoping I might get to share them with some individuals who appreciate playing guitars, but also, the guitars themselves. I am satisfied that I have achieved that, and I appreciate the comments.

Dude, great reviews and insights. Nice guitars too.

Your delivery is atrocious though!!

Paragraphs to separate thoughts make things easier to read. Plus, you have like 5 or 6 commas in one sentence sometimes, Lol. You could make 2 or 3, maybe even 4 sentences out of all that.

Reading all that was like listening to a guy that didn't take a breath and just kept talking.

But thank you overall for the info. I am waiting on some warmoth parts to arrive next month, hopefully. I'm planning on going with the 57/66tw set in a VIP body with a gibson scale neck. Which sides of the pickups are active in single coil mode?

I assume the neck side of the neck pickup. Correct? From what you said about the 89, and wanting the 89r to get the opposite coil, makes it sound like the bridge side of the bridge pickup is the single coil side?

Also, how does the 57 and 66 sound split? Can you compare them to the SA? I plan to auto split them with a 4 pole 5 way strat switch.

[Charvel1975]

Should I replace the old EMG-81 in the bridge position of my Charvel Model 5FX with a 57TW and would I need to get a Trem spaced one as my Charvel has an original floyd rose tremolo? Also I believe my Charvel has an old EMG-SA in the slant neck position