Anyone swapped EMGs with Fishmans?
- Thread starter Iron1
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Not sure I can help, I'm pretty much a Dimarzio wh0re these days.
But I have a 81/85 set that doesn't get used, although they were fat sounding in my old Ibanez for years. I'm kinda over the whole battery thing now, even though I still have about 4 sets of EMG's.
The Fishmans started to pique my interest to actives again but realized I don't need to go down that road again.
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Hahahahah well, I dunno about ALL Fishman's, but I just had a big ole eye opener when comparing these...excuse the slop, some of that shit is tricky and I just picked up the guitars.
www.dropbox.com
www.dropbox.com
Same preset, the IIC++/Recto preset I use all the time. Strings got the same amount of play time, recorded back to back, same room temperature....pretty sure all the things that shrink and grow on my body were the same length for each take, just different shaped guitars.
I prefer the Fishman's enough that I'm even more anxious to get rid of the EMGs in that Edwards. I've been leaning that way for a while, but it hasn't been a necessity, now I'm kinda thinking it is because this is the EXACT fucking area I've been trying to EQ in or out of the guitars for the song this riff belongs to. Everything I've been wanting out of the EMGs is in the Fishmans.
And there's still the Passive and Passive + Split Coil settings, too.
Edit- there's some weird static 'clickity' sound in those files, must have happened in the export or upload? It's not present in Logic session.
Dropbox
Dropbox
Same preset, the IIC++/Recto preset I use all the time. Strings got the same amount of play time, recorded back to back, same room temperature....pretty sure all the things that shrink and grow on my body were the same length for each take, just different shaped guitars.
I prefer the Fishman's enough that I'm even more anxious to get rid of the EMGs in that Edwards. I've been leaning that way for a while, but it hasn't been a necessity, now I'm kinda thinking it is because this is the EXACT fucking area I've been trying to EQ in or out of the guitars for the song this riff belongs to. Everything I've been wanting out of the EMGs is in the Fishmans.
And there's still the Passive and Passive + Split Coil settings, too.
Edit- there's some weird static 'clickity' sound in those files, must have happened in the export or upload? It's not present in Logic session.
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I screenshot the EQ in the part I'm hearing the 'good stuff' I'm looking for, which is when I hit the open D in the chorus at 0:25-
Watching it in real time I can see where the part of the EMG I'm not digging it standing out and it's almost like the Fishman is cutting it, but right between 800-1000k, the EMG continuously spikes all over that area while the Fishman just has variations of a smiley face in that range. Also the 3k-6k range with the Fishman's is almost the opposite of what I'd expect, because it's the brighter/clearer top end in the Fishman's that I've been trying to get via EQ in the tracks.
Kinda glad I did this. I don't think I want to put Fishman's in the Edwards, I just REALLY know I don't want to keep the EMGs in there. I've got two 81/85 sets I don't want now.
Watching it in real time I can see where the part of the EMG I'm not digging it standing out and it's almost like the Fishman is cutting it, but right between 800-1000k, the EMG continuously spikes all over that area while the Fishman just has variations of a smiley face in that range. Also the 3k-6k range with the Fishman's is almost the opposite of what I'd expect, because it's the brighter/clearer top end in the Fishman's that I've been trying to get via EQ in the tracks.
Kinda glad I did this. I don't think I want to put Fishman's in the Edwards, I just REALLY know I don't want to keep the EMGs in there. I've got two 81/85 sets I don't want now.
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So the SZ is the Fish and the Edwards is EMGs?Hahahahah well, I dunno about ALL Fishman's, but I just had a big ole eye opener when comparing these...excuse the slop, some of that shit is tricky and I just picked up the guitars.
Dropbox
Dropbox
Same preset, the IIC++/Recto preset I use all the time. Strings got the same amount of play time, recorded back to back, same room temperature....pretty sure all the things that shrink and grow on my body were the same length for each take, just different shaped guitars.
I prefer the Fishman's enough that I'm even more anxious to get rid of the EMGs in that Edwards. I've been leaning that way for a while, but it hasn't been a necessity, now I'm kinda thinking it is because this is the EXACT fucking area I've been trying to EQ in or out of the guitars for the song this riff belongs to. Everything I've been wanting out of the EMGs is in the Fishmans.
And there's still the Passive and Passive + Split Coil settings, too.
Edit- there's some weird static 'clickity' sound in those files, must have happened in the export or upload? It's not present in Logic session.
State of Epicicity
Shredder
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About low output pickups being ideal for high gain, I think it's completely dependent on the guitar. I think for a really thick sounding guitar, low output pickups can totally be the way to go, because generally, the lower the output, the greater clarity in order to complement the thickness. But then I think about my guitar, which sounds like a tin can amplified by a swarm of bees. I tried low output pickups in it, and the tones were just anemic and unappealing. So I found the higher the output of pickup I put in it, the better it sounded.
Stone
Rock Star
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I ordered a Dimarzio PAF PRO for the Bridge of My Revstar III very much agree with this, but it was Dimarzio PAF Pros that made me realize it.
Not sure yet what will go in the Bridge of my DK-24 thinking maybe a Dimarzio Super Distortion or a PAF PRO
TheTrueZoltan!
Shredder
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Just ordered a set for my new guitar.
Edit: I've changed my mind and will try the PRS \m/ pickups first.
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JiveTurkey
Goatlord
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I have 2 Ibby Vs from the mid 00s loaded with them. Most anything I track is with them \m/ Can't remember; have you tried the X versions?Just ordered a set for my new guitar.
TheTrueZoltan!
Shredder
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No, I haven‘t. Judging by the specs on the DiMarzio webpage, they seem to be significantly more bass-heavy than the regular D-Activators, so I don't think they'd be right for me.
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I ordered a Dimarzio PAF PRO for the Bridge of My Revstar II
Not sure yet what will go in the Bridge of my DK-24 thinking maybe a Dimarzio Super Distortion or a PAF PRO
I fell in love with that pickup when I joined a band that was playing in drop B, I was only in E or drop D previous to that, I had 2 JEMs, one with Evolutions and one with PAF Pros, the amount of clarity I had in that lower tuning with the PAF kept me using just that instead of my baby white/gold JEM.
TheTrueZoltan!
Shredder
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BTW, this guy‘s pickup comparison videos have been incredibly helpful for me. Highly recommended!
@JiveTurkey He also has one comparing D-Activator vs D-Activator X and @Iron1 there are several videos from him comparing Fishmans with other pickups.
@JiveTurkey He also has one comparing D-Activator vs D-Activator X and @Iron1 there are several videos from him comparing Fishmans with other pickups.
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I very much agree with this, but it was Dimarzio PAF Pros that made me realize it.
My first aftermarket pickup was an EMG85 into a USA Kramer Baretta in 1987. I got sold
a bill of goods due to my naivete and ignorance.
My second was a Dimarzio PAF Pro because I was reading in the magazines that Vai and
Satch were both using those. It went into an Ibanez RG. It was pink. I loved that pickup.
I may need to revisit it. No idea why it had not occurred to me until now. It's overwound
just enough while retaining that iconic PAF articulation.
JiveTurkey
Goatlord
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85 in the bridge can be an awesome combination 
Stone
Rock Star
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Pardon the interruption, but I have to say that I love the word-smithing here! And the attention to detail, trying to control for ALL the variables!
As for the thread, well, I have Fluence Classics in my Godin Redline and I'm not un-happy with them....but even before this thread I was already day-dreaming of replacing them with some high-quality passives....
northern_fox
Roadie
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I've tested no less than 14 different pickups in one guitar with only 1 string change, all broken in and all playing the same stuff to a click so I could add drums, ranging from EMG to fishman alnico modern to a bunch of passives with low/med/high output. My general conclusion is that it's strongly dependent on the particular style or riff which one I seem to like the most (which also comes down to how well or consistently the part was replayed), and strongly dependent on whether you're listening in solo or with a band/drums.
Personally I tend to prefer how passives feel to play, and to me they feel a little more 'spacious' for lack of a better word. That doesn't always translate to a better sounding mix though. My favorites to date have been the black winter, lundgren black heaven, EMG H2, dimarzio fortitude. As actives go, I really liked the fishman alnico but with some pre-EQ and in passive mode. Low output pickups can also sound great by themselves but worse in a dense mix, and the opposite can be true for higher output pickups and actives.
And finally, it doesn't really matter that much at all - actives vs passives will be the biggest difference, but beyond that it's just going to be slight tonal preferences on your part and the listener will not pick up (haha) on it.
Personally I tend to prefer how passives feel to play, and to me they feel a little more 'spacious' for lack of a better word. That doesn't always translate to a better sounding mix though. My favorites to date have been the black winter, lundgren black heaven, EMG H2, dimarzio fortitude. As actives go, I really liked the fishman alnico but with some pre-EQ and in passive mode. Low output pickups can also sound great by themselves but worse in a dense mix, and the opposite can be true for higher output pickups and actives.
And finally, it doesn't really matter that much at all - actives vs passives will be the biggest difference, but beyond that it's just going to be slight tonal preferences on your part and the listener will not pick up (haha) on it.
