Listening with good headphones, I still think that Spector and Emg are a perfect pair. Not too much variation in tone, but the initial sound is so organic, very recognizable, true Spector. I even think that Spector loses something with Aguilar pickups. And the Fishman, lots of to choose from, but the actual sound quality.... Thanks for the great comparison :)
Yeah thanks for watching! Spector and EMG is a match made in heaven. Even better when you add a HAZ preamp. But always nice to have some time variation with the Fishman stuff.
Speaking from experience with both I'm quite partial to the fishman pickups. For me it feels like it is an almost perfect acoustic capture of what I am doing on my bass. Every flaw and aspect of my playing is made readily apparent. But by the same hand all of the thought and care I put into my playing is captured as well. While I don't hate EMGs their lack of versatility can feel suffocating. I had a set of DC45 in a Modulus I owned and they just felt really bad. They just have such a flat response and lack of dynamics captured in the tone that I can't stand. If you're going for like just a traditional rock tone where you just sit in the back of the mix they're good, even great. But for extreme metal usage or any genre where the bass needs to be exceptionally prominent or articulate they leave a lot to be desired.
Absolutely I'm hard in the emg camp all 4 of my basses have emg my 2 of my spectors have x series and eventually all of them will just got to finesse the pre amp situation ( adding a stacked pot for my q4 pro for the 18 volt tone capsule have emg 35p4ax rc neck and 35jx bridge here shortly replacing the emg hz pickups ) my 2020 euro 5 lt violet burst had emg dc and tone pump now has emg dcx my old Rebop will be getting emg 40jx neck and bridge when I get a tone capsule for it cause the hz bqc does not like active pickups at all.
I listened few more times, and started to agree with you, guys. 🤓 Nerd in me always complains for the sake of transparency of experiment. But you guys did a great job. I'm sorry for complains. Lets live in piece.
Most likely, what they considered "flat" was the knobs in the center of their range. If this is the Tonepump, the center of the travel is actually boosting. The Tonepump ranges are: Bass: +14dB/-4dB @55Hz Treble: +14dB/-12dB @6,5kHz So "flat" would roughly be a quarter of the way up on the bass knob and about half way on the treble knob.
Great review, but unless the switch selector is different from the one on the NS Dimension 5, you have the Full Range Active and the Scooped Active backwards. The scooped tone is in the center, whereas the full range active is in the bottom position (classic passive tone was correct).
the fishman pickups sound ok but for me its emg all day. i have emg 40dc in my spector 5 string along with darkglass tone capsule preamp and my bass is sick!!!
I would like to see a comparison between emg and fishman on the same bass and same kind of pickup. You cant compare humbs with sings. It obviously will sound soooo different
Love to a cross between the two. With a soapbar pickup in the bridge with the precision pickup in the neck position. To me the Soapbars sound better at first glance but on a deeper more subtle level PJ's paired correctly with the proper amp and eq are hard to beat tone wise
Sounds like overall it was poorly EQ'd. It certainly shows off the variety of tones, but it the thump these things are capable of really doesn't come across in the video at all. Not saying that it's intentional, could very well be youtube messing it up, or something they did inadvertently. Also, it sounds to my ears that the bass in question had brand new strings, where the EMG version definitely had some age on it, which is going to make a huge difference in how people hear what's happening in general. Some folks like the 'new strings' sound, some don't, but it's certainly a variable that doesn't seem to be accounted for.
I have a bass with fishmans and to be fair I had to adjust EQs and preamps to have a tight and deep low end because these fishman pickups have a lot of highs like A LOT.
Buuut it really has lots of tone shaping, the ability to have the pickups change to single coil ads all kinds of tricks, if you use the single coils with the bridge pickup and boost the bass oh man prepare to play the most metal sound
I can totally agree the EMG's are the most organic and original Spector sounding. However, I feel the Fishmans provide a clearer and more modern take on the sound in comparison, ideal for maybe a Metal mix. The Spector tone is still there regardless, but more so in the Full Freq voicing imo.
But seriously; the material in the fingerboard makes a big difference on electric bass with an active system? Come on. There is so much in the sound chain that affects the tone so much more… It is debateble if it affects the tone at all in an electrical instrument. It affects the feel, the resonance in the neck/body, it may affect the sustain but the tone in a noticable way… I think not. However the things I mentioned may influence the feel and the way you play, which in turn may affect the tone. But that is a totaly different subject. When professional drummers can not distinguish wether a snare is made of steel or wood the idea that the wood in the fingerboard, on an eletrical bass, affects the tone is just silly!
The Fishman's just sound really artificial and sterile, almost like a bass patch on a synth. The EMG's have that classic Spector growl, to me it's no contest.
DARN. IT. It's EMGs!! Firm believer in Spector/EMGs should have roundwounds; the Fishman Fluence, like Bartolinis TO MY EARS sound like they'd serve flatwounds rather well. Respect to Korg for keeping the Euro LX/EMG option in the lineup while expanding to more interesting offerings that make these basses loved. But all in all, the Dimension is a near-miss. A VERY near miss.
Those fluence modern hb bass pickups were the absolute worst pickups I’ve EVER played. The EQ is a WEAK ass boost and cut, the coil split is so mild, you won’t be able to tell the difference without knowing the push pull is up, the 3 position mini toggle voicing switch offers “versatility”, yes, but that’s ALL those pickups offer. The distortion, fuzz, overdrive, crunch tone on those pickups is so gross, those pickups will make your bass playing sound like you just started playing I promise you. Never buy these, not at least for listing price.
Agreed. Those specific pickups are only good for funk playing and bass solos honestly... Fishman should stick to making awesome guitar pickups until they figure out how to make good bass pickups... But the Mike Inez ones are pretty good
Seems like.. Fishman PUs are being told what EMGs were when they first came out. Anyways.. the Tonepump should have been boosted for fairer comparison.
O man.... This is Mike... Just bought the Spector Euro matte black 5 string from you... I do like this one with the fishman..... I love mine though.... Might have to come see this
@@ishguitars think that would be the best thing to do. If you guys want to use my bass in your comparison video with the Fishman let me know. I think it would be a better fit the the 4 string matte black bass you guys used. I do like the new Spector Demension too...
The bass is beautiful but, if I am going to buy a Spector, I want a Spector that sounds like a Spector. The sound of the Fishman pickups do not sound like a Spector. The PJ many not be as versatile but it doesn’t have to be it sounds like a Spector!
Wow... That's pretty disappointing... My 2006 euro 5 LX had EMGs and sounds so much better than the fishman version. I was really eager to get the extended range 5 string...
@@josephdavis3179 it's weird, but I think a lot of that growl come from a little fret buzz lol.. I. Constantly tinkering with my tone both in a mix and on its own. (Mine doesn't have a tonepump - wish it did)
The fact that one bass has a gloss finish and the other is satin finished Makes a BIG difference. They both sound good , I prefer the brightness of the Fluence but if both basses were gloss finish it would be a tie I think !
They sound exceptional in the right setting but are just too metallic... Fishman should stick to making incredible guitar pickups unless they find out how to make the bass pickups good
Ok so first off the Emg here, the strings sound dead as a doorknob. They sound nothing like I've heard with new strings. Compare that with fishmans, very obviously new strings. The emg in this comparison are doomed from the start. I will say however the fishman sound good here in most applications, even if in other examples they never blew me away.
WoW if you A-B them back and forth EMG has WAY more BASS! This is a bass guitar no? Different basses will sound a bit different but Fishman have way less bass and way more treble. The classic voice mods just sounds muffled nothing like a natural bass. Listening to the FLuence on its own sure it works but so much bottom is missing!
This might be the most gentle bass player ever. You aren't going to break those strings my dude. Bass is all about a percussive punchy sound. Doesn't matter what pickup you use it won't sound right being that soft.
Spector has fallen in the hype of Fishman pickups to ruin its Sound. Go back to the tested and trusty EMGs Plenty of bad decisions since they were absorbed by Korg.
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:48 - Both Pickups Fingerstyle - EMG
01:02 - Both Pickups Slap - EMG
01:11 - Bridge Pickup Fingerstyle - EMG
01:25- Bridge Pickup Slap - EMG
01:37- P Pickup Fingerstyle - EMG
01:55- P Pickup Slap - EMG
02:12- Both Pickups Full Frequency Voicing Finger Style - Fishman
02:30- Both Pickups Full Frequency Voicing Slap - Fishman
02:46- Both Pickups Classic Voicing Finger Style - Fishman
03:04- Both Pickups Classic Voicing Slap - Fishman
03:21- Both Pickups HiFi (Scooped) Voicing Fingerstyle - Fishman
03:38- Both Pickups HiFi (Scooped) Voicing Slap - Fishman
03:54- Neck Pickup Full Frequency Voicing Finger Style - Fishman
04:11- Neck Pickup Full Frequency Voicing Slap - Fishman
04:28- Neck Pickup Classic Voicing Fingerstyle - Fishman
04:45- Neck Pickup Classic Voicing Slap - Fishman
05:01- Neck Pickup HiFi (Scooped) Voicing Finger Style - Fishman
05:19- Neck Pickup HiFi (Scooped) Voicing Slap - Fishman
05:34- Bridge Pickup Full Frequency Voicing Finger Style - Fishman
05:52- Bridge Pickup Full Frequency Voicing Slap - Fishman
06:07- Bridge Pickup Classic Voicing Finger Style - Fishman
06:25- Bridge Pickup Classic Voicing Slap - Fishman
06:41- Bridge Pickup HiFi (Scooped) Voicing Fingerstyle - Fishman
06:59- Bridge Pickup HiFi (Scooped) Voicing Slap - Fishman
07:17- Our thoughts and review
Listening with good headphones, I still think that Spector and Emg are a perfect pair. Not too much variation in tone, but the initial sound is so organic, very recognizable, true Spector. I even think that Spector loses something with Aguilar pickups. And the Fishman, lots of to choose from, but the actual sound quality....
Thanks for the great comparison :)
Yeah thanks for watching! Spector and EMG is a match made in heaven. Even better when you add a HAZ preamp. But always nice to have some time variation with the Fishman stuff.
Speaking from experience with both I'm quite partial to the fishman pickups. For me it feels like it is an almost perfect acoustic capture of what I am doing on my bass. Every flaw and aspect of my playing is made readily apparent. But by the same hand all of the thought and care I put into my playing is captured as well. While I don't hate EMGs their lack of versatility can feel suffocating. I had a set of DC45 in a Modulus I owned and they just felt really bad. They just have such a flat response and lack of dynamics captured in the tone that I can't stand. If you're going for like just a traditional rock tone where you just sit in the back of the mix they're good, even great. But for extreme metal usage or any genre where the bass needs to be exceptionally prominent or articulate they leave a lot to be desired.
Spector EMG - for me in this battle
Absolutely I'm hard in the emg camp all 4 of my basses have emg my 2 of my spectors have x series and eventually all of them will just got to finesse the pre amp situation ( adding a stacked pot for my q4 pro for the 18 volt tone capsule have emg 35p4ax rc neck and 35jx bridge here shortly replacing the emg hz pickups ) my 2020 euro 5 lt violet burst had emg dc and tone pump now has emg dcx my old Rebop will be getting emg 40jx neck and bridge when I get a tone capsule for it cause the hz bqc does not like active pickups at all.
@@Jihadbearzwithgunz You lucky man. You have 4......must be livin' right, dude. LOL
@@josephdavis3179 I want more.. lol my girl might leave me but to me that means one room can be dedicated to bass room no issue lol
@@Jihadbearzwithgunz Ah, romance!🤷😊
EMG absolutely.
For my ear the Fishman system wins. I’ve never heard more variety in one instrument. That makes it great for stage or studio.
This is not logical to compare PJ style EMG with Fishnan Humbuckers. You've better compare spector with EMG DC40 Hums with Fishmans.
The idea here is to compare "classic" Spector sound and the Fishman's, just so you have a reference point for the time difference of the Fishman's
I think the point was not to compare pickups but to showcase the differences between this special edition bass and the normal model
I listened few more times, and started to agree with you, guys. 🤓 Nerd in me always complains for the sake of transparency of experiment. But you guys did a great job. I'm sorry for complains. Lets live in piece.
Funny Thought the same thing. Also a 5 string is just inherently different sounding, Apples, oranges.
Maaaan, those EMG's have way more bigness of tone. Those Fishmans are gonna get buried playing in a band.
The preamp on the EMG clips appears boosted, while neutral on the Fishman clips. Is that so? If yes, why?
Most likely, what they considered "flat" was the knobs in the center of their range. If this is the Tonepump, the center of the travel is actually boosting. The Tonepump ranges are:
Bass: +14dB/-4dB @55Hz
Treble: +14dB/-12dB @6,5kHz
So "flat" would roughly be a quarter of the way up on the bass knob and about half way on the treble knob.
I'm a firm fan of the EMG's but want to try both with my fx/preamp pedal setup, fishmans might be a surprise there, but my gut says EMG.
Great review, but unless the switch selector is different from the one on the NS Dimension 5, you have the Full Range Active and the Scooped Active backwards. The scooped tone is in the center, whereas the full range active is in the bottom position (classic passive tone was correct).
the fishman pickups sound ok but for me its emg all day. i have emg 40dc in my spector 5 string along with darkglass tone capsule preamp and my bass is sick!!!
I would like to see a comparison between emg and fishman on the same bass and same kind of pickup. You cant compare humbs with sings. It obviously will sound soooo different
Compare what...? Different strings (new vs old), different pickups styles (PJ vs Humbucker).
Love to a cross between the two. With a soapbar pickup in the bridge with the precision pickup in the neck position. To me the Soapbars sound better at first glance but on a deeper more subtle level PJ's paired correctly with the proper amp and eq are hard to beat tone wise
I've seen other reviews on those fishman pickups and they sound completely different from others? Are they the same pickups?
Sounds like overall it was poorly EQ'd. It certainly shows off the variety of tones, but it the thump these things are capable of really doesn't come across in the video at all.
Not saying that it's intentional, could very well be youtube messing it up, or something they did inadvertently.
Also, it sounds to my ears that the bass in question had brand new strings, where the EMG version definitely had some age on it, which is going to make a huge difference in how people hear what's happening in general. Some folks like the 'new strings' sound, some don't, but it's certainly a variable that doesn't seem to be accounted for.
I have a bass with fishmans and to be fair I had to adjust EQs and preamps to have a tight and deep low end because these fishman pickups have a lot of highs like A LOT.
Buuut it really has lots of tone shaping, the ability to have the pickups change to single coil ads all kinds of tricks, if you use the single coils with the bridge pickup and boost the bass oh man prepare to play the most metal sound
I can totally agree the EMG's are the most organic and original Spector sounding.
However, I feel the Fishmans provide a clearer and more modern take on the sound in comparison, ideal for maybe a Metal mix. The Spector tone is still there regardless, but more so in the Full Freq voicing imo.
Well said 👏👏
where are single coil mode examples for Fluence system?
Yea bass review. More please. 😜
But seriously; the material in the fingerboard makes a big difference on electric bass with an active system? Come on. There is so much in the sound chain that affects the tone so much more… It is debateble if it affects the tone at all in an electrical instrument. It affects the feel, the resonance in the neck/body, it may affect the sustain but the tone in a noticable way… I think not. However the things I mentioned may influence the feel and the way you play, which in turn may affect the tone. But that is a totaly different subject. When professional drummers can not distinguish wether a snare is made of steel or wood the idea that the wood in the fingerboard, on an eletrical bass, affects the tone is just silly!
The Fishman's just sound really artificial and sterile, almost like a bass patch on a synth. The EMG's have that classic Spector growl, to me it's no contest.
DARN. IT. It's EMGs!!
Firm believer in Spector/EMGs should have roundwounds; the Fishman Fluence, like Bartolinis TO MY EARS sound like they'd serve flatwounds rather well.
Respect to Korg for keeping the Euro LX/EMG option in the lineup while expanding to more interesting offerings that make these basses loved. But all in all, the Dimension is a near-miss. A VERY near miss.
Great comparison
Fluence nails it woo hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Yeah Fluences is sweet. Def not the same as the classic Spector tone though.
Those fluence modern hb bass pickups were the absolute worst pickups I’ve EVER played. The EQ is a WEAK ass boost and cut, the coil split is so mild, you won’t be able to tell the difference without knowing the push pull is up, the 3 position mini toggle voicing switch offers “versatility”, yes, but that’s ALL those pickups offer. The distortion, fuzz, overdrive, crunch tone on those pickups is so gross, those pickups will make your bass playing sound like you just started playing I promise you. Never buy these, not at least for listing price.
Agreed. Those specific pickups are only good for funk playing and bass solos honestly...
Fishman should stick to making awesome guitar pickups until they figure out how to make good bass pickups... But the Mike Inez ones are pretty good
Seems like.. Fishman PUs are being told what EMGs were when they first came out. Anyways.. the Tonepump should have been boosted for fairer comparison.
O man.... This is Mike... Just bought the Spector Euro matte black 5 string from you... I do like this one with the fishman..... I love mine though.... Might have to come see this
Get both!! 🤪
@@ishguitars think that would be the best thing to do. If you guys want to use my bass in your comparison video with the Fishman let me know. I think it would be a better fit the the 4 string matte black bass you guys used. I do like the new Spector Demension too...
The bass is beautiful but, if I am going to buy a Spector, I want a Spector that sounds like a Spector. The sound of the Fishman pickups do not sound like a Spector. The PJ many not be as versatile but it doesn’t have to be it sounds like a Spector!
Wow... That's pretty disappointing... My 2006 euro 5 LX had EMGs and sounds so much better than the fishman version. I was really eager to get the extended range 5 string...
After this, just saving up for a 5 with EMGs - My 4-string with Barts/Tone Pump, while outstanding, just lacks that certain Spector GROWL.
@@josephdavis3179 it's weird, but I think a lot of that growl come from a little fret buzz lol.. I. Constantly tinkering with my tone both in a mix and on its own. (Mine doesn't have a tonepump - wish it did)
The fact that one bass has a gloss finish and the other is satin finished Makes a BIG difference. They both sound good , I prefer the brightness of the Fluence but if both basses were gloss finish it would be a tie I think !
I like the Fishman Fluence pickups better. Clearer, Rounder, better detail. Just my take...
The strings on the emg spector were dead. Not a fair comparison.
Beat me to it
I've been listening to a few demos of the fishman bass pickups today. The technology is very cool but they sound like ass.
They sound exceptional in the right setting but are just too metallic... Fishman should stick to making incredible guitar pickups unless they find out how to make the bass pickups good
I like the look and layout of soapbar better than PJ
Wow. I LOVE the Fishman pickups in guitars, but they absolutely SUCK in a bass! 😱
"EQ changes on the fly" ... FOH Guys love "EQ Changes on the Fly" xD
The fish man’s definitely got something new for the ear pallet
Common guys... Single pickkups vs Humbs ?! Whyyyyyyy?
5 string body vs 4 string body....
This is very diferent at all....
No pick demo yet again on basses that are used by rock and metal players.
Ok so first off the Emg here, the strings sound dead as a doorknob. They sound nothing like I've heard with new strings.
Compare that with fishmans, very obviously new strings. The emg in this comparison are doomed from the start.
I will say however the fishman sound good here in most applications, even if in other examples they never blew me away.
Man, that slap was rough.
16 minute video and nobody plays with a pick, damn
WoW if you A-B them back and forth EMG has WAY more BASS! This is a bass guitar no? Different basses will sound a bit different but Fishman have way less bass and way more treble. The classic voice mods just sounds muffled nothing like a natural bass. Listening to the FLuence on its own sure it works but so much bottom is missing!
The EMGs are much better for me .
2:30
Real rockers 🙄
The Fishman sounds forced. Like autotune but for guitars. IDK.
I feel that vibe. It definitely doesn't sound organic, but I don't think it sounds bad at all.
This might be the most gentle bass player ever. You aren't going to break those strings my dude. Bass is all about a percussive punchy sound. Doesn't matter what pickup you use it won't sound right being that soft.
Slapped it like it might brake.
EMG > fishman
EMGs !! Fishman Sucks.....that sound will disappear in the mix in a musical context
Spector has fallen in the hype of Fishman pickups to ruin its Sound.
Go back to the tested and trusty EMGs
Plenty of bad decisions since they were absorbed by Korg.
Fishman pickups are so blah. There are zero things I like about them..ruins a perfectly good bass
Horrible comparison.
Well, if you don’t want it to sound like a Spector you can buy the fishman bass no one liked.