# Any users of the signature Fishman Fluence line? (Devin, Abasi, KsE, etc)



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kinda curious about these. I bought a Modern set for my Flying V in drop C (solely a br00tz guitar), but I want something more versatile for my PRS Tremonti in Eb standard, which I play a mix of br00tz and rock with. I have a PAF pickup set in there ATM, but the lack of output can be pretty hard to deal with.

Right now I'm considering any of the sig sets or the Classics. From the descriptions, the Devin set sounds like the Moderns with less high end on voice 1, and the Tosins are supposed to sound like the Moderns with more mids on voice 1. Voice 2 sound like they'd both be similar; kind of a chimey PAF deal. The KsEs seem like they're very close to an EMG 81 with a super-tight sound and slightly reduced low end, and a medium-high passive pickup sound with more low end/low mids on voice 2.

I'm also checking out the classics because they have a PAF thing going on with Voice 1, and a "better" JB sound with voice 2. I'm curious to see how well it can handle metal with voice 2.

But yeah, anyone here actually tried any of the sig Fishmans? Kinda curious if all these descriptions are correct.

TL;DR: Recommend me a Fluence pickup that can go from tight metal br00tz with high gain to chimey passive PAF clarity with cleans and low gain/crunch.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

k, I'd stay away from the classics as they have less compressed attack (say compared to the moderns), so they may not be able to do the br00tz. I have a pair that I still have to install in a Frankenstein diy guitar, so my recommendation is based on Youtube + what I read.

For more brutal sound, and staying within PAF realm, I'd recommend the Willie Adler set, again NOT from personal experience, but I'd take Keith Merrow's word for it . He particularly liked the Adler bridge and the modern neck.

I own the Abasi-8 and the KSE sets, and I find them both amazing, but they're quite different. I'd recommend either of them in your case, the Abasi set for its high output, ultra modern tones (one in a million chance to be confused with a PAF ), and the KSE for their mid-range, power, and amazing single coil tone (if that's a factor). 

My 2 cents anyway.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

So even the 2nd voicing on the Classics can't get heavy? That sucks. 

What's voicing 2 like on the Abasis?


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## frank falbo

V2 on the Classics CAN get heavy, but it's not as tight as a blade pickup. The KSE seems to fit all the descriptions you've given, if I were to recommend one.


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## Strobe

My strat has the fluence single widths in it, and I have the fluence classics in my Les Paul Special (Les paul but w/o the maple cap). Honestly, you can use the classics for metal, but it really depends on what you look for in a metal pickup. For most people, a metal pickup is going to have a very percussive attack and a lot of low mids. Others want somethings more PAF like. In my old band the other guitarist used a telecaster to play progressive metal / melodeath stuff. The classic benefits from having a lot of clarity.

From there I would say:

Moderns are the closest to the EMG sound, have the subtlest difference between the 2 voicings
Will Adler's are my personal favorite sounding. I know sounds like bark mean different things to different people, bu these bark a lot. It even comes out in the youtube videos of them.
The Devin Townsends seem to have a smoother, not at all ice-picky high end. To some people, that gets rid of a lot of harshness while remaining clear. To others, it sounds dull. I really liked them, and I love the very different voice 2, but I kind of miss some of the high end - I have always preferred brighter tones than most.
I have not heard the others in person, so I won't speak to them - but your comments above match what I have heard from youtube

I will say that both sets I have are probably not what you want for this application, but I am just so very pleased with them - I doubt you will go wrong with whichever you choose. I was very pleasantly surprised by the classics/singles.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Yeah from what I've heard from the Devy set, the extreme highs seem to be rolled off. To be honest, I don't like that. Has less attack than the other Fluences. Otherwise it would be perfect.

Whats Voice 2 like on the KsEs? I really want the low-output voicing to be as close to a PAF as possible. I love the PAF in the bridge of my Tremonti, just need some heavier sounds for even more versatility.

EDIT: The reason I'm considering the Classics is because Voicing 2 is supposed to be like a tighter JB, from what I've heard. The JB can get plenty heavy, just has trouble with clarity. Seems like they tweaked it to be clearer and tighter.


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## MASS DEFECT

I got the Classic on my Dinky. Voice 2 is just a clearer EMG 57 with a wee bit less of output. So maybe it could work out if you are looking for a hot rodded PAF sound. I don't hear a JB in there though. 

I wanted the Adlers too, but i need em in black or black nickel. I saw in Instagram that Merrow has em in Black Nickel, I wonder if they will ever relase that color on the Adler set.


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## op1e

So I read somewhere that these have a real single coil in them, or is that wrong? I love 81's, but I also love passives like the JB and D Activator. Problem being, they split like crap. My tech said too many windings to do that well. My D Activator is so neutered in split mode in my 7421. Parallel much better.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> I got the Classic on my Dinky. Voice 2 is just a clearer EMG 57 with a wee bit less of output. So maybe it could work out if you are looking for a hot rodded PAF sound. I don't hear a JB in there though.



Well then that sounds about right. The 57's EQ curve IIRC is based on a PAF EQ curve. 

I sent Fishman an email. Seeing if they can describe anything about the Tosin Abasi set. It's the one I'm currently eyeing.


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## MASS DEFECT

Im curious about the Tosin Set too. Looks like his modern voicing is a bit warmer with more mids. Im looking for that Fluence voice that has the eq curve of the SD Blackout without the Blackout's over the top gain. 

Im putting the Moderns back in my Soloist that has them Hetfields. The hetfield's low end can be hairy fast when downtuning.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Well I pulled the trigger last night on a classic set. Found one for super cheap so I gave in.  if they don't work out I'll just sell it used and make my money back.


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## Strobe

I think you will like it. I was playing my EMG 57/66 set in my 7 string next to the fluence. There is some similarity between voice 2 and the 57. If you like the 57's for metal, you'll probably like this. They don't sound alike, but they're in the same genre. Let us know what you think!


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Honestly never tried the 57's, but hey, worth a shot. 

Also, got a message from Fishman. About as undescriptive as possible.  Just basically told me the 2nd voicing on Tosin's sig set is tweaked to his specs.


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## KnightBrolaire

ken susi demoing the moderns/willy adler set
http://www.espguitars.com/videos/2033866


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## Mathemagician

Susi uses he classic set himself in his sig. Thor uses the moderns.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Mathemagician said:


> Susi uses he classic set himself in his sig. Thor uses the moderns.



ESP page says he uses the Moderns.

Also, I did settle on the classics, but from what I've read I'm gonna avoid the Willies. They seem like they're tweaked like the moderns to be two different high-gain voicings. Same with the KsE set. The Tosin and Devin sets seem to be the only 2 tweaked to have a modern active and low-output passive voicing.

Basically I'm not looking for two different high-output voicings. I'm looking for a high/medium-high modern voice, and a classic low-output PAF-style voice. Nothing else.


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## op1e

Are all these sig sets soapbar? I was looking around briefly and only saw the moderns in a 7 string passive size. I too would go with the Devi probably. I like the idea of the passive tone being more... passive.


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## MASS DEFECT

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> ESP page says he uses the Moderns.
> 
> Also, I did settle on the classics, but from what I've read I'm gonna avoid the Willies. They seem like they're tweaked like the moderns to be two different high-gain voicings. Same with the KsE set. The Tosin and Devin sets seem to be the only 2 tweaked to have a modern active and low-output passive voicing.
> 
> Basically I'm not looking for two different high-output voicings. I'm looking for a high/medium-high modern voice, and a classic low-output PAF-style voice. Nothing else.




The Devin sounds like Fishman's take on the EMG JH. Boomy mids and a warmer top end.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> The Devin sounds like Fishman's take on the EMG JH. Boomy mids and a warmer top end.









EDIT: I got the Modern and Classic set in today. Just too fucking lazy/tired to install them.


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## MASS DEFECT

Whoop. Looks like we have a Keith Merrow signature set incoming at Winter NAMM.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Well, I just installed a set of Fluence Moderns in my Aria V. Compared to the Duncan Distortions, they're lower output, but tighter and clearer. In voicing 1, they seem to have a center-mid focus and less low end, similar to an EMG 81. Has a lot more high-end though. Has a twangy-like attack in the high end. Passive Voice 2 sounds like a mix between the Distortion and a JB. Has that high-mid quack like a JB and a chunky but tight low end/low mid like a Distortion.

EDIT: Actually thinking about, it sounds a lot like a B&B L500XL on Voice 2.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Fuck, I can't edit my message.

Couple more things; So far I'm sold on them. Voice 1 is very, very modern sounding. Sounds like an EMG 81 but with more bite on the extreme top end. Love it to fucking death. Voice 2 is good if you wanna do crushing riffs. Just massive, thick power chords with tons of low end. Sounds a bit too clear for sludgy music, but it can probably do that. 

Also, if you're a rookie with installing pickups... get a pro to do it. It took me almost 2 hours to install these. Sooo much shit to do. 

Sometime this week I'll try to install the classics in my PRS.


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## that short guy

A little late to the conversation but I have the KSE set and I like them but I can see how they wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.
Voice one is like an EMG 81 but with a little bit more tighter bottom end. Voice two is like a PAF meets a 59ish sound, very pleasing, more dynamic than voice one, and a hell of a lot more full sounding. Voice 3 is an amazing single coil sound and is the soul reason I went with these

Here's a demo I did the day I got them. I used a Helix to record it and the Amp sims are a PRS Archon for all of the heavily distorted tones and a line 6 original amp called the litigator for the clean and slightly dirty sounds (rolled on and off of the volume knob). All of the clean and slightly dirty tones where voice 3 but different parts used different pups, the heavily distorted tones where voices 1 and 2. 

https://soundcloud.com/i_get_bored/fluence-kse-test


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Hmm, so voice 2 of the KsE is actually prety low mid output? Might have to try it in another guitar.


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## Strobe

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Hmm, so voice 2 of the KsE is actually prety low mid output? Might have to try it in another guitar.



There is a 6dB cut on the moderns. If you want moderate output, you can wire that to a push pull pot, or just wire it to ground if you want it always on. I get wanting a more medium output. I use passives and other low output pickups a lot, and I like to not have to tweak my amp settings wildly to get a usable tone.

I recently changed out the SD Blackout in my single pickup RR24. The modern is definitely lower output than the blackout was. I like blackouts, but they can get muddy. It can be fixed with amp EQ on a lot of guitars, but it requires very different amp settings from my guitars with other pickups. The fluence pickups are a lot easier to get a good tone out of.

I put the alnico in my single pickup guitar. It works for either the bridge or the neck, and I wanted a bit of a rounder tone in this otherwise bright sounding guitar. It still sounds great. I just put it in yesterday, and I have not played enough to describe it properly. The ceramic sounds a lot like an EMG81 to me. The neck is closer to an 85 in the bridge, but not as similar as the ceramic is to an 81 to my ears. It beats the pants off the AHB-1 blackout in terms of clarity.


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## that short guy

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Hmm, so voice 2 of the KsE is actually prety low mid output? Might have to try it in another guitar.



They're on the edge of medium to medium/high. Its my favorite voicing out of 1 and 2 for high gain. All of the lead work, the 1st half of what would be the chorus and the 2nd half of the 2nd verse as well as the first part of the last chorus were done on voice 2


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## MASS DEFECT

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Well, I just installed a set of Fluence Moderns in my Aria V. Compared to the Duncan Distortions, they're lower output, but tighter and clearer. In voicing 1, they seem to have a center-mid focus and less low end, similar to an EMG 81. Has a lot more high-end though. Has a twangy-like attack in the high end. Passive Voice 2 sounds like a mix between the Distortion and a JB. Has that high-mid quack like a JB and a chunky but tight low end/low mid like a Distortion.
> 
> EDIT: Actually thinking about, it sounds a lot like a B&B L500XL on Voice 2.



You got it right. Voice 2 on the modern is like a thickened Distortion. It is much clearer than my EMG JH but it can also do thick slow chords. I'll finish up installing a set of Nickel Black moderns on my Soloist later. I hate soldering these pups. I wish they would come up with quick connects. Installing EMG pots and wires just taes me 30mins. lol


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> You got it right. Voice 2 on the modern is like a thickened Distortion. It is much clearer than my EMG JH but it can also do thick slow chords. I'll finish up installing a set of Nickel Black moderns on my Soloist later. I hate soldering these pups. I wish they would come up with quick connects. Installing EMG pots and wires just taes me 30mins. lol



Yeah, I got so spoiled by EMGs that this became a fucking chore.  Been forever since I installed electronics from scratch, let alone something as complicated as the Fluences. 



that short guy said:


> They're on the edge of medium to medium/high.



Aaah, I see. Well shit. 

And I do know the Moderns have a jumper to reduce the output. Just feel like the overall voicing is more modern.


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## MASS DEFECT

My guitars have the EMG wiring and I just want to pop the Fluence and just use Voice 2. How do I do that by just using the jumpers?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> My guitars have the EMG wiring and I just want to pop the Fluence and just use Voice 2. How do I do that by just using the jumpers?



Looks like using the jumpers might work. I'm assuming pulling/activating the toggle completes the circuit to change the voicing. Might wanna email Fishman about that, though.


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## angl2k

MASS DEFECT said:


> My guitars have the EMG wiring and I just want to pop the Fluence and just use Voice 2. How do I do that by just using the jumpers?



They can be permanently toggled by using the included jumpers. Although you can use the EMG pots afaik Fishman uses a different value capacitor (0.22 uF) for the tone pot than EMG (0.1 uF).


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## MASS DEFECT

angl2k said:


> They can be permanently toggled by using the included jumpers. Although you can use the EMG pots afaik Fishman uses a different value capacitor (0.22 uF) for the tone pot than EMG (0.1 uF).



Do I just have to plug in the jumpers? No soldering? 
And does the capacitor affect my tone?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> Do I just have to plug in the jumpers? No soldering?
> And does the capacitor affect my tone?



The jumper seems to just plug in like a solderless system. And i imagine the tone pot doesn't effect the tone unless its dialed in. Just effects the tone knobs frequency.


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## MASS DEFECT

Here are the installed Black Nickel Moderns in my Soloist. Black Nickel looks so good in black. I had to wire some options in. V1/V2 in the vol pot. Outer coil splits on the tone pot. Have to give up wiring at some point since I messed up the splits and have someone help me. I get some mild hum in my neck alnico though. So I dont know. Everything else sounds good. Voice 2 on the ceramic bridge is too dark for this all mahogany guitar. 

Thinking of installing the battery pack since the battery only lasts 100 hours. And you don't always get 9v of juice with batteries. So maybe if the guitar is in active duty, you might want to change every 2 months.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Screw it, I like the moderns so fucking much that I'm gonna consider a 3rd set for my EMG-loaded Epi Explorer. 

Still looking between the Tosin Abasi, KsE, and Devin set. They all seem like they'd be up my alley on Voice 1, but the 2nd voicing is crucial. Like I said, needs to be low-to-medium output.

EDIT: Also to mention... yeah, these pickups are VERY high output. Didn't realize how crazy it was until I plugged in my other guitars. Definitely seems to overpower them. But they STILL remain tightness and clarity. It's insane.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Double-posting bump, because...




Finally got the classics installed. 

And they do as they say on the tin.  Voice 1 is PAF-esque, voice 2 is higher-output. The output is slightly different, but it definitely does work for high-gain. Voice 1 is scooped and trebly like a PAF, while voice 2 has a midrange bump and slightly less low end to increase the output and tighten up the sound. I really dig them.


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## MASS DEFECT

How's voice two with the classics working out for you? I honestly prefer V2 on the Classic vs the V2 on the modern. The modern has a lot of bass on V2.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

I prefer V1 on the modern and V2 on the classics, because both voicings have more midrange and less low end. But I'm finding uses for both. Voice 1 of the classics for vintage-style tones, and V2 of the moderns for sludgier sounds or a huge wall of sound. But for my ideal tone, I prefer V1 modern and V2 classic.

I plan on wiring in a coil tap for the Classics, though. I'm fine with the Moderns having no coil taps for now since it's a strictly brutal guitar, but I'd like even more versatility from my PRS. I found out if you get a 3-way mini toggle switch, you can have both inner and outer coil splitting.

Still want more opinions on a third set. I wish there were more details on the Tosin Abasi set.


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## KnightBrolaire

dammit i've got to finish my destroyer build so I can install my moderns already. Very curious to see if I like em.


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## KnightBrolaire

500xl vs kse set


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

I will say judging by that video, the 2nd voicing of the Moderns seem heavily inspired by the L500XL. It reminds me of the L500XL I owned in the past; a chunky low end, and a VERY bright and aggressive high end. Very twangy.

And I like how they sound there. Sounding like either the KsEs are the Abasis are what I want.


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## KnightBrolaire

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I will say judging by that video, the 2nd voicing of the Moderns seem heavily inspired by the L500XL. It reminds me of the L500XL I owned in the past; a chunky low end, and a VERY bright and aggressive high end. Very twangy.
> 
> And I like how they sound there. Sounding like either the KsEs are the Abasis are what I want.


yeah the KSE set has me intrigued but I really need to test the moderns I have first. From what I've read it sounds like voice 2 of the moderns is going to be my go to setting, I love thick devy/pelican/mastodon wall of sound esque tones


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

KnightBrolaire said:


> yeah the KSE set has me intrigued but I really need to test the moderns I have first. From what I've read it sounds like voice 2 of the moderns is going to be my go to setting, I love thick devy/pelican/mastodon wall of sound esque tones



It's definitely thick.  Not a lot of midrange compared to voice one, but it's huge sounding. Lots of chunk and bite.


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## MASS DEFECT

Has anybody tried V2 of the modern through solid state amps? i find it weird that it sounds like it's too fat and there's this twangy fuzz on the bass even if I turn down the bass knob on my Boss Katana or Randall RG. 

Playing V2 through my 6505+ and 6505MH seems to even out and compress the low end which sounds way better. Still twangy but more mushy. 

I was hoping V2 would sound closer to my EMG JH.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> Has anybody tried V2 of the modern through solid state amps? i find it weird that it sounds like it's too fat and there's this twangy fuzz on the bass even if I turn down the bass knob on my Boss Katana or Randall RG.
> 
> Playing V2 through my 6505+ and 6505MH seems to even out and compress the low end which sounds way better. Still twangy but more mushy.
> 
> I was hoping V2 would sound closer to my EMG JH.



I'll try it through my Ibby TBX later when I get the chance. I play through preamp pedals (solid state ones), and so far no issues.


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## Strobe

I just put the Tosin Abasi 6 string set in my SG - they really are quite excellent. I would describe voice 1 as being really similar to the moderns, but with more mids - it makes them really punch. It makes them cut through a lot on solos. They still have a lot of clarity like all the Fishmans. Comparing them to EMG's, the mid peak is lower than the 81, the top end is a little brighter (EMG's sound kind of smooth and rounded in the top end to me). 

I am still trying to figure out how to describe voice 2 - not enough time on it yet. They sound like passives of the medium output variety - definitely lower output than voice 1. The attack is softer. The bridge in V2 is not that far off in sound and feel from the Gibson 498T I had in the bridge before.

Voice 3 is the single coil voicing, and the bridge is a bright, somewhat scooped single coil sound with a moderate to high single coil output (but still lower output than either V1/V2). There is some hum, but it's less noisy than a passive single coil. The neck pickup also sounds single coil like, but in my SG definitely a little darker and rounder than most strat necks - but that is still probably the closest approximation.

They're great overall. If I had one complaint to make, it would be that the range of the tone control is a little more subtle than I would prefer - it feels like rolling off does not take off a lot of top end, but that's a pretty minor complaint. Every one of these Fluence sets I have tried have sounded very, very good.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Awesome to see some impressions on the Tosins. Surprised they sound middier than the standard Moderns which sound pretty mid range heavy on their own. 

Just need some impresssions on the KsE set.


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## sezna

This might be a lot to ask but could anybody with fishmans post some DI soundclips with the different voicings? I'd love to run it through my amp sim and compare with my stuff.


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## angl2k

Use Ola's DI tracks


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## KnightBrolaire

chad/arnold test the moderns/stephs/tosin sets in an 8 string. DIs are in the vid description
I really like the vibe of the moderns/tosin sets.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Yup, that's how I hear the moderns in my guitar. Voice 1 is tighter and midrangier. Voice 2 is scooped and fatter. Works amazingly for cleans on voice 2. 

Really digging the Abasis. I may have to get those for my Explorer. I have another Mark Tremonti guitar on the way that I wanna put the KsE set in since it'll be a drop C# chuggachugga getar.


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## 0rimus

I've had Tosin's set in my main 7 string guitar for a couple months now and I love them. I wrote a riff that actually requires it be played on the neck pickup, doesn't sound right on the bridge.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

Just keeping track of online reviews, this one compares current Fishman 8-string offerings, Modern, Stephen Carpenter's, and Tosin's, here:


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## op1e

Are they making or going to make passive sized 8's? Every 8 I'm looking at has that type of pickup/route.


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## KnightBrolaire

op1e said:


> Are they making or going to make passive sized 8's? Every 8 I'm looking at has that type of pickup/route.


frank falbo said they were looking into making passive sized 8s a while ago, though he didn't have a solid timeframe on when they'd be available.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

KnightBrolaire said:


> chad/arnold test the moderns/stephs/tosin sets in an 8 string. DIs are in the vid description
> I really like the vibe of the moderns/tosin sets.




 didn't realized that I have been ninja'd, sorry about that.


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## Curt

Piggybacking here, has anyone tried the Stef Carpenter ones? What Ken Susi has to say about them sounds good and all, but I can't find a high quality demo anywhere.


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## KnightBrolaire

Curt said:


> Piggybacking here, has anyone tried the Stef Carpenter ones? What Ken Susi has to say about them sounds good and all, but I can't find a high quality demo anywhere.


did you watch the vid posted a couple posts up? they test the carpenters in there, and even have DIs of them.


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## MASS DEFECT

KnightBrolaire said:


> chad/arnold test the moderns/stephs/tosin sets in an 8 string. DIs are in the vid description
> I really like the vibe of the moderns/tosin sets.




That's cool. I like how they did the parametric eq graph comparisons. The Tosins are lookin good. I'm ordering one right now.


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## Blytheryn

Call me a hypebeast, but is the safe bet that Nergal is using Moderns?

He’s getting some pretty sick tone on his insta stories, with that Fishman loaded Hex.


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## lewstherin006

My review of the devs


Friends review of the 8 string pickups. THey have a 6 string one coming out soon too


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## KnightBrolaire

Blytheryn said:


> Call me a hypebeast, but is the safe bet that Nergal is using Moderns?
> 
> He’s getting some pretty sick tone on his insta stories, with that Fishman loaded Hex.


unless fishman gave him some sigs I would bet he's using the moderns.


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## Blytheryn

KnightBrolaire said:


> unless fishman gave him some sigs I would bet he's using the moderns.



What I was thinking. Doubt he’d be using a sig set but who knows? I’ve got no idea how you’d Nergalize some actives in a way that neither the moderns or the tighter KSE ones don’t cover.


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## Curt

KnightBrolaire said:


> did you watch the vid posted a couple posts up? they test the carpenters in there, and even have DIs of them.


Nah, I completely missed it. Thanks!


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## lewstherin006

Curt said:


> Nah, I completely missed it. Thanks!



The stephs are the worse pickup fishman makes. Wayy too much bass.


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## Curt

lewstherin006 said:


> The stephs are the worse pickup fishman makes. Wayy too much bass.


Yup, that's what I gathered. At this point I'm settled on just getting the moderns, they're basically like the EMG 81/85 but better in every imaginable way. The Tosin set sounds cool too, but I don't like them nearly as much as the moderns, aside from the single coil tone


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## TheShreddinHand

For those of you who have done the install, does the modern set come with all the wires to go between the pots, the selector switch and the output jack? I see the jumpers from pickup to pot but didn’t see all the other wires in the kit. Thanks!


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## Strobe

TheShreddinHand said:


> For those of you who have done the install, does the modern set come with all the wires to go between the pots, the selector switch and the output jack? I see the jumpers from pickup to pot but didn’t see all the other wires in the kit. Thanks!



You will probably want some extra wire. It comes with a bit of spare wire, but barely enough in my experience.


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## TheShreddinHand

Strobe said:


> You will probably want some extra wire. It comes with a bit of spare wire, but barely enough in my experience.



Okay thanks.


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## lewis

Curt said:


> Yup, that's what I gathered. At this point I'm settled on just getting the moderns, they're basically like the *EMG 81/85 but better in every imaginable way*. The Tosin set sounds cool too, but I don't like them nearly as much as the moderns, aside from the single coil tone



haha Marketing hype working as hoped.


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## Curt

lewis said:


> haha Marketing hype working as hoped.


Not all hype. The main voicing, from the clips I've heard and the DIs I've reamped sound more or less like the 81/85, but the low end is tighter, the mids aren't as quacky, the highs are smoother, and they have a second voicing for more versatility. Seems like a tangible improvement in all areas to me.


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## lewis

Curt said:


> Not all hype. The main voicing, from the clips I've heard and the DIs I've reamped sound more or less like the 81/85, but the low end is tighter, the mids aren't as quacky, the highs are smoother, and they have a second voicing for more versatility. Seems like a tangible improvement in all areas to me.


I get that but other than tight low end, which seems everyone wants, the rest is entirely subjective.
For example loads may want quacky mids for "djent" and smooth highs dont appeal to my tastes.

My point is its a tonal improvement in your opinion. Maybe when Fishman have the sales and longevity of EMGs pickup line with these moderns, espcially the 81, we can perhaps say they are better.
Until then i just think its honeymoon phase bandwagon hype.

Put a graphic eq infront of your amp and voilla you can get the difference you described.


----------



## Lukhas

lewis said:


> Maybe when Fishman have the sales and longevity of EMGs pickup line with these moderns, espcially the 81, we can perhaps say they are better.


Longevity and sales won't do much to "prove" whether it's better for one's sound or not; something which, as you said, is an opinion. For example, I recall the SH-13 still being on sale. 


lewis said:


> Put a graphic eq infront of your amp and voilla you can get the difference you described.


I don't recall most graphic EQs to be free either. Then you could wonder why you'd put an extra pedal in front of the amp if you can get what you want without it. Of course it's an opinion, like any and every post in this thread. If they can hear it, no need to rain on the parade and call it "marketing hype" or whatnot: after all, it's not as if they hadn't played them at all and were chilling them just for the sake of it, which would be worth calling out.


----------



## lewis

Lukhas said:


> Longevity and sales won't do much to "prove" whether it's better for one's sound or not; something which, as you said, is an opinion. For example, I recall the SH-13 still being on sale.
> 
> I don't recall most graphic EQs to be free either. Then you could wonder why you'd put an extra pedal in front of the amp if you can get what you want without it. Of course it's an opinion, like any and every post in this thread. If they can hear it, no need to rain on the parade and call it "marketing hype" or whatnot: after all, it's not as if they hadn't played them at all and were chilling them just for the sake of it, which would be worth calling out.



You must admit though that everyone was saying this about the Lace pickups until after a while their novelty wore off and everyone either admitted they were average/terrible, or jumped onto the next hyped product anyway because thats how they roll.

There has been so many examples of this that obviously, Im sceptical about it. I was one that bought lace pickups based off the immense hype and artists I saw jump on that wagon. I got them, gigged them, stopped liking them and then hating them and then a few months afterwards everyone had stopped using them and moved on leaving me abit bitter about it.

I tend to gravitate towards the tried and tested products now that after years and years, are still used and rated.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

lewis said:


> I get that but other than tight low end, which seems everyone wants, the rest is entirely subjective.
> For example loads may want quacky mids for "djent" and smooth highs dont appeal to my tastes.
> 
> My point is its a tonal improvement in your opinion. Maybe when Fishman have the sales and longevity of EMGs pickup line with these moderns, espcially the 81, we can perhaps say they are better.
> Until then i just think its honeymoon phase bandwagon hype.
> 
> Put a graphic eq infront of your amp and voilla you can get the difference you described.


Yeah because 2years of sales and fucktons of artists jumping ship for fishman, plus glowing consumer reviews mean nothing. Devin,ken susi, and steph were all longtime emg users iirc so it's not like the hype is unwarranted.


----------



## Lukhas

lewis said:


> *You must admit though that everyone was saying this about the Lace pickups until after a while their novelty wore off and everyone either admitted they were average/terrible, or jumped onto the next hyped product anyway because thats how they roll.*
> 
> There has been so many examples of this that obviously, Im sceptical about it. I was one that bought lace pickups based off the immense hype and artists I saw jump on that wagon. I got them, gigged them, stopped liking them and then hating them and then a few months afterwards everyone had stopped using them and moved on leaving me abit bitter about it.
> 
> I tend to gravitate towards the tried and tested products now that after years and years, are still used and rated.


To me that's exactly what the 81 is.  Even if I do enjoy the music of a few artists who used them I find them very average. I can see why people like it and why others jumped on the Blackout/57/66 (band)wagon thereafter, to the point it almost went full circle and people are back to passives or to more passive flavoured pickups. It's cyclical to me. It's fine to be sceptical and I am since it shouldn't be that hard to make a better pup than the 81 (yeah, if it wasn't transparent enough I do not like the 81 nor the 60), but that's different from assuming it's a fad just because people flock to it. So while I'm not sure about what it sounds like, I'm going to assume the Fishman do bring something different to the table because there are objectively constructed differently. I don't think it's fair to dismiss them as an EQ'd 81.

EDIT: Also, the Lace were popular mostly for the noise cancelling issues. That's not what the Fishman are popular for, so there might be some correlation but the situations aren't exactly similar either.


----------



## marcwormjim

lewis said:


> I tend to gravitate towards the tried and tested products now that after years and years, are still used and rated.



Or the aesthetically similar Chinese facsimile.


----------



## lewis

marcwormjim said:


> Or the aesthetically similar Chinese facsimile.


Talking strictly electronics & pickups in here but hey sure, keep going on about that weeks and weeks later.
#sad


----------



## Strobe

lewis said:


> You must admit though that everyone was saying this about the Lace pickups until after a while their novelty wore off and everyone either admitted they were average/terrible, or jumped onto the next hyped product anyway because thats how they roll.
> 
> There has been so many examples of this that obviously, Im sceptical about it. I was one that bought lace pickups based off the immense hype and artists I saw jump on that wagon. I got them, gigged them, stopped liking them and then hating them and then a few months afterwards everyone had stopped using them and moved on leaving me abit bitter about it.
> 
> I tend to gravitate towards the tried and tested products now that after years and years, are still used and rated.



I never got real excited about the lace pickups. They sounded different, and variety is excellent, but it was not the tone I was seeking. My favorites are the fluence pickups (Classics, Tosins, then moderns in that order - have not played Adlers yet though). That said, as you have said before, just because they're my favorites doesn't mean that other options suck. I still love EMG's. I have a V that they are never coming out of - and its' for the same reason that I have a telecaster with some flavor of nocaster pickups - they have a distinctive sound, sometimes I want *that* sound, and it's awesome. Just because something got incrementally closer to my ideal doesn't mean that all the tones I used to love from my 81's don't sound great and sit in a mix. Most of the pickups that have been around a long time have something great about them (notable exception: Dimebuckers - I know we miss Darrell, but his tone for most of his career was hideous and those pickups are true to form).


----------



## marcwormjim

Lukhas said:


> Also, the Lace were popular mostly for the noise cancelling issues. That's not what the Fishman are popular for, so there might be some correlation but the situations aren't exactly similar either.



The trends say more for the gullibility of this community than they do for the quality of either product. The detail of whether the magic underwear is in fact magic or not is a small one compared to the matter of the intended consumer base exclusively identifying as Mormon.

Like, I bought an Axe FX because I visit other sites - If I only knew the product from eight years of hype on this board, I would think it’s a $3,000 piece of gear that only models a 5150. But that’s precisely what many on this site use it for.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

I finally got to install the Tosin Abasi set in my 6 string Jackson Soloist. Against the Moderns, V1 has more body with the tone and chugs. It has more low mids and a bit of rounded bass response compared to the tight response of the V1 modern. It still has that high mids and nice treble of the moderns. 

V2 on the Tosin is like a mix between a Gibson 57 and his Ionizer or a comparable Bareknuckle. A bit lower gain but it has a snarl in the high mids. It's almost like V2 on the classics but with a bit less gain. 

V3 is the single coil voice which is VERY NICE. Scooped and crystal clear in the bridge and tele like on the neck position. I love it. Made the guitar totally versatile. 

Love it more than the moderns.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

HMMM, sounds very tempting. I'm super debating on the KsE or Abasi for my newly-acquired LTD AS-1. I won't mind the increased low-end response because I'm tuned to standard/drop D anyway.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

The single coil tones sold me to it, to be honest. I still love the focus of the moderns. 

I dont know if the single coil mode is the same with the KSE set.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> The single coil tones sold me to it, to be honest. I still love the focus of the moderns.
> 
> I dont know if the single coil mode is the same with the KSE set.


I imagine not. Tosin uses single coil sounds a lot more than Killswitch. And me 

All I care about are the 2 bucker voicings. The pickups are going into a huge slab of mahogany, so I need quite a bit of tightness.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I imagine not. Tosin uses single coil sounds a lot more than Killswitch. And me
> 
> All I care about are the 2 bucker voicings. The pickups are going into a huge slab of mahogany, so I need quite a bit of tightness.



Maybe the KSE or the moderns will suit you just better. I can hear how this Tosin set won't go well with a dark slab of mahogany. Maybe with brighter, thinner mahogany guitars, this would be ok. V1 on the Tosin is very different from the Moderns and the KSE.


----------



## setsuna7

Just installed a Modern set into my MH1000NT. the hype is real y'all!! I use 2 vol only no tone(both the push/pull pot included) 1 for V1/V2 the other for the HF Tilt. I uses a a 5 way superswitch to split the buckers. Single coil tones are so glassy clean, especially the inner coils.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

I do outer coils in my moderns. So I can get that twangy sound on the neck.


----------



## Curt

Well, I put a pre-order down for the New Ibanez Iron Label RGD 7 (laser blue), Anyone want to tell me how much a headache I'm going to have trying to fit a set of the regular 7 string humbucker sized moderns in those cavities? Some routing possibly required?


----------



## Frostbite

Curt said:


> Well, I put a pre-order down for the New Ibanez Iron Label RGD 7 (laser blue), Anyone want to tell me how much a headache I'm going to have trying to fit a set of the regular 7 string humbucker sized moderns in those cavities? Some routing possibly required?


Looks like the corners of the routes are rounded so no covered pick ups are going in without routing ie, the fishmans. The pick up legs also can't be ground down on the fishmans because they are plastic with a screw hole glued in and not metal so you'd have to square off the pick up leg routes in the body. So TBH, quite a bit of extra routing. This also doesn't include any possible deepening of the pick up cavity which just from pictures of the guitar I wouldn't be able to tell


----------



## Curt

Frostbite said:


> Looks like the corners of the routes are rounded so no covered pick ups are going in without routing ie, the fishmans. The pick up legs also can't be ground down on the fishmans because they are plastic with a screw hole glued in and not metal so you'd have to square off the pick up leg routes in the body. So TBH, quite a bit of extra routing. This also doesn't include any possible deepening of the pick up cavity which just from pictures of the guitar I wouldn't be able to tell


I figured as much. Wondering if said headache would even be worth it, or if I should just spend the extra $40-60 or so and get a set of BKPs for it.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Do you know any techs or anyone good with working? Would probably cost that much to get the corners routed.


----------



## Stuck_in_a_dream

MASS DEFECT said:


> Maybe the KSE or the moderns will suit you just better. I can hear how this Tosin set won't go well with a dark slab of mahogany. Maybe with brighter, thinner mahogany guitars, this would be ok. V1 on the Tosin is very different from the Moderns and the KSE.



Without getting into a tone-wood debate, IME, mahogany has never been that dark, actually my darkest sound guitar was a basswood RG from '98, but ymmv. I have the Tosin fluences in my mahogany RG8 and they sound great.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> Without getting into a tone-wood debate, IME, mahogany has never been that dark, actually my darkest sound guitar was a basswood RG from '98, but ymmv. I have the Tosin fluences in my mahogany RG8 and they sound great.



All of the all-mahogany guitars I've dealt with have been pretty dark. Epiphone 1984 Explorer, Schecter E-1 Standard, and now my LTD AS-1. The AS-1 has been the snappiest of the all-mahogany guitars I've tried because of the maple cap, it seems.

I have mahogany guitars that are pretty snappy, IE my two Tremonti Customs, but they have maple necks and a 1/4'' solid maple cap.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Watched the vid....I think it’s hysterical that they label sig pickups ‘good’ or ‘bad’....it’s a fuckin SIGNATURE PICKUP, it’s supposed to sound like the guys whose name is on it wanted it to sound, not perfect for EVERYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET. 

I grabbed the DIs for the SRC pups, reamped em with ReAxis and they sound pretty good to my ears. 

Made me paranoid for a minute cause I ordered the SC607B, and I was freaking out a bit that they were gonna suck ass. Still can’t find any good demos of the 7s tho....anyone got one?


----------



## Curt

steinmetzify said:


> Watched the vid....I think it’s hysterical that they label sig pickups ‘good’ or ‘bad’....it’s a fuckin SIGNATURE PICKUP, it’s supposed to sound like the guys whose name is on it wanted it to sound, not perfect for EVERYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET.
> 
> I grabbed the DIs for the SRC pups, reamped em with ReAxis and they sound pretty good to my ears.
> 
> Made me paranoid for a minute cause I ordered the SC607B, and I was freaking out a bit that they were gonna suck ass. Still can’t find any good demos of the 7s tho....anyone got one?


I definitely have to say that while I wouldn't care for them through my own rig for my own sound, I'm sure they are exactly what Stef himself wanted out of a pickup, and they don't sound bad to my ears, either. 


HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Do you know any techs or anyone good with working? Would probably cost that much to get the corners routed.


 That's my problem. I don't, and honestly, the C-bomb/Cold Sweat is a long time go to combo for me, so I know I'm going to enjoy that option as well at least.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

steinmetzify said:


> Watched the vid....I think it’s hysterical that they label sig pickups ‘good’ or ‘bad’....it’s a fuckin SIGNATURE PICKUP, it’s supposed to sound like the guys whose name is on it wanted it to sound, not perfect for EVERYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET.
> 
> I grabbed the DIs for the SRC pups, reamped em with ReAxis and they sound pretty good to my ears.
> 
> Made me paranoid for a minute cause I ordered the SC607B, and I was freaking out a bit that they were gonna suck ass. Still can’t find any good demos of the 7s tho....anyone got one?


I wanted to like the stefs but the big bump in the low end would be too much through my rig. I had trouble controlling the warpig and it had a bump somewhere in that same range. I did find a stef sig 8 string for pretty cheap, so maybe they work better in the context of his sig guitar.


----------



## Steinmetzify

See what happens; the bari show sometime this week, if it’s lame I’ll just off it or grab some 7 string Moderns.

Be interesting to see if I could EQ it out. I had a Warpig in my last bari and really loved it for sludge and metal, so this might work out great for drop A chuggy stuff.


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

Really debating between the Modern 7 set and the 57/66 7-H set.


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

I don't really coil split, if I go Fishman, I'd use them the same way I currently use the 57/66 in my other axe. 
Outputs similar?
Voicing Similar?


----------



## KnightBrolaire

TonyFlyingSquirrel said:


> I don't really coil split, if I go Fishman, I'd use them the same way I currently use the 57/66 in my other axe.
> Outputs similar?
> Voicing Similar?


the moderns are closer to the 81/85 on voice 1. voice 2 is more distortion/JB for the bridge, and more PAF for the neck apparently. Just read the first couple of pages of the thread.


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

Interest, piqued!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Yeah i got something similar to a L500XL on voice 2 I find.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

There's a nice Black Winter vs Fluence voice 2 demo on youtube. They sound not that far off.


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

I ended up snagging a used set of the 57/66 7H on Reverb. The price was right and he accepted my offer.
I'll look into the Fishman's down the line when I have a new build to work on.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

MASS DEFECT said:


> There's a nice Black Winter vs Fluence voice 2 demo on youtube. They sound not that far off.



I did notice some similarities to the Distortion. I find it's a blend of the Duncan Distortion and the L500XL.


----------



## atheon_crutch

Anyone seen reviews for the Open Core Classics that just came out? I'm considering a set of these or the Adlers...or just the regular Classics.


----------



## nistley

atheon_crutch said:


> Anyone seen reviews for the Open Core Classics that just came out? I'm considering a set of these or the Adlers...or just the regular Classics.



No, and I can't find it, can you share a link?


----------



## atheon_crutch

nistley said:


> No, and I can't find it, can you share a link?



Page 10 of their 2018 catalogue has some good info on them, plus there's a few videos on YouTube from NAMM


----------



## AirForbes1

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Kinda curious about these. I bought a Modern set for my Flying V in drop C (solely a br00tz guitar), but I want something more versatile for my PRS Tremonti in Eb standard, which I play a mix of br00tz and rock with. I have a PAF pickup set in there ATM, but the lack of output can be pretty hard to deal with.
> 
> Right now I'm considering any of the sig sets or the Classics. From the descriptions, the Devin set sounds like the Moderns with less high end on voice 1, and the Tosins are supposed to sound like the Moderns with more mids on voice 1. Voice 2 sound like they'd both be similar; kind of a chimey PAF deal. The KsEs seem like they're very close to an EMG 81 with a super-tight sound and slightly reduced low end, and a medium-high passive pickup sound with more low end/low mids on voice 2.
> 
> I'm also checking out the classics because they have a PAF thing going on with Voice 1, and a "better" JB sound with voice 2. I'm curious to see how well it can handle metal with voice 2.
> 
> But yeah, anyone here actually tried any of the sig Fishmans? Kinda curious if all these descriptions are correct.
> 
> TL;DR: Recommend me a Fluence pickup that can go from tight metal br00tz with high gain to chimey passive PAF clarity with cleans and low gain/crunch.



I know this thread isn't exactly recent, but I was kind of looking for what you were looking for.

After a little more time with the modern, did it fulfill your need?

I have 2 guitars with an EMG 57/66 set in them. One is an Ltd. KH-602, and they sound really good in that. The other is an ESP Eclipse, and they sound okay/pretty good in that (I'd be looking at replacing these). I was contemplating getting an Edwards or SE 245/Cu24 or something like that for more "hard rock" type stuff. Sometimes I don't want that pick attack that you get with the EMGs and maybe little less output. If I can get a set of pups that lets me do that, that would be sweet.

Based on what I've read here, it seems like the modern or Abasi models would be the way to go.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The moderns not so much. They're very... modern. 

The Classics did that. Voice 1 is very bright like a PAF, and voice 2 reminds me of something like a Suhr Aldrich with a beefier low end and not as much of a honky midrange.


----------



## AirForbes1

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The moderns not so much. They're very... modern.
> 
> The Classics did that. Voice 1 is very bright like a PAF, and voice 2 reminds me of something like a Suhr Aldrich with a beefier low end and not as much of a honky midrange.



Ha. Interesting. Were you able to get a tight metal thing going on with the classics?

I'm surprised that they didn't work. Ben Eller posted that video where he rocked some sweet 80's riffs with the moderns. Or were you looking for more "vintage" than that?

Maybe one day down the line, if they stay popular, Fishman would allow you to build your own voicing combo. Say V1 from the KSE, V2 from the Adler, V3 the single coil Abasi

Did you ever try the Abasi set? That kind of sounds like it's got a bit of V1 from the modern, and V2 from the classic.


----------



## Obsidian Soul

I have the new LTD SCT607B,and this guitar sounds bright and almost as snappy as a bolt on guitar.I don't hear any of this boominess people are talking about.My guitar with the 707s though...


----------



## MASS DEFECT

AirForbes1 said:


> Did you ever try the Abasi set? That kind of sounds like it's got a bit of V1 from the modern, and V2 from the classic.



Just butting in. V1 on the Abasi is not as identical sounding to the V1 of the modern. V1 Abasi has moreand looser lows and got some low mids going on. So it doesnt sound as tight as v1 modern. I found that the KSE v1 is closer sounding to modern v1. 

V2 Abasi is fatter and has lesser gain than v2 classic. Think Gibson 57 pups.


----------



## AirForbes1

MASS DEFECT said:


> Just butting in. V1 on the Abasi is not as identical sounding to the V1 of the modern. V1 Abasi has moreand looser lows and got some low mids going on. So it doesnt sound as tight as v1 modern. I found that the KSE v1 is closer sounding to modern v1.
> 
> V2 Abasi is fatter and has lesser gain than v2 classic. Think Gibson 57 pups.



Butt in all you want. Don't see many of these pups out in the wild. This info is very valuable.

From the demos I've heard (YouTube) of the KSE set, V2 didn't sound that dynamic. Though V1 sounds ridiculous.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

I got both abasi and modern 6 string pups. Still prefer the modern for live work.


----------



## AirForbes1

MASS DEFECT said:


> I got both abasi and modern 6 string pups. Still prefer the modern for live work.



I was leaning towards the Modern for my Eclipse. We'll see. I just got a Helix so I'm tweaking things left right and centre right now.

I checked out an SE Holcomb and I liked the feel, but wasn't crazy about the Alpha/Omega (I know others love them). I thought that putting a 5-way selector in it and putting the Abasi set in would be pretty killer.


----------



## that short guy

AirForbes1 said:


> Butt in all you want. Don't see many of these pups out in the wild. This info is very valuable.
> 
> From the demos I've heard (YouTube) of the KSE set, V2 didn't sound that dynamic. Though V1 sounds ridiculous.




I have the KSE set and V2 is pretty dynamic. Really open, full, and responsive to pick attack strength and volume.

V1 on the other hand is not nearly as dynamic. It's a lot like an EMG 81. It's stupid tight and clear but the dynamics on it are just marginally better than your run of the mill 81/81X. 

And then voice 3 is just awesome. I really don't know why people don't talk about the single coil voice more. Great for cleans, rhythms, and leads


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

AirForbes1 said:


> Ha. Interesting. Were you able to get a tight metal thing going on with the classics?
> 
> I'm surprised that they didn't work. Ben Eller posted that video where he rocked some sweet 80's riffs with the moderns. Or were you looking for more "vintage" than that?



I found Voice 2 had a great balance between tight, thick, and bright. I don't tune down with them, but they sound plenty aggressive and have lots of attack. 

And I think it's silly they had the Gain switch work only for voice 1. I feel like if it worked for both voices, you could get a very PAF-like quality from voice 2. It's got that classic bucker sound, but is way too over the top. 

Also never tried the Abasis, but hearing how they're smoother and not as tight as the moderns is a bit of a turn off.


----------



## Strobe

I own the Abasis and the moderns. I honestly did not think it was much less tight than the moderns. It is a lot more even in terms of the frequency response - it does not feel as upper mid spikey as the moderns. It does feel a bit smoother and a bit warmer, but it's still very tight in my opinion.

To me, the Tosin Abasi set sounds better for lead work, and the voice 3 split sound is really pretty for cleans. I would say the moderns have a bit of an edge for tight rhythm work.

The classics definitely sound more classic/PAF like, but they are a little scooped like PAF's and very tight. Honestly, they kind of remind me of the feel of a black winter for metal stuff. They're just about my favorite pickups ever. I like everything Fishman does except for the SC set.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Just installed another set of Classics in another guitar. Man, they liven the fuck out of any guitar. 

The AS-1 I installed it into was pretty dark sounding. It had a JB and a Suhr Aldrich, but even then the guitar still had this dark character to it. Switched to the Classics, and this thing is super bright now. And I want to reiterate these things fucking RULE for higher-gain stuff. Don't let the Classic name fool you. If anything, I think they're tighter and more aggressive than the Moderns.


----------



## AirForbes1

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Just installed another set of Classics in another guitar. Man, they liven the fuck out of any guitar.
> 
> The AS-1 I installed it into was pretty dark sounding. It had a JB and a Suhr Aldrich, but even then the guitar still had this dark character to it. Switched to the Classics, and this thing is super bright now. And I want to reiterate these things fucking RULE for higher-gain stuff. *Don't let the Classic name fool you. If anything, I think they're tighter and more aggressive than the Moderns*.



You're not helping me differentiate between sets....

Fishman need to get the custom combination pickups out there.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

AirForbes1 said:


> You're not helping me differentiate between sets....
> 
> Fishman need to get the custom combination pickups out there.



Oddly, the Moderns have a bit of a smoother sound too them. They have more output, more compression, and more midrange, but the Classic has MUCH more aggression in the upper midrange. I guess the amount of bite it has makes chugs feel super tight, even though the Moderns are probably tighter in actuality. At least V1 of the moderns. V1 is super tight, but it's peak midrange is in the center mids, so it doesn't have the aggressive bite ofd the Classics in V2. 700hz vs 1.6khz. V2 of the moderns is around the same freq of V2 of the Classics, but it has a shit ton of low end and a more scooped sound.


----------



## AirForbes1

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Oddly, the Moderns have a bit of a smoother sound too them. They have more output, more compression, and more midrange, but the Classic has MUCH more aggression in the upper midrange. I guess the amount of bite it has makes chugs feel super tight, even though the Moderns are probably tighter in actuality. At least V1 of the moderns. V1 is super tight, but it's peak midrange is in the center mids, so it doesn't have the aggressive bite ofd the Classics in V2. 700hz vs 1.6khz. V2 of the moderns is around the same freq of V2 of the Classics, but it has a shit ton of low end and a more scooped sound.



Makes sense if the classics are a hot rodded JB. They should feel a lot like the EMG 57 then.


----------



## AirForbes1

Video of the classics and the moderns. Though, I've never heard Josh Middleton make anything that didn't sound amazing (to me).

Classic: 



Modern:



Yeah, it does seem like the classics have a more pronounced upper midrange. The Moderns sound tighter, to me. But, the classics seem to punch through a bit more. Based on these two vids.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Yeah the V1 of the Moderns will have the tightest low end of all. But the classics have so much high-mid bite that it's still very satisfying with high-gain stuff. Lots and lots of cut.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Posted some clips of the Keith Merrow set in the main Fluence thread.
Compared them to the Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient set he was using in his sig guitars before the Fishmans
http://www.sevenstring.org/threads/the-fishman-fluence-thread.329214/page-2#post-4872062


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## RustInPeace

I had a classic set installed in my E-II horizon III for about 2 weeks/1 show. Took them out and went back to the 57/66. They do sound good, but the split coil option left little to be desired. 

Ideally I'd want a paf voiced set like the 57/66 but with a coil split option.


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## TheShade0110

RustInPeace said:


> I had a classic set installed in my E-II horizon III for about 2 weeks/1 show. Took them out and went back to the 57/66. They do sound good, but the split coil option left little to be desired.
> 
> Ideally I'd want a paf voiced set like the 57/66 but with a coil split option.



The Open Core Classic set will have a much better split tone.


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## Flappydoodle

RustInPeace said:


> I had a classic set installed in my E-II horizon III for about 2 weeks/1 show. Took them out and went back to the 57/66. They do sound good, but the split coil option left little to be desired.
> 
> Ideally I'd want a paf voiced set like the 57/66 but with a coil split option.



That's interesting. I'm a bit fan of the 57/66. How would you say the Classics compare?


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## Strobe

Flappydoodle said:


> That's interesting. I'm a bit fan of the 57/66. How would you say the Classics compare?



Voice 1 of the classics is in the same ball park as the EMG 57/66 set. Classics are closer to passives in output (especially in voice 1). The fluence set is a little less compressed to my ears. The classics also feel a little brighter to me in voice 1. Voice 2 of the classics however does not really compare well with this EMG set. Voice 2 sounds more JB to me in the bridge, but it's super clear and a little wider of a frequency band to my ears, but with the familiar upper mid hump. Voice 2 of the classics in the neck is kind of similar to the jazz clean, but it is not a very close comparison as it has both more lows and more highs than a jazz - and it really doesn't sound like anything else out there.

For context, I own both. I have a 57/66 in my LTD KS7 (seven string). I have the classic set in a Les Paul.


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## RustInPeace

The Classics were much brighter overall, even with the high cut option activated. I prefer the slightly more compressed and higher output 57/66 as well. I liked voice 2 for the bridge with its higher output, but overall with the amount of options these had I was let down the most by the coil split.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

RustInPeace said:


> The Classics were much brighter overall, even with the high cut option activated. I prefer the slightly more compressed and higher output 57/66 as well. I liked voice 2 for the bridge with its higher output, but overall with the amount of options these had I was let down the most by the coil split.



The new open-core Classics have a specially voiced single coil tone, just like Tosin's, Devin's, KSE, so maybe it is an improvement. I have been blown away by the single tones out of my Tosin's, KSE.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> The new open-core Classics have a specially voiced single coil tone, just like Tosin's, Devin's, KSE, so maybe it is an improvement. I have been blown away by the single tones out of my Tosin's, KSE.



Seriously, I love using voice 3 of the KsE set. Probably the best split I've heard yet.


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## LeviathanKiller

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Seriously, I love using voice 3 of the KsE set. Probably the best split I've heard yet.



I wish they came in a 7 set. So dumb


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## that short guy

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Seriously, I love using voice 3 of the KsE set. Probably the best split I've heard yet.



Me too. Every clean tone I use the single coil


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## kingpinMS3

I have the Carpenter set in my agile 7. I really, really love voice 2 on the bridge pickup. it's got a certain kinda grind that most pickups don't have.

they're really good.


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## Obsidian Soul

Unfortunately, the internet is an echo chamber and most of the people that say the Carpenter set is bad have never even played them. I too think they sound good.


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## that short guy

I think people forget that when you swap a pick up you might (by might mean you should) have to adjust your amp/pedal eq settings. From what I can tell from videos the SC's are voiced/eq'd differently than most pick ups. Seymour Duncan did the same thing with the dimebucker


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## LeviathanKiller

So I got my Shecter C-7 SLS Elite 7 in today with the Fishman Fluence Modern set. The rest here is copied and pasted from my post in the Schecter KM-7 thread.
--------------------
As a current owner of all 3 sets, the Modern set is my favorite, Fishman Keith Merrow set is 2nd, and Nazgul/Sentient is probably 3rd. Really close between 2nd and 3rd.
I'm really tempted to keep the KM7-MKII that's loaded with the Fishman KM set even though I said I would send it back if I like the guitar equipped with the Moderns better. 
I was going to say I'm not feeling a whole lot of love for the Nazgul/Sentient set BUT REALLY it's just the Nazgul. The Sentient neck pickup is great imo

I did a comparison of just voice 1 of each set. Voice 2 isn't a drastic difference as much as the pickup sets are from each other so you'll get the general idea.
Fishman Fluence Keith Merrow vs Modern set (both 7-string, same tuning, same settings, same wood/construction even afaik)
Keith Merrow bridge voice 1: http://www.mediafire.com/file/a425uf0lwq76w2n/20180509_190905_Fishman_KeithMerrow_bridge_voice1.wav
Modern bridge voice 1: http://www.mediafire.com/file/oqv2yacc45x82j0/20180509_190905_Fishman_Modern_bridge_voice1.wav


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