I do like Fishman a lot (Voice 2 of the modern ceramic and the Merrow bridge voice 1 being the best imo) but I do prefer EMG's consistently myself. Random anecdote but I've called EMG a handful of times over the years and the service was incredible. Great vid! Thanks for the upload.
It’s interesting to hear you mention that the Fishmans are “missing something” in the midrange and top end. I fell EXACTLY the same way about the Fishman set that came in my Spector bass. It’s enough to really turn me off from them in general, and I can’t wait to offload them and put something else in my bass.
Yes i agree with the X series of the EMG's and i've used both EMG and Fishman's on two guitars i currently use for both bands i play in. So far the EMG's were the most versatile if not the most neutral sounding with just the amount of highs needed for both 8 and 9 strings i use. I love the Fishman's but also depends on which voicing. I personally love the 2nd voicing (passive) sound better on my 8's and with my custom 9 string have the EMG 909x's. They sound so damn good and clear unlike my previous EMG's in the past. Great comparison Brother! Thank you!
All subjective off course but amp, modeler or plugin for that matter makes huge difference how the pickups perform. To me going from EMG to Fishman was a no brainer the moment I changed my Caparison angelus EMG 81/60 combo to a Fishman fluence KSE set. The EMG set was very harsh at the time in that particular guitar. So I started ordering different Fishman sets and I noticed that the Fishmans are mega consistent. A consistency that is almost impossible for every other pickup manufacturer due to their technology. The fact that you have multiple voicings/multiple pickups in one also, to me is a just as huge of revolutionairy step as the arrival of the PAF in the 50's or the arrival of the active pickup in the 80's.
Also I did my measurements without fretting the last string. I'm told its more common to measure while fretting at the last fret. With the fretting, it's at just above 6/64th on the bass side, 5.5/64th on the treble side.
The only thing about EMGs - I wish they could be actually splittable on all models :) Recently tried Fishman Moderns, they have, of course, more tonal options, but they eat batteries MUCH quicker and pick up some frequencies that are not very useful or pleasant. So not perfect. And I have seen quite a lot of people complained that they had problems with these pickups: microphonic/stopped working/etc.
Honestly, I've never gelled with any set of Fishman Fluence pickups I've had...not the Moderns, not the Classics, nor the Devin Townsend set. To my ears, there was something "missing" in each set. I liked the way the 85-X sounded here much more.
Out of all my guitars my two favorite ones are a Les Paul with EMG 81/85 (Kerry King set) and my Explorer with Fishman Moderns. Which one I like better depends on my mood that day. The EMG sounds meaner distorted. Maybe I'm a Gen X and EMGs were the sound of the late 80s and 90s so I'm partial.
I absolutely despise fishman fluence pickups, especially for the battery drain. The clean tones also suck and they’re more expensive. I got my first set of EMG’s after owning them and I was astounded at how much more usable they are despite having only one voice.
If I am not playing passive pîckups, my favorite set and has been for a long long time is the EMG 57/66, very natural sounding for an EMG and they can rip just as much as an 81/85
Just got the 57/66 set and am wondering if you find the 57 to be noisy? Pretty sure I got a bad pickup. The 66 is much more quiet in my set. My other guitar with passive pickups makes less noise than the 57.
@@TheGooseChaseMusic I will sub for that. After having tried a few different pickups I have noticed a trend that alnico magnets seem to pick up more noise than ceramic. Even in my fishman moderns the ceramic bridge is dead silent but the alnico neck has a very slight hum.
I do like Fishman a lot (Voice 2 of the modern ceramic and the Merrow bridge voice 1 being the best imo) but I do prefer EMG's consistently myself.
Random anecdote but I've called EMG a handful of times over the years and the service was incredible.
Great vid! Thanks for the upload.
Fishman fluence hype train is definitely slowing down. Plenty hopping off for emgs again. Myself included
It’s interesting to hear you mention that the Fishmans are “missing something” in the midrange and top end.
I fell EXACTLY the same way about the Fishman set that came in my Spector bass. It’s enough to really turn me off from them in general, and I can’t wait to offload them and put something else in my bass.
Yes i agree with the X series of the EMG's and i've used both EMG and Fishman's on two guitars i currently use for both bands i play in. So far the EMG's were the most versatile if not the most neutral sounding with just the amount of highs needed for both 8 and 9 strings i use. I love the Fishman's but also depends on which voicing. I personally love the 2nd voicing (passive) sound better on my 8's and with my custom 9 string have the EMG 909x's. They sound so damn good and clear unlike my previous EMG's in the past. Great comparison Brother! Thank you!
I appreciate what you shared and the kind words!
@@TheGooseChaseMusic Your'e most welcome Brother! Subscribed and will keep on the views sir! Thank you!
All subjective off course but amp, modeler or plugin for that matter makes huge difference how the pickups perform. To me going from EMG to Fishman was a no brainer the moment I changed my Caparison angelus EMG 81/60 combo to a Fishman fluence KSE set. The EMG set was very harsh at the time in that particular guitar. So I started ordering different Fishman sets and I noticed that the Fishmans are mega consistent. A consistency that is almost impossible for every other pickup manufacturer due to their technology. The fact that you have multiple voicings/multiple pickups in one also, to me is a just as huge of revolutionairy step as the arrival of the PAF in the 50's or the arrival of the active pickup in the 80's.
Also I did my measurements without fretting the last string. I'm told its more common to measure while fretting at the last fret. With the fretting, it's at just above 6/64th on the bass side, 5.5/64th on the treble side.
I could never get used to the Fishman pickups.. EMGs sound so much better imo.
I’m happy for others that enjoy them though! I wish I could.
I feel the same. Glad others could make em work for their preferred tones for sure!
The only thing about EMGs - I wish they could be actually splittable on all models :)
Recently tried Fishman Moderns, they have, of course, more tonal options, but they eat batteries MUCH quicker and pick up some frequencies that are not very useful or pleasant. So not perfect. And I have seen quite a lot of people complained that they had problems with these pickups: microphonic/stopped working/etc.
Honestly, I've never gelled with any set of Fishman Fluence pickups I've had...not the Moderns, not the Classics, nor the Devin Townsend set. To my ears, there was something "missing" in each set. I liked the way the 85-X sounded here much more.
Out of all my guitars my two favorite ones are a Les Paul with EMG 81/85 (Kerry King set) and my Explorer with Fishman Moderns. Which one I like better depends on my mood that day. The EMG sounds meaner distorted. Maybe I'm a Gen X and EMGs were the sound of the late 80s and 90s so I'm partial.
I absolutely despise fishman fluence pickups, especially for the battery drain. The clean tones also suck and they’re more expensive.
I got my first set of EMG’s after owning them and I was astounded at how much more usable they are despite having only one voice.
Voice 1 sounds the best in the High Gain part. On the high gain, 85x sounds with the tone knob set to zero.
If I am not playing passive pîckups, my favorite set and has been for a long long time is the EMG 57/66, very natural sounding for an EMG and they can rip just as much as an 81/85
I need to try the 57 soon! And maybe if I like it, I might move the 85 to the neck!
Just got the 57/66 set and am wondering if you find the 57 to be noisy? Pretty sure I got a bad pickup. The 66 is much more quiet in my set. My other guitar with passive pickups makes less noise than the 57.
@@stimpsonjcat26 I ordered a 57 recently and I'll be making a video, and if it is noisy I'll mention it :D
@@TheGooseChaseMusic I will sub for that. After having tried a few different pickups I have noticed a trend that alnico magnets seem to pick up more noise than ceramic. Even in my fishman moderns the ceramic bridge is dead silent but the alnico neck has a very slight hum.
Glad to see you're a Sum 41 fan 🤩
Wouldn't be where I am without them. Dave was and still is a huge influence for me.
Good show. All agreed.
Thank you for the kind words!
Love my emgs
Cute hat 🏳️🌈
Please don’t use the old version of the flag its very non inclusive to our LGBTQAIP2S+ allies…