Seymour Duncan Blackouts VS Fishman Fluence Modern [IR War]

[pablometal]

Since a found a wav file of the blackouts, i tried recording the same riff to compare them.. here are the results.

The video description says:
The Blackouts wav audio belongs to James Z Productions. He used his Schecter to record the first riff and i just recorded the same riff to compare both pickups. He only had 1 side so i just put both guitars at the center.. He used an RME Babyface Pro (no jdi-isa, just DI signal), i used a Focusrite 2i2 2gen (Di signal) My guitar: ibanez rgdim6fm

​

Fishman pickups have a real lo-fi sound which i like, here's how the spectrum looks:


Blackouts:

Fishman:

Of course i don't own the best interface on the market and that could lead to less mid to high frequencies..but i must say most of the IR's sounds better with the fishman pickups.​

 

[T00DEEPBLUE]

I honestly much preferred how the Blackouts sounded. They had a tighter low end and the upper mids kept the single notes from getting muddy.

With that said though, this pickup comparison was stupid and pointless. You should've done the comparison of both pickups in the same guitar.

 

[pablometal]

I honestly much preferred how the Blackouts sounded. They had a tighter low end and the upper mids kept the single notes from getting muddy.

With that said though, this pickup comparison was stupid and pointless. You should've done the comparison of both pickups in the same guitar.

ok no problem but why start insulting? first of all, learn to rean, 2nd, did it for fun and not for you. So save your words for your personal life

 

[littlebadboy]

Yep, kinda liked the Blackouts better too.

 

[pablometal]

Yep, kinda liked the Blackouts better too.

they have a really tight low end and overall are well balanced. Fishman fluence are kind of bad for acoustic stuff.. they sound really muddy. But i must say i like both.

 

[T00DEEPBLUE]

ok no problem but why start insulting? first of all, learn to rean, 2nd, did it for fun and not for you. So save your words for your personal life

"Learn to rean"

Learn to type.

I also wasn't trying to insult you. Trying to make a direct comparison of two different pickups in two different guitars does in fact render it a completely pointless exercise. Nothing wrong with having fun while doing it but don't try to frame your video as being in any way an informative or fair comparison when it clearly isn't.

The fact that you take offence to that valid criticism speaks more about the fragility of your personal life than anyone else's.

 

[JustinRhoads1980]

I also wasn't trying to insult you. Trying to make a direct comparison of two different pickups in two different guitars does in fact render it a completely pointless exercise. Nothing wrong with having fun while doing it but don't try to frame your video as being in any way an informative or fair comparison when it clearly isn't.

Yup it is super constructive. If I compare a pickup in two different guitars, even of the same make and model it will sound different. @pablometal he is trying to give you constructive criticism to you and to those reading the forum who might have an automatic bias towards a pickup now because a big variable in the test caused a slanted result. Take the advice and don't shit on others man.

The fact that you take offence to that valid criticism speaks more about the fragility of your personal life than anyone else's.

 

[Masoo2]

geez no wonder people hate gearheads and metalheads chill op did nothing wrong he didn't "shit on others" lmao

in this case, blackouts 100%

that fishman clip actually really disappointed me, maybe something like the classics would deliver that missing high end

i've noticed that in quite a few clips of the moderns, actually

they have that nice compression i want but lack the high end of the classics and a few others

 

[jarledge]

i like the fishmans . I had blackouts in my 8 string and hated that i couldn't get the mids to relax and not be so in your face. I like that the fishmans seem to have similar clarity but with less of the in your face mids that I didn't get along with. The blackouts do metal great but for me not much else.

 

[pablometal]

Maybe not a fair comparison, i just used a shitty interface with 1 month old strings. I remember using a cheap DI box and the high's were noticeable boosted. It all started because i was looking for reviews about the babyface, maybe if i buy one i will update this.

About the losers:

 

[pablometal]

i like the fishmans . I had blackouts in my 8 string and hated that i couldn't get the mids to relax and not be so in your face. I like that the fishmans seem to have similar clarity but with less of the in your face mids that I didn't get along with. The blackouts do metal great but for me not much else.

The Blackouts seems to be really loud at the 1-2k area, i think you can hear it while the fishman have that area really scooped which makes them sound good. I also tamed some frequencies in the 3-5k area, just small surgical EQing.

Btw it was pretty easy to make the fishman sound good(or better), just boost the treble from 4 to 7 in the amp settings and that solved the "problem", they sounded much better than the blackouts, in general they sound beter with any IR but still the blackouts are really clean and perfect for acoustic stuff.

 

[JustinRhoads1980]

About the losers:

Yeah because having a valid criticism makes us "losers" says a lot about you brah

 

[pablometal]

Yeah because having a valid criticism makes us "losers" says a lot about you brah

Read the post Justin.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

the only good way to do a comparison like this is to make DIs of both pickups in the same guitar, playing the same riff, with the same strings, pick etc AND then comparing their frequency response.
This isn't a very useful comparison tbh.

 

[littlebadboy]

Any love for the SD Custom 5? I like it over the Blackouts or the Fluence.

 

[efiltsohg]

Any love for the SD Custom 5? I like it over the Blackouts or the Fluence.

I'd take almost any passive Duncan over either one yeah

 

[Zoobiedood]

Any love for the SD Custom 5? I like it over the Blackouts or the Fluence.

The Custom 5 is remarkable, and especially shines in mid-heavy guitars.

 

[Strobe]

The blackouts do sound really good in this video, which is odd, because the Fishmans sound way way way better in my RR24 than the blackout I had in it before did. I go back and forth on the blackouts from "it's OK" to "I hate this". I loved the Fishmans the first time I played them. YMMV - Kudos for getting these to sound good.

 

[Politics of Ecstasy]

I dont mean to be a naysayer or disagree with anyone wheni joined and know much less about eRg things than everyone else....but I will say this: nothing, absolutely nothing, comes close to Fishman Fluence technology at the moment. So EMG and Blackouts have a lot to offer actively, its just not even a real comparison because the technology is totally different.

I think its like preamps vs digital processing....so....Fishman created a league of their own...and i think thats why they cost almost $300 a set!! EMG vs. BO is a fair fight, but fishman actives arent like “those “ actives

But I appreciate people trying to make comparisons and helping others decide....i cant put in fishman in my guitar otherwise I would! But again, i don’t know half as muchas you guys...so

 

[Strobe]

Any love for the SD Custom 5? I like it over the Blackouts or the Fluence.

While I prefer Fluence, it's like my #2 favorite passive.