Fishman Fluence Single Width and Fluence Classic Humbucker

June 2015 Guitarist 97
FRET-KING CORONA 60 & 70 FLUENCE EQUIPPED £1,699 EACH
ElEctrics
states has “unreal highs, vocal
midrange and tight lows”. As
supplied, with just one pull
switch on the master tone, in
down position we have Voice 1
of both pickups; pulled up, we
get Voice 2 of both.
Available with black or white
covers (as here), the Single
Widths look quite modernist
with their protruding staggered
height rod magnets, but not
overly so. The Classic
Humbuckers have metal tops –
in a choice of gold, black or
chrome plating (as here) – and
a single row of adjustable poles.
They use Alnico V magnets, and
the gubbins is all encapsulated
in the otherwise plastic covers;
mounting is via inset, threaded
nuts at the end of the bases of
the Single Width pickups and
on protruding plastic legs on the
Classic Humbuckers.
Moving away from the
pickups, both guitars are
eminently fit for purpose. Fret-
King’s Green Label series sits at
the top of the brand’s range and
the guitars are created in small
numbers by Wilkinson and his
team in the UK. The specs of
both guitars are very similar to
the non-Fluence equipped
Corona models with the
exception of the hardware,
which is from Wilkinson’s cost-
effective Korean-made range, as
opposed to Japanese-made –
which might cost less but are
typically good. The switch is to
ensure that the guitars still hit
the market at well below
£2,000, despite the cost of the
Fluence pickups compared
with usual passive pickups.
However, it raises a valid
point about the Fluence
pickups: they’re not cheap, and
that fact alone may well limit
their appeal to the numerous
brands that use EMGs,
Duncans, DiMarzios and the
like. At their suggested retail
prices, they’re more expensive
than EMG (see The Rivals,
above), especially the
humbuckers. Still, while the
Single Widths are nearly twice
The Rivals
Fender doesn’t make an active
pickup-loaded Stratocaster, so
you might be best looking at
the perennial American
Standard (£1,438) and fitting
your own active pickups – it’s
not that difficult! The obvious
rival to the Fluence pickups is
EMG. Its single-coil sized
humbuckers, like the SA, retail
at £69.99 each; a set of three
costs £199 including five-way
selector, volume and two tone
pots, output jack and battery
clip – all with solderless
connections. Individually, the
full-size humbuckers, like the
81, 85 and 60, cost £74.99. The
metal-covered ‘Metal Works’
humbuckers are £109 each –
sold in pairs for twice the price.
Again, they come with the
necessary wiring, all solderless.
While EMG doesn’t offer a
rechargeable battery pack, you
can power them offboard with
a pedal-sized power supply
and stereo lead. The nine-volt
supply retails at approx £89;
the 18-volt is £140
No bobbins to be found
here: the Fluence pickup
is made up of stacks of
printed circuit boards
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VIDEO DEMO
GIT394.rev_fret.indd 97 16/04/2015 14:22