FISHMAN Fluence Classic vs EMG 57 - Active Bridge Pickup Guitar Comparison / Demo

Distorted and clean rhythm comparison demo between Fishman Fluence Classic (two voicings available) and EMG 57 pickup on the bridge position. Settings are the following:
GUITAR
Model: Custom strat (alder body with canadian maple neck)
Tuning: Eь / D#
Strings: D'Addario EXL140 (010-052 gauge)
AMP
Distortion: Peavey 5150 profile (Kemper Profiling Amp)
Clean: EVH 5150 III profile (Kemper Profiling Amp)
RECORDING TECHNIQUE:
One centered mono track per pickup (this differs from previous comparison videos, which had two tracks in stereo).
Same config and EQ for both.
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[@sunnys3325]

Distortion starts at 4:16. Thank you for this awesome comparison.

[@brandonlam1477]

57. Aggressive. Tight. Clear. 🤘

[@terran236]

EMG 57 sounds like the Voice 2 of the fishman but with more power on the low mids.

[@lewisstorer89]

I have and use Fishman Moderns and EMG 81s. there really isn't fuck all between them except the EMGs sound more powerful live and track faster (despite what Fishman fans claim) The Moderns have their place in a recording environment imo - whilst I would always prefer EMGs live. EMGs get bashed online for absolutely no good reason. They are killer pickups and considering how much cheaper they are to Fishmans, the "differences" are too slight to justify Fishmans higher price. We all like collecting guitars and naturally they all play and sound different. I would rather pick up a different guitar to get a specific sound - rather than have one pickup set that tries to do as many sounds as possible, negating the point for more guitars. Fishman having other "voices" just seems redundant to me outside of a studio environment like Ive already mentioned. For me its: Fishmans on albums EMGs live on stage.

[@stephenchow5161]

thanks for this

[@madjentah]

EMGs all the way, man!

[@turaly0n]

EMG 57 by far. Not even a contest.

[@Terrysoddy]

Yea I agree 100%

[@Gears9]

Fishmans are more "spikey" in the frequency ranges. My 57 guitar cuts through better with a lot of clarity compared to my 81 guitar. The 81 delivers more low end in reference to "mud" and clarity issues as with the 57 cleans it up while maintaining the same bite. Fishmans react similar but it's just too spikey for me and have a plastic sound instead of fuller body. With all the low low tunings and 8 string guitars today, Fishmans I believe are marketed better for that.

[@AhrueIlustre]

Thanks for doing this comparison. I was thinking of trying some Fishmans but they sound very similar to the EMG 57's that I have in most of my guitar. There pros and cons of both tones, but one is not clearly better than the other.

[@BagusWibisono]

fishman more clarity, emg more punch. Right?

[@略奪でる]

Sounds like you can't go wrong with either pickup. I own the EMG 57/ 66 TW combo and they are awesome, but sloppiness I found is not rewarded.

[@EatingNails]

At another battery, it helps make things a looser and forgiving

[@diegogc11]

Hello! is the emg split mode noiseless too? thank you!

[@略奪でる]

@@diegogc11 I believe so yes. I haven't had any hum in single coil mode.

[@diegogc11]

@@略奪でる that's cool, thanks!

[@bucketfeet6570]

just got myself a pair of the tw's. fantastic set! The 66 neck might be the greatest neck pickup ever made.

[@oudaijawad5809]

57 EMG was great

[@bergglobus2428]

For me it's Emg for clean, Fischman for distortion

[@constantinea8149]

The Fishman is so rich and saturated. And it's warmer, too. I would definitely try one... or two

[@xnapegox]

Muy chillonas las fluence,no? Suena más orgánico y calido el sonido de las EMG

[@juzzie]

EMG 57 .. every.single.time

[@Andy-km3pg]

Seems like the fishmans are alot more clearer and the emg sounds muffled which is exactly what i don’t like about my 81

[@worldman_x_2610]

Emg 57 wins

[@m.r.4455]

-Cleans 57 Voice 2 Voice 1 -Dist 57 Voice 1 Voice 2

[@CorvetteCoonass]

Fishman pickups to me just sound like they're trying too hard to sound passive and because of that, the tone is off-putting. EMGs sound like EMGs and they not trying to sound like an artificially mid boosted active pickup. If you want more mids in front of the amp, use a damn EQ pedal.

[@KanbaruS4n]

exactly my thoughts

[@borodinski8960]

Don’t understand all the hype about that fishman pickups. They sound like shit.

[@Namelessforever_]

I couldn’t agree more. Glad I’m not the only one

[@boshi9]

Listened to a few comparisons featuring Fishmans on this channel and I'm also surprised how thin and spiky their sound is. Voice 2 is a better, but overall I'd just go with EMG or a good passive pickup.

[@iamshields.632]

For cleans the fishmans are miles ahead of the 57. Warmer, richer and smoother. High gain its very close. I could go either way really.