Fluence Classic Humbucker 2-piece Pickup Set - Nickel Cover Review

Sound is phenomenal. Installation process could use some work.

I've had EMG 89s for more years than I care to admit and these things absolutely blow them out of the water in every conceivable way. Not being the sort of person who sits around thinking about Eric Clapton or bumblebee capacitors, I was having some trouble deciding whether I would like the "classic" models but I've got no regrets and no plans to revisit this choice any time in… read more the near future. They're much brighter and clearer than your average humbucker and that's a good thing. Depending on how your amp is EQed, the "high frequency tilt" option may be incredibly subtle, but it's also incredibly valuable and I'm a bit confused as to why they don't add a lead to the wiring harness for this option instead of making you solder directly to a pad. What's less spectacular about the product is the overall installation process. You get four pots in the box--two push-pull and two regular. Both are quite short and will not be usable in a Les Paul style body at all without modification. I'm not sure that Fishman even sells taller pots themselves. This is pretty annoying. Equally annoying is the width of the connector on the secondary wiring harness. It's too wide to pass through most of the wire routing holes that are typically drilled at the factory so you've got to fish the wires through backwards, by their tails. There are ways of making that process slightly less painful, but considering the fact that there's no reason that you need four leads on that connector, it just doesn't make a lot of sense, either. Soldering pads together should be something that the person who wants to hardwire their selections does. Put the HFT lead on the secondary connector, get rid of the two superfluous grounds and now you can throw a JST connector on there that will fit through more holes. Getting a solid connection to the pot housings is also somewhat problematic no matter how much flux you use. Make sure you rough them up with some sandpaper before attempting to solder and crank the heat up a bit. You can easily wind up with a joint that looks perfect but doesn't really make good contact. Lastly, the tone caps they give you are probably not the value you want or expect so you'll likely want to supply your own. They are good quality caps, just strangely inappropriate for the 25K pots. Of course, you only have to install them once, but it would be nice if they'd take a few notes from EMG on making this a less arduous task. I believe more people would try them out if they were easier to swap in. I certainly would have tried them a lot sooner than I did.

---

Cancel Comment

Yes

I've never been an active pickup kinda guy. If fact, I have a history of what was probably perceived as talking down to people that liked them (sorry about that). However, it I somehow swerved into some fishman fluence classic demos online and was intrigued. Not only did they sound REALLY good, but the tones being produced were right up my alley. I popped these in an Epiphone G400… read more pro; the stock pickups weren't bad, but I wanted something more, ya know? Sure enough, they deliver exactly what was promised. Tone for days. Days, man. If you are reading this, you are looking for a non paid endorsement from people with no incentive to mislead you. I'm that guy, and these pickups are awesome.

---

Cancel Comment

Great so far

I installed these myself in an Eastman T184 hollow body that had Seymour Duncan '59s in the neck and bridge. I was never satisfied with the SD pickups - they didn't respond consistently, especially in the higher register. It took a bit of thought and planning to get the Fluence pickups installed but they have been great. The touch sensitivity and consistency of these is a revelation… read more and the options available with the push/pull tone knobs is really nice - single coils on one and modified voicing on the other. I find the modified voicing to be warmer and well suited for jazz. The pots are very high quality and have a great feel. Regarding the battery - I wanted to stay away from disposable batteries and considered the Fishman rechargeable battery pack but instead I went with a rechargeable lithium Ion 9 volt battery with a micro USB charging connection. This was mounted under the bridge pickup and has a short micro USB extension cable connected that I access through the guitar's f hole for charging. The battery should last 150 - 200 hours if the instrument cable is removed when not in use. This was my only concern about having active pickups - charging maintenance! These pickups are great if you can deal with the battery/power source - it would be nice if they could be powered through the instrument cable.

---

Cancel Comment

The real Authentic 58 Humbucker sound

Let me put everything in points here: Pros:- - Sound is way too real VS my old Gibson Classic 57 and 57+, and brighter too though I had uncovered - Fluence Pickups they sound so "Alive", the harmonics and dynamics are amazing - They came with "almost" everything I needed for installation - Voice 2 on Neck pickup combined with HF Tilt gives a smooth JAZZ like sound - The built quality… read more is impressive although the metal covers only the TOP of it - They are filled with black epoxy, so no feed back at all even with very hi gain - My Gibson has a battery compartment in the back so it was easy to power these ones! - Pickups drop in easily in the original Gibson pickup rings Cons:- - Fishman did not include a ground wire (like in single coils set), and I needed some extra wiring. - The volume pots are SHORT SHAFT and designed for an SG not a Les Paul!! (I had to use DREMEL to thin the wood from inside the cavity!!) I wish this option was available - Only 2 Push-Pull pots, 3 could been a better option - The TONE pot and its capacitor are not very gradual, the real TONE is more quick in 4-0 position (but this could be solved with a better Capacitor to match the 25K OHM pots Finally, if you have an SG and looking for an UPGRADE in Pickups, your search is done. Buy these and you will not remember your old guitar sound!. For Les Paul specially Gibson's if Fishman offers lower shafts or you can modify the cavity Go for this set. one more thing, The pole spacing on these pickups is different (E-e 49mm on Neck, 53mm on Bridge) larger spacing than Original USA Gibson Pickups

---

Cancel Comment

Pretty Amazing

As an electrical engineer, the technology behind these pickups was what first piqued my interest. It's such a simple modern solution to an old problem, and I have to say it works beautifully. I installed these on my Epiphone Les Paul, which I have also modded with a Bigsby vibrato. The improvement in the tone of my guitar was phenomenal. Each voice has its own unique sound,… read more but at the same time the improvement in the clarity of the sound is obvious compared to the stock pickups. Across the whole tonal spectrum these pickups really deliver. There are no gaps. The overall sound of each voice does stay very true to the original sound it was based off of too. I like them so much that I would like to get a strat style guitar and put the single coil fluences in it. When it comes to the installation, it was rather simple (granted I am an electrical engineer). Most people who have some electrical know how and experience with soldering should be able to do this on their own. One thing that I never found mentioned anywhere on Sweetwater's website or Fishman's website was that the pickups come with all the hardware necessary to do the replacement. I ordered new pots and wires elsewhere only to find I didn't need them all (not a huge deal because they aren't that expensive). I also did not wire my pickups up with the push/pull pots as suggested but instead used a mini switch for the HF tilt and replaced my three way pickup toggle with a 6-way rotary switch. It works wonderfully and looks pretty sweet with a chrome chicken head knob, but I wouldn't suggest doing this unless you're very knowledgeable on circuits.Overall a great upgrade to any guitar. You'll be hard pressed to find anything better.

---

Cancel Comment