Strandberg 7, Fishman Fluence and high gain

[sym30l1c]

Hi folks,

bit of background first: I used to play prog metal (Dream Theater and such) in a couple of bands in the 90's. Life got in the way and I didn't play for 20 years. A few months ago I got the hitch again and took my trusted 26yo Ibanez out of storage.

Back to now: I've been wanting to try a 7 string and I've picked up a Strandberg Boden Original 7.
I love the clean sound, but I'm really not too happy about how it sounds with high gain.
Most of the time I play some riffs they sound dirty and imprecise. Almost every little movement I make with my hands produces some sound that gets picked up with the result being unpolished.
Now, even after 20 years, I know how to mute strings, and in fact this does not happen when I play my Ibanez.

Is this the sound you get with the Fishman Fluence? Back in the day active pickups were not as popular as they are now, aside from EMG, so this is the first time I try this kind of pickups. Compared to the passive pickups on my Ibanez, the Fluence have definetely more background noise with high gain.

I have to say I am surprised, because when I watched some videos the sound of the Fluence was much more polished than this. I still have 10 days or so to try out the guitar and return it if I'm not happy.

I'd appreciate some advice and opinions on this.

 

[Musiscience]

This seems out of character for a pickup that is hyped on its string separation and precision. The pair I tried on an Ibby 5000 series was very articulate and not undefined at all.

Is the battery low on power? Did you try switching it?

If this doesn't work, maybe you can contact Strandberg. They have a great customer service.

 

[sym30l1c]

This seems out of character for a pickup that is hyped on its string separation and precision. The pair I tried on an Ibby 5000 series was very articulate and not undefined at all.

Is the battery low on power? Did you try switching it?

If this doesn't work, maybe you can contact Strandberg. They have a great customer service.

Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll try replacing the battery, but I doubt that's the issue. The guitar is brand new and it was freshly arrived at their warehouse when I ordered it (from their online store).

 

[Musiscience]

Thanks for the suggestion!
I'll try replacing the battery, but I doubt that's the issue. The guitar is brand new and it was freshly arrived at their warehouse when I ordered it (from their online store).

Strings could also be the cause and is cheap to try. When I got my AZ, it had a new set of D'Addario on it and the guitar sounded really dull and bland. After changing the strings on day 1 (I always put Elixir because of my sweaty paws), it came to life. Night and day difference.

 

[The Spanish Inquisition]

The Fishman Fluence series isn't really my thing either. But I think that's mostly because I'm used to gaining the fuck out of my amps. If there's too much gain, especially with high output pickups like Fishmans, it turns more mushy than precise. Try backing off the gain on your amp and take out a little bass on the EQ.

 

[Vegetta]

yeah i really had to turn the gain with my 7 to keep out the muddy flubb

 

[sym30l1c]

Strings could also be the cause and is cheap to try. When I got my AZ, it had a new set of D'Addario on it and the guitar sounded really dull and bland. After changing the strings on day 1 (I always put Elixir because of my sweaty paws), it came to life. Night and day difference.

The Fishman Fluence series isn't really my thing either. But I think that's mostly because I'm used to gaining the fuck out of my amps. If there's too much gain, especially with high output pickups like Fishmans, it turns more mushy than precise. Try backing off the gain on your amp and take out a little bass on the EQ.

yeah i really had to turn the gain with my 7 to keep out the muddy flubb

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try and see. So far I'm not having the honeymoon period I was hoping for.

 

[Corporial Bodies]

Have you tried putting both pickups into low gain mode? I've found that helped alot for me.

 

[Spicypickles]

I’ve found getting rid of them helps.

not a fan of the fishmans so far......

 

[jephjacques]

I generally like Fishmans and haven't encountered the kind of issues you're describing; sounds like something weird is going on with either those pickups or that guitar.

 

[SpaceDock]

I have OS7 with Fishman Moderns, super tight and clean with tons of gain. There is something wrong happening on yours.

 

[bzhang9]

had the same guitar, was not too impressed with the tones, did not sound as tight and ballsy as a rg7 with dimarzios, the second voice was borderline unusable for tight high gain sound

 

[Musiscience]

I’ve found getting rid of them helps.

not a fan of the fishmans so far......

This literally made me laugh out loud. Although my limited experience with them isn't that bad.

 

[Corporial Bodies]

I agree with what your saying about the fishmans in the standard config, for me they were way to hot and shrill, however once I put them in low gain voice 1 mode (think that's what its called) by putting the supplied jumper in the back of the pup, I could see why some people love them, the change on my setup was night and day

 

[MASS DEFECT]

Or try lowering the pickup.

 

[cip 123]

Have you tried turning the gain down?

Actives do pick up more sensitivity than passives imo and so I usually use lower gain for actives, and turn up gain for passives.

Or try lowering the pickup.

This is also a great trick for actives.

 

[sym30l1c]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I tried lowering the gain and it definitely feels better. Also, me getting more comfortable with a 7 strings probably plays a role.

Now, I'm not sure I'm finding the guitar and endureneck that comfortable to play though...but that's a whole different topic....

 

[xzacx]

I’ve found getting rid of them helps.

not a fan of the fishmans so far......

Great advice, I think they’re equally bad in clips and in real life.

 

[elkoki]

I’ve found getting rid of them helps.

not a fan of the fishmans so far......

Lol

 

[elkoki]

I have Fluences and I havent noticed any odd extra noises coming from them. I've tried the moderns,classics and will adler models and they were all good without any issues. Only problem I ran into once was that they were a tad noisy but I then realized the switch wasnt grounded and fixed the problem. Fluences are tight, precise pickups . If they arent its probably the guitar itself doesnt have the sound you're looking for. We tend to give too much credit to the pickups at times. Yes they are a part of your sound but the guitar itself matters too.


If you want to experiment with different sounds and dont want to spend any money on it you could try swapping the neck and bridge around . Theres no harm in it. They also have quick connect plugs so it should only take a few minutes.