Are Fishman Fluence Moderns All Hype? 

I think the other positive of Fishmans typically not mentioned in reviews is the very low noise floor. They work so clean in high gain applications.

I was always a passive guy, always stayed away from active pickups, until I bought my latest guitar, a 7 string Ibanez RGD Multi Scale guitar with Fishmans, and I absolutely fell in love with the sound, it's my main guitar, and I love it.

Holy smokes, his playing has improved a lot in the last couple of years!

Compare the 81 and 85 EMGs I know you have set. lol

Love to see a shootout between these and some PRS SE 85/15S pickups.

A shootout between these, the classic EMG combo (81/85), a set of Dimarzio ToneZone/PAF and Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz or 59 would be a good comparison. IMO.

The versatility of these fishman moderns are really unmatched. The ability to switch between passive and active voices is just amazing. For a guitar that is to be used for just about every genre out there, I really can't think of any better. That said, if I want to play metal and only metal, I'd still go for the classic EMG 81/85 (or 60 neck) just because there's just something about that distinct 'chunk' from the 81 that is just so unique to that pickup that I really love especially for death metal.

This is one of the best Fishman Modern demos I've seen. Really like how you're not chuggaluggin the entire time.

The answer is yes. The Seymour Duncan JB and EMG81TW pick ups kick the fish man in the teeth.

If possible (and not too much trouble), coil-splitting demonstrations would also be incredibly appreciated. You're setting up one hell of an archive for pickup tones, and coil-splitting is fairly important to many of us. That said, regardless of if you decide to or not, thanks a ton for these videos.

Philip if you get the time, I would really love for you to demo the coil split on these. There's no demos I can find that show the coil split on the moderns well, and that's what I was most looking forward to about these reviews from you. Great work all the same tho!

It would be awesome if you could compare the Fluence Open Core Classic's with the Moderns, or even some of artist models. The classic's have 3 voices and one is a single coil voice. There isn't too many videos that I have found that really compare the different Fluence models. I got a set of the Keith Merrow Fluence pickups in my Schector Keith Merrow MKIII Artist guitar and they sound incredible. Every voicing and pickup selection has the magic. They are so good it makes me want to put Fluence pickups in my other guitars. I am really curious about the new Javier Reyes Fluence pickup set too.

Phil, I gotta say, you really rip on the guitar, for being someone who considers themselves strictly a bass player.

Blackouts and the sentient and nazghul or black winter set from Seymour Duncan vs emg 81/85 vs fluence

Great video, Phil! Love the series already. I think this video covered the tonal ground that most people would want to hear from an active pickup - dead clean and modern distortion. It did really well with that; nailed the contemporary metal tones. The cleans seemed to have a bit of natural compression, which I found interesting. Regardless of which pickups you put the Fluence set up against (I'd suggest PAF-style), please play them through a Plexi-style amp or pedal! It would be really interesting to hear how it'd handle that - would it still sound scooped, or would you be able to get some classic bite out of it? Also really hyped to see some TV Jones pickups in the future!

I just got a Ibanez with fishman moderns and I absolutely love them. My favorite pickups. Sound like a jb/distortion mix in the bridge to me. Idk. 1 thing I noticed that I wasnt expecting is their so damn quiet. I turned my noise gate down by 40%. Sustain is killer and still get really heavy sound. I don't really like active pickups and have changed them all out in guitars I've gotten for passive but these definitely do not sound active. I was overly surprised.

In the last 6 months I bought a Schecter SLS Elite and a sparkly red Stephen Carpenter signature SC 608B (8-string). Both came with Fishman Fluence. The former the modern Humbucker set and the latter with the Stephen Carpenter signature set. These pick-ups are far better than any of the passive pick-ups on the other guitars I have or have played. The cleans are so crystal the the heavies so defined. I could never turn back.

I've been playing 51 years. I've always been more of a passive fan. I got a ESP M1007 7 string with Fishmans a few months back. I love them!

I love the Modern Set. It’s the sound I’ve always heard in my head- and NO noise.

I'm DEFINITELY interested in hearing some coil-split sounds! Great upload! Thanks! Later...

I like the Classics a bit more than the Moderns (I have Classics in a Kiesel Bolt and Moderns in my Osiris). But either way, Fishman has the best and most versatile active pickups I've ever played.

I recently bought no less that three, new-for-2020, ESP electrics. One of those is the new Phoenix in black cherry and it came with the Fishman Fluance Moderns. From that guitar, I have already installed three sets of the same pickups into my other guitars, and will be installing a fourth into my new PRS burl wood top this weekend. They are really something else, and I cannot overstate how much I love them. It is disheartening how they make you view your other guitars' pickups. Just ruins you for everything else, and I suppose that would be the ONLY negative about them. lol.

I just realised Phillip McKnight sounds like SAUL Goodman.

Please do the cool split. Part of the draw to Fishman for me is the amount of sounds you can get from one set of pickups, and the coil split option adds another layer to their potential for me

I wanna hear an HSS fishman set

You should do a frequency response curve for all these pickup tests. Testing 100+ pickups, as you announced, having EQ curve to compare them all would be great.

Phil you're easy to like, my friend. As always, nice demo.

Hi phil! What's funny is that i have a guitar equipped with those and had absolutely no idea that they were splittable until i heard you talk about it! A video demonstrating the tones and the soldering would be greatly appreciated, thank you and as always very good video

Finally someone addressed, why no one ever uses active pickups with fuzz. By the way I'd love to see these Fluence Modernes, against the EMGs that Hetfield uses (is it 85/61? Cannot remember), and also, against a Seymour Duncan JB&59 set. I choose these sets, as they are the most popular for heavy sounds.

Dimarzio Super Distortion or Dimarzio 36th Anniversary Pafs

....THANKS, PHIL! THOSE PICKUPS SOUND AWESOMER!!! WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET GREAT "SINGLE-COIL" TONE SOUND, WITHOUT THE DREADED "60-CCYCLE HUM"???!!!....

Overall I’d like to see the Fluence compared to high output heavy gain pickups

I don't like Fluence pickups, although I understand why people like them: They sound really good. In fact, I think they sound *too* good... And because of that they sound bland, generic artificial and completely devoid of character, because character is the result of flaws and imperfections. I've heard a few Fluence equipped guitars, and frankly I think they all sound basically the same... So why not simply put a pair of Fluence pickups on a broomstick and save money on actually building a guitar? And yes, I know EMGs are also guilty of this... but at least EMGs have their own sound which is distinctly EMG: It's the over the top, balls to the wall, coked out sound of the 80s... and at least that's *character*! "There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion." - Francis Bacon.

I have EMG's in most guitars, and 1 with Fishman SRC set(very close to Moderns). IMO the "active mode" in the bridge is too boomy and the "passive mode" in the neck is too weak. If you have 81/85 or 81/60 get a 24 volt mod and call it good not worth 250$ to switch

Great video sir. Do you think it's a big uogradefrom EMG 80-61? I have an Ltd ec1000 and Ive been looking this pickups as a possibility on the future Thanks!

I need to still try Fishman Fluence pickups. Of all the active pickups I have used I always enjoyed EMG 85s. I am curious how they compare.

Would love to see them in a shootout with Blackouts. Yeah might as well coil split them since they can do it. Thanks!

I can't speak to these humbuckers (from personal experience) but I tried out the Strat set and they sounded flat and lifeless. I sold the loaded pickguard immediately.

I played some that are in the new Jackson ‘s . They rock

Maybe compare them with some bare knuckle options. I think that would be badass. Cheers

They're the best pickups I've ever played! They make everything sound good!!

To my ears they sound a lot like EMG 57/66, but nevertheless pretty good pickups.

Coil split on modern pickups is always pretty boring, I'd skip it. How about comparing them to the main modern competitors? Bare Knuckle Juggernauts/Ragnaroks, SD Alpha/Omega, etc?

Id like to see these against all the mainstay actives (emg 81, 85, and 60 as well as the duncan blackouts) i kinda wanna see a showdown between these and an invader tho idk why

Coil split would be nice. Would love to see a comparison against SD Black Winter set and EMG's 81-X/85-X

It seems to me that on thing Fishman accomplished with the Fluence line is that you can turn the volume down on the guitar and it doesn't sound like crap like most humbuckers. They say that as long as there is some battery power remaining you should not hear any drop-off in sound or performance. Maybe it's all in my head but I swear I can hear it as the battery gradually loses power.

My headless Kiesel 7 string has fishmans moderns. Amazing, massive guitar with a huge range. I still think the amp has the most to do with it.

My first set was the Will Adler humbuckers that I installed on my LTD, then I got a Modern set for my Schecter 7 string. The Fluences ended up sounding too...clear and a little “artificial” to my ears. Long story short I eventually sold both sets and went with passives. DiMarzio, Duncan, BKP, Guitarmory, etc are still king.

I own both fishmen modern pickups and emg 81 85 set. They do not sound the same fishmen gives you more of that passive sound.

I'd like to hear how both pickups sound together. Those seem to be the sweeter sounds on a two humbucker pickup guitar.

Ive heard they eat through the 9 volt batteries like mice through cheese

Fishman Fluence is my favorite pickup especially the Abasi set

Philip I'd love to see/hear a comparison of these Fishman's against s Seymour Duncan JB / 59 set. Thanks for doing these pickup demos!!!

Having exact same pickups each time will be closer from one guitar to the next but if pot tolerances are bad this will still keep guitars different from one to the other. My volume pot is 280K and my tone pots are 216k and 218K. I would think if all pots were 250k my guitar would sound different. Not sure how much 25k-30k off spec would change sound though.

Shootout, Fishman Fluence vs EMG 57/66

Coil Split Please !

I would have liked to hear that guitar before installation as well as after

If Fishman made the installation of these pickups easier with no soldering required I think they will be unstoppable. As a novice at modding guitars EMGs appeal to be because of the ease of installation. How about a shootout with the EMG 57/66TW which has a selectable single and dual coil sound? It seems like the best option to compare with the features of the Fishman pickups

Took awhile to get adjusted to the bright punchy sound of Fishman's. After tweaking my rig to accommodate I realized Fishman's are like hot rodded Wolfgang's with a built-in high-quality noise gate.

I thought there was so little difference between voice 1 and 2, especially on the bridge pup, that it was irrelevant. It would get lost in the mix. I have to admit I'm not overly impressed...

Your high gain sound is similar to some angry digital bees farting in a tin can.

Hey, Phil. I've been looking forward to your pickup demos but you went from clean straight to high gain metal stuff. Most of us probably live somewhere in between those sounds.

Your gonna sell a ton of this guitar model cause these videos... yeah I’m looking at it right now.

I haven't had the guts to say that I don't like them at all...

I have an LTD MH-1000 and with my heavily saturated tone the voice 2 is my desired setting, strange but I just go with it. Just like the Pearly gates PU I have in another ltd 1000, sounds great, Just the 2 knobs and only one push pull on there...assuming thats fine.

Yes, we need to hear the split coil sounds please.

I do like the fishmans but I'm curious if you have tried the kiesel polarity active pickups? They have an active and passive mode that can be switched via volume knob or a switch under the back plate. I've heard great things about them and Andy James actually left EMG for them last year.

It sounds really good for riffing out some Rock I'd say, as well as lead playing.

I'm torn between trying these but they're expensive and a pain to install, or buying lace alumitones.

I've considered changing out the EMGs in my Jackson Soloist, I think the Fluence Moderns are really nice. But they're so expensive, don't think they're a big enough improvement to justify the price.

Love these pickups. Have them in a Gibson Les Paul studio.

They sound good, but I don’t hear anything dynamic at all. There is a lot of compression. They would be a good tool for the correct player.

LOVE IT! Bring more! Thanks Phil!

I’d like to see these compared with the 57 Classics you have said you love.

I'm looking forward to the fishman fluence open core pickups in the charvel so cal style 2. They look really versatile and well built.

Hi Phil,I like that Somnium guitar..Just got a Strandberg 6 Modern Guitarist /limited run with these pickups in it..Both pickups together sound good too..Please demo the coil split on these pickups..No other channels have..Thanks for all the reveiws you do..

It is, after 2 years I'm sick of them

ive played fluence active pickups and they are great. better than normal passive pickups, very clear, great tone. HOWEVER. I think that lace sensor has several passive pickups, particularly alumatone, that are even better. just as clear, even quieter, also louder (higher signal noise ratio) lighter and no battery needed. if your looking for best possible pickups, lace sensor should be on your list to check it out...

I know that lots of people did this comparison, but would like to see you doing a comparison between Fishman and EMG. Also a comparison between Fishman and Seymour Duncan Humbucker (like JB or Pearly Gates) and your opinion about those. Thanks! Love your channel!

Probably a dumb question, but still using the Supersonic 60 for your overdrive/distortion and hi-gain? That complete combination sounds great!

You should demo the Greg Koch gristle tone telecaster set....

Yes, these are the first active pickups I like although the differences between the voices are too subtle imo. Maybe you want to check out my demo? It's for the 7-string version. Check out my channel #fishman_fluence_modern_7. Thanks.

Nice demo Phil. I got interested in these recently, they're in the new top of line Schecter tele, which looks awesome.

The Fishman Fluence vs. Seymour Duncan Black Winter vs. Bare Knuckle Aftermath vs. EMG Het set would be an interesting comparison imo.

i think i prefer the pony with the party hat :D

Appreciate the video. I'm looking at the LTDs that come with these, and had not heard of Fishmans before... Not a fan of "digital (modeling)" sounds, but these sound pretty good!

EMG 4 life . Fishman fishy

It would be interesting to hear these compared to EMG's Het Set and/or Duncan's Saturday Night Specials. I belt hose are supposed to be a happy medium between active and passive.

Good review. Definitely check them out against some passives. 57's , PAFs , Lollars, Bare Knuckles etc. I wanna hear which ones I like better. Don't care of they're active or passive. Definitely gotta demo the split coils too. :) thx

One of the things I most appreciate Phil, is how you often test sounds/guitars with 3 different amps, TUBE amps! the amp is an instrument too, tube gain and feel might be emulated, & I’ve never played an emulated tone, I’m not knocking it, but I play at a pretty specific almost stage volume, and it’s the harmonic overtones I’m looking for, if I played clean…. a sansamp. or the jazz chorus amp, or even a Polytone is fine, but that’s not my wheelhouse, nor are gain pedals, smashing the 1st tube gain stage with hot pickups & or a boost is what I like. The best way to hear those overtones is to smash a power chord like you do. Fluence may not have wire, but that wonderful meaty Kerrang sound of a big chord says those PU’s are the future, me? I’ll stick with passive, SD’s into an MB, Amp….I’ve got enough 2 pickups guitars, and I’m done with all the guitar upgrades, or purchases I’m likely to do, but it’s amazing to see all the incredible products nowadays and you are detailed, consistent and specific about what you do and how you do it. I always know what I’m gonna get 🙂. Rock on Phil😃

EMG 60's, Bareknuckle warpigs, SD JB (the classic humbucker, lol) &Jazz set, SD Nazgul & Sentient set, some of the pickups Dimarzio made for JP or SV like the breed or liquifire..... Enough pickups used as alternatives for actives :D

I’d love to see a comparison between the moderns and the classics. I have moderns in my les Paul but have been wondering what the classics would sound like.

Great pickups and a great video. phillip you are the greatest.

I definitely would like to see them vs active Duncan Blackouts & the classic passive Duncan JB/Jazz set. I alternate between both on different guitars depending on the style.

Seymour Duncan distortions

I wish I had Jesey's girl

I got super excited when the printed circuit technology was announced. I am a big technology fan and very much against voodoo like "star pickup winders" and that whole culture. Over the course of the next few years I've been trying SUPER hard to like them. Alas, I have to call the lack of voodoo on these pickups.

I have dimmers in basement so single-coil is anoyingly noisy! have them on my Start. Fantastic sound. VERY crispy. Little pricy but worth the money.

I own an Ibanez with an evertune bridge and the fishman fluence set. It is thrilling to play. I am now looking for a second Ibanez with the fishman fluence set but with a standard bridge. Cheers from Canada.

Compare Fluence Classics with SD 59/jb classic combo using an ESP LTD ECLIPSE 87 series te.. To me, that's the only shoot out that will demonstrate the strengths and attributes of both pickups sets and not a comparison that dogs either rather shows the effect of the Fishmans compared with one of guitar worlds most formidable combos (59/jb)✌️