# Alternative to Fishman fluence



## cip 123 (Mar 28, 2019)

Looking for some alternatives to the Fishman Fluence, I'll still be keeping mine as I really like them, especially the switching options, but the whole battery thing annoys the heck out of me. And I definitely don't want to route out my Custom Schecter to fit a recharge pack in the back.

Thing is I don't know where to start really?

I really like how the Ceramic modern sounds with it both voicings, and I find all the passive's that try hard for that ceramic high gain sound to just miss the mark and be really shrill. I generally like active pickups, grew up learning with EMG's but the battery is one thing that always annoys me. 

What should I be looking at? I was thinking moderate output as I pick pretty hard and find I like passive pickups round that area, my favourite before that Fishmans was the Dimarzio Ionizers but it had a high mid frequency that got on my nerves.

So moderate output, nothing too high mid, tight, good clarity (All the usual pickup buzz words). 

And here's some Schecter pron for the help -


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## MerlinTKD (Mar 28, 2019)

BKP Blackhawk?


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 28, 2019)

MerlinTKD said:


> BKP Blackhawk?


not moderate output, not super tight. great pickup though.


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## MSS (Mar 28, 2019)

The recharge pack sticks to the underside of the pickup cavity cover. Why not just do that if you like them? It’s a half inch hole. If you have a plastic cover you could always replace it if you wanted but I think if you ever went to sell it, it would be a positive no?


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## Emperoff (Mar 28, 2019)

What you should be looking for is the battery pack from Fishman. You forget about the batteries and routing and you keep the pickups you actually like.


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## cip 123 (Mar 28, 2019)

MSS said:


> The recharge pack sticks to the underside of the pickup cavity cover. Why not just do that if you like them? It’s a half inch hole. If you have a plastic cover you could always replace it if you wanted but I think if you ever went to sell it, it would be a positive no?





Emperoff said:


> What you should be looking for is the battery pack from Fishman. You forget about the batteries and routing and you keep the pickups you actually like.


There isn't room in my Schecter for the recharge pack.


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## Masoo2 (Mar 28, 2019)

Doesn't Fishman sell a pedal-based power bank or something like that?

Or maybe it was EMG


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 28, 2019)

Masoo2 said:


> Doesn't Fishman sell a pedal-based power bank or something like that?
> 
> Or maybe it was EMG



It was EMG, and I wouldn't be surprised if the 9V one worked with the Fluences as well.

Also I've yet to really play anything that compares to the Fluences. Only thing I can think of is something like the Duncan Distortion, Black Winter, or Nazgul for V2 of the bridge and the Sentient for V2 of the neck. Even then the Distortion I had in the guitar I have Moderns in is still a different sound.

This sounds odd, but maybe try the Duncan Distortion neck pickup in the bridge? I got curious and tried the 8-string version, and it has a surprising amount of grind to it. Kinda reminded me of V2 of the Modern Bridge.

I'm actually curious to see how the Lundgren M-series compares to the FLuence MOdern V2?


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## Catalyst Collide (Mar 28, 2019)

Not that this will solve the overall problem, I've been using high capacity, rechargeable 9v batteries with my fluence and they last a long time. I've got 3 of them, 2 always on a charger so that I can swap quickly.


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 28, 2019)

Ya I use a usb rechargeable 9v sized lipo. Just pop the back plate off every few weeks and charge it. 

Easy peasy


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## AkiraSpectrum (Mar 28, 2019)

I wonder if the Duncan Alpha/Omega set might be worth considering?
The Omega is tight, not harsh on the high end, medium-ish output, great clarity, and still has that snarly aggression you'd get from a higher output pickup.


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 28, 2019)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> I wonder if the Duncan Alpha/Omega set might be worth considering?
> The Omega is tight, not harsh on the high end, medium-ish output, great clarity, and still has that snarly aggression you'd get from a higher output pickup.



Not really the same feel. 

A lot of pickups can do a voicing but nothing else can do the whole Fishman package.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 28, 2019)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> I wonder if the Duncan Alpha/Omega set might be worth considering?
> The Omega is tight, not harsh on the high end, medium-ish output, great clarity, and still has that snarly aggression you'd get from a higher output pickup.



I'm just going by the EQ chart, but yeah the Alpha/Omega LOOK like they'd sound like V2 of the Moderns. On paper.


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## Mathemagician (Mar 28, 2019)

Did we suggest EMG 57/66? Dealing with a battery occasionally seems like such a small price to pay for a sound you like.


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## lewis (Mar 28, 2019)

Mathemagician said:


> Did we suggest EMG 57/66? Dealing with a battery occasionally seems like such a small price to pay for a sound you like.


plus Fishman drain batteries stupidly fast whereas EMG last for a ridiculous amount of time in comparison - so battery isnt really an issue.

On paper it seems that alot of EMGs short-Cummings to me are solved by pairing them with the appropriate EMG active eq knob that solves that particular pickup sets issues (and they do so many active EQ options that there is literally a soloution for everything)

so grab a 57/66 and pair it with something from them that tightens (cuts lows and boosts highs for some extra clarity) and you are pretty much bang on Fishman Modern territory but with a battery that lasts infinitely longer.


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## AirForbes1 (Mar 28, 2019)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> I wonder if the Duncan Alpha/Omega set might be worth considering?
> The Omega is tight, not harsh on the high end, medium-ish output, great clarity, and still has that snarly aggression you'd get from a higher output pickup.



The Omega is tight, and there is a constant growl, and there is great clarity even under ridiculous amounts of gain. But, I don't get any EMG 81 vibes from it (I can't compare with the Modern, but the Modern always gets compared with the 81). There's a growl, but I don't get the bite from them. I think it's great for lower tunings because it stays so tight. But I wouldn't substitute an 81 (or 57) with it.

57/66 is great. Black Winters do everything.

IMO, of course.


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## Lemonbaby (Mar 29, 2019)

Pegasus?


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## larsmul (Mar 29, 2019)

I use the Lace X-bar in both neck and bridge and they can do everything with tremendous clarity , definition , silence and dynamic . But as they are very transparent so you have first to get a guitar with a beautiful acoustic tone .


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## LegacyOfOddGod (Mar 29, 2019)

MerlinTKD said:


> BKP Blackhawk?





KnightBrolaire said:


> not moderate output, not super tight. great pickup though.



I have blackhawks in my Regius 7 and feel like it is very tight and responsive, but what the hell do I know. Maybe I just never tried a really tight pickup


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 29, 2019)

LegacyOfOddGod said:


> I have blackhawks in my Regius 7 and feel like it is very tight and responsive, but what the hell do I know. Maybe I just never tried a really tight pickup


compared to pickups like the lundgren m6 or aftermath or v1 of the moderns, yeah, they're not super tight. They have a bit of squishiness to the low end ime, but it's not a bad thing. I actually prefer pickups with a bit of give in the low end since my amps are already pretty tight sounding.


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## LegacyOfOddGod (Mar 29, 2019)

KnightBrolaire said:


> compared to pickups like the lundgren m6 or aftermath or v1 of the moderns, yeah, they're not super tight. They have a bit of squishiness to the low end ime, but it's not a bad thing. I actually prefer pickups with a bit of give in the low end since my amps are already pretty tight sounding.



Yeah, I'll take your word for it. I also like a bit of "air" in my sound as well so I would probably be put off by a really really tight PUP like the aftermath.


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 29, 2019)

Aftermaths are so dry.


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## cip 123 (Mar 29, 2019)

God not the aftermaths


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 29, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> God not the aftermaths



I love the aftermaths. Not everyone’s cup of tea for sure.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Mar 29, 2019)

Do the deactivators do what they say they do? 

(active sound but passive)


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 29, 2019)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Do the deactivators do what they say they do?
> 
> (active sound but passive)


nope, they do their own thing. Nothing really sounds like actives, even though plenty of passive makers claim they do.


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## cip 123 (Mar 29, 2019)

On an ironic note, a dying battery has created quite a unique tone perfect for the song I'm working on


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## Science_Penguin (Mar 30, 2019)

I'll second the Lace X Bar and raise you anything in the Alumatone range. Bout the only passives I know of that come close to active-ish tone, least in my opinion.


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## larsmul (Mar 30, 2019)

X-bar are not really close to active pickups , they have much more dynamics !


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## lewis (Mar 30, 2019)

larsmul said:


> X-bar are not really close to active pickups , they have much more dynamics !


more close to the new Fishman active stuff that still gives you that dynamic vibe


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 30, 2019)

Yikes. Downvote that xbar suggestion.


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## lewis (Mar 30, 2019)

diagrammatiks said:


> Yikes. Downvote that xbar suggestion.


100%

those and the Deathbar suck


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## cip 123 (Mar 30, 2019)

I have alumitones in a Custom Tele, they're alright though don't make enough of an impression on me that I should go for the X-bar.

Have some more pics (it's actually a picture of a picture since I continually mod this thing) -


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 30, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> I have alumitones in a Custom Tele, they're alright though don't make enough of an impression on me that I should go for the X-bar.
> 
> Have some more pics (it's actually a picture of a picture since I continually mod this thing) -



the xbar in my Strandberg are the worst pickups I’ve ever owned in my entire life.


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## larsmul (Mar 30, 2019)

lewis said:


> 100%
> 
> those and the Deathbar suck



Alright keep your battery toys then ...


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## larsmul (Mar 30, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> I have alumitones in a Custom Tele, they're alright though don't make enough of an impression on me that I should go for the X-bar.
> 
> Have some more pics (it's actually a picture of a picture since I continually mod this thing) -


Those are not the X-bars ... and they are better in a full tone wood luthery , unlike this tele with could lack bass and low mids .


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 30, 2019)

larsmul said:


> Those are not the X-bars ... and they are better in a full tone wood luthery , unlike this tele with could lack bass and low mids .


lmao alumitones are the same as xbars soundwise. awfully ballsy of you to assume that you know what cip's tele sounds like


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## MASS DEFECT (Mar 30, 2019)

Lol xbars have nothing on any fishman fluence. A duncan designed pickup was much better sounding.


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## Strobe (Mar 30, 2019)

What about actives are you liking? The compression? The clarity? The gain? The usability and evenness of the tone and volume knobs? Or something particular to the EQ profile?

The Fishmans moderns are moderately compressed (less than EMG's, but more than a lot of passives). They have a lot of clarity and are gainy as &%$#

As much as people rag on EMG's for being compressed, that's actually one of those things that people like about many pickups. A lot of high gain pickups are pretty compressed compared to say a PAF. You can get the compression from a lot of overwound pickups especially with ceramic magnets (e.g. Duncan Distortion or a BKP Ragnarok). Most BKP's and certain pickups from other builders (e.g. Custom 5) have clarity that is competitive. There is no way around the way the volume/tone interact with the pickup - that's a high impedance / low impedance thing, but you can make up some of the behavior in a passive setup with things like a treble bleed.

It's a shame you cannot fit in the battery pack somewhere. That really takes the pain in the but out of batteries. I used to always swap batteries before a gig, because I was paranoid of the battery dying. Now I just charge it.


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## MASS DEFECT (Mar 30, 2019)

yep.buying rechargeable batteries are a much better option. 2nd best alternative to using the fishman batt pack since a quality rechargeable battery puts out 9v until it dies just like the fishman pack. and you get relatively the same hours.


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## Mathemagician (Mar 30, 2019)

larsmul said:


> full tone wood luthery



Wat?


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## cip 123 (Mar 30, 2019)

larsmul said:


> Those are not the X-bars ... and they are better in a full tone wood luthery , unlike this tele with could lack bass and low mids .


 
Not really sure what you mean by "full tone wood luthery"? My tele is made of... Wood? 



Strobe said:


> What about actives are you liking? The compression? The clarity? The gain? The usability and evenness of the tone and volume knobs? Or something particular to the EQ profile?
> 
> The Fishmans moderns are moderately compressed (less than EMG's, but more than a lot of passives). They have a lot of clarity and are gainy as &%$#
> 
> ...



I generally like actives due to the clarity, I usually find I can't hide mistakes so it's always forced me to work for it. The overall tone is pretty great too. Like I said in the OP I'll probably keep them even if I were to try something different, because I really like the fishmans. 

The battery thing gets on my nerves though.


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## larsmul (Mar 30, 2019)

This guitar was an eight strings , now 7 , all wood and bone nut and bridge , I can tell you it sounds gorgeous acoustically , and the x-bars are just heaven here ;
https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=93500&d=1540652023


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 30, 2019)

larsmul said:


> This guitar was an eight strings , now 7 , all wood and bone nut and bridge , I can tell you it sounds gorgeous acoustically , and the x-bars are just heaven here ;
> https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=93500&d=1540652023



Ok Chapman


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## larsmul (Mar 30, 2019)

yes with no varnish so I could restyle the horns for better access too


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## larsmul (Mar 30, 2019)

yes with no varnish so I could restyle the horns for better access too


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## cip 123 (Mar 30, 2019)

larsmul said:


> This guitar was an eight strings , now 7 , all wood and bone nut and bridge , I can tell you it sounds gorgeous acoustically , and the x-bars are just heaven here ;
> https://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=93500&d=1540652023



That doesn't answer the mystery of "Full tone wood Luthery"?


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 30, 2019)

How does cutting off the top of the horns give you better access to anything.


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## Avedas (Mar 30, 2019)

diagrammatiks said:


> the xbar in my Strandberg are the worst pickups I’ve ever owned in my entire life.


Any time I go play a J Boden they're loaded with those xbars and they sound like absolute ass.

Maybe it's because they don't have enough tone wood.


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 30, 2019)

Avedas said:


> Any time I go play a J Boden they're loaded with those xbars and they sound like absolute ass.
> 
> Maybe it's because they don't have enough tone wood.



Too much horns


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 30, 2019)

Hey remember when we were trying to find pickups that sound similar to Fishman Fluences? 

But uh

Yeah

As I said before; good luck. Nothing passive will sound like V1 of the Fluences. It's got a built-in compression and active sound you can't emulate except with an boost of sorts. V2, still hard to say. It has a growl to it, but still has a very scooped, tight, and nearly twangy sound. Like I said, I'm curious to see how the Lundgren M series compares.


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## LeviathanKiller (Mar 30, 2019)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Hey remember when we were trying to find pickups that sound similar to Fishman Fluences?
> 
> But uh
> 
> ...



The MojoTone Black Magic set, BKP Impulse set, and Guitarmory Polaris set come pretty close in my experiences and side-by-side comparisons.


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## KnightBrolaire (Mar 30, 2019)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Hey remember when we were trying to find pickups that sound similar to Fishman Fluences?
> 
> But uh
> 
> ...


m series is far from scooped, but as far as growl, twang and tight, yeah it delivers on those aspects. elysian trident ii or goliaths would nail the tight and twang aspects, but they're more mid/upper mid heavy than the m series, so they have more of a snarl than a growl imo. they'd be actually be a good stand in for v1.
the mcp afwayu gives me a similar vibe to v2 but it's not as thick sounding.


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## MASS DEFECT (Mar 31, 2019)

The Fluence Modern V2 is nuts without a boost whenever I use it on an Axe Fx Atomica amp model. Just huge sounding but still cuts through the mix just right. Chugs for daaaays! It has a lot of bass and low mids vs V1 but still remains tight and not spongy. (Unlike, say a Blackout.)


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## larsmul (Mar 31, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> That doesn't answer the mystery of "Full tone wood Luthery"?


The wood and bone bridge brings a lot to the acoustic fulness of the tone ,
and I carved the body for a better access to last frets , the horn cutting was just an esthetic improvement .


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## cip 123 (Mar 31, 2019)

larsmul said:


> The wood and bone bridge brings a lot to the acoustic fulness of the tone ,
> and I carved the body for a better access to last frets , the horn cutting was just an esthetic improvement .


So....the X-bars only sound good with a wooden bridge?


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## LeviathanKiller (Mar 31, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> So....the X-bars only sound good with a wooden bridge?


Got it!
https://reverb.com/item/15447912-vi...tric-guitar-bridge-original-hard-to-find-part


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## diagrammatiks (Mar 31, 2019)

Well now that I look at that guitar it’s interesting because it’s basically got two nuts. A nut at the nut and a nut at the bridge. 

Although I feel like if it was worth doing someone else would have thought of it already. 

And, there’s no way doing that can magically turn the xbars good. They are super bad.


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## larsmul (Mar 31, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> So....the X-bars only sound good with a wooden bridge?


Wood and bone bring more warmth and vibrations , it is much more musical to my ears ,
furthermore with neck trough and strong trough : eternal sustain , monstrous vibrations really !
Anyway I didn't have other choice than to build such a bridge because of the increased string spacing ,
then also didn't have much choice of pickups .
A bet that worked so well for my huge hands and my ears ! 
So to come back to your concern CLP , those Lace x-bar do a wonderful job in my guitar ,
but probably in all good sounding lutherie .


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## cip 123 (Mar 31, 2019)

larsmul said:


> Wood and bone bring more warmth and vibrations , it is much more musical to my ears ,
> furthermore with neck trough and strong trough : eternal sustain , monstrous vibrations really !
> Anyway I didn't have other choice than to build such a bridge because of the increased string spacing ,
> then also didn't have much choice of pickups .
> ...




So, they sound good in all guitars...yet you bring up tone wood when I say I have alumitones in my guitar...which is made of wood.

I'm perplexed really.


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## JustinRhoads1980 (Mar 31, 2019)

I dont understand what the issue is with the battery? If you like the tone why give it up over a battery?


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## larsmul (Mar 31, 2019)

X-bars sound bad ???
One of the best clip of Ola with the x-bars

A very well made comparison of x-bar , emg , fluence etc :


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## cip 123 (Mar 31, 2019)

JustinRhoads1980 said:


> I dont understand what the issue is with the battery? If you like the tone why give it up over a battery?


Because it's a pain in the arse, 9V ain't cheap, and they don't last very long with fishmans.

Rechargeable is an option but I just wanted to see what options there are.



larsmul said:


> X-bars sound bad ???
> One of the best clip of Ola with the x-bars
> 
> A very well made comparison of x-bar , emg , fluence etc :




Ah yes Ola, the man who can make a potato sound like a Satan.

And that second video just shows why I don't want X-bars.


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## JustinRhoads1980 (Mar 31, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> Because it's a pain in the arse, 9V ain't cheap, and they don't last very long with fishmans.
> 
> Rechargeable is an option but I just wanted to see what options there are.
> 
> ...




Do you mind taking a pic of the back cavity control plate of ur schecter. There is a possibility where you can contact schecter usa and ask them for another control cavity and then with that one you can try out the recharging pack from fishman.

I think rechargeable is your best option.


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## Richter (Apr 1, 2019)

I like my X-bar - Deathbar pickups on my Strandberg OS. They sound tight, clear and articulate with a single coilish attack. I guess they're not for everyone though.


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## StevenC (Apr 1, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> Ah yes Ola, the man who can make a potato sound like a Satan.
> 
> And that second video just shows why I don't want X-bars.


To be fair, I played that Strandberg and it sounded amazing enough for me to get X Bars in my Strandberg. I put M8s in my Strandberg pretty quickly.


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## Exchanger (Apr 2, 2019)

lewis said:


> On paper it seems that alot of EMGs short-Cummings to me are solved by pairing them with the appropriate EMG active eq knob that solves that particular pickup sets issues (and they do so many active EQ options that there is literally a soloution for everything)
> 
> so grab a 57/66 and pair it with something from them that tightens (cuts lows and boosts highs for some extra clarity) and you are pretty much bang on Fishman Modern territory but with a battery that lasts infinitely longer.



Sorry to trail off topic a bit, but you triggered my interest here 
I have a EMG 57-66 set (in a pretty Schecter too) and I don't dislike them to the point I want to change them (and unless I could sell them to make someone happy I wouldn't want them to go to waste), but I'm looking for ways to improve the sound. I love the cleans, but in distorted sound I have mixed feelings. When I compare and record different pickups and look at the spectrum I see the 57-66 have a low end cut balow say 30 Hz (good) and a boost around 250Hz (tends to muddy things up a little). My biggest qualm is the high end. What provides "air" when playing cleans turns into extra fizz that I don't like when distorted.
Parallel to that, I'm not a fan of the Volume Volume Tone configuration so I would gladly replace on of the volumes for an EQ knob. Where can I find more about these EMG active EQ knobs ?


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## lewis (Apr 2, 2019)

Exchanger said:


> Sorry to trail off topic a bit, but you triggered my interest here
> I have a EMG 57-66 set (in a pretty Schecter too) and I don't dislike them to the point I want to change them (and unless I could sell them to make someone happy I wouldn't want them to go to waste), but I'm looking for ways to improve the sound. I love the cleans, but in distorted sound I have mixed feelings. When I compare and record different pickups and look at the spectrum I see the 57-66 have a low end cut balow say 30 Hz (good) and a boost around 250Hz (tends to muddy things up a little). My biggest qualm is the high end. What provides "air" when playing cleans turns into extra fizz that I don't like when distorted.
> Parallel to that, I'm not a fan of the Volume Volume Tone configuration so I would gladly replace on of the volumes for an EQ knob. *Where can I find more about these EMG active EQ knobs* ?


The EMG website bro 

The entire list is here -

http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/guitar-accessories.html (under tone options)

&

here

http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/bass-accessories.html (the options under "Bass" work with guitar just fine - and will even say that in each description)


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## JustinRhoads1980 (Apr 2, 2019)

Exchanger said:


> Sorry to trail off topic a bit, but you triggered my interest here
> I have a EMG 57-66 set (in a pretty Schecter too) and I don't dislike them to the point I want to change them (and unless I could sell them to make someone happy I wouldn't want them to go to waste), but I'm looking for ways to improve the sound. I love the cleans, but in distorted sound I have mixed feelings. When I compare and record different pickups and look at the spectrum I see the 57-66 have a low end cut balow say 30 Hz (good) and a boost around 250Hz (tends to muddy things up a little). My biggest qualm is the high end. What provides "air" when playing cleans turns into extra fizz that I don't like when distorted.
> Parallel to that, I'm not a fan of the Volume Volume Tone configuration so I would gladly replace on of the volumes for an EQ knob. Where can I find more about these EMG active EQ knobs ?




I have the same opinion. I dont dislike them to the point where i want to change em but want to improve upon them.

Except i actually dont mind the dist sounds and like em. Things i dont like are the cleans as i find em mediocre and the lead tones on anything but the bridge i just find to be terrible.

If those things could be solved and maybe the dist sounds had become more aggressive and had a but more output and the bottom end was tighter and more percussive for palm mutes


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## LeviathanKiller (Apr 3, 2019)

Exchanger said:


> My biggest qualm is the high end. What provides "air" when playing cleans turns into extra fizz that I don't like when distorted.


That's what instantly turned me off to the EMG 57/66 set and led to their demise (me replacing them).


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## Exchanger (Apr 3, 2019)

LeviathanKiller said:


> That's what instantly turned me off to the EMG 57/66 set and led to their demise (me replacing them).


Well I had been thinking why not Fluence, because then I could keep active for cleans and switch to passive for distortion (+single coil voicing as an option). Which is what led me to this post. But if battery life is an issue this is a bit of a turn-off for me, I'm the kind of guy who tends to forget the jack plugged-in. I wish all active guitars and basses would come with an on-off switch to save the battery, with a LED to remind you it's on, but I digress.

I'd also considered switching to passives enterily, but I'd like to keep one guitar with actives in my arsenal, esp. for these controlled cleans.

The EMG tone knobs are interesting, but none really does what I want short of installing a 3 band EQ with swept mids, which is a bit overkill (and the cavity might be a bit too small for these extra printed circuits). So far, I'm just better off rolling the tone knob off a little when switching to distortion. And still it's something you could easily forget to do, or sturggle to find the exact same setting again, I would much rather have a switch that just cuts a bit of high-end.


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## cip 123 (Apr 3, 2019)

Exchanger said:


> Well I had been thinking why not Fluence, because then I could keep active for cleans and switch to passive for distortion (+single coil voicing as an option). Which is what led me to this post. But if battery life is an issue this is a bit of a turn-off for me, I'm the kind of guy who tends to forget the jack plugged-in. I wish all active guitars and basses would come with an on-off switch to save the battery, with a LED to remind you it's on, but I digress.
> 
> I'd also considered switching to passives enterily, but I'd like to keep one guitar with actives in my arsenal, esp. for these controlled cleans.
> 
> The EMG tone knobs are interesting, but none really does what I want short of installing a 3 band EQ with swept mids, which is a bit overkill (and the cavity might be a bit too small for these extra printed circuits). So far, I'm just better off rolling the tone knob off a little when switching to distortion. And still it's something you could easily forget to do, or sturggle to find the exact same setting again, I would much rather have a switch that just cuts a bit of high-end.


What guitar are you putting them in?

You might be able to fit the Fishman Recharge pack in it, which is basically the only reason for this post. It sadly doesn't fit in my guitar.


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## Exchanger (Apr 4, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> What guitar are you putting them in?
> 
> You might be able to fit the Fishman Recharge pack in it, which is basically the only reason for this post. It sadly doesn't fit in my guitar.


Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid C-7 - the cavity isn't especially big, and the finish is really nice so I'm not willing to risk ruining it by re-routing.


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## cip 123 (Apr 4, 2019)

Exchanger said:


> Schecter Hellraiser Hybrid C-7 - the cavity isn't especially big, and the finish is really nice so I'm not willing to risk ruining it by re-routing.


That at least has a quick change battery space does it not?

The fishman site has the measurements of the recharge pack on there, I'd suggest looking at that if you're going for them.


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## Exchanger (Apr 8, 2019)

cip 123 said:


> That at least has a quick change battery space does it not?
> 
> The fishman site has the measurements of the recharge pack on there, I'd suggest looking at that if you're going for them.



I'm not sure how that works. You have that rectangular black thingy that is your battery and that fits where the 9V normally is ? Then when you ahve to rehcarge, you pop out these red and white wires and connect the little square board that has this USB socket ?

In any case, it's like an extra 95 on the 275€ for a Neck + Bridge set. As I said, I think these pickups could sound better, but they aren't bad. Not to the point of spending 350+ on new ones and letting decent pickups gather dust.


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