# EMG 81 vs 81x vs 57



## TeeWX (Feb 17, 2014)

Hey everyone!

I seemed to have completely missed the 81-X and 57 that EMG released. I don't always get out from under my rock, but now that I have these two have struck my interest. I currently play an 81 in my bridge position. I've tried the EMG 85 and it's just not quite for me. It does sound "beefier" than the 81 which I like but the 81 just has the clarity that I'm looking for. I play only modern metal. Metalcore/Deathcore/Melodeath basically. (As I Lay Dying, All Shall Perish, Black Dahlia Murder, etc.) So how would these pups do? Would I be getting more beef without losing clarity or am I sitting on the best bridge pickup I can get already? I play an Alder body neck through Carvin v220, and the shorter scale (25.0") + my love for tension and beefy strings (67 for drop C/B ) calls for clarity in a pup choice. I really like my 81's, but I'm always looking to try new things given that they may better suit me.

Forgot to add, I'm on 18 volts.

Thanks!


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 17, 2014)

You'd probably want the 57 or the 85x.


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## TeeWX (Feb 17, 2014)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> You'd probably want the 57 or the 85x.



The 85x is a clearer sounding 85 then?


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## yellowv (Feb 17, 2014)

If I were you I would try the Hetfield bridge or the 81x. The 57 is more similar to the 85 which you didn't like.


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## TeeWX (Feb 17, 2014)

yellowv said:


> If I were you I would try the Hetfield bridge or the 81x. The 57 is more similar to the 85 which you didn't like.



Can you buy the Hetfield Bridge as a single? Is it suppose to be it's own pickup entirely?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 17, 2014)

TeeWX said:


> The 85x is a clearer sounding 85 then?



Yup. Supposed to be brighter, clearer, and slightly lower in output.


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## yellowv (Feb 17, 2014)

TeeWX said:


> Can you buy the Hetfield Bridge as a single? Is it suppose to be it's own pickup entirely?



That's the problem I don't think so. The x series basically take away a bit of output and add some clarity, dynamics and headroom to their respective pickup. So you may like the 85x.


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## TeeWX (Feb 17, 2014)

yellowv said:


> That's the problem I don't think so. The x series basically take away a bit of output and add some clarity, dynamics and headroom to their respective pickup. So you may like the 85x.



Is it quite a bit different though? I'm a bit worried as the 85 just didn't seem like it got as "tight" as I wanted it to. It's been awhile though.


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## jc986 (Feb 17, 2014)

IMO if you require the tightness of the 81, the 85 and 85X just won't cut it. I don't have experience with the 57 though so I really can't comment there.


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## TeeWX (Feb 17, 2014)

Just found this...



They literally all sound the same to me


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## Stuck_in_a_dream (Feb 18, 2014)

^ IMHO there is a big difference between 81, 81x except that this video was not capable of showing, heck, I hear a big difference between 81 in 18v mode and the 81x. Here is a better video, although I think the tone difference is more felt by the player. 

*EDIT:* Make sure to watch in HD


As for the 57, it is an awesome bridge pickup and there are tons of good quality videos to show what it can do. I don't think that it is comparable with the 81 though, i.e. it's not meant to compete tonally with the 81. It's EMG's take on the PAF.


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## TeeWX (Feb 18, 2014)

I'm still having troubles distinguishing any differences between the 81 and 81x in that video. The 85 sounds thicker and completely different. What is it about the 57 thtlat sets it apart from the 81? I've read people saying that it's like a mix between an 81 and 85 which is what has me interested. I love how tight and surgical my 81 is esp on 18 volts. I wouldn't mind it being a little thicker though. But not as muddy as the 85 seems to get.

As for the differences in the videos im just on a 2.1 setup from klipsch which arent bad but maybe if I had high end headphones I'd be hearing it. It's definitely a personal thing too. I've heard so many great demos of amps for example that I hate in person, or sometimes think are way better in person. You have to change the EQ a little too and see if you like the end result


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## Stuck_in_a_dream (Feb 18, 2014)

I have 81 (in 18v) and the 81x. Here is my take on the difference, you'll probbaly find it posted several times here already, but no biggie. To my ears, the 81x sounds "sweeter", by that I mean the highs are rounded, it's still a bright pickup but not harshly so, it is as tight as the 81, but with more clarity and head room (less compressed) + slightly less gain.

The 57 is just an active PAF pickup, it's balanced, maybe not as tight as 81, but it has tons of clarity and articulation. Roll off the volume and it reacts nicely. I don't have an 85 but I can tell you that the 57 is entirely different from an 81, even in 18v. I tried to use the 57 in 18v and it reacted very similarly to X-series under 18v, it sounded sterile & dull, that's why I run my 57/66 in 9v. Here are a few clips that, IMHO, show off the 57.









Here is my favorite, but it's for the 57-7


I don't think that you'd be able to produce this tone with the 81-7, it'll be much more compressed.


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## TeeWX (Feb 18, 2014)

I really love the thickness of the guitar tones in TBDM's latest, for example



It seems like there isn't a ton of clarity in it though.

..and probably one of my favorites of all time, ABR's Constellations, example



They have incredibly thick sounding guitars, but it's really tight, and I'm pretty sure ABR is using an 81 in the bridge on both guitars. 

Combine them somehow?

That last video you posted of the set sounds really great on the rhythm work. It's a bit progressivey sounding to me if that makes sense.

I'm not entirely sure I know what a PAF is. Apparently the original Gibson pickups? As far as clarity is concerned, wouldn't a really tight pickup have more clarity? The 18v change seems to make my 81 clearer, but it has the opposite effect on a 57? When we're talking about clarity, do you just mean that chords don't sound as dissonant? I like to have a really great separation between notes because I play a lot of melodic pedalpoint riffs, and the 85 from my experience seemed to fall apart in this area as it seemed to let the notes mush together a lot easier. If that makes sense.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream (Feb 18, 2014)

As with any attempt to describe something in words, we have to agree on the language 

By *clarity* I mean: you can make out the individual notes of a distorted chord, of course up to a point, but YMMV depending on the pickup. I think the 57 has more clarity than 81.

*Articulation:* To me = pick attack, part of it depends on the player's technique of course but some of it comes from the pickup. I think the 81 has a distinctive pick attack due to the way the preamp compresses the signal. 57 doesn't disappoint in that dept. either, but the attack is not as harsh or as loud as 81. It's more crunchy.

*Tightness:* To my ears = how sharp the pickup output looks on a spectral analyzer for a particular frequency range. Tight = there is not much flab around said frequency, it's like a laser, that is the 81 in the bass freq. Some people don't like that and they perceive it as harsh or non-musical, so YMMV. 57 is not as tight as 81, I don't think anything is tighter than 81 but I have been wrong before 

Pickup choice is a very personal thing and it depends on what YOU like, there is no correct answer. But if you go thru the videos I posted I think you can agree with me that the 57 does not sound anywhere near what you might hear from (say for example) Metallica's rhythm or lead playing. If you want bridge pickups similar to 81, I think your choices are either 81x, or JHet bridge from EMG or the EMTY Blackouts from SD, still active and you can install them with same wiring of EMG's.


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