Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

I assume you mean the Modern Alnico vs the Classic neck? First the magnetic circuit is different. The Classic is a base magnet with poles, the Modern is a base magnet with blades.

The Classic neck V1 has all the ideal characteristics of PAF types. The Modern Alnico V1 is very smooth, and has that smooth, round EQ curve like an EMG85 has, but as I always say with Fluence, it has the Fluence stuff. So even if you hated an EMG85 you could still love Fluence because it's absent all the stuff you hate about the other pickup(s).

BOTH the Classic neck and the Modern Alnico Voice 2's have what we like to call "Fluence only" voices; sounds you could never wind a pickup to have traditionally. They are not the same voice as one another, each is unique but the basic premise is some push in the lower mids like a warm neck HB would have, while simultaneously having insanely clear top end brilliance. With a wire-wound coil you can play with a LOT of variables, but if a pickup maker is being honest theyll tell you that when you shoot for lower midrange, the treble is sacrificed. In addition, even a humbucker with low winds and good brilliance still has a steep fall-off slope on the treble inherent to the resonant peak. Fluence doesn't have that, so we can open it up as brilliant as we want. And it's not an artificial boost of what isn't there.

All of Devin's voices are unique as well. The closest to his metal Voice 1 is the Modern Voice 1. But the Devin's also hybridize one blade, with one row of poles. So the magnetic circuit has got some chaos from the poles and some smoothness of the blades. When they coil split, they split to the pole piece (outside) coil.

I really do feel bad about posting so much about a competitor on the SD forum but unfortunately it is the only game in town so anyway...

frankfalbo, I was wonder if the Fluence could be wired so that you could vary the sound between V1 and V2 on the neck and bridge pickups. Say instead of the a tone pot the pot would allow you to find other sounds in between the currently hard wired V1 and V2. If that was the case you could really make a pickup that gave you just about anything you could possibly want by widening the V1 and V2 settings. But I am clueless regarding the science behind these things. I just know that they sound great and are a real advance in the guitar pickup world.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Thought I'd put up some Fluence Porn...

These are off my new Falbo Alpha Hollowbody.
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Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

I really do feel bad about posting so much about a competitor on the SD forum but unfortunately it is the only game in town so anyway...

frankfalbo, I was wonder if the Fluence could be wired so that you could vary the sound between V1 and V2 on the neck and bridge pickups. Say instead of the a tone pot the pot would allow you to find other sounds in between the currently hard wired V1 and V2. If that was the case you could really make a pickup that gave you just about anything you could possibly want by widening the V1 and V2 settings. But I am clueless regarding the science behind these things. I just know that they sound great and are a real advance in the guitar pickup world.



Like maybe a spin-a-split?



Luke. About that charging pack...I wasn't sure if the backplates for my Epi Lesters would be the same as real Lester plates. Took one to the show and it's a match. Might end up putting one of my Modern sets in there and grabbing one of those played. I'll look forward to your input on how that battery pack plate works out for you.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Like maybe a spin-a-split?



Luke. About that charging pack...I wasn't sure if the backplates for my Epi Lesters would be the same as real Lester plates. Took one to the show and it's a match. Might end up putting one of my Modern sets in there and grabbing one of those played. I'll look forward to your input on how that battery pack plate works out for you.

I'm going to put it on the charger tonight so I will be able to give a report about how long it'll last. The trip from Ventura to Arkansas introduced a LOT of humidity that the guitar wasn't used to so I had to put a piece of a turn on the truss rod so it's normalizing a bit. I'm going to put up a thread in the Guitar Shop so I can put up all the pics and keep all the info together about the guitar...and additional info on the pups.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Like maybe a spin-a-split?



Luke. About that charging pack...I wasn't sure if the backplates for my Epi Lesters would be the same as real Lester plates. Took one to the show and it's a match. Might end up putting one of my Modern sets in there and grabbing one of those played. I'll look forward to your input on how that battery pack plate works out for you.

No, nothing to do with a split. I'm talking about the voicing itself. You have V1 and V2 on your say neck pickup. V1 is set up for a classic PAF voice you pull the switch and you get a brighter voice. What I'm thinking instead of switching between V1 and V2 you rotate the pot and move through the various voices between V1 and V2.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

No, nothing to do with a split. I'm talking about the voicing itself. You have V1 and V2 on your say neck pickup. V1 is set up for a classic PAF voice you pull the switch and you get a brighter voice. What I'm thinking instead of switching between V1 and V2 you rotate the pot and move through the various voices between V1 and V2.
I don't know, but I think that's not possible. I think there are just 2 voices, and you can't spin a knob blending the two seamlessly. It's either 1 or 2.
But it's a interesting thought!
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Correct. There are things "switching" to create the two voices. So there is not a trick way to slowly morph between the two voices.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

I pulled the trigger on a pair of Classic humbuckers to go in my project 1997 Patrick Eggle Berlin Wall guitar. Thanks to the public holiday over here, I probably will not take delivery until Friday.

Frank. Is it possible to govern the pickup Voice modes via a 24-contact Superswitch?
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

I pulled the trigger on a pair of Classic humbuckers to go in my project 1997 Patrick Eggle Berlin Wall guitar. Thanks to the public holiday over here, I probably will not take delivery until Friday.

Frank. Is it possible to govern the pickup Voice modes via a 24-contact Superswitch?

I'll be curious to hear what you think. I haven't tried them in a dbl cut solid body yet. I imagine the hot rod bridge tone will sound killer though.

Eggless are 22 or 24 fret right?
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

These and the Yamaha THR10X are the only things giving me GAS right now. I hate you guys, but love you all at the same time. Especially you, Frank. :)

Looking forward to getting user opinions on the Devin Townsend set.

By the way, that Falbo Alpha looks amazing!!! :omg:
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

A question I have is how does Fishman expect to come up with voices or sounds or tones or whatever you want to call it on his new PCB pickups that are equivalent to the voices etc.. of pickups like Seth Lovers that are manufactured by a company that has spent 30+ years developing the process? I don't think they can. I'll give them 5 or 10 years to get their PCB process matured then maybe give them a try.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

how does Fishman expect to come up with voices or sounds or tones or whatever you want to call it on his new PCB pickups that are equivalent to the voices etc.. of pickups like Seth Lovers that are manufactured by a company that has spent 30+ years developing the process? I don't think they can. I'll give them 5 or 10 years to get their PCB process matured then maybe give them a try.

My two penn'orth.

The consultant guitarists that Fishman have involved during the research and development process have decades of experience, playing and listening to the world's favourite electric guitars. They know their sh!t. They have The Real Thing on hand to make A/B comparisons. Indeed, anyone should be able to make those same comparisons for themselves.

At the same time, there is no onus to confine the capabilities of a new pickup design to the expectations of the past. Fishman can elect to go beyond the familiar. Hopefully, this is precisely what they have done.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Well sir, the Fishman page says about their Classic bridge Humbucker: "The ideal, calibrated vintage P.A.F. bridge humbucker" and about their Classic neck Humbucker: "The ideal, elusive vintage P.A.F. neck humbucker tone". Now I for one have to say those are very mighty claims for a company that is incorporating a completely new technology into their pickups. I don't know that Seymour Duncan or Gibson or Dimarzio or anyone of the other big established pickup makers with years of experience in design and process would claim to have created the "ideal" P.A.F. That claim of theirs is baloney for sure. And I will reiterate my original contention: no way Fishman can have developed pickups even close to the established companies pickups with their new PCB technology in so short of time.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Well sir, the Fishman page says about their Classic bridge Humbucker: "The ideal, calibrated vintage P.A.F. bridge humbucker" and about their Classic neck Humbucker: "The ideal, elusive vintage P.A.F. neck humbucker tone". Now I for one have to say those are very mighty claims for a company that is incorporating a completely new technology into their pickups. I don't know that Seymour Duncan or Gibson or Dimarzio or anyone of the other big established pickup makers with years of experience in design and process would claim to have created the "ideal" P.A.F. That claim of theirs is baloney for sure. And I will reiterate my original contention: no way Fishman can have developed pickups even close to the established companies pickups with their new PCB technology in so short of time.
Do you know how long it took? Were you sitting there with a stopwatch?
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Do you know how long it took? Were you sitting there with a stopwatch?
Fishman Fluence is snake oil:
01SNAKEOIL.jpg
"The ideal, elusive vintage P.A.F. neck humbucker tone
The ideal, calibrated vintage P.A.F. bridge humbucker"

Listen to the Fluence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDwKGkfYUH0
Listen to the Seth Lover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l-sHxFKmWA&feature=related

If you have ears to hear the truth is plain as day Fishman is not even in the ballpark yet. I'm not saying it's not a great concept. I'm just saying that developing a new technology like this is going to take years and to make claims now like they have is just not right.
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

With respect to all concerned, of necessity, some of the advertising copy will be over the top.

During the period when the humbucker patent was enforceable, Gibson manufactured some of their very best and very worst pickups. Which of the pickups wearing the decal is the ideal?
 
Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Well sir, the Fishman page says about their Classic bridge Humbucker: "The ideal, calibrated vintage P.A.F. bridge humbucker" and about their Classic neck Humbucker: "The ideal, elusive vintage P.A.F. neck humbucker tone". Now I for one have to say those are very mighty claims for a company that is incorporating a completely new technology into their pickups. I don't know that Seymour Duncan or Gibson or Dimarzio or anyone of the other big established pickup makers with years of experience in design and process would claim to have created the "ideal" P.A.F. That claim of theirs is baloney for sure. And I will reiterate my original contention: no way Fishman can have developed pickups even close to the established companies pickups with their new PCB technology in so short of time.

I didn't realize there was a specified amount of time that has to be spent when designing something. If an inventor gets something right fairly quickly/efficiently, are they supposed to sit there for years before releasing to market just so they can state they put more time in? How long did Seth Lover spend designing the PAF? Maybe a year or two? By your logic PAFs shouldn't have been "good" until the mid-60s or so. Point being, I don't see how length of time to develop something has relevance to its quality. The products will speak for themselves.
 
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Re: Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker -any updates, it's been a couple of years

Fishman Fluence is snake oil:
View attachment 72164
"The ideal, elusive vintage P.A.F. neck humbucker tone
The ideal, calibrated vintage P.A.F. bridge humbucker"

Listen to the Fluence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDwKGkfYUH0
Listen to the Seth Lover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l-sHxFKmWA&feature=related

If you have ears to hear the truth is plain as day Fishman is not even in the ballpark yet. I'm not saying it's not a great concept. I'm just saying that developing a new technology like this is going to take years and to make claims now like they have is just not right.
You're not familiar with marketing and advertisement I take it.

tumblr_mo3etqYNAs1rnlbv4o5_r1_250.gif
 
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