Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker

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I wasn't able to bond with Modern's SC sound so I swapped them for Abasi's. IMO, much much better SC tone emulation, I am actually enjoying it quite a lot and find it quite similar to my G&L legacy pickups (however, in Abasi set it should be close to Tele neck actually).
I will try to install Modern's back again within the next month to try again, but I remember I was extremely dissatisfied with their SC emulation - until I tried Abasi's.

Please note they are SO HOT, that you will always have a dirt tone on almost every clean amp in Fractal. And not a pleasing one! It is quite harsh.
So if you are looking for SC tones, it is fine, but for HB - prepare to re-do all your presets. That's my experience at least...
Can you set your input level in the axe setup to “tickle the red” with that guitar, such that it wouldn’t dirt up all your cleans? It is recommended to dial in your unit input with your hottest guitar
 
Can you set your input level in the axe setup to “tickle the red” with that guitar, such that it wouldn’t dirt up all your cleans? It is recommended to dial in your unit input with your hottest guitar
It doesn't help. Even with 18dB padding the sound structure is distorted. Padding is for overall level of electrical signal, I believe. It helps to set the input trim in the amp block to get cleaner sounds, but in general the very sound of these is very harsh. They are for metal, right ? :)
 
I was extremely excited about the Fluence humbuckers when they were first released, until I learned from someone at Fishman that they do not cancel hum when split. This may not be a big deal to you, but it's something to know.



If you would like a noiseless split, the options I know of off the top of my head are ZexCoil Dual Cores, some Kinmans, EMG TWs and 89s, and JBE Two-Tones, though there may be others. From my reading without direct experience, the best noiseless splits come from the ZexCoils. The Kinmans are newer, and I haven't read testimonials yet, but my guess is they'd bet incredible. From what little I've gleaned about the JBEs, their splits are more mid rangey than a real single, but that seems also to be the case for EMGs, since their splits approximate the S (from the 81TW), SA (from the 89), and SLV (from the 57TW and 66TW).

Now for something completely different, @Joe Bfstplk has done the coolest thing ever and mounted two Fralin Split Rails noiseless singles together, which allows a ton more interesting wiring options, one of which is to impersonate an angled single by combining wound string inner coils with plain string outer coils, then switch to something like a regular humbucker by running the two pickups in series. You could wire it for a ton more options just for the bridge alone, easily making it the most versatile setup I've seen, especially if you do the same in the neck or even middle positions, but then the cost and option paralysis might be prohibitive; his solution is more elegant.
 
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until I learned from someone at Fishman that they do not cancel hum when split. This may not be a big deal to you, but it's something to know.
I wasn't able to use SC mode not even a single time live. The issue is with venues, electricity etc., but yes, this is extremely disappointing - I always have to switch to HB mode which ruins the sounds I carefully crafted for SCs.
Not really a Fishman issue, but they act like a normal SCs with the noise, feedback and all.
 
I was extremely excited about the Fluence humbuckers when they were first released, until I learned from someone at Fishman that they do not cancel hum when split. This may not be a big deal to you, but it's something to know.



If you would like a noiseless split, the options I know of off the top of my head are ZexCoil Dual Cores, some Kinmans, EMG TWs and 89s, and JBE Two-Tones, though there may be others. From my reading without direct experience, the best noiseless splits come from the ZexCoils. The Kinmans are newer, and I haven't read testimonials yet, but my guess is they'd bet incredible. From what little I've gleaned about the JBEs, their splits are more mid rangey than a real single, but that seems also to be the case for EMGs, since their splits approximate the S (from the 81TW), SA (from the 89), and SLV (from the 57TW and 66TW).

Now for something completely different, @Joe Bfstplk has done the coolest thing ever and mounted two Fralin Split Rails noiseless singles together, which allows a ton more interesting wiring options, one of which is to impersonate an angled single by combining wound string inner coils with plain string outer coils, then switch to something like a regular humbucker by running the two pickups in series. You could wire it for a ton more options just for the bridge alone, easily making it the most versatile setup I've seen, especially if you do the same in the neck or even middle positions, but then the cost and option paralysis might be prohibitive; his solution is more elegant.
Pretty cool having more switchable options

Screenshot_20221206_105240.jpg
 
Pretty cool having more switchable options

View attachment 112289

This looks like one of the solderless harnesses from Awesome Guitars. I have a couple of his three switch ones, but I realized I will never use out of phase options, so now I just have four mini switches with a tele 3-way blade switch to access all in phase coil combinations. I'm using his asymmetric humbuckers too, which are fantastic.
 
This looks like one of the solderless harnesses from Awesome Guitars. I have a couple of his three switch ones, but I realized I will never use out of phase options, so now I just have four mini switches with a tele 3-way blade switch to access all in phase coil combinations. I'm using his asymmetric humbuckers too, which are fantastic.
Is this seriously a usable configuration? I thought it was a joke but wow, if you know how to handle that you most certainly know what you are doing 👍
 
Is this seriously a usable configuration? I thought it was a joke but wow, if you know how to handle that you most certainly know what you are doing 👍

I think it totally is, but not as the six mini switch harness. His configurations exclude a traditional pickup selector, so you end up not being able quickly to go between, e.g., your bridge to your neck. That's why I initially went with two of his 3 mini switch harnesses, one for each humbucker, and routed from there to the 3-way blade switch. With that, I was very quickly able to switch between pickups, and I can access any configuration including any coil. I ended up finally reducing it to four traditional, soldered, mini-switches, with series/parallel/North split/South split for each pickup (from this forum thread),

Series Parallel North South.gif

each pickup routed to the 3-way pickup selector, and to its own dual concentric knob, so I also have individual tone and volume knobs for each pickup. You can see one version of it I uploaded here, where briefly I only had the splittable humbucker switching on the neck only.

The advantage for me was that I quickly found my preferences. I learned I am one of those guys who loves an HS or HSS configuration, and that I'd prefer 22 frets for the right sweet spot for my tones and style, that I hate parallel wiring, that I'm not sure I care about splitting my bridge ever, and that I have to have individual volume and tone controls for each pickup (with low cap values for a widely usable range on the tone pots). Now I could simplify in the future, but I wouldn't have known my preference otherwise without pickup swapping and moving.
 
I think it totally is, but not as the six mini switch harness. His configurations exclude a traditional pickup selector, so you end up not being able quickly to go between, e.g., your bridge to your neck. That's why I initially went with two of his 3 mini switch harnesses, one for each humbucker, and routed from there to the 3-way blade switch. With that, I was very quickly able to switch between pickups, and I can access any configuration including any coil. I ended up finally reducing it to four traditional, soldered, mini-switches, with series/parallel/North split/South split for each pickup (from this forum thread),

View attachment 112294

each pickup routed to the 3-way pickup selector, and to its own dual concentric knob, so I also have individual tone and volume knobs for each pickup. You can see one version of it I uploaded here, where briefly I only had the splittable humbucker switching on the neck only.

The advantage for me was that I quickly found my preferences. I learned I am one of those guys who loves an HS or HSS configuration, and that I'd prefer 22 frets for the right sweet spot for my tones and style, that I hate parallel wiring, that I'm not sure I care about splitting my bridge ever, and that I have to have individual volume and tone controls for each pickup (with low cap values for a widely usable range on the tone pots). Now I could simplify in the future, but I wouldn't have known my preference otherwise without pickup swapping and moving.
I want a gut shot of all those wires!
 
I want a gut shot of all those wires!

Man, I'd do it, but my wife and I moved out of state, we're living out of an Airbnb, and we're shopping for a house for the first time, so I don't even know when I'll get to my guitar next!

But all I did was to buy a roll of green hookup wire from Micro Center, wired a two way and three way mini switch for each humbucker with the shortest possible lengths, then to each dual concentric, then to the blade switch, then to the output jack. I routed a bunch of space for all the switches and drilled into the pickguard. I filled the cavity and the bottom of the pickguard with copper foil tape. For the switches I ended up removing, I covered those holes with more copper at the bottom and filled them with red Sugru at the top. But when I'm back to a more normal life, I'll try to remember to post some photos.
 
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Loving these pickups so far! One question though. I know they are active pickups, first time owning active pickups. When will I have to change the battery?
 
Any opinions on these? Recently got GAS for this guitar:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SN1kHTLFB--esp-ltd-sn-1000-ht-fire-blast

Comes equipped with two fishman modern fluence humbuckers. More of a H S S guy but this finish just has its pull over me haha. I’m reading these pickups have a second voicing. Curious to know how well these pickups can do a good clean/blues sound like Jimi or SRV or some funk. All the demos I find online are more for metal sounds and very few clean demos. Anyone have any insight?

I've had a few ESP guitars, and I don't think they'd put a pickup in the ESP or E-II that's not freaking awesome. Just a guess. That pickup is advertised as very versatile, but yeah you might want to play with an axe with those pickups.
 
I've had a few ESP guitars, and I don't think they'd put a pickup in the ESP or E-II that's not freaking awesome. Just a guess. That pickup is advertised as very versatile, but yeah you might want to play with an axe with those pickups.
Read my post just above lol
 
Any opinions on these? Recently got GAS for this guitar:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SN1kHTLFB--esp-ltd-sn-1000-ht-fire-blast

Comes equipped with two fishman modern fluence humbuckers. More of a H S S guy but this finish just has its pull over me haha. I’m reading these pickups have a second voicing. Curious to know how well these pickups can do a good clean/blues sound like Jimi or SRV or some funk. All the demos I find online are more for metal sounds and very few clean demos. Anyone have any insight?
Seems to be a marmite thing with Fluence pickups....
Whereas I am 90% high gain output they always seem to sound a bit too edgy with a high gain model.
I have passives (as a preference to actives generally) with what sounds like a higher output that sound much nicer to my ears.
However, and back to your question, I think the Fluence's I have in a Charvel T style sound really nice clean! So yes, guess that has worked well for you.

Is there any coil split on it? Couldn't see it but my Charvel has a split which definitely takes it to Telecaster land...
 
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Curious to know how well these pickups can do a good clean/blues sound like Jimi or SRV or some funk. All the demos I find online are more for metal sounds and very few clean demos.
Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray used single-coil pickups in Strat guitars. While that guitar is a double cutaway with a 3-way blade switch so it’s got the look, it isn’t going to be very close to a Strat sound because the pickups are not single-coils, nor do they have a single-coil sound. The pickups have a traditional setting that is closer to a PAF humbucker than its “modern” setting, but neither is what I would say is the sound you asked about.

Something else to remember, both Hendrix and Vaughan used tremolo-equipped guitars and took advantage of it. That guitar does not have one.

While it’s possible to use tapped pickups with Fluence pickups, I’ve never been happy with the sound of tapped pickups, because it doesn’t sound like true single-coils. Partly that’s because they don’t position the pickups in the right positions for the harmonics and partly because the middle pickup is missing.

If you want a single-coil, more Hendrix or Vaughn-like, sound in a Fishman Fluence pickup, look for something that is equipped with a set of https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/fluence-single-width-6-string-pickup-set-for-strat/

PS - if you have HSS type guitars then they’ll be closer to the sound you asked about.
 
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When will I have to change the battery?
You don’t really need to if you get their rechargeable. Eventually rechargeable still need replacing but it should last for years.

I had it with the Fluence humbuckers I had and could go for a week easily, probably two, then I’d plug in.
 
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Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray used single-coil pickups in Strat guitars. While that guitar is a double cutaway with a 3-way blade switch so it’s got the look, it isn’t going to be very close to a Strat sound because the pickups are not single-coils, nor do they have a single-coil sound. The pickups have a traditional setting that is closer to a PAF humbucker than its “modern” setting, but neither is what I would say is the sound you asked about.

Something else to remember, both Hendrix and Vaughan used tremolo-equipped guitars and took advantage of it. That guitar does not have one.

While it’s possible to use tapped pickups with Fluence pickups, I’ve never been happy with the sound of tapped pickups, because it doesn’t sound like true single-coils. Partly that’s because they don’t position the pickups in the right positions for the harmonics and partly because the middle pickup is missing.

If you want a single-coil, more Hendrix or Vaughn-like, sound in a Fishman Fluence pickup, look for something that is equipped with a set of https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/fluence-single-width-6-string-pickup-set-for-strat/

PS - if you have HSS type guitars then they’ll be closer to the sound you asked about.
Yes I was aware of this, was just hoping maybe it was possible. The pickups are great but at the end of the day a single coil is a single coil and a humbucker is a humbucker
 
You don’t really need to if you get their rechargeable. Eventually rechargeable still need replacing but it should last for years.

I had it with the Fluence humbuckers I had and could go for a week easily, probably two, then I’d plug in.
How would i know if it's rechargeable? The guitar I bought from ZZsounds and it didn't come with any sort of manual lol
 
Seems to be a marmite thing with Fluence pickups....
Whereas I am 90% high gain output they always seem to sound a bit too edgy with a high gain model.
I have passives (as a preference to actives generally) with what sounds like a higher output that sound much nicer to my ears.
However, and back to your question, I think the Fluence's I have in a Charvel T style sound really nice clean! So yes, guess that has worked well for you.

Is there any coil split on it? Couldn't see it but my Charvel has a split which definitely takes it to Telecaster land...
no coil split, but if i pull the tone knob up it activates a 2nd voicing. It's an eq change
 
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