Thomann Affiliate: www.thomann.de/intl/index.html?offid=1&affid=3210 Sweetwater Affiliate: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0mGvx My personal Thomann recommendations: thmn.to/thocf/cv37zixo68 My webstore for Captures, presets etc: ko-fi.com/sonicdrivestudio Thanks for supporting the channel!
When I was a teenager and asked one old guitar player about which pick-ups should I consider. He said "just pick up the goddamn guitar and never stop playing, that one!" He was right
For this style of song/playing, the EMGs sound best to my ears, by a fair amount. They sound like a great halfway point between the SD and Fishman pickups.
Ok i got it!! I have the clear winner out of this comparison and you will all agree...drum roll......The fricken Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier is the winner!! lol who gives a shit what kind of pickups you have with that monster amp? God made me realize how much i love that amp. Thank you great comparison, there wasnt a bad sound out of any of them.
every guitar in this video kills it, there is no "better" in my opinion, they are just just different.. whats "better", black or white? same answer here..
EMG great on Low Attack.. Fishman great on tone clarity.. if u want to play Groove Djent Metal like Monuments, EMG better (ex. Animus)... if u want play Progressive Djent Metal like Periphery, Fishman Better (ex. Blood Eagle)
I wouldn’t say that the Fluence Modern sounded thinner personally. If anything, from what I’ve heard from the Fluence Modern in this demo as well as the Fluence Modern that I have in a Schecter SLS Evil Twin, it sounds smoother so that you can maintain a tight, focused sound while keeping everything sounding clear and open. I should also add that the Fluence Modern sounds really good going into a Hughes and Kettner Black Spirit 200 with a set of Eminence CV-75 speakers.
Your other vid made me check if there's possible active/passive comparison..and while i was hoping for Orange, this one here gives me THE ultimate all-time on that topic.. Passive, all the way..! Again, those low-end chugs are the revealing moment! To be fair, they all sound great, and any would suffice, of course for any situation... But if theres a choice, passive FTW...opinion has been solidified here! Great content man, great great riffs and tones..thank you for that..! gotta explore more of your vids..! where can we check out your own music?
They all sound good. fishman was my favorite at first but I must say that the passive is a good balance between all. Surprisingly, the fishman sounds good in the mix but is not pleasant to listen when played in solo track mode. I guess its better to judge in the mix anyway. Thank you for putting some time on this one, very informative, indeed.
Before buying guitar with EMG I always heard about how "EMG weren't as good". Well, the only thing I don't like all that much about them is that you need to be a bit more careful with cleans. Everything else it's awesome, no matter the type of tone I try to achieve!
The Fishman is definitely more present and clear. I typically prefer passive pups but have never cared for the SD Custom much. Would love to hear some Lace pickups in your vids. I have a Lace Nitro Hemi in the bridge of my LTD EC-1000 and can't imagine ever changing. Has the power and clarity of those Fishmans and warmth of a passive. Cleans up so well with your guitar's volume but stays warm and not thin.
I would love to hear your thoughts on putting a 24 volt battery on the EMG's you use and see what kind of head room that gives you in a comparison shootout like this
Question to every person saying that active pickups sound “artificial” or “fake”. The difference between pickups are basically the EQ, passive have a more loose low end and balanced highs. Active have a tighter low end and sharper highs and mids so the attack is more present. You guys know theres no guitar machine or guitar samples to make it sound actually fake....
I have a Fishman Fluence Modern loaded guitar, and I prefer the bridge passive mode for rhythm. I wonder how that mode would fair in this comparison. The normal Fishman bridge mode seems to be more 500Hzish emphasized (seems great for more compressed leads), whereas the passive mode has a more dynamic feel and more high end cut/mid scoop. That being said, the SD passives sounded best to me in this comparison. They all sounded pretty nice in the mix (IR/Cab still king).
Awesome video! Can you do another video like this with the EVH 5150 iii el34 head as well? I got that amp and would like to hear you do a test with that amp. Killer vid \M/
I was paralyzed by Seymour Duncans 100s of choices. Had a gibson flying v with the sh5 Duncan custom in it but wanted a little more. Said screw it cant go wrong with emg. Good enough for Zakk Wylde good enough for me. What a great move. I compared them against each other and switched every guitar to emg 81/85. Thats how much better I thought they were. No od needed on rythm channels anymore. I love my emgs
Do you still love them? I go back and forth- one day i can't get enough of it then the next I pull it out and eventually come back years later and start the process all over again 😅
Forget about the pickup comparison, I'm here to enjoy your playing! I've always dug the riffs and tunes you come up with and, don't get me wrong, the way you cover the various topics in yur videos is excellent, and I enjoy your insight a bunch. That said, keep on doing what you do, bud!
You continue to kill it with these gear demo comparisons. Been watching your videos for a year and a half, I’ll continue to say you and Tri Crow Studios are the best TH-cam channels for gear who are so underrated. Personally I preferred the active pickups, hot rodded saturated tones.
Agree with those mentioning the higher voltage mods for emgs. 24v is particularly easy with a little battery holder gadget. The difference in headroom is quite noticeable.
_I can’t believe it took me a year to find this video but it’s probably the best comparison I’ve seen. 🏆 I have to go with the passive pickup for clarity, but I personally prefer the Fishman pick ups for my own playing because they hide some of the mistakes that I make._
Fishman definitely has that modern sound that everybody seems to be using these days. Just for me, though, I think I prefer the passive tone from the Seymour Duncans. Has a kind of naturalness to it that resonates with me.
For recording purposes I do enjoy emgs because the guitar itself matters less and I already know how to work the signal. For any other scenario passives are my go to usually.
Just put a OD9 with the Duncan and you can make it sound like the Fishmans, but with the ability to laid back ! Anyway, really interesting as always, cheers !
They were pretty similar, and all sounded good. My preference was the Seymour Duncan for its balance, then the Fishman for its push, and lastly the EMG as the basses sounded somewhat undefined. Regarding pickups in general, I think the width of the pickup is one of the most important specs, as it determines how long a segment of string is being sensed by a pickup. A wide pickup will be warmer and less focused than a narrow single coil size pickup. My favorite pickups are P90, Filterton, PRS Narrow Field, and stacked mini-humbuckers, as the combine the "good" characteristics of single coil and humbucker pickups. I prefer passive over active pickups, as I don't like using batteries.
The differences are subtle and I doubt the average listener would tell a difference. To my ears the Fishman had just a hair more presence. So the only reason to go active would be for it's ability to stay quiet and not lose any signal with long cable runs. Also possibly a bit more sustain since they are low output and less magnet pull (signal boosted with preamp). They also don't lose clarity or high end when turning down volume. So this has been my maddening question...to change my passive Duncans to actives (57/66 in my LP and RetroActive Hot 70s in my Charvel So Cal). I love the look of the Phoenix; that body shape is just so nice. And I love the P90 tone in the neck for blues. Bottom line...can that Duncan Custom get Zakk Wylde tones and pinch harmonics? That's what I'm after. I love the Duncan JB and Custom is also cool. But I'm after Zakk Wylde tones like he gets with Black Label Society. So that's why I'm considering changing to EMGs.
hey man, I have a different question - what's the purpose of the black tape next to the bridge and next to the tuners in the white Eclipse? You did it just for the look or does it have some purpose? Just curious, I saw it a couple of times but never knew what's the point :)
I really like the vid, but I believe that guitars have a sound of there own and no pu is gonna change that. You can shape what you have, but if some frequencies aren't there, no pu is gonna change that. You could do emg/fishman shoot out in the same guitar, plug and play :) Keep up the cool Content!!
8:21 you definitely hear all the string more clearly on the chords. Emgs definitely have a more midrange and aggressiveness over fishmans. I feel like I hear people say fishmans are way better then emgs but in this demo I thing emg wins. Passive definitely my favorite.
I really like that fullness in the low end with the EMG's, especially in the single note riffage. That can be construed as "mud," but I think that fullness is great to have in a tone, when it's built in and can be sculpted with eq.
Would like to hear a mix of all three. ride the fader like a 1-2 db boost, roll up the Duncan for chords, roll up the EMG for chugs, run the Fishman even to balance them out. The Duncan sounds more open and complete through the freq range, the high end sounds best here. The Fishman has a compressed sound that sounded awesome in the chugs section. The EMG sounds compressed as well with a different eq curve to it. I have a LTD Phoenix 401 so this was very interesting to hear.
I personally prefer passives but recently installed Fishmans in an ltd ec407. It took me a while to dial in the sound I wanted and was disappointed at first. I hated 'em, I thought they sounded brittle and thin with too much gain. I put in the low gain jumper and kept dialing and now that I'm getting use to how they sound I love 'em ! I would still rather just toss in a set of Nazgul/Sentient pups and know exactly what to expect but it's fun playing with a new type of response and getting a different tone. With all that said, In this video I like the Fishmans overall but at certain points I prefer the passives. I still love emg's too but I dont think they shined here. Fishman wins !!
What i notice immediately is the difference in response time between the custom and the Fishman. Custol is squishy, softer, the Fishman fluence has that immediate and very direct attack that i love for modern metal but can be annoying in other genres. The video confirmed why i never really owned EMG's, they're not for me. But i defo enjoy both passive and fluence pickups!
Great job. Would love to hear a comparison on lead tones. They all sounded great, but the Fishmans really sounded open while still sounding aggressive. There's something angry about those chugs on the Fishman. It's not as heavy but it's sharper.
I have always been a passive fan but have moved to moderns last 2 years. Moderns have more clarity but can bring out pick chirping on single note riffs. I’m still torn as to what I like better. Is that custom Passive a ceramic or alnico? I really want to hear Wes Jupiter rails vs moderns.
The differences to me are very subtle between all three. The SDs are nice and balanced, while the Fishmans sound a bit more bright and articulate to me. The EMGs (what I personally own) are definitely the "darkest" sounding of the three, but not muddy to my ears. I love the bass response they provide. I can see why more modern players would go for Fishmans. They seem to have just a bit more "bark" to them. I enjoyed all three. It is really just personal preference. Would love to hear this video done with an EVH 5150III next!
I've tried all 3. I prefer the dynamics of a passive for rhythm rock/metal in the bridge. For solo metal lead , I like 85 emg. Fishman was a bit thin if I used a tube screamer boost, good by itself- a little lacking dynamics. Emg 81 is a bit muddy and the 57 in this video sounds similar. I would prefer the emg if used with a ts boost. In the end , the hassle of batteries isn't worth it. Good comparison. Good video
Nice comparison! Tbh, in a full mix i can't hear too much difference between these picks. In isolated tracks i can hear the differences and i prefer EMGs, i always loved a pair of EMGs on a Les Paul style guitar, Zakk Wylde rule.
Cool comparison, nice to see the Fishman isn't THAT MUCH different from the EMG and that the whole Fishman hype can sometimes be a bit too much. That being said, I think the video is not super fair for the passive, the SD Custom can be a bit dark/muddy. The SD Nazgul has more bite and is probably closer to the Fishman. I know you don't have every pickup available and that's totally fine, but I would be very interested in hearing how the Nazgul compares to the Fishman.
I had a couple guitars with Nazgul, very far from neutral sounding. Very aggressive. I can't solder to save my life so I'm not very flexible when it comes to these comparisons tbh
I prefer EMGs. SD are also great. Fishmans are great for the guitar double in the mix. So my thoughts are: if you are like me with boosted ego, you can choose either EMGs or SD, and Fishmans for your second guitarist, who is just normal human being.
I like the passives the most, followed by the EMGs and the Fishmans last. That is just for my personal style, great results can be achieved with any of these, but I notice as a player and as a listener I gravitate towards passives. Best tones for cleans and distortion in my opinion and no need for batteries, so a win win.
I'm biased towards passives here and particularly the SH-5 which I think is one of the best passive pickups ever made but I'm also a big fan of the fluence modern as well. For me, I'd still take the passives here but the fishmans are a close 2nd because while compressed, they just sound so hi-fi and clear. The Custom though just seems a bit more open with a bit more dynamics going on. Not quite as tight as the fishmans with your particular amp settings but that can be adjusted for. It's a ceramic pickup at over 14K resistance so it's plenty hot enough to do anything you want with it and the way the SH-5 is EQ'd by Duncan just sort of fits my preferences tonally.
For me, the passive pickup wins by far. Such an organic, full, yet savage sound. The actives sound like electrical noise compared to it. But there may be some band situations (2 distorted guitars, heavy drums, distorted bass), where the actives can cut through better in the overall sound.
I just love to grab my food at lunch time, take a break and watch your videos mate! As for the pickups, did you do any EQ in post? I have a EC1000 with EMG's but on record they always sound crap, but yours were surprisingly really good. I also think that amp is not really the best to do this sort of experiement. The Dual Rect is too.... "Bassy"? So I could only really hear proper difference on the staccatos and palm mutes. But as always fantastic video mate!
I run single humbucker, single volume guitars and I mostly use the EMG 60 in the bridge believe it or not but I tried out the EMG 57 and I really do like it. Added the 24V mod to "wake" it up and clean up some of the mud.
I really appreciated the riff with the Seymour Duncan, it really sings in the beginning. I didn't like at all the EMG, just didn't give me the same vibe. Crazy how pickups can make a big difference depending on the style.
Fisherman is naaah for me, sounds dull "but" on the other hand it is good for mimicking other pickups with an eq, that is why I would buy them. I will never buy an expensive pickup (unless they come with the guitar), I prefer a passive, versatile and cheap pickup and use it with an eq. I like it this way and in my opinion It is all about eq. Thanks for the video by the way, you are the best!
This is a great review. I'm an EMG manthru and thru but to be honest these all sounded good. Very hard to pick one over the other, especially in a mix. I would pick the SDs/EMGs as tie for 1st place with the Fishmans in a close 2nd.
I always go towards actives ever since I owned EMG. Seems like they have more presence in mids compared to passives. Passives I always think about overdrive and eq.
I really like the 57. I have one guitar with Fishman moderns but I don't like the ceramic modern. Swapped out the bridge for a modern alnico and it's so much better to my ears. Sounds thicker and more alive to me.
Two things: first, it would be interesting for you to share via which guitar/pickup you dialed in the amp. I think that is kinda like "leading the witness" in that a sound that might be ideal for one pickup type might be totally no right for another. The other thing is that of all the EMG pickups, that 57 is kinda an outlier and pretty far off from the 81 and 85 which are the most popular. I think the 57 is an active pickup trying to sound like a passive pickup. I'm just not a fan.
Thomann Affiliate: www.thomann.de/intl/index.html?offid=1&affid=3210
Sweetwater Affiliate: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0mGvx
My personal Thomann recommendations: thmn.to/thocf/cv37zixo68
My webstore for Captures, presets etc: ko-fi.com/sonicdrivestudio
Thanks for supporting the channel!
When I was a teenager and asked one old guitar player about which pick-ups should I consider. He said "just pick up the goddamn guitar and never stop playing, that one!" He was right
3:00 Seymour Duncan (passive)
4:12 Fishman Fluence Modern (active)
5:24 EMG 57 (active)
For me Fishman has the perfect tone between EMG and SD. So versatile as well as a perfect high gain tone
For this style of song/playing, the EMGs sound best to my ears, by a fair amount. They sound like a great halfway point between the SD and Fishman pickups.
Ok i got it!! I have the clear winner out of this comparison and you will all agree...drum roll......The fricken Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier is the winner!! lol who gives a shit what kind of pickups you have with that monster amp? God made me realize how much i love that amp. Thank you great comparison, there wasnt a bad sound out of any of them.
every guitar in this video kills it, there is no "better" in my opinion, they are just just different.. whats "better", black or white? same answer here..
EMG great on Low Attack.. Fishman great on tone clarity.. if u want to play Groove Djent Metal like Monuments, EMG better (ex. Animus)...
if u want play Progressive Djent Metal like Periphery, Fishman Better (ex. Blood Eagle)
I wouldn’t say that the Fluence Modern sounded thinner personally. If anything, from what I’ve heard from the Fluence Modern in this demo as well as the Fluence Modern that I have in a Schecter SLS Evil Twin, it sounds smoother so that you can maintain a tight, focused sound while keeping everything sounding clear and open.
I should also add that the Fluence Modern sounds really good going into a Hughes and Kettner Black Spirit 200 with a set of Eminence CV-75 speakers.
I love the Duncan's the best. It just sounded more savage. Mean. But the EMGs sounded like they would rule on a Marshall
EMGs sound so good on the chugs. They just work really well for this kind of music, though I like the passives overall.
Your other vid made me check if there's possible active/passive comparison..and while i was hoping for Orange, this one here gives me THE ultimate all-time on that topic..
Passive, all the way..! Again, those low-end chugs are the revealing moment!
To be fair, they all sound great, and any would suffice, of course for any situation...
But if theres a choice, passive FTW...opinion has been solidified here!
Great content man, great great riffs and tones..thank you for that..! gotta explore more of your vids..!
where can we check out your own music?
They all sound good. fishman was my favorite at first but I must say that the passive is a good balance between all. Surprisingly, the fishman sounds good in the mix but is not pleasant to listen when played in solo track mode. I guess its better to judge in the mix anyway. Thank you for putting some time on this one, very informative, indeed.
Before buying guitar with EMG I always heard about how "EMG weren't as good". Well, the only thing I don't like all that much about them is that you need to be a bit more careful with cleans. Everything else it's awesome, no matter the type of tone I try to achieve!
They sound so similar, that the smallest change of the treble, mid or bass knobs on the amp would change more to the sound... They are all awesome!
The Fishman is definitely more present and clear. I typically prefer passive pups but have never cared for the SD Custom much. Would love to hear some Lace pickups in your vids. I have a Lace Nitro Hemi in the bridge of my LTD EC-1000 and can't imagine ever changing. Has the power and clarity of those Fishmans and warmth of a passive. Cleans up so well with your guitar's volume but stays warm and not thin.
I would love to hear your thoughts on putting a 24 volt battery on the EMG's you use and see what kind of head room that gives you in a comparison shootout like this
I've done the 18 volt and there is a significant difference.
I was gonna say.
I have 24v mod on my Japan Jackson DKMGT and I love it !!! so much life from the pickups much more open sounding
I had the 24 volt and it seems to sound the same although it feels different when playing.
Question to every person saying that active pickups sound “artificial” or “fake”.
The difference between pickups are basically the EQ, passive have a more loose low end and balanced highs.
Active have a tighter low end and sharper highs and mids so the attack is more present.
You guys know theres no guitar machine or guitar samples to make it sound actually fake....
I have a Fishman Fluence Modern loaded guitar, and I prefer the bridge passive mode for rhythm. I wonder how that mode would fair in this comparison. The normal Fishman bridge mode seems to be more 500Hzish emphasized (seems great for more compressed leads), whereas the passive mode has a more dynamic feel and more high end cut/mid scoop. That being said, the SD passives sounded best to me in this comparison. They all sounded pretty nice in the mix (IR/Cab still king).
Passive everyday!!!You can hear the clarity and richness of the sound specially on the second riff ...
Plus the biggest strength of passive pickups is you never have to worry about batteries dying
I liked the EMG's the best, but they were all really close. I found the EMG's to be a little smoother and darker than the fishmans.
Awesome video! Can you do another video like this with the EVH 5150 iii el34 head as well? I got that amp and would like to hear you do a test with that amp. Killer vid \M/
I was paralyzed by Seymour Duncans 100s of choices. Had a gibson flying v with the sh5 Duncan custom in it but wanted a little more. Said screw it cant go wrong with emg. Good enough for Zakk Wylde good enough for me. What a great move. I compared them against each other and switched every guitar to emg 81/85. Thats how much better I thought they were. No od needed on rythm channels anymore. I love my emgs
Do you still love them? I go back and forth- one day i can't get enough of it then the next I pull it out and eventually come back years later and start the process all over again 😅
Forget about the pickup comparison, I'm here to enjoy your playing! I've always dug the riffs and tunes you come up with and, don't get me wrong, the way you cover the various topics in yur videos is excellent, and I enjoy your insight a bunch. That said, keep on doing what you do, bud!
First comment Man, i like your content and I love the sound of the emgs and SD’s
Would be curious to ear the differences on a more "crunchy" lower gain amp. :)
You continue to kill it with these gear demo comparisons. Been watching your videos for a year and a half, I’ll continue to say you and Tri Crow Studios are the best TH-cam channels for gear who are so underrated.
Personally I preferred the active pickups, hot rodded saturated tones.
Jon you def. have to release a riffing-masterclass! BTW great content as always!
You have read my mind! I have 81/60 EMG pickups, but I want to try the Fishman Fluence. Nice video.
Agree with those mentioning the higher voltage mods for emgs. 24v is particularly easy with a little battery holder gadget. The difference in headroom is quite noticeable.
THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME TO ME... Like, literally, no joke, if you told me all of them where the same I'd legit believe you lol
57 sounded the best of first 2
_I can’t believe it took me a year to find this video but it’s probably the best comparison I’ve seen. 🏆 I have to go with the passive pickup for clarity, but I personally prefer the Fishman pick ups for my own playing because they hide some of the mistakes that I make._
great video with a very interesting topic. and like your shirt too xD
they all sound good. what matters more is that u have a killer riff & song happening. did u publish the full song?
Fishman definitely has that modern sound that everybody seems to be using these days. Just for me, though, I think I prefer the passive tone from the Seymour Duncans. Has a kind of naturalness to it that resonates with me.
Nice comparison Jon. Liking the content recently!
Passive and the fishmans were my favorite. Try Marshall or 6505 next! 🤞🏽
Would've like to have heard the fishman in the passive mode here as well. But killer video as always!
6505 next!
Also would be cool to hear a 2nd passive pickup added to the mix for a more fair comparison, maybe the LTD NW-44 with the Bare Knuckle?
For recording purposes I do enjoy emgs because the guitar itself matters less and I already know how to work the signal. For any other scenario passives are my go to usually.
Just put a OD9 with the Duncan and you can make it sound like the Fishmans, but with the ability to laid back ! Anyway, really interesting as always, cheers !
They were pretty similar, and all sounded good. My preference was the Seymour Duncan for its balance, then the Fishman for its push, and lastly the EMG as the basses sounded somewhat undefined.
Regarding pickups in general, I think the width of the pickup is one of the most important specs, as it determines how long a segment of string is being sensed by a pickup. A wide pickup will be warmer and less focused than a narrow single coil size pickup. My favorite pickups are P90, Filterton, PRS Narrow Field, and stacked mini-humbuckers, as the combine the "good" characteristics of single coil and humbucker pickups. I prefer passive over active pickups, as I don't like using batteries.
The differences are subtle and I doubt the average listener would tell a difference. To my ears the Fishman had just a hair more presence. So the only reason to go active would be for it's ability to stay quiet and not lose any signal with long cable runs. Also possibly a bit more sustain since they are low output and less magnet pull (signal boosted with preamp). They also don't lose clarity or high end when turning down volume. So this has been my maddening question...to change my passive Duncans to actives (57/66 in my LP and RetroActive Hot 70s in my Charvel So Cal).
I love the look of the Phoenix; that body shape is just so nice. And I love the P90 tone in the neck for blues. Bottom line...can that Duncan Custom get Zakk Wylde tones and pinch harmonics? That's what I'm after. I love the Duncan JB and Custom is also cool. But I'm after Zakk Wylde tones like he gets with Black Label Society. So that's why I'm considering changing to EMGs.
hey man, I have a different question - what's the purpose of the black tape next to the bridge and next to the tuners in the white Eclipse? You did it just for the look or does it have some purpose?
Just curious, I saw it a couple of times but never knew what's the point :)
To mute resonances of the strings
I liked the smoothness
I really like the vid, but I believe that guitars have a sound of there own and no pu is gonna change that.
You can shape what you have, but if some frequencies aren't there, no pu is gonna change that.
You could do emg/fishman shoot out in the same guitar, plug and play :)
Keep up the cool Content!!
great informative videos with awesome guitar performances for tests ❤
For me the Duncan took it overall. The EMG was my second fave, i have an 81 but never tried the 57. All sound great. Cool demo.
1) Duncan Custom 2) EMG 3) Fishman
Passive always speaks more to me
8:21 you definitely hear all the string more clearly on the chords. Emgs definitely have a more midrange and aggressiveness over fishmans. I feel like I hear people say fishmans are way better then emgs but in this demo I thing emg wins. Passive definitely my favorite.
I really like that fullness in the low end with the EMG's, especially in the single note riffage. That can be construed as "mud," but I think that fullness is great to have in a tone, when it's built in and can be sculpted with eq.
Would like to hear a mix of all three.
ride the fader like a 1-2 db boost, roll up the Duncan for chords, roll up the EMG for chugs, run the Fishman even to balance them out.
The Duncan sounds more open and complete through the freq range, the high end sounds best here.
The Fishman has a compressed sound that sounded awesome in the chugs section.
The EMG sounds compressed as well with a different eq curve to it.
I have a LTD Phoenix 401 so this was very interesting to hear.
I personally prefer passives but recently installed Fishmans in an ltd ec407. It took me a while to dial in the sound I wanted and was disappointed at first. I hated 'em, I thought they sounded brittle and thin with too much gain. I put in the low gain jumper and kept dialing and now that I'm getting use to how they sound I love 'em ! I would still rather just toss in a set of Nazgul/Sentient pups and know exactly what to expect but it's fun playing with a new type of response and getting a different tone. With all that said, In this video I like the Fishmans overall but at certain points I prefer the passives. I still love emg's too but I dont think they shined here. Fishman wins !!
God, whoo, that tone is just amazing.
Can you do pitch harmonics with your picking technique? Man ..one day you should make an video of your picking style ;) Cheers!
What i notice immediately is the difference in response time between the custom and the Fishman.
Custol is squishy, softer, the Fishman fluence has that immediate and very direct attack that i love for modern metal but can be annoying in other genres.
The video confirmed why i never really owned EMG's, they're not for me. But i defo enjoy both passive and fluence pickups!
Next 6505 pls! SD and EMG ftw here
Great comparison, Fishman all the way
Great job. Would love to hear a comparison on lead tones. They all sounded great, but the Fishmans really sounded open while still sounding aggressive. There's something angry about those chugs on the Fishman. It's not as heavy but it's sharper.
Fishman for me, with the Mesa. Next time, please do a PRS MT15 edition!
I have always been a passive fan but have moved to moderns last 2 years. Moderns have more clarity but can bring out pick chirping on single note riffs. I’m still torn as to what I like better. Is that custom Passive a ceramic or alnico? I really want to hear Wes Jupiter rails vs moderns.
Interesting, I figured I would prefer the Fishman pups, but I actually preferred the Seymour Duncans.
The differences to me are very subtle between all three. The SDs are nice and balanced, while the Fishmans sound a bit more bright and articulate to me. The EMGs (what I personally own) are definitely the "darkest" sounding of the three, but not muddy to my ears. I love the bass response they provide. I can see why more modern players would go for Fishmans. They seem to have just a bit more "bark" to them. I enjoyed all three. It is really just personal preference. Would love to hear this video done with an EVH 5150III next!
Definitely want to hear this with a Marshall
Marshall JVM would be good to try as it has many different gain settings. Very good comparison!
Perhaps try the more classic emg's?
Like the 81, 85 or 70?
I've tried all 3. I prefer the dynamics of a passive for rhythm rock/metal in the bridge. For solo metal lead , I like 85 emg. Fishman was a bit thin if I used a tube screamer boost, good by itself- a little lacking dynamics. Emg 81 is a bit muddy and the 57 in this video sounds similar. I would prefer the emg if used with a ts boost. In the end , the hassle of batteries isn't worth it.
Good comparison. Good video
The battery lasts so long it's hardly a hassle.
@@ConvictedGreed i meant if you are installing actives into a guitar that came with passive *
I would like to see a comparison between the Fishmans and the Bare Knuckle Polymath.
Nice comparison!
Tbh, in a full mix i can't hear too much difference between these picks. In isolated tracks i can hear the differences and i prefer EMGs, i always loved a pair of EMGs on a Les Paul style guitar, Zakk Wylde rule.
3:33 SD
4:44 Fish
5:56 EMG
Cool comparison, nice to see the Fishman isn't THAT MUCH different from the EMG and that the whole Fishman hype can sometimes be a bit too much. That being said, I think the video is not super fair for the passive, the SD Custom can be a bit dark/muddy. The SD Nazgul has more bite and is probably closer to the Fishman. I know you don't have every pickup available and that's totally fine, but I would be very interested in hearing how the Nazgul compares to the Fishman.
I had a couple guitars with Nazgul, very far from neutral sounding. Very aggressive. I can't solder to save my life so I'm not very flexible when it comes to these comparisons tbh
Which Custom pickup was the passive one? Seymour Duncan makes 3, the Duncan Custom, Custom Custom (not a typo) and the Custom 5.
Another question is can you put an eq pedal in front of amp to make up the difference between tone?
very cool test! thanks for that
I prefer EMGs. SD are also great. Fishmans are great for the guitar double in the mix. So my thoughts are: if you are like me with boosted ego, you can choose either EMGs or SD, and Fishmans for your second guitarist, who is just normal human being.
I tried and like the SDuncan JB through a dual recto but still love my 27v 81.
I expected EMG 81. Good job.
I like the passives the most, followed by the EMGs and the Fishmans last. That is just for my personal style, great results can be achieved with any of these, but I notice as a player and as a listener I gravitate towards passives. Best tones for cleans and distortion in my opinion and no need for batteries, so a win win.
I'm biased towards passives here and particularly the SH-5 which I think is one of the best passive pickups ever made but I'm also a big fan of the fluence modern as well. For me, I'd still take the passives here but the fishmans are a close 2nd because while compressed, they just sound so hi-fi and clear. The Custom though just seems a bit more open with a bit more dynamics going on. Not quite as tight as the fishmans with your particular amp settings but that can be adjusted for. It's a ceramic pickup at over 14K resistance so it's plenty hot enough to do anything you want with it and the way the SH-5 is EQ'd by Duncan just sort of fits my preferences tonally.
For me, the passive pickup wins by far. Such an organic, full, yet savage sound. The actives sound like electrical noise compared to it. But there may be some band situations (2 distorted guitars, heavy drums, distorted bass), where the actives can cut through better in the overall sound.
Great demos as always man!
what is the point to shoot out pickups in different guitars even in a super high gain tone？
Because it's fun!
Love the comparisons! Also wonder if how the EMG pickup using 24V battery compared to Fishman Fluence Modern.
I just love to grab my food at lunch time, take a break and watch your videos mate! As for the pickups, did you do any EQ in post? I have a EC1000 with EMG's but on record they always sound crap, but yours were surprisingly really good. I also think that amp is not really the best to do this sort of experiement. The Dual Rect is too.... "Bassy"? So I could only really hear proper difference on the staccatos and palm mutes. But as always fantastic video mate!
No post eq. I never do that and if I do any eq I always state it in the video
I run single humbucker, single volume guitars and I mostly use the EMG 60 in the bridge believe it or not but I tried out the EMG 57 and I really do like it. Added the 24V mod to "wake" it up and clean up some of the mud.
They are close but I prefer the Seymour Duncan ones, less muddy and more clarity.
I like that mid pronounced sound of the EMG. Looking forward for the test on a Marshall
They all sound great. Slightly different, but I didn't have a favourite.
Why were the strings on the EC taped at stop tail and the others not?
I agree with you. I think the 5150/6505 should be next.
I really appreciated the riff with the Seymour Duncan, it really sings in the beginning. I didn't like at all the EMG, just didn't give me the same vibe. Crazy how pickups can make a big difference depending on the style.
Would love to hear it with a Marshall or maybe that ENGL 😎
All three are great..the only variable is your setup. But its fair to say that you can get the exact same tone from all three if you tweak a few knobs
Fisherman is naaah for me, sounds dull "but" on the other hand it is good for mimicking other pickups with an eq, that is why I would buy them. I will never buy an expensive pickup (unless they come with the guitar), I prefer a passive, versatile and cheap pickup and use it with an eq. I like it this way and in my opinion It is all about eq.
Thanks for the video by the way, you are the best!
The Fishman is so much more compatable with mordern electronics. It just works. I have them in a bass. They are amazing.
I think the passive sounds more alive,though it doesn't as tight as as the active which has a bit less fatty sound
This is a great review. I'm an EMG manthru and thru but to be honest these all sounded good. Very hard to pick one over the other, especially in a mix. I would pick the SDs/EMGs as tie for 1st place with the Fishmans in a close 2nd.
that was a KILLER riff \m/
No EMG 81? The 81's are fantastic in my opinion.
Love 81s but I don't have one in a suitable guitar for this comparison atm
I always go towards actives ever since I owned EMG. Seems like they have more presence in mids compared to passives. Passives I always think about overdrive and eq.
Can you please try with an Orange OR15? Great video btw
I really like the 57. I have one guitar with Fishman moderns but I don't like the ceramic modern. Swapped out the bridge for a modern alnico and it's so much better to my ears. Sounds thicker and more alive to me.
Two things: first, it would be interesting for you to share via which guitar/pickup you dialed in the amp. I think that is kinda like "leading the witness" in that a sound that might be ideal for one pickup type might be totally no right for another. The other thing is that of all the EMG pickups, that 57 is kinda an outlier and pretty far off from the 81 and 85 which are the most popular. I think the 57 is an active pickup trying to sound like a passive pickup. I'm just not a fan.