Tosin Abasi's Fishman Fluence Signature Pickup Shootout [4K]

Tosin conducts an extensive pickup shootout, comparing his new Fishman Fluence signature series pickups against various popular pickups.
Videography by Guitar Messenger: www.guitarmesse....

[@casbah1982]

*DISCLAIMER* : Installing Tosin's pickups in your guitar does not mean that you will be able to play like Tosin...

[@Abrahamhamham]

I thought the pickups were broken or some shit. I was about to return them, then i saw your comment.

[@theguitarodds1779]

Nah for that a turtle neck is required!

[@1serious0mfr]

😢

[@thesuncollective1475]

F**K

[@robadobflob3405]

If only I could play so fast the framerate of the camera has to be upped...

[@williamforero6323]

Time // Song Name // Position // Pickup A/B 1:59 "Point To Point" (2nd Position) A 2:13 "Point To Point" (2nd Position) B 2:28 "Another Year" (2nd Position) A 2:37 "Another Year" (2nd Position) B 2:47 "On Impulse" (2nd Position) A 3:03 "On Impulse" (2nd Position, Coil Tapped) B 3:17 "Lippincott" (4th Position) A 3:32 "Lippincott" (5th Position, Split) B 3:46 "Tempting Time" (2nd Position) A 3:59 "Tempting Time" (2nd Position) B 4:10 "Air Chrysalis" (4th Position) A 4:27 "Air Chrysalis" (4th Position) B 4:42 "Modern Meat" (5th Position) A 4:59 "Modern Meat" (5th Position) B 5:17 "Arithmophobia" (5th Position) A 5:31 "Arithmophobia" (3rd Position) B 5:44 "Woven Web" (2nd Position) A 5:55 "Woven Web" (2nd Position) B 6:05 "Ectogenesis" (2nd Position) A 6:15 "Ectogenesis" (2nd Position) B 6:25 "Thoroughly At Home" (4th Position) A 6:33 "Thoroughly At Home" (5th Position, Split) B 6:41 "Kascade" (2nd Position) A 6:54 "Kascade" (2nd Position) B 7:07 "Inner Assassins" (2nd Position) A 7:15 "Inner Assassins" (2nd Position) B 7:23 "Tooth And Claw" (1st Position) A 7:35 "Tooth And Claw" (1st Position) B 7:47 "Tempting Time" (1st Position, Voice 2) A 7:59 "Tempting Time" (1st Position) B 8:11 "Nephele" (4th Position) A 8:19 "Nephele" (1st Position) B 8:28 "The Glass Bridge" (4th Position) A 8:37 "The Glass Bridge" (4th Position) B 8:47 "Ectogenesis" (2nd Position) A 8:58 "Ectogenesis" (2nd Position) B 9:08 "Kascade" (4th Position) A 9:20 "Kascade" (2nd Position, Split) B 9:34 "Tooth And Claw" (1st and 5th Position) A 9:47 "Tooth And Claw" (1st and 5th Position) B 10:00 "The Glass Bridge"(1st and 5th Position) A 10:13 "The Glass Bridge"(1st and 5th Position) B 10:25 "CAFO" (5th Position) A 10:33 "CAFO" (3rd Position) B 10:42 "CAFO" (5th Position) A 10:53 "CAFO" (5th Position) B 11:03 "CAFO" (1st Position) A 11:18 "CAFO" (1st Position) B 11:53 "Victory Smile"

[@ccnytke6624]

Thanks

[@kalleenmarte6498]

William Forero Thanks for this, I noticed someone tried to copy your post somewhere below.

[@fjosip1]

Had some extra time? Good job

[@liamheafey]

holy shit

[@ferna2294]

This world needs more ppl like you.

[@carlitosASJ]

Fishman sounds like a mastered guitar track..others sound like a DI guitar input compared

[@robadobflob3405]

True. That's exactly what I thought... They just have more clarity. I found that they sound almost too harsh, which is exactly what you want out of a pickup. Better to have too much than not enough.

[@56335130]

because an active pickup has preamps and eq filters inside the pickup,it is actually "mastered"

[@Pughhead]

That’s because the tracks weren’t normalized to the same loudness or using the same effects

[@thepostfire]

So is anyone else just watching this just because of how insanely clean his playing is or is it just me?

[@chucknorris6841]

yeah he's got some talent going on.

[@TheLogan1186]

Also the camera quality and gear he’s playing through added with the top quality pickups

[@RG-qi8sq]

I came for the pickup shootout and stayed for the clean playin

[@thedrycleaners3086]

Using "anemic" to describe the thin sound of most split single coils :o This guy conveys/articulates everything he says so well

[@fjosip1]

yeah, I loled when he said it. Not sure why, but I think he got the communication skills from Guthrie Govan :)

[@Bebopopotamus]

Anemic is perfect. It's literally lacking heavy metal.

[@bvdek]

+Bebopopotamus Isn't anemia lack of oxygen in the blood...

[@Bebopopotamus]

It's a lack of iron.

[@bvdek]

+Bebopopotamus Furry muff

[@tydavis2847]

11:27 = Sick Chord 11:35 = Ok Tosin, thanks for sharing that with the cla- 11:38 = *tosin intensifies*

[@djkeown1]

Sometimes I come back to this video just to witness the pinnacle of all guitar tone. It's like guitars in 4K

[@legoharry100]

11:35 Tosin.exe has stopped working

[@gabrieloforti]

I though my computed had crashed and was waiting for a BSOD.

[@James-yt6to]

Lmao

[@ThrivingRockstar]

ROFL

[@Npc2thousand]

Lolz

[@Npc2thousand]

My galaxy s5 froze again

[@lowhangingvegetable]

DiMarzio sounded great too to be honest.

[@AbasiConcepts]

hobomick They should! (I designed those as well 😉)

[@lowhangingvegetable]

touche

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

Tosin Abasi

[@behemothokun]

I wonder what the Fishman's sound compared to Dimarzio D Axtivator X pickups; A lot what Tosin described about the Fishman pickups, I thought too when I first tried these Dimarzio's; that's why these are my go to pickups. But I'm open to try something new.

[@justinthomas1069]

I'm buying them and putting them in my 8 string!!!

[@colincolin7237]

the sustain at the end lmao. thought my phone froze for a second.

[@PursuitSk8]

Colin Colin yeah I love the face he made lmao

[@fauxmosmexual]

this is less a comparison between better and worse pickups and more a showcase of all the sick shit i'm too poor to buy

[@dyingfetus2483]

Same here

[@joshlgrant]

The thing i love about the Fluence set, is the fact that they can sound more like the record, than the actual guitar that was used to play on the record... Its like they've got the full preamp+mix+master in the pickups themselves.

[@WrathfulPride]

Those few seconds of On Impulse really take me back. I wish they still played it live :(

[@austinhayman7023]

Same

[@Acepilot1312]

@@austinhayman7023 Same x2.

[@brandonTHEshiados]

They do some times

[@jnivanyi]

Wow. It's actually crazy how much more clarity, dynamics and output there is between the fluence's and the others for comparison. Great demo, dude!

[@sicariusbladehart9525]

The new pickups sound like THE clean tone I've been searching for.

[@CloroxJelloShot]

I feel exactly the same. I'm sure with the way they are designed they are consistent between 6, 7 and 8-string. It's a hard choice between these and the Devin Townsend set.

[@sicariusbladehart9525]

My only issue is that they can't fit in my 827 without some routing, I'm terrified to do that so I'll probably pick these up in a few years when I get a new 8 string.

[@Aleph_Null_Audio]

I'm a little surprised. I liked the clean sound of the Fishman, but preferred the DiMarzio with gain.

[@Ensorcle]

I felt the same way. I didn't like the fluence pickups when they were heavily over driven, they felt like they lost some articulation and clarity.

[@instrumentalist28]

The Hard Problem to me the fishman just sounds like a loud single coil... i prefer single coils for cleans.....but like most single coils, the fishman sounded thin at higher gain...i still stick with duncans and di marzio as i love high gain and for me they do it best

[@torchlord11]

I must say I'm feeling the same way. I would like to have them make a pickup that has a smooth sound to it. I currently have a D Activator in my guitar, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself to go the hi fi route.

[@theders8590]

@@torchlord11 How does the D Activator sound in single coil? I’ve heard it full hum bucker distorted with the clarity I want but I’d like a chime strat style sound from the split position in clean and overdrive without being brittle.

[@torchlord11]

@@theders8590 It's been years since I've used my D activor pickups so I can't really help you there, sorry. I currently use the Blaze pickup which is a little more scooped in the mids giving more bass frequencies then the D activators.

[@bruceanthony8345]

The Ibanez TAM-100 sound test with Dimarzio's Ionizers: 3:32 Lippincott 4:59 Modern Meat 6:33 Thoughly at Home 7:15 Inner Assassins 7:59 Tempting Time 8:19 Nephele 10:13 The Glass Bridge 10:53 CAFO

[@Taylorlit]

Right during tax season. Smart.

[@DomSchu]

He knows what guitar players do when they find extra cash.

[@RNAMusic]

That Merrow MKii sounded fantastic.

[@AndrewOconnorguitar]

RNA MUSIC yeah those Duncans sounded great

[@x7eroXx]

what set are they ?

[@dudaspriest11]

Nazgul bridge and Sentient neck

[@Th3R3GuLaToR]

Actually...YES that KM was amazing!!! Gotta get one now!!

[@satansfittesleker]

I have one and it is clear ass day

[@worldf1re41]

I don't play guitar, but I love to see the finesse and depth of detail that you can get at such a high mastery of the instrument.

[@oldfriend327]

I loved this so much. The variety of guitars too was really interesting.

[@Orphen01]

The Fishman sound good to me, but they overcompensate the low end by compressing the signal a lot, which is a good thing for this band. For those jazz chords, I like the Dimarzio pickups better.

[@lukejav818]

Agree

[@JoeHeisler]

Fernando Barreto I like his dimarzios better especially with distortion and I still prefer his now discontinued TAM100, wish I could have bought one.

[@jameshewitt891]

At least they aren't dead sounding in the low range. The Bareknuckles in the Aristides just sounded so flat in the low range. The Dimarzios were better, but the low range punch of these new Fishmans are nuts.

[@aamado1013]

The Fishman resonance on Air Chrysalis is wowza! However, I am not ripping the Ionizer out of the neck position on either of my 8s anytime soon.

[@brianburke808]

I thought the Fishmans sounded very dynamic. You can especially hear the variance on the Modern Meat excerpt at 4:43. Tosin's playing dynamics, especially in his hammer on's/pull offs are *extremely* consistent when he wants them to be, and can be mistaken for compression, especially with what seems like active-PU level output on the fluences....of course, he could have had the Fluence's set in "modern" mode, which emulates active PU's, rather than passive mode here, but that would defeat the purpose of the shootout.

[@VegasLoungeAct]

You're a sick human, Tosin. Can't even call myself a guitar player after watching you. The Fluence pups definitely sound more clear and articulate.

[@pedrocruz4669]

Even with the phone speakers you can hear the clarity and articulation in the pickups. It's like Tosin said "it sounds like you have a fresh pair of strings" super glassy and clean

[@jacksimmons1999]

For your style of playing, Fishman was the right choice 100%

[@suitsandstrings55]

I like that you're willing to 1. Change when you find something better. 2. Straight up compare with your old stuff. I feel like a lot of signature stuff just gets updated for the money every once in a while. The fact that you compare them honestly shows that you're just in it for constant motion and progression, not just searching for the last 1959 rusty bobbin or putting your name on a pickup cover. I'm not really an AAL fan at all, but when Tosin speaks I listen. Best player alive or ever, period.

[@gaffgarion92]

He's right, those other pickups sound good too, especially those DiMarzios. The Fishman pickups sound like the way the music sounds in your head. Especially on stuff like On Impulse and Point To Point, songs that were definitely not recorded with as high fidelity as their last 2 albums.

[@liverpoolfugl]

A god amongst mere mortals

[@DJ7tringGuitar]

I wish he would've added the model names of the pickups in the description

[@ChadAnthonyTheReaper]

Those signature pickups are crystal clear in any situation and don't have the woofy or screachy elements that other pickups do. Awesome demo, Thanks Tosin.

[@_guitar_dad]

Second position on the fishmans sounds amazing. Can't wait to get a set.

[@339Jackscarify]

That feedback on the last lick of C.A.F.O. was some of the sweetest thing I ever heard

[@MAD326minecraft]

Damn, just release that guitar already! Can't wait any longer

[@colbybeltz7875]

miad he said it will be coming very soon :)

[@alexdattel2757]

I'll take 2

[@ThyArtIsMetal]

I’m from the future, sorry how things turned out but Abasi guitars look pretty cool!

[@NashMusicStudios]

Hey those legions are out now by the way lol sorry you waited so long

[@orryfishburne6954]

I want those Fishman pups. I play mostly clean and those are the cleanest tones I've ever heard on a guitar

[@TheKrou]

Bare Knuckle sounding the worst? That's probably blowing my mind more than anything.

[@Ignore14]

I am very disappointed in the bare knuckles here.

[@ironwolg]

yeah they sound so muffled and kinda muddy

[@DeathBringer769]

They do make a lot of different types of Bare Knuckle with a lot of different voicings after all. But yea, it's disappointing to see nonetheless. They are still really expensive pickups regardless of the set with that boutique brand, lol.

[@Shredder-KJ]

Ya same here I was like wtf

[@BluedotProductions]

As a builder, I have tried many sets of BKP's - from Painkillers, to Stormy's to Black Hawks and Rebel Yells. I put DiMarzios and OX4's in my own guitars. What can I say?

[@spadorade]

8:11 Damn, haven't heard this version of The Glass Bridge!

[@gaukarmadhouse]

spadorade Lmao it's Nephele.

[@erikceman5354]

I thank the universe for creating Tosin, truly a genius of our times... I'm stunned...

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

that's an incredible difference in volume during the cleans.

[@wonnie]

I saw the teaser on Instagram, and I'm still surprised. I am a passive guy, and I was always like "man, actives suck :^(" and I've tried multiple Blackouts, and multiple EMGs and never really clicked with them... but Fluences wow. Your guitar tone has never sounded better.

[@yigitbulutsen]

11:53 "That was with the noise compressor on, bro."

[@d3tach3d]

That clarity is unreal

[@ryanreiss1172]

People still giving a lot of love to the Dimarzio's - in this comparison the low end between the Fluence and Dimarzios is the difference with and without gain. They both sounds killer but the Dimarzio's can't hang with bigger, more articulate chords. Listening to this on Audio Technica M50x headphones and the low end to my hears is over taking the other notes. Fluence are super balanced. Really dig them. Well done man!

[@patdavidmusic]

Loved the cleans on the fishman so much clarity, so much lower power on the dimarzio's as well....time to burn my guitars

[@chaoTV777]

patdavidmusic hahahaha same

[@Crimzin]

Happy Valentines Day Toast in a Basin!

[@RazHafeez]

Travis Bystedt *Toast in a Basket ;)

[@markgaines2884]

Fishman cleans for the win wow. Tosin was spot on in his description in that you hear the greatest difference in the clean tones. Overdriven, the differences are more subtle but still the Fishmans win on my score card. When played back to back like this, the differences stand out. Ear opening for sure.

[@HeartsOfFlesh]

you have the best timing man, I was just about to order a set of pickups for my 7 string, and your the best person to give examples of their voicings. 10 out of 10

[@richsilvestri7704]

I'd have to say those fluence's are amazing..sound clarity and richness... Again though if I have a 16th of the skill and finesse of Tosin I'm sure it'd all sound amazing.

[@rofflestomp684]

Brilliant comparison! Thank you! I have Fishman's in a bass and they are wonderful. I think you hit this spot on!

[@frank00nixon]

I would love to hear the first three AAL albums re-recorded with a Larada. Looking forward to album number 5, too!!

[@Acepilot1312]

Now Album Number 5, Parrhesia is here! How're you liking it?

[@frank00nixon]

@@Acepilot1312 I think it's amazing. Although, I would have loved to hear more clean parts in it and some transitions could be smoother. However, Red Miso is a masterpiece!

[@LifeofEbb]

That feedback at the end alone had me sold!!

[@OfficiallyMaidenless]

That sustain is out of this world

[@SteveLi123]

the signature TAM100 sounded the best imo

[@Acepilot1312]

Yes, absolutely on par with his Fishmans. :)

[@Arthemesia]

Holy crap. The fishmans cover every frequency very smoothly

[@tommurphy3188]

I believe I’ve commented this before but the tam 100 is the prettiest guitar I think I have ever seen

[@steveschu]

Used Dimarzio and EMG's and love them. I was very impressed with how well those Fishmans sound. Wow

[@zaindar1]

That sustain is cray cray!!! I do really enjoy the clarity and evenness in tone; low to high.

[@TobyKBTY]

And man...with distortion on, I think it's all a matter of what flavor you're into. But WHOAH the difference when it came to the clean tones was no competition. The Fishmans were clear, powerful, and oh so bell-like. Absolutely crazy.

[@TheSevag10]

Each one has it's own beauty great work tosin

[@chrisiorio5278]

The consistency across all of the setting sounded amazing on the Fishmans. Certain aspects I like were more sprawled out between the Duncans, BN's and Dimarzio's.

[@DomSchu]

Tosin be jumping between pickup companies like Jason Richardson jumps between bands.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

but I'm pretty sure this is the end, because these are his signature pickups!

[@Mr.Goldbar]

@@KahruSuomiPerkele are the Ionizers also designed by him?

[@Knight-brolaire]

the low end clarity is the only thing I like about the fluence pickups in this demo.

[@donsmith5385]

All these pickups sound amazing!

[@finnishforestparty6293]

I think theres a lot of things going on at the high frequencies range, thats what makes Fishmans sound so unique while playing clean.

[@JimmyStatic]

Thanks to Tosin for caring this much.

[@killacoiler1707]

I see so many comparisons being made to passive pickups when in reality the Fluences are not passive they are active pickups. Now I agree that they perform remarkably and they have a tonal voice that is simply astonishing by comparison to some of the top dogs in the passive pickup realm. I would like to see how they compare to other active pickups on the market like the ever acclaimed EMG's and such to see if the Fluence's have all the bases covered. I haven't seen these compared to any other active brands of pickups and it has me intrigued as to why not? You sir are an amazing artist and of all the pickups that were compared to the Fluence in this video I would say that the DiMarzio equipped Ibanez was the second best sounding for clarity of tone and dynamic response to your playing style. It was also the closest to your Fluence equipped guitar's range.

[@cpamiseso]

Larry and Tosin did well with Ionizers 8. On par I say, with the Fishman pups.

[@Branulous]

I like how that DiMarzio sounds

[@Free2shred00]

Sounds a lot like the examples weren't normalized to the same loudness. It's hard to get a great apples-to-apples comparison when the passive pickups sound a few decibels quieter than the Fishman pickups. The human ear tends to perceive louder as better. And I'm sure the Fluence pickups do put out a lot more volume than the other pickups. That also means their going to drive your rig harder as well, which may be another reason why they sound so well. Still, I'd like to hear these comparisons again but with the audio edited to boost the other guitars to a similar loudness. That said, those pickups do sound freaking awesome. I'm really hoping I can find a good guitar with Fluence pickups out in the wild that I can try out myself someday soon. I completely agree with what you said (in a different video, I think) about them bridging the gap between single coils and humbuckers very well and sounding way more realistic when compared to a humbucker with the coils split.

[@MrHaggyy]

You definetly hear some compression with the Fishman. Which suits Tosins style. I actually liked the Dimarzio. Which should be the lowest in output.

[@jkrunch2166]

Of all the pickups, the Dimarzio kept up the best with the Fishman pup. That said, the Fishman's were still more open and clear by a wide margin.

[@Handplottedblackhole]

THAT SUSTAIN THO

[@DJCizzle1]

And that was WITH the suppressor... Christ almighty...

[@stevebenitah7453]

*Feedback

[@jeleopard]

that wasn't feedback lmao

[@stevebenitah7453]

jeleopard Rule #2 definitely applies here.

[@Cole444Train]

not feedback lol

[@jeandersonbc]

In love with this tone!

[@thefriendlyfinger69]

I'm amazed at the amount of string buzz on such expensive instruments

[@mikkasnyders5563]

The Fishman pickups were the best by far. Just so crisp and clear

[@marcthomas8192]

There are a lot of Chapman stick sound at 3:48 and 4:10. Tosin would make an awesome chapman stick player. That's for sure

[@stoicseneca]

The Fluence pickups sparkle like fine crystal.

[@drphalanges1520]

All the pickups sound good but the Fluence has that gorgeous sparkliness to it.

[@robertcuff5704]

the ones that arent the fluence just sound like they have the tone rolled off a bit. Spectacular!!

[@RaaynML]

Dude the sustain fucking blew my mind

[@jerveman]

such a thorough evaluation. Godspeed!

[@cyphol]

Maybe I am biased towards the Ionizers, but they sound really good to me still. The fluence is amazing don't get me wrong, but there is a quality with the Ionizers that speaks to me a little bit more. I would still like to have a set of fluences but I wouldn't swap the Ionizers for them.

[@RizzleK]

Happy Valentine's Day to you as well, Tosin.

[@ChordVoicings]

Ectogenesis was pretty neat on fishmans. 6:05

[@PursuitSk8]

ChordVoicings I thought the same thing. kind of want them on my kiesel now since they're slanted pickups too

[@JosephMazzanti]

I agree. To be honest though, you could play any of those Ectogenesis riffs on a trombone and I'd still be rocking out. That song is phenomenal.

[@CryThunderdarealone]

Dylan Simon I'm still waiting for Kiesel to offer their models with Fishmans lol do these pickups fit in a Vader? I thought they were different sizes?

[@andrewavenenti8716]

The fishmans tone is so rich and succulent :3

[@emptea4437]

They certainly sound a lot louder. I know that the output in fishman pickups is always really high. It'd be a better comparison if they gain matched the different guitars in post

[@GRiMHOLDx]

8:11 Not glass Bridge lol

[@CameraGuyify]

GRiMHOLD I noticed it too

[@zeldahadley2463]

GRiMHOLD Was gonna say

[@JusTVIDSE]

GRiMHOLD I was right there when I realized that, and was about to comment that and then I saw your comment

[@GuitarMessenger]

Sorry guys, was a lot of info to catch :)

[@bakedandsteaked]

GRiMHOLD you're still everywhere

[@tacopacopotato6619]

this guy's guitars are fucking beautiful. He's like from the future

[@luison2970]

Best guitarist, best pickup video comparison

[@stevenbeechey]

Rad collection of footage.

[@rubbRdukz]

My only worry/concern is that the second position on the fishmans has alot of high end but not a ton of body compared to the others

[@M4NA5]

Tosin went from EMG to DiMarzio to Seymour Duncan to Fishman pickups. I wonder what’s next.

[@boarhead5573]

I'd love to see his face as a child, as he learned his first chord

[@JuanQuizon]

Let’s be honest, Tosin just wanted to flex his guitar collection 🙄

[@ehoc42]

To me the fishman sound louder and less midfocused. Having more low and high end probably makes them better suited for extended range guitars, but the volume differences doesn't make for an unbiased comparison

[@jasperdunn]

he should have volume matched for sure :D

[@Gitfiddle]

Great comparison. Thank you. Helped me make my pickup choice.

[@hellsing1983]

Rich and articulate is my opinion about these pickups.

[@dougiemonday]

Great demonstration man. I'm convinced

[@CK-kc7wn]

I really need those fishmans. Good lord they're so good.

[@axiow]

Somebody please get this man a Pickup

[@djrifting]

I've watched this video like 10 times just watching him play

[@brianburke808]

Ok, those pickups in an Aristides just became my dream guitar.