Fluence vs. EMG vs. Seymour Duncan - Blindfold Pickup Challenge 

Do both at the same time! I find that when I'm drilling exercises for an hour to get better at that technique, it gets pretty boring, so I usually put on a TV show or RU-vid vid or anything that can save my mind from the monotony. Keep roughly a 70/30 percent attention split, to your practicing and watching videos, respectively. Perhaps it could make your practice sessions a bit less efficient if you waver too much from that attention split, so be wary of that, but it certainly will make practicing more enjoyable and therefore you'll do it more often. This is a 21 minute video... if you practiced *while* watching it, you certainly could get whatever you're working on a bit cleaner, faster, or both in that time span.

Ha! Was JUST thinking that!

Hahahaha. So true.

Yeah, totally do both :) ... works great ... mostly e-minor improvisation to jam along :D

Spanish tickle haha indeed

Or strings

Remember your anger management training Hink Hall.

James Hetfield is that you?

Mr. Hank Hill. I'm a huge fan.

Your so many with your narrow urethra

That would be great!

absolutely!

...in a blind pizza eating challenge...

Rob v Rab

I think rabs got a bit more speed and power in his playing and can switch styles pretty well so my money would be on the rab

😂😂😂 I just noticed that

mmm yes. Quite.

nice

i can't see what you did there [incoherent wailing]

*wheeze*

So bad 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Yet so good...

one sounds vintage and fat, the other sounds fat and vintage. i prefer the super distortion myself, but the jb does wonders.

DiMarzio Multibucker vs anything...doesn't matter, the Multibucker will always win!

@@eddyguizonde401 I've got a Gibson Explorer 83 (The one without the pickguard and the controls in a triangle shape) with a JB and a Mexican Strat with a Super Dist (both in the bridge) . Love 'em both!

@@TheDogPa do you have one for sale by any chance :-P ??

@@thefriendlyfinger69 I wish I could find more! I missed one a few months back and have google alert set now! I watch for them. I missed a really rare matched set once...special order, as there was never a neck version...that sold for only $300 for the pair! They should be $1000 a piece as they are almost unavailable they are so rare...but nobody has a clue what they are...and I hope I can buy a few more before anyone does...just like the used USA Hamers (what mine is in) that are the best guitars around...at any price...! Good luck...I hope I beat you to them though...LOL!

I agree, everything sounded great about it, but the chunka chunk was messy and I'm sure especially when you add bass guitar and rest of band

@@Hmmm7512 EMGs on the other hand were made for chugging...

If only there were a pickup that perfectly mixed what people like about active and passive pickups without the downsides....

@@Mytube6138 you're implying Fishman, but I just think of Seymour Duncan's Duality set. Similar concept, and I absolutely love mine! Best active pickups I've played

@@Mytube6138 Dimarzio d activator

Mark ? Agree, made no sense to put a passive set in there..

@@flyingmanforfun Blackouts sounds like shit, that's why they didn't, probably didn't have any either..

@@flyingmanforfun I think it makes perfect sense to compare passives against actives and the passives chosen in this test are a good choice. HOWEVER, what doesn't make sense is the active pickups they chose and the fact they didn't at least explore the other voices of the Fishman's especially considering they tried the SD's with the piezo. From multiple videos now these guys don't seem to be aware of the EMG TW line which is the most fitting direct comparison to Fluence pickups. And the Open Core Classic's would have been the best choice against those other two. And both of those are available in the same line of LTD guitars so there really is no good reason for the test to have been performed this way. It really makes me shake my head when the Captain comments about the tone of the Fishmans and doesn't seem to realise if you switch to the other voice they sound different and interestingly based on comments in this video he would have preferred the second tone. If they ran this test with the right guitars the result would have been a lot more difficult for them to pick a favourite but probably still just as easy for Rob to pick which one is which based on obvious traits of each pickup. For me it's easy, I have all of them and I personally prefer passives because I like the noise and that's also why I like singles more than humbuckers. But for guys who prefer noiseless pickups, pickups that are more evenly matched in voice would see people leaning towards the actives. BTW I think Fishman are massively overrated. I have 2 different sets and both are disappointing.

I have to agree on this. I actually prefer my Blackouts to the EMG’s I have. 2 totally different guitars tho so might be partly to do with that. All objective of course

@@Masterfighterx Well everyone has different opinions on what tone they like and dislike. If we all liked the same thing and played the same thing it would suck. I will tell you that the fishmens did not sound as good as I thought they would be with the price. They are the pickups that cost like $700 for a Tele set or is that another brand?

me too kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Same

Same here.

Same

Same

Same

or Bad Moon Rising 😂

Same 🤣

I aquired a pair of JBs quite by accident, wanted a jazz for neck position but somebody F-d up, but the sales guy made me an offer I couldn't refuse (like an extra 20 bucks on top of the one jb) so I installed the other at the neck flipped upside down. Best accident ever. Awesome cow tone and output for days...

SDs and Bare Knuckles for me. I feel like Dimarzios are too smooth tbh, it doesn't have the grain that Duncans or BKPs have imo. Fishmans and EMGs are cool too but don't have that organic sound imo.

Cow tone?🤔🤷‍♂️

I agree. I like Seymour duncan also

I hate emg clean, maybe only for a ultra compressed plastic tone for an ambient tone full of FX only, when you dont need any dynamics and character.

@@abheceshabemuskk3531 It has it's unique place, I do agree it's a lot less character than say a Lollar Jazzmaster or an SD hot rail. I've found that it's useful for exactly that ambient clean somewhat bell like plucked guitar into a nice hall verb, especially when you're in an EMI noisy place. It also seems to sound better with heavier gauge strings, I run 12s and tune to C with my EMGs. Ends up with a unique sound I don't have from other pickups.

Fluence are the worst of the 3 and the most expensive by 2-300 dollars. The industry overuses Fluence without merit.

That's what I was thinking, too! Dude is crazy!

Rob Chapman can also walk on water ..probably😎

I'm twice dad :-)))). You're probably right!!! My second choice are the EMG's

When you're old enough to play Duncans you'll finally be off the nipple.

Jeff McWhirter good god 😂 you are right

Yeah, I've got the Tiger Eye finished EC-1000 in the video with the Fishman Moderns and I love it!

I agree. Absolutely love LTD Eclipses. Easily my favorite guitars. I have the 40th Anniversary Eclipse running EMG's and the Benjamin Burnley signature baritone Eclipse running the Seymour Duncan JB/59's and piezo. Both are amazing guitars. I really want the Fishman Eclipse and an Evertune.

I have one too it's absolutely incredible. Seriously, I've had it over a year and a half and I'm still getting sounds I've never heard before. Honestly, it's a seriously special guitar and I don't care what people say about where it's made it sounds incredible

...Also Jerry Garcia used EMG too and probably some generic smooth jazzers, lol, they're not just for metal

I’d rather go with lace holy grail.

And Mark Knofler

Don't forget Prince!

I have a strat with the exg and spc... but the difference is i have the emg x pickups with a 85 in the bridge as you can see from my picture. The guitar does everything i need it to do.

I play thru Duncan JB s. Can u recommend EMGs I may like ?

imagine having an opinion

Don't forget the Mooer Micro Preamps as well!

@@Mr.Goldbar I guess these need their own episode ;)

He really is awesome! Very inspiring.

Hans Meiser I want to buy fishman fluence modern humburcker pick Up .. what do you say Can you suggest me

That’s what came in my new guitar and I love em however Chap mentioned something I haven’t been able to put into words yet, the neck pup in high gain has a slight whammy pedal half cranked kinda feel especially playing leads on single string bends.

Good combo

I'm guessing you have the Moderns? I have the Keith Merrow set and a classic Open Core Bridge paired with a Fluence Active Single in the neck position. I also prefer EMG's over the Fluence pickups and I think the Fluence pickups are overrated and disappointing. But I prefer passives over actives and I prefer singles overall.

@@theauthenticsteve Hey man! I have the Classic set. Yeah I also think they are a bit overrated. They are good pickups, yes. But not the overall revolutionary sound that everyone talks about.

@@theauthenticsteve 100% agreed. Fluence aren't bad. But they aren't overwhelmingly superior like some people make them out to be. For me 10/10 I'd take EMG 81 over any FLuence.

I run an EMG T set at 18v. Amazing cleans! Doesn't sound like an old black guard Tele, but it does sound good.

I don't get the hype from what I heard. Sounded like a Kiwi Soulfly.

They have cool videos

@@kitoyobeni1 it's exactly what I expect Rob to listen to.. it's not my bag and I'm not surprised because I haven't liked anything rob has ever mentioned

what made this video possible was they are otherwise identical guitars because with different electronics.

The crunch thing is why I love the Fishman voicing options. I have Willie Adler's signature set in my Washburn and I love having the more modern active sound for cleans and super upper-midsy, modern high gain stuff, with the passive voice for crunch tones and more 80s/90s style thick, low-mid focused high gain. Really would like to give the Blackouts a try, as well. They seem really under-represented in terms of how many people have used them, yet I've never heard from somebody who tried and didn't like them, especially on 8 strings.

EradicatedVoid who does a crunch on an 8 string lmao

@@matthewtucker1699 Tell that to Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes.

​@@SuffyANX Indeed, the voicing options are really a strong selling point for the Fishmans. Looking forward to trying them out as soon as possible. The Blackouts are definitely worth a shot, at least in my opinion. Their voicing is closer to something I'd associate with passive pickups, but with higher output. Though, I have to say, I'm more fond of the 8-string version than the 6-string.

Right? Everyone going gaga over them but I dont get it. I liked the EMG best though.

I play thrash, death and black metal and despise EMGs. Just sound fake and empty. Soulless. I use mostly passive pickups.

@@woolgum I actually love the 57/66 set but they still don't have that feel passives have imo.