The Fishman Fluence Thread

[BearOnGuitar]

I have an ESP Stef-TB7 and it obviously has the Stef Fishman's in as of now. I've seen a few people switch the Stef set out for Moderns with favorable results. I'm thinking about ordering a Modern bridge PU and checking out for myself.

Those that have experience with both, will it be a substantial difference or maybe not even worth the time and money? This will be tuned to G# Standard and will use my Drop pedal to go down to F# as well.

The Steph set is my current favorite out of all 7 and 8 string sets, followed by the Abasi set. I personally dislike the Moderns, I find them to be slightly shy on bass and a bit flat and boring sounding but I can't deny that they still sound absolutely great in some guitars. Maybe it's also that I have been playing moderns just a few months after they first became available and I find every other model more interesting and appealing. I know that there have been some revisions and I played some very recent ones as well and still feel the same way about the moderns though.

The Stef set basically has a bigger low end, a more interesting mid frequency character and slightly better and more open dynamics. The Tosin set is fairly similar to the Stef set, but sounding slightly tighter where as the Stef set is slightly more fat, thick and loose sounding, in terms of less compressed to my ears.

I still feel that the biggest con of the Fluence line is that they don't quite achieve the dynamics of a great passive pickup, but when I use the Stef set in the passive voicing I get close enough to it that I mostly don't care about it, especially considering how great they sound and how much clarity they offer.

 

[Apex1rg7x]

The Steph set is my current favorite out of all 7 and 8 string sets, followed by the Abasi set. I personally dislike the Moderns, I find them to be slightly shy on bass and a bit flat and boring sounding but I can't deny that they still sound absolutely great in some guitars. Maybe it's also that I have been playing moderns just a few months after they first became available and I find every other model more interesting and appealing. I know that there have been some revisions and I played some very recent ones as well and still feel the same way about the moderns though.

The Stef set basically has a bigger low end, a more interesting mid frequency character and slightly better and more open dynamics. The Tosin set is fairly similar to the Stef set, but sounding slightly tighter where as the Stef set is slightly more fat, thick and loose sounding, in terms of less compressed to my ears.

I still feel that the biggest con of the Fluence line is that they don't quite achieve the dynamics of a great passive pickup, but when I use the Stef set in the passive voicing I get close enough to it that I mostly don't care about it, especially considering how great they sound and how much clarity they offer.

Thanks for the response. Since posting this I got a ESP NT7b with Fluence Moderns and was finally able to check them out. I pretty much agree with everything you said about the difference between the 2 pickups. The Stef set really works for Deftones(obviously) type stuff where its not focused on super tight and articulate riffing. The moderns worked better for me IMO for the drop G Whitechapel type stuff so now that I have both sets in separate guitars, I'm all set haha.

 

[robotwithhumanhair22]

Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster. This thread feels like the best place to ask this.
So I have the Fishman Fluence Modern set installed in my Kiesel Zeus 8, which sound amazing on both voicings, but I've encountered a few things that have left me scratching my head.

First off, they seem to be a bit too hot and aggressive, especially on voicing 1. This isn't a big deal as the solution is to roll off the gain a little. But what bothers me more is the split coil voicing, which I have in the form of a push-pull pot on the tone knob. The split coil tones seem a bit lackluster and missing the kind of attack the pickups do on a non-splitcoil voicing, which was upsetting considering I play primarily in split-coil tones (almost muddy-sounding, even). The feedback on splitcoil mode was a bit much, too.

After doing some research, I came across the Tosin Abasi signature set (I'm a huge AAL fan) and have seen it described as similar to the regular Moderns, but smoother and a bit less aggressive. But what really caught my eye was the description of the split-coil voicing: glossy, glassy, hi-fi. Which is what I was hoping to achieve with the regular Moderns but seemed to have fallen short. (Not to mention seeing some of you saying similar things throughout this thread).

Do you think the Abasi set lives up to this particular hype? Would it be beneficial for me to make the switch to the Abasis or should I experiment with the Moderns some more? My goal here is to try and recreate the split-coil tone / feel that I achieve with the Suhr SSH+ / SSV pickups in my Strandberg Original 6, so perhaps a passive set with good high-output tone for metal and split-coil clarity I've found the Moderns lack (i.e. DiMarzios, Seymour Duncan, etc?)

I play primarily prog rock / metal so good attack and clarity is super important.

 

[diagrammatiks]

Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster. This thread feels like the best place to ask this.
So I have the Fishman Fluence Modern set installed in my Kiesel Zeus 8, which sound amazing on both voicings, but I've encountered a few things that have left me scratching my head.

First off, they seem to be a bit too hot and aggressive, especially on voicing 1. This isn't a big deal as the solution is to roll off the gain a little. But what bothers me more is the split coil voicing, which I have in the form of a push-pull pot on the tone knob. The split coil tones seem a bit lackluster and missing the kind of attack the pickups do on a non-splitcoil voicing, which was upsetting considering I play primarily in split-coil tones (almost muddy-sounding, even). The feedback on splitcoil mode was a bit much, too.

After doing some research, I came across the Tosin Abasi signature set (I'm a huge AAL fan) and have seen it described as similar to the regular Moderns, but smoother and a bit less aggressive. But what really caught my eye was the description of the split-coil voicing: glossy, glassy, hi-fi. Which is what I was hoping to achieve with the regular Moderns but seemed to have fallen short. (Not to mention seeing some of you saying similar things throughout this thread).

Do you think the Abasi set lives up to this particular hype? Would it be beneficial for me to make the switch to the Abasis or should I experiment with the Moderns some more? My goal here is to try and recreate the split-coil tone / feel that I achieve with the Suhr SSH+ / SSV pickups in my Strandberg Original 6, so perhaps a passive set with good high-output tone for metal and split-coil clarity I've found the Moderns lack (i.e. DiMarzios, Seymour Duncan, etc?)

I play primarily prog rock / metal so good attack and clarity is super important.

the current moderns don't have a split coil preamp. So they are basically just half the coil.
It doesn't sound or really usable at all to my ears.

The new classics and the abasis have a separate preamp for the split and they sound much much better.

 

[robotwithhumanhair22]

the current moderns don't have a split coil preamp. So they are basically just half the coil.
It doesn't sound or really usable at all to my ears.

The new classics and the abasis have a separate preamp for the split and they sound much much better.

That would make sense. But if the Moderns don't have that preamp for splitcoil then why even bother making it a feature until it's done properly?

Looks like I'll go the Tosin route. Unfortunately everywhere I look it's on back-order so it seems I'll be waiting at least a month. *sigh*

 

[MASS DEFECT]

Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster. This thread feels like the best place to ask this.
So I have the Fishman Fluence Modern set installed in my Kiesel Zeus 8, which sound amazing on both voicings, but I've encountered a few things that have left me scratching my head.

First off, they seem to be a bit too hot and aggressive, especially on voicing 1. This isn't a big deal as the solution is to roll off the gain a little. But what bothers me more is the split coil voicing, which I have in the form of a push-pull pot on the tone knob. The split coil tones seem a bit lackluster and missing the kind of attack the pickups do on a non-splitcoil voicing, which was upsetting considering I play primarily in split-coil tones (almost muddy-sounding, even). The feedback on splitcoil mode was a bit much, too.

After doing some research, I came across the Tosin Abasi signature set (I'm a huge AAL fan) and have seen it described as similar to the regular Moderns, but smoother and a bit less aggressive. But what really caught my eye was the description of the split-coil voicing: glossy, glassy, hi-fi. Which is what I was hoping to achieve with the regular Moderns but seemed to have fallen short. (Not to mention seeing some of you saying similar things throughout this thread).

Do you think the Abasi set lives up to this particular hype? Would it be beneficial for me to make the switch to the Abasis or should I experiment with the Moderns some more? My goal here is to try and recreate the split-coil tone / feel that I achieve with the Suhr SSH+ / SSV pickups in my Strandberg Original 6, so perhaps a passive set with good high-output tone for metal and split-coil clarity I've found the Moderns lack (i.e. DiMarzios, Seymour Duncan, etc?)

I play primarily prog rock / metal so good attack and clarity is super important.

The split tones are better on the Tosins but not by far. The single coil tone however on voice 3 is where it's at. The moderns split tones are anemic in comparison. They don't have that high end attack and shimmer.

The Tosin set is more aggressive than the Moderns at least for me. They have more bass, growl, but retains the Modern's sizzle.

 

[diagrammatiks]

That would make sense. But if the Moderns don't have that preamp for splitcoil then why even bother making it a feature until it's done properly?

Looks like I'll go the Tosin route. Unfortunately everywhere I look it's on back-order so it seems I'll be waiting at least a month. *sigh*

eh most pickups don't sound very good split.

 

[robotwithhumanhair22]

I don't know how you guys tame


The split tones are better on the Tosins but not by far. The single coil tone however on voice 3 is where it's at. The moderns split tones are anemic in comparison. They don't have that high end attack and shimmer.

The Tosin set is more aggressive than the Moderns at least for me. They have more bass, growl, but retains the Modern's sizzle.

That's what I'm trying to accomplish with the Moderns - but sounds like voice 3 / single coil is what I'm after. But that makes sense - I was super underwhelmed with how the "split" coils sounded with the Moderns.

 

[robotwithhumanhair22]

I suppose another follow-up question would be how well the Tosins work with a 3-way switch with a push-pull volume pot for voicings 1/2 and a push-pull tone pot for voicing 3 (single coil), if that configuration would even work. Would a 5-way super switch be necessary?

 

[MASS DEFECT]

I suppose another follow-up question would be how well the Tosins work with a 3-way switch with a push-pull volume pot for voicings 1/2 and a push-pull tone pot for voicing 3 (single coil), if that configuration would even work. Would a 5-way super switch be necessary?

That's how I wire mine. Volume knob changes between V1 and V2. Tone knob pull engages V3 Single Coil and overrides V1 and V2. # way switch just the regular bride, neck, bridge + neck. The superswitch just affords you some cool combinations of splits I think. If you are good with the single coil tone and V1 and V2, there's no need for a super switch.

 

[robotwithhumanhair22]

Ooooh I like that. I looked at the wiring diagram and that seems like the five-way switching is similar to how my Strandberg selects the coils - and it spanks. Thankfully super switches are relatively inexpensive.

 

[diagrammatiks]

I suppose another follow-up question would be how well the Tosins work with a 3-way switch with a push-pull volume pot for voicings 1/2 and a push-pull tone pot for voicing 3 (single coil), if that configuration would even work. Would a 5-way super switch be necessary?

You just can't do tosins super cool special wiring using 2 push pulls.

But, you can select all the voicings no problem.

 

[juka]

Still wondering what their reasons might have been to NOT update the moderns when they added the 3rd voice to the classics.

 

[robotwithhumanhair22]

Still wondering what their reasons might have been to NOT update the moderns when they added the 3rd voice to the classics.

My thoughts exactly. They missed a golden opportunity because the Moderns sound immaculate otherwise.

 

[hensh!n]

I'd like to see Fishman do something like a "Modern Classic", a best of both worlds scenario where they have V1 of the Classics, V2 of the Moderns, and some sort of single-coil V3. I loved the clarity and brightness from the Classics, but neither Voice 2 in the Bridge or Neck were of use for me. Even though I don't use V1 on the Moderns all that much, they are useful in certain recording situations (though I prefer V2 on the whole). Never tried the Open Core Classics though. While a single-coil voice is tempting, I'm worried it'll be another completely useless voicing like V2 on the Classics.

 

[Noisy Humbucker]

Call me a dork, but I like being able to switch voices on my Modern set when coil split, especially when playing clean. That said, I don’t have any real experience with Voice 3 on something like the Abasi set, so I can’t really say I prefer one over the other.

 

[IronSean]

I'd like to see Fishman do something like a "Modern Classic", a best of both worlds scenario where they have V1 of the Classics, V2 of the Moderns, and some sort of single-coil V3. I loved the clarity and brightness from the Classics, but neither Voice 2 in the Bridge or Neck were of use for me. Even though I don't use V1 on the Moderns all that much, they are useful in certain recording situations (though I prefer V2 on the whole). Never tried the Open Core Classics though. While a single-coil voice is tempting, I'm worried it'll be another completely useless voicing like V2 on the Classics.

Aren't the moderns Ceramic magnets with blades and the classics AlNiCo magnets with pole pieces? It's not really possible to mix and match those two things unfortunately. And wht did you dislike about V2 on the Classics? It's supposed to be a bit of a hotter PAF like a JB compared to the classic PAF sound of V1 right? Did you just not have a use for that hotter sound?

 

[hensh!n]

Aren't the moderns Ceramic magnets with blades and the classics AlNiCo magnets with pole pieces? It's not really possible to mix and match those two things unfortunately. And wht did you dislike about V2 on the Classics? It's supposed to be a bit of a hotter PAF like a JB compared to the classic PAF sound of V1 right? Did you just not have a use for that hotter sound?

The Moderns do have an Alnico model, while normally used in the Neck it isn't uncommon in the Bridge position either. Considering what Fishman has apparently been able to achieve with the Abasi, Reyes, and Towsend sets, I'm sure they create something that doesn't have two very similar voices in them.

Regarding the Classics 2nd Bridge Pickup Voice, I found it very "choked" , "throaty", and far too "honkey". Probably a spike in the high-mids that really grated my ears. I was coming from the EMG 57/66 Set at the time, so V2 didn't even come close for me. Though it isn't entirely unlike V1 on the Modern set, just with much less gain making it sound like a high-gain Active Voicing without enough output. Voice 1 was extremely clean and clear, even under high-gain settings which made Voice 2 completely useless for my applications. If I want more gain for V1 I'd adjust the amp or engage a boost. And Voice 2 on the Neck Pickup was too scooped to track and sit in a mix well. I spent way too much time trying to dial in a usable tone before I gave up on it entirely.

 

[IronSean]

The Moderns do have an Alnico model, while normally used in the Neck it isn't uncommon in the Bridge position either. Considering what Fishman has apparently been able to achieve with the Abasi, Reyes, and Towsend sets, I'm sure they create something that doesn't have two very similar voices in them.

Regarding the Classics 2nd Bridge Pickup Voice, I found it very "choked" , "throaty", and far too "honkey". Probably a spike in the high-mids that really grated my ears. I was coming from the EMG 57/66 Set at the time, so V2 didn't even come close for me. Though it isn't entirely unlike V1 on the Modern set, just with much less gain making it sound like a high-gain Active Voicing without enough output. Voice 1 was extremely clean and clear, even under high-gain settings which made Voice 2 completely useless for my applications. If I want more gain for V1 I'd adjust the amp or engage a boost. And Voice 2 on the Neck Pickup was too scooped to track and sit in a mix well. I spent way too much time trying to dial in a usable tone before I gave up on it entirely.

They may be able to make a pickup that combines two difference voices in a way that gets closer to an active pickup plus a PAF. That would definitely be cool. I'm not convinced it's actually that easy (otherwise they should have done it from the start), but it would probably help people cover a lot of ground with one pickup set.

I just meant they can't literally put V2 from the Modern Bridge and V1 from the Classic Bridge into the same pickup because despite all their marketing, their pickups are still wire wraps and magnets, and those two are very different materials and construction. The Modern neck being an Alnico doesn't help you put Modern Bridge V2 into an AlNiCo pickup. And most of their pickup voicings are usually two shades of the same thing, rather than a completely different voice. I assuming they're adding or removing wraps from winding to add or subtract from the sound of one voice to get the other.

 

[hensh!n]

They may be able to make a pickup that combines two difference voices in a way that gets closer to an active pickup plus a PAF. That would definitely be cool. I'm not convinced it's actually that easy (otherwise they should have done it from the start), but it would probably help people cover a lot of ground with one pickup set.

I just meant they can't literally put V2 from the Modern Bridge and V1 from the Classic Bridge into the same pickup because despite all their marketing, their pickups are still wire wraps and magnets, and those two are very different materials and construction. The Modern neck being an Alnico doesn't help you put Modern Bridge V2 into an AlNiCo pickup. And most of their pickup voicings are usually two shades of the same thing, rather than a completely different voice. I assuming they're adding or removing wraps from winding to add or subtract from the sound of one voice to get the other.

Right, and they don't necessarily have to. I'd just like to see something with more variety and depth that isn't a Signature pickup. I've heard from their artists that the process to designing a pickup is literally going to the artists house, having them play, then adjusting the frequency response to their taste. With that amount of flexibility I'm sure they do something to accommodate players who enjoy features from both Classic and Modern sets, but aren't necessarily in love with what every voice offer in their spectrum. But with NAMM just around the corner, maybe they'll reveal something new. I have tried Tosins set (albeit briefly at a guitar shop) and was pleasantly surprised, though it wasn't with my guitar (or on a setup I was familiar with) therefore it would be difficult to compare them to my experiences on the Classic/Modern set.