Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico in the bridge

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Rex Rocker

Rex Rocker

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Was feeling curious about it. I mean, after all, I don't prefer the 85 in the bridge over the 81, but I do think it has its place for some tones. So I decided to flip my Fluence Modern set. Wow!

The Alnico in the bridge is *kinda* like the 85 in that it's fatter than the Ceramic. But rather than just being fat and dark like the 85, it's just overall more broad. It's got more low-end extension, yes, but more top-end detail as well. Slightly less mid focus and attack, overall. More like an EMG 57 than an 85, except with the Fishman clarity.

So if you have the set, and you're feeling curious, give it a try! I'm not sure I'm going to keep it this way, because I also really like the tightness and aggression of the Ceramic, but I was pleasantly surprised. Honestly, the Ceramic is a tiny bit honky compared to the Alnico. We'll see.
 
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How does the ceramic sound in the neck? I’d imagine it’s too hot there.
 
rydia is hot said:
How does the ceramic sound in the neck? I’d imagine it’s too hot there.
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In Voice 1, they're around the same output, so it's no big deal. I like my neck and bridge pickup to be around the same output, so I'm alright, but if you're one of those guys who like their neck pickups tamer, there's always the option of just engaging the 6dB pad just for the Ceramic with the provided jumpers. As it is, though, it's pretty balanced. If you like the balance between the stock Ceramic Bridge/Alnico Neck, you'll be fine with them reversed even without the pad.

Fishmans are better designed in that aspect, unlike EMG's in which the 85 is actually hotter than the 81, LOL.

V2 Ceramic neck does slightly overpower V2 Alnico bridge, though. But I rarely ever use Voice 2, TBH. Even ignoring that, Voice 2 Alnico in the bridge is like a pretty balanced mid-output Alnico pickup. Pretty cool.
 
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That being said, though, I'm not too crazy about the Ceramic in the neck. If I end up keeping the Alnico in the bridge, I might have to look into a dual Alnico setup.
 
Rex Rocker said:
In Voice 1, they're around the same output, so it's no big deal. I like my neck and bridge pickup to be around the same output, so I'm alright, but if you're one of those guys who like their neck pickups tamer, there's always the option of just engaging the 6dB pad just for the Ceramic with the provided jumpers. As it is, though, it's pretty balanced. If you like the balance between the stock Ceramic Bridge/Alnico Neck, you'll be fine with them reversed even without the pad.

Fishmans are better designed in that aspect, unlike EMG's in which the 85 is actually hotter than the 81, LOL.

V2 Ceramic neck does slightly overpower V2 Alnico bridge, though. But I rarely ever use Voice 2, TBH. Even ignoring that, Voice 2 Alnico in the bridge is like a pretty balanced mid-output Alnico pickup. Pretty cool.
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Right on. Yeah, voice 2 never really did it for me. The different options with Fluences are definitely more useful than a lot of other “multi mode” pickups (I think Duncan PRails are garbage), but I still ended up sticking to one voice and then the tapped sounds.
 
I think the options with the Moderns are kind of underwhelming, TBH. At least compared to the other Fluences I've tried.

I do like Voice 2 on the bridge Ceramic, but I don't like it nearly as much as either Voice 1 on the Alnico or Ceramic. At all. I think it would've been a better idea to base it on a popular distortion bridge pickup that people actually use like a Duncan Distortion, Custom, 500T, X2N, Evolution, or something, rather than just making it a random "idealized" voicing. In that case, I think the Adler's passive voice is way more interesting, and the active voice on that one is almost dead on Modern Ceramic. Too bad those pickups look horrendous, LOL. I have a set, but I've never found a guitar to put them where they don't look totally out of place.

The coil splits on the Moderns are alright. But they're actual coil splits rather than independently voiced single coil tones, like the Devins, Classics, or KSE's. So they're good, but they're not as good as the other Fishman single coil voices either (IMO, of course). And more difficult to wire them in if you want the coil splits too. I think the Heafys address that.

The HF tilt I guess can be made to work, but it's honestly not something I use a lot. And the 6dB pad... well, slightly pointless, IMO.

That being said, though, I think Voice 1 on both Moderns is fantastic, and even with all the drawbacks, totally worth it. JMO.
 
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I got my first fiddle with Fishmans the other day, but they're classics with the 3-tone settings, and holy fuck I love them. I've always had this love/hate thing with EMGs, and it feels like Fishman has fixed everything that bothered me with actives. I'm definitely looking forwards to easy swapping out the Fishmans and trying some of the others. I have one Eclipse with EMGs still, might chuck those and try moderns.
 
Oh, yeah, the Classics are fantastic as well. Totally different, though. But surprisingly HOT and chunky on Voice 2 of Classic Bridge.
 
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