Anyone swapped EMGs with Fishmans?

[Iron1]

I know there are YT vids ad nauseam out there for this, but would rather hear from someone I trust (that means not you @megametal7 )

Have a fiddle with one volume, one toggle and EMG81/85 set. Want to swap in a set of Fishman Classics, and it seems straight forward enough, but since I don't have the guitar or pickups yet, I thought why not start another pointless thread - err - informative discussion.

Also, anyone have experience A/Bing the Classics vs Moderns? I've only played thru Classics and love them, but not sure if I'm missing out on Moderns or not.

Picture added so @megametal7 can follow along:

 

[DrewJD82]

I’ve only got the Devin Townsend set, but I’d imagine there’s some crossover somewhere in here as Dev used the 81/85’s for years before getting the Fishmans. I keep forgetting to A/B them since I’ve got both sets in mahogany bodied, 24.75” scale guitars now.

The main reason I’m posting in here is because I seem to recall that if you’ve got the EMG solderless kit, the Fishman solderless stuff works with it.

 

[Iron1]

I keep forgetting to A/B them since I’ve got both sets in mahogany bodied, 24.75” scale guitars now.

 

[JiveTurkey]

EMGs all the way. Boo on Fishmans.

 

[Iron1]

EMGs all the way. Boo on Fishmans.

 

[Stone]

Do the Fishman have Fe1 Magnets ?

 

[MindCrime]

Have you considered...Bare Knuckle ? (Personally, I'm a DiMarzio man...to the core ! )

 

[State of Epicicity]

I'm a Blackouts man, myself.

 

[la szum]

EMGs all the way. Boo on Fishmans.

Neither, but I agree with this if anyone must. The Fishmans are on par with
some of the worst pickups I have ever installed.



My fave actives are Blackouts, and the best I have tried was the Dave Mustaine Livewire Set.
That set slays!

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Tried a set of Fishman Fluence Moderns a while ago and absolutely hated it. Noisy AF (yes, apparently active does not equal silent) and that weird, quacky midrange drove me nuts.

Conclusion: EMGs all the way.

 

[DrewJD82]

Damn, the Fishman hate in here is making me want to just swap the pickups out in the guitars when I A/B them so I can hear them in the same guitar and cut down variables.

Or maybe the Dev set is just that much more gooderer? My 81/85 combo has a LOT more scratchy mids, like I’m near dialing them out via the amp rather than hearing them as something adding to the tone.

 

[la szum]

Those Mustaine Livewires have the juice of the actives but the tonality of A5 mags. They blew my mind.

I think Dave has moved on and is doing something else.... but those left an impression.

It's like an active version of the JB/Jazz setup. So tighter low-end, but without losing warmth.

 

[State of Epicicity]

I used to be okay with EMGs, but recently I installed an 85 I had sitting around, and the preamp compression had never hit me like that before. I just heard this squashing, for lack of a better term. Couldn't stand it.

Years ago I played a seven string that came with 707s, which I immediately hated, so I went to a pair of Blackouts (with individual volume and tone knobs for each, via dual concentrics. I was able to get such range out of those things; my guitar felt tonally limitless.

I plan to return to Blackouts by installing a pair in my current superstrat. My idea is to install an AHB-1 in the bridge and a Blackouts Strat in the neck, with individual volume and tone controls.

 

[Iron1]

Have you considered...Bare Knuckle ? (Personally, I'm a DiMarzio man...to the core ! )

Normally, I'm all about passive pickups, and personally love my Elysian Trident II and Elysian Valkyries. But, the guitar has EMGs and I do love the Fishman Classics in my Jackson Pro HT7, so it seems like logical sense to toss a set of Fishman Classics in this one.

I'm a Blackouts man, myself.

Tried them once or twice and just didn't gel with 'em.

Neither, but I agree with this if anyone must. The Fishmans are on par with
some of the worst pickups I have ever installed.



My fave actives are Blackouts, and the best I have tried was the Dave Mustaine Livewire Set.
That set slays!

Don't get me wrong, I love EMGs - when someone else uses them. I've never been able to dial them in where I like them and I've tried all sorts of things and just always walk away feeling like dis-inspired.

 

[Los-D]

Lead on a 85 in the neck of a 24 fret guitar with loads of gain… is a beautiful thing

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Have you considered...Bare Knuckle ? (Personally, I'm a DiMarzio man...to the core ! )

DiMarzio pickups receive far too little attention. Of all the passive pickups I've tried, the DiMarzio D-Activators are by far my favorite. The marketing as a "passive replica of EMGs" doesn't do them justice at all, they simply sound very clear and balanced. While I always had the problem with pickups from Seymour Duncan or Bare Knuckle that they masked the guitar's sound with their own tonal character, this was not the case at all with the D-Activators. The luthier (a jazz guy) was totally surprised at how good they sounded after installing them in my PRS.

Damn, now that I write it I feel like having a set in one of my guitars again.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Lead on a 85 in the neck of a 24 fret guitar with loads of gain… is a beautiful thing

The 85 can actually be a great pickup for the bridge position in the right guitar. My Fender Modern Strat sounded way too bright with an 81, so I replaced it with an 85 and that was the perfect match.

 

[Eagle]

DiMarzio pickups receive far too little attention. Of all the passive pickups I've tried, the DiMarzio D-Activators are by far my favorite. The marketing as a "passive replica of EMGs" doesn't do them justice at all, they simply sound very clear and balanced. While I always had the problem with pickups from Seymour Duncan or Bare Knuckle that they masked the guitar's sound with their own tonal character, this was not the case at all with the D-Activators. The luthier (a jazz guy) was totally surprised at how good they sounded after installing them in my PRS.

Damn, now that I write it I feel like having a set in one of my guitars again.

It depends enormously on how you amplify your guitar. Personally I think Bare Knuckle to be far better at high gain with clarity than anything DiMarzio ever made. I personally like paf output and get the gain from the rest of the rig. High output pickups just compromise all the other tones.

 

[DrewJD82]

High output pickups just compromise all the other tones.

I very much agree with this, but it was Dimarzio PAF Pros that made me realize it.

 

[JiveTurkey]

DiMarzio pickups receive far too little attention. Of all the passive pickups I've tried, the DiMarzio D-Activators are by far my favorite. The marketing as a "passive replica of EMGs" doesn't do them justice at all, they simply sound very clear and balanced. While I always had the problem with pickups from Seymour Duncan or Bare Knuckle that they masked the guitar's sound with their own tonal character, this was not the case at all with the D-Activators. The luthier (a jazz guy) was totally surprised at how good they sounded after installing them in my PRS.

Damn, now that I write it I feel like having a set in one of my guitars again.

I LOVE the D-Activator pickups. Super underrated.