Guitar Interactive – Issue 66 2019

(^96) Guitar Interactive Issue 66
make these pickups affords Fishman an
unprecedented level of fine tuning without
having to compromise output, string pull
or form factor. The “Classic P.A.F.” voice
captures all of the clarity and dynamics of
the best vintage humbuckers, with a great
throaty “clonk” when you dig in hard.
Switching to voice 2 turns the bridge pickup
into a “Hot Rodded” humbucker with a little
more output and a strong midrange push
that takes your amp over the edge, while the
tighter bass response further improves clarity
and articulation with higher gain sounds.
The same voice on the neck pickup (which
Fishman describe as “Airy and Open”) shifts
the bass response higher for a faster attack,
while extending the high end and adding
a little punch in the upper mids - ideal for
making sure your shreddy lead lines carry
in a dense mix. The single coils are very
reminiscent of a great Telecaster bridge
pickup and a Strat neck pickup, performing
very well across a wide range of gain from
funk and country right up to Malmsteen-
esque histrionics - all with zero noise!
Like all Fluence pickups, the Open Core
Classic Humbuckers require power, either
from a 9v battery or Fishman’s optional
Lithium Ion battery pack. Either option
offers over 200 hours of play time. However,
while these pickups are technically “active”,
they don’t exhibit any of the issues that
typically face active designs. They’r every
bit as dynamic and organic sounding as my
favourite passive set, and they even play
nicely with fussy germanium fuzz pedals!
The Fishman Open Core Classic
Humbuckers offer three distinct voices, all
of which stack up against any comparable
passive pickup while offering much better
signal-to-noise and string pull performance.
I’m absolutely staggered by how good these
pickups are, and while they’re certainly
not cheap, they’re very much worth the
investment!
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