I don't get the hype with Fishman Fluence

[Jamiecrain]

A lot of marketing is hype. By challenging the current market leader you're tapping into an already developed market, and there's always a segment of that market that'll be susceptible to being lured in by the next best thing.

This.

Pickup retailing is an exercise in brand marketing. Sonic/tone differences between pickups in the same category are massively overstated. Most small differences can be ironed out with EQ tweaks or a very minor OD boost. Those same small differences are exploited by manufacturers with creative names and overblown descriptions to increase buyer desire: e.g. "Forged to fathom the deepest of metal tunings...". LOL

Don't agonise over it, you'll make it work.

 

[Loydthebartender]

I didn't used to like them but the moderns came stock on two of my guitars and In both cases I've learned to like them enough to not swap them out. What they are good at is providing you with several voicings which give you very instantly usable tones across different genres. Unlike the EMG 81/85 set a guitar loaded with fluences is not going to sound like ass when you try to play classic rock or something on the clean channel with it. You have your standard "modern" voicings which are the active pickup sounds, then the classic voicing which in the bridge is what I use for leads and anything hard rock (think AC/DC and GNR) and then the neck classic voicing gives you a really nice clean sound that sound muddy or clippy. I find they're kind of "jack of all trades" pickups. I still prefer a good passive set to fluences, but a guitar loaded with fluences will at least sound OK for pretty much anything.

A lot of people demoing this pickup are dialing in their amp wrong. For the modern "active" sound the trick is to back way off of the gain. It's the oppostie of EMG-81s. The Fluences really come alive when you roll the gain knob way back. Here's what they should sound like dialed in. I don't think I can justify paying full price for these aftermarket but there is definitely a reason that EMG guys are switching to these and I'm glad they are coming stock in more metal guitars. They're simply more useful and more versatile than EMGs. I've been thinking about swapping mine out for Abasis for less high end but I don't want to buy the full set. I just want to replace the bridge pickup, the neck pickup is perfect the way it is imo.

 

[Emperoff]

A lot of marketing is hype. By challenging the current market leader you're tapping into an already developed market, and there's always a segment of that market that'll be susceptible to being lured in by the next best thing.

Honestly, it is sooo easy to bait metal guitarists into a product such as this. Hear this keyword:

"Versatility"

Awww yeah baby. I can already hear them salivating Nothing works better than giving them more tonal options to play blues, jazz, bossa nova, ska or whatever thing they play once in a blue moon to pretend they can play anything else besides metal.

And boy, has this worked for Bare Knuckle.... How wouldn't for Fishman? Add the "EMG is cool to hate" spice and you've got everything you need.

 

[Loydthebartender]

This.

Pickup retailing is an exercise in brand marketing. Sonic/tone differences between pickups in the same category are massively overstated. Most small differences can be ironed out with EQ tweaks or a very minor OD boost. Those same small differences are exploited by manufacturers with creative names and overblown descriptions to increase buyer desire: e.g. "Forged to fathom the deepest of metal tunings...". LOL

Don't agonise over it, you'll make it work.

For me a good set of high gain pickups is one that I can plug into multiple different amps and immediately like the sound of what happens when I go in for a palm mute. I don't want to fix something like that in the EQing stage. Sure it will sound the same on a record after pre and post eq and drums and bass .etc, but I want to be able to hear myself and I want to be able to hear myself a certain way. It not only makes playing easier but it makes it more enjoyable.

 

[aWoodenShip]

I was watching the video of Ola with the Keith Merrow sig and thought “oh cool maybe he can find a way to make the pickups sound good bc I sure as hell never could.” And nope. They still sounded bad.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

A lot of marketing is hype. By challenging the current market leader you're tapping into an already developed market, and there's always a segment of that market that'll be susceptible to being lured in by the next best thing.

I remmeber watching this video thinking "wow, the amp sounds booty", then he switched to his 2 Solars with the stock pickups and EMGs and the amp came to life like.... wow those Merrow pickups are awful lol

I remember preordering the Merrow pickups through Sweewater before they were officially announced, then cancelled the preorder because I sold the guitar I bought them for... I dodged a bullet lmao

 

[DaveWales]

I still love Bareknuckle pickups. Had the classic EMG setup on a 6 string years ago and hated them. I also had a 7 with a single EMG and it did what it did but I’d have preferred a good passive pickup in the same guitar.
I haven’t tried Fishmans yet but I haven’t been blown away by the demos I’ve heard of them. Fishman have done really well for themselves out of the whole rush on them though.

 

[aWoodenShip]

I remmeber watching this video thinking "wow, the amp sounds booty", then he switched to his 2 Solars with the stock pickups and EMGs and the amp came to life like.... wow those Merrow pickups are awful lol

I remember preordering the Merrow pickups through Sweewater before they were officially announced, then cancelled the preorder because I sold the guitar I bought them for... I dodged a bullet lmao

It’s a shame about the pickups because otherwise mine is a really nice guitar.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

It’s a shame about the pickups because otherwise mine is a really nice guitar.

Well they come with Lundgrens now so hopefully that's an improvement lol

 

[sleewell]

I got them in the mayones i got recently. I was all set to replace them.

Then I saw this band kill it last sat, dude was playing them and had great live tone.

 

[Suho]

Oʻp90

The stephen carpenter fluences I was not really that impressed by also. Just seemed like a slightly tweaked version of the regular moderns. For versatility, the Tosin Abasi, Devin Townsend, Will Adler, and Fluff(Ryan Bruce) have really good passive and single coil voicings

Of these, I think only the Tosin Abasi set is available in 8 strings. Javier Reyes also has an 8 string set. I'm thinking I'd like to swap the middle Carpenter pickup out for the Reyes neck pickup.

 

[DaveWales]

It’s a shame about the pickups because otherwise mine is a really nice guitar.

I was looking at the mkIII the other day online (the one with the wenge through neck) and they looked really nice but the prices in the uk at least are very high.
I also saw the EX baritone one that just came out with the single Lundgren pickup and that was nice too but It only has a kill switch, no volume pot at all. I suppose you could always somehow replace the kill switch with a volume pot.

 

[metaljohn]

The only ones I really liked(loved) were the Devin Townsend set. Hated the cocked wah of the Moderns, and the Adler set just didn't wow me at all

 

[Poul Winther Knudsen]

I've only had one guitar with them and I didn't keep it very long. I would much rather have EMG's if I want active pickups, whereas a guitar having Fishmans in it is almost a deal killer for me.

Honky, over-compressed EMG's are not a deal killer for me but I would replace them before ever plugging in, as I know I can't work with them.

 

[hensh!n]

I think they were designed for a very specific type of tone and playing. For example, if you're doing drop-tuned Metalcore style riffs through a 5150 or 6505.

To me, this is where the Fishman's shine:

 

[Emperoff]

I care less and less about pickups nowadays. Everybody hates the Blackouts and I haven't even swapped it yet. I just set the input signal on the modeller to -6dB or something and I'm good to go

 

[Shask]

I care less and less about pickups nowadays. Everybody hates the Blackouts and I haven't even swapped it yet. I just set the input signal on the modeller to -6dB or something and I'm good to go

I think modelers are less picky about pickups than actual amps.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I think they were designed for a very specific type of tone and playing. For example, if you're doing drop-tuned Metalcore style riffs through a 5150 or 6505.

To me, this is where the Fishman's shine:

Can't stand his tone when he switched to Fishmans. Was a lot better when he was using EMGs or whatever passives he was using stock in his guitars.

 

[owlexifry]

I think modelers are less picky about pickups than actual amps.

100% this.
to me, almost every pickup I've tried sounds pretty much the same through a DAW.

but in front of certain amps, especially less gainy ones like a JCM800, really sets them apart.