PASSIVE VS ACTIVE PICKUPS? Is there a 3rd way? Duncan vs EMG vs Fishman - StrumentiMusicali.net 

What's your favorite pickup of today? Maybe more than one? Cheers!

I have two LTD ec's , one with Duncan's ( EC1000 vintage black ) and one with EMG's ( EC 401 snow white ) . Use the EMG one for rythem and clean and Duncan's for solo .... both great guitars

It's worth noting that the Duncans can be split by pulling the bridge volume pick-up to simulate single coils. This provides it with a brighter sound that, in my opinion, sounds a lot more like the active pick-ups or the voice 2 version of Fishman, and I think it's a shame we don't have a comparison of both versions for the Duncan.

Great comparison side-by-side . They all sounds awesome, but the fluency is so unique it’s hard to argue with the low end

I'm actually shopping for one of these guitars, and you REALLY helped me. I'll be getting the EMGs. I have limited knowledge, and this breakdown of the differences is perfect. Thank you!

Getting my ESP w/emgs in it. I have used them before and enjoy the sound. Great video.

Thank you so much! One of the best active v passive reviews I've seen. Really cleared up alot for me. Thank you! 💚🤘

awesome video, these were the 3 guitars I was trying to choose from..so wow what a jackpot of a video. I will pull the trigger on the EMG's! METAL!

Esp/Ltd fanno sempre bei manici, dei fisherman non sapevo nulla, molto interessante. Bel content. Parli bene l'inglese, si capisce chiaramente.

That was a good comparison and great playing too!

Great demo here, Fishmans 100% for me. Just a good sharp and accurate bark. They all sound good but I really dig that focused razor sharp from the Fishmans.

I listened with headphones and you can really hear the difference. Great review!💪🏽

Great video. I've watched several that compare EMG to Fishman Fluence and I really appreciate your style in this video compared to others.

I played an emg 1000 with the end For several years in the 90's and early 200o's. They will get the job done. Many times during breaks other Guitarist's would ask about the Guitar thinking it was a hot rodded Les Paul. The new Fishmans have Three voices per pickup and intriguing. Thanks for a very well Done video comparison.

First video I have seen where the EMG’s sounded good to me. Usually they sound thin and week. Seymour Duncan’s have always been my favorite pickups. All of these sounded good, just depends on hat you are looking for. Great video !!

I like the sound scape of the passive pickups sounds very open and defined active sound good but the sound is more closed less limited

I have them all, and love them all! There is no right or wrong answer here. My favorite passive, are Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient. Favorite standard active, Seymour Duncan Blackout. But I do also love classic EMG 81. And I have two Schecters, with Fishman Fluence Moderns. LOVE THEM!

I thank you so much for this video!!

Great video! Short samples back to back. I believe you are missing a note at the end of the Jump in the fire loop ( around 8:00 ) . 🧐

Thank you RYG for your beautifull mussic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This test sold me on the Fishman pickups over EMG. I really liked the tone they offered between the two voices.

Thank you, you've helped me decide which ec-1000 to buy.

Thanks for making this video, great comparison! I've had all of these pickups in different ESP and LTD Eclipses and I keep going back to either EMG or Seymour Duncan. I can't jive with any Fishman Fluence pickups I've tried so far. I've tried Moderns, Devin Townsend's signature set, and Classics. The sound is to "hifi" for my taste (if that even makes sense)? Whatever frequency they are living on just doesn't sound pleasant to my ears compared to most other pickups. When doing chuggy stuff, the pick attack feels weaker than EMGs and the JB. Right now I have an EMG 57TW in one guitar and a Duncan Nazgul in another. I'm really enjoying both :)

Great vid. Have an EC-1000 w EMG 57/63. Great combo. However, I prefer the SD 59/JB. Fishmans are not my cup of coffee. Too exhausting.

Best video comparing the three.thank you

EMG sounds so full and rich and warm. These are my favorites.

I was confussed but this video Is very good, now I know wich ltd one I want, thank you!

The sound engineer doesn't care what pickups you have 😂 Awesome vid bro. The fact that you took it seriously and bought 3 guitars is respectful.

Nice Job.

Emg 81 in the bridge position❤

You're great, Miliers. You're crazy, Miliers! ❤

My 2 cents: If you want a pickup combo that is versatile, get some passive "hotrodded PAF humbuckers" like the Duncan JB/59 or JB/Jazz or maybe the Pegasus/Sentient set. If you don´t like Duncans, the DiMarzio Tonezone/Air Norton combo is great or try the Schecter USA Pasadena Plus set. BKP has also some cool models in this range, but they´re very pricey. All these pickups have that classic PAF tone, that everybody loves but because they´re overwound, they can handle high gain settings also. Dave Mustaine recorded most of the classic Megadeth albums with a JB/Jazz combo for example and the Tonezone/AirNorton has been used in countless metal records during the 90´s/early 00´s ( most of the time, in an Ibanez RG guitar). If you want just straight up, brutal, in your face chugging, screaming, satchurated, high-gain tone, get the EMG´s. The oldschool EMG 80, 81, 85 are perfect for this type of sound, but sadly not much else. (Tbf, Steve Lukather & Reb Beach have used/using still the EMG 85 and manage to get some great classic rock/hard rock tones.) If I had to go with EMG´s, I would get the 57/66 set, wich can still do the "brutal chugga chugga metal"-tone, but they´re less hot and sound decent for more low and mid-gain stuff also. When it comes to the Fishman Fluence, I´m really not sold on the hype. Sure, they sound pretty good and the 2 "voices" are intriguing to play around, but the main argument I always hear is: "I went with Fishman´s because they sound like passives and not like the typical active EMG´s...." Well, if you want the passive tone, then why not get passive pickups in the first place?! But hey, wtf do I know....

My strat is versatile enough to handle a lot of my recording needs, but I'm getting an EC1000 with the Duncans to dirty up my distortion sound.

Always liked Seymour's pickups my faves so far are the duncan custom/jazz combo in my les paul, also used blackouts and the heavy metal II active jobbies, never tried EMG's though perhaps a lil curious to get the zakk sound, never tried fishman either, they do sound mighty loud in this video.

Great video! I just bought an ESP Eii Eclipse with EMGs last month and honestly don’t care for it with any of my amplifiers that it was tried through. My impression is that the active pickups work better with less gain and the passives retain their articulation with more gain. I actually liked the Seymour Duncans in this video, but haven’t been happy with the ones I’ve had in different guitars. Think I will be reaching out to SD before I sell the ESP.

Duncans for sure

ottimo video che mi ha fatto più chiarezza sui pick up utilizzat! bel "problema", però, adesso.. la EC1000 mi piace un sacco e la mia scelta ricadrebbe sulla versione con EMG, ma da sempre mi affascina l'idea del piezo. Ltd però fa solo versione con Seymour Duncan. la mia domanda, da non esperto, è: è possibile avere sia il piezo che pickup attivi o c'è un motivo tecnico se la producono solamente con i SD? grazie

Duncan for sure!! by the way, Leo Fender, when he was running G & L was working on an active pick up

I will buy 3 of these pick ups

Great man!!! Perfect Review..unfortunately here in Brazil this guitar cost around U$ 2.800.. I need to travel 😀, good reason.

Question, could you just wire the fish man pickups as passive? Such as use an active pickup as a bridge, and instead of utilizing the active setting, wire it specifically utilize it as a kill switch? With the passive setting being the default setting instead of the passive one? If that makes sense?

Dude. I really need 3 guitars too.. I mean I need to perform the same test so we can compare our results.

Ciao Caro , Grande Video ! Ti volevo chiedere quale consigliereste tra Emg e Fisherman modern per fare tipi diversi di musica (Jazz,Classico,pop) ? Posso scegliere tra questi 2 pickup un grande Saluto!

I like all pickups. However I don’t have anything with emgs anymore. Its not the sound I want anymore. My fishmans duncans and dimarzios are still getting used much

To me, the EMG sounds like half the tone is missing on cleans and then gets stuff with distortion. Ill take a 59/JB or Tonezone/Norton combo any day over active.

Hi Luca thanks so much for this video I was just in search of those info and just because I'm watching over the ltd ex-1000! One question: in addition to the 3 pickups sets you have well illustrated, now There are some version of ec-1000 with pickup seymour Duncan sentient\Pegasus, never heard before... Have you got the chance to test them? Thanks

Fishman sound really dynamic and clear.

Duncans, then EMG, then Fishman. Although Voice 1 on neck pickup sounded really good.

For the passive set, a ceramic Duncan Custom SH-5 is a lot better than a JB.

I have 2 of the 3 shown here. I love the EMG's but my SD have great "feel". I actually preferred the Fishman of the 3 which I do not have :( The LTD ec 1000 are the best guitars on the market anywhere near the price range, IMO

Ok, so here’s my dilemma. I love metal and I’m looking to add a “metal” guitar to my collection. I enjoy the sound from the EMGs when distorted and with rhythm playing, however I preferred the Fishman and the Duncans overall. My issue lies with active pickups using batteries, I hate the inconvenience of using some other energy source outside of the amp. The fishmans really impressed me, not sure because it was compared right after the EMGs, so I personally would like a side by side with the Duncans. Although I was impressed by the Fishmans, I’m still leaning towards the Duncans because active pickups just always sounded too digital for my taste and if I want to play cleans I enjoy the “organic” sound from passives. At this point, I think any of these instruments is suitable for what I want to play and tone really just comes down to my preference.

2:01 does have any push pull ?

I have those SDs on my Schecter c1+. I love the tones but those EMGs man...I all of the sudden need a new axe

I've played all three styles of pickups extensively. I will always prefer passives. Sure the EMGs and Fishmans have great clarity, but for me they don't have the feel and organic sound that a passive does. Great job on the video 🤙🏻

Fishman my favourite active pickups, definitely.

thanks I'm a new viewer...sorry for a silly question..so if i have an 'active' pick..is it easy to swap out the battery or do i need to open up the guitar etc? also what type of battery is used? thanks!!!

The Duncans sound very NATURAL and completely ANALOG. That's the winner for me, by far.

I have the fishman pickups on my ibanez but cant get the same crunchy tone out, no matter what i try. Is this an issue with calibration, the guitar itself or me?

EMG steals the show

Duncan🌚

Hallo, i play the evh 5150! Wich one would work better, the Duncan or the fishmans? The amp is set with lower gain! Thank you✌🏻

Which one would you choose if you only had 1 guitar at home and you're used to play things like metalcore and other kinds of metal (not death metal) and maybe some punk-rock and classic rock? Thank you all so much in advance.

It’s the Seymour Duncan’s for me dawg

The EMG’s are just so solid in a clean setting they can not be beat! Also nothing beats a screaming harmonic pinch out of a JB Duncan Humbucker or lead work for that matter! Not sold on fishmans. To me it sounded like you played just a little harder to get tones out of the fishmans which is ok but not for me!

I'm a big fan of the one-trick pony. EMG please!

Duncans every time 🤌🏻🤌🏻

For actives, EMGs. Fishman moderns are good for an all-around guitar for different genres but for all out high gain brutal death metal, nothing beats an EMG 81.

EMG for me

💕💕💕💕

As I own EMGs, Fishmans, and Duncan’s, Fishmans are by far my least favorite. Yes, I said it! Fishmans have something spiky in the mids I struggle to EQ out. EMGs for tight metal and Duncan’s for those nasty heavy riffs.

Duncan’s sound great and EMGs sound better and better the more gain you use but I need to get me some fishman’s

to me the EMG's sound thinner.

Another option....EMG 57/66TW

9:25 what song is that?

Am i dumb, or the Fishman one's just better than D and EMG? For me those are much much better, please, tell me, am i THAT wrong, or i miss something? Btw, i personally owns LTD EC1000VB w/ EMG, but i think, i regret a lil bit.

Listening on car speakers I am hard pressed to hear any difference. I am sure they differ in-person, but ultimately irrelevant in the mix, recorded.

Fluence has too much gain, This is not my taste. I am the EMG guy.I like EMG sound . But these duncans sounds awesome. Perfect balance, and this both pickups exactly for this les paul. More characteristic and so close to gibson les paul sound. Plus 24 frets 🤘

Ma che sto vedendo :O

Fishman wins in my opinion they have such a warm hard sound

I think in this video the fishman sound way worst but in reality I don't think they are as bad as it seemed. The way to set mid and bass on the amp is just not the same as the EMGs and Seymour Duncans. Therefore, if you put the same settings for all of them, if you set the perfect tone for SD it will sound great for the EMGs but not with the fichmen, same if you set everything for the EMGs, on the opposite, if you try to make the fishmen sound insane, the EMGs and SD will sound bad. It can be easily seen in the video of "guitars Beards & gears". In his video, the fluence almost sound like the best pickups I ever heard, it's just a matter of settings.

Emg #1, was surprised by the fishmans. Guess I was biased. Duncans just don’t have that crunch, better for blues/jazz

I hate EMG pickups... I have tried them twice and the guitar sounded worse than the original pickups, and before you say I was playing junk, one was a Gibson SG. Current fav is a PRS CE with Trem and coil splits.

I have Duncan's in my EC1000. You can keep your batteries.

I'm getting so tired of EMGs, played with 81/85/60, also seymour duncan blackout, Fishman might be the best solution

I love 80s heavy metal but.... Seymour Duncan sounded best to me

duncans are my fav by far

❤️🎶🎵🎸🎶🎵👍🎶🎵🙏🎶🎵❤️😎

EMG for the win

Seymour Duncan were the better ones for me

only artist set are true EMG quality .

7:10 that actually sounds really bad

dont like changing batteries ;)

It seems like pickups don't matter lol

Seymour sound better on this particular guitar

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