Fishman’s new Fluence acoustic guitar soundhole pickups construct on the corporate’s earlier electrical Fluence fashions, which provide low noise and a number of selectable voices in conventional pickup codecs. Bringing that expertise to acoustic guitars is a pure transfer for an organization lengthy dominant within the area. However in contrast to within the electrical market, these pickups compete not solely with different manufacturers however with Fishman’s personal magnetic, sensor, and hybrid designs. Most acoustic pickups are one-sound-fits-all generalists. The Fluence fashions as an alternative goal particular sonic targets.

The Acoustic Highlight, with a balanced response, is aimed toward singer-songwriters and solo performers. The Nashville Legend displays a hotter, extra conventional acoustic sound, with lowered high-end emphasis. Constructed for louder settings, the Rock Icon gives larger output and a pronounced midrange supposed to chop by means of a band combine.

All three fashions ($319 every, road) share the identical look and controls: grasp quantity, voice change, and a lift stage for Voice 2. I examined the whole lot on a single guitar, my Taylor 914-BCE, and located the pickups all exhibited core qualities like low noise; articulate, balanced response throughout all six strings; and the flexibility of switchable sounds—whereas additionally providing distinct tones fine-tuned to satisfy particular functions.

Set up and Match

Although not as easy to put in as some clip-in soundhole pickups, the Fluence fashions could be swapped with out eradicating the strings. The Taylor’s massive soundhole accommodated the arched housings, which clamp in place utilizing two Phillips-head screws. The output jack could be mounted completely to the endpin, however for this check I let it dangle. As a result of the pickup connects through an eighth-inch plug, you may swap Fluence fashions with out eradicating the jack. As soon as I bought the dangle of it, every swap took only a few minutes—too lengthy to swap between songs, however not between units.

To reduce noise, Fishman contains shims that permit the pickup to take a seat nearer to the strings. I used them with the Highlight however not with the opposite two; I raised the enter acquire barely with out introducing noise. The pickups run on a 9-volt battery, housed in a Velcro-mounted pouch contained in the guitar. I’d welcome this battery choice on Fishman’s electrical Fluence line, which as an alternative makes use of USB charging.

Voicing and Response 

Switching between voices is acquainted on electrical guitar, however nonetheless novel within the acoustic world. Voice 2 could be preset for larger output than Voice 1, although each voices on the Nashville Legend and Highlight labored equally nicely for rhythm or lead. The Rock Icon’s Voice 2 had a noticeably stronger midrange, making it really feel extra like a real lead voice.

The enhance knob impacts solely Voice 2, however it doesn’t must perform as a lift. With the knob set to zero, each voices match in stage. On the Highlight, I most popular Voice 1 for hotter leads and Voice 2 for brighter strumming. The Nashville Legend—my favourite general—produced probably the most pure, woody tone, and each voices felt equally versatile. The Rock Icon provided the best tonal distinction between its two voices, which might be particularly helpful onstage.

Utilizing the TRS output jack, I may run each voices concurrently right into a stereo rig. Recording straight into my UA Apollo interface produced a extra complicated and articulate sound than a mono pickup, with large processing potentialities.

The Backside Line

Fishman’s Fluence acoustic pickups present a definite and versatile different to plain soundhole designs. Their tone-targeted fashions and real-time voice switching let gamers adapt their sound to completely different musical contexts.

My solely criticism is the naming: whereas Rock Icon suits its sonic intent, Highlight and Nashville Legend are way more versatile than their genre-based labels recommend. I like to recommend making an attempt all three with your personal guitar and a stereo rig to search out the voice that greatest matches your wants. fishman.com