Fishman pickups are really good.

JMP/HBE

Well-known member



Ive had 2 guitars with Fishman actives and gotta say they're the best actives ive ever played.
Like everything an EMG ought to be or used to be but isn't. :bling:
 
I got to know the company with the acoustic stuff too. I've only had the Moderns in electrics. Three different guitars and no dice. I would like to give the Classics a shot. Moderns are amazing, versatile pickups but they don't give me enough bite or crunch or low-end bloom. They essentially do everything well except for that one thing I need, a great heavy rhythm/riff tone. Great cleans, great leads. Honestly kind of a bummer, I wanted them to work out for me. Glad you dig em, I could see a different player being really happy with what they offer.
 
I got to know the company with the acoustic stuff too. I've only had the Moderns in electrics. Three different guitars and no dice. I would like to give the Classics a shot. Moderns are amazing, versatile pickups but they don't give me enough bite or crunch or low-end bloom. They essentially do everything well except for that one thing I need, a great heavy rhythm/riff tone. Great cleans, great leads. Honestly kind of a bummer, I wanted them to work out for me. Glad you dig em, I could see a different player being really happy with what they offer.

I agree somewhat. I only have had (and still do) one guitar with the Modern 3-voice set. The guitar is a Schecter Balsic with a big mahogany body and a set-in 3pc maple neck, which IMO is a good combo to best highlight the Modern's strengths.

They have grown on me after having the guitar for awhile and setting everything up to my own liking. Still though I have the same feelings as you in regards to wanting more bloom in the lows and more of a lower-midrange oomph thing. Classic-mode is my favorite voice with the moderns for sure.
 
Yeah, the thing about the Moderns is that the active voicing is kinda like an EMG 81, just tighter and clearer. I can see people not liking it, though. Since it's tighter, it has less low-end. And the 81 already doesn't have much going on to begin with. Definitely pickups to be used with a fat-sounding amp.
 
Love that 1st axe. Interesting color.

I've got e new set of Open Core Classics sitting here looking for a project. They have an amazing array of connection options.
 
I agree somewhat. I only have had (and still do) one guitar with the Modern 3-voice set. The guitar is a Schecter Balsic with a big mahogany body and a set-in 3pc maple neck, which IMO is a good combo to best highlight the Modern's strengths.

They have grown on me after having the guitar for awhile and setting everything up to my own liking. Still though I have the same feelings as you in regards to wanting more bloom in the lows and more of a lower-midrange oomph thing. Classic-mode is my favorite voice with the moderns for sure.

I also much preferred the "passive" voice of the ceramic one in the bridge. The alnico Modern is nice in the bridge too, although its "voice 2" doesn't make much of a difference there. The clarity and low noise are real advantages. I first had them in a swamp ash Schecter E1 for around a year. Pretty good in that guitar. I ended up using an EQ pedal to dial it in, and I was about 95% of where I wanted to be. But I fiddled with my settings constantly trying to find what I was missing, and whenever I plugged in my passive guitars, there it was. Maybe the compression was more of a problem for me than the tone.
 
I have an Open Core Classic set, that came stock in my Charvel Pro Mod Style 2. Always hated EMGs (played several models), and the Duncan Livewires and Blackouts that I tried never won me. The Fishman set came stock in the guitar, and I thought I would swap it for some passives later on.

Boy, was I wrong! Not at all sterile like most actives I played before, the feel is way closer to passives, and the three voicings are all usable. They sound really, really good.

Don't think the Modern set is for me, the "modern" sound not fitting what I like to play at all...
 
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I've always liked Fishman piezos...I had some in a Guild I owned for a few years (and should not have sold).
 
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