33 Guitars with Fishman Fluence Pickups – Plus 3 Best Ones

Last Updated on April 28, 2023 by Teemu Suomala

Look, if you want to test something really different in the wild world of guitar pickups, Fishman Fluence pups are one of the top choices. They are not traditional when it comes to technology, there are no copper wire coils, instead, there are coils printed on a circuit board around the magnets.

Sounds weird? Well, all this might sound alien, but it’s actually pretty amazing what you can do with these. And I can say that Fishman pickups are my favorite active pickups out there. Yes, they are better than my EMGs. And this is why I was happy to put together this full list of top-notch guitars with Fishman Fluence pickups. I also reveal the 3 best ones. If you have any questions, check the FAQ section or just leave a comment.

Let’s get started!

Check our full electric guitar pickup types guide here.

Author: Teemu Suomala

I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I also noticed that most guitar websites don’t do a really good job, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website. I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar. I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog(I guess that went the right way…).

• LinkedIn
• Mail

Fishman Fluence Pickups

Fishman Fluence pickups are active and work with either normal or rechargeable batteries.

33 Guitars with Fishman Fluence Pickups

Cort KX 500 Etched has a flat, smooth-to-shred 15.75″ fretboard radius, 2 mean-sounding Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, and really stunning looks. It’s one of the most affordable guitars with Fishman Fluence pickups and the cheapest Fishman Fluence pup guitar in the EU.

Price Range Icon Meanings:

$= $750-999

$$= $1000-1399

$$$= $1400-1799

$$$$= $1800-2199

$$$$$= $2200-

*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂

Our Favorite Music Store in The World!

Why?

– Excellent Customer Service (4.7/5 Trustpilot Score)

– Fast & Free Shipping

– Gear is Inspected, Tested, & Ready to Play When it Arrives to You (We love this)

– Fair Prices

Visit Sweetwater:

Browse Electric Guitars

Check Today’s Guitar Deals

3 Best Guitars with Fishman Fluence Pickups – My Favorites

Best Budget – Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy

What I like

• Versatile
• Fishman Fluence Proprietary humbuckers offer great distorted tones
• Comfortable to play
• Great quality Grover tuners
• Graph Tech NuBone XL nut improves sustain
• Great all-around value for the money

What I don’t like

• Sometimes finish issues out of the box (rough fret edges, scratches etc.)

Who is it for?

This high-end Epiphone is one of the most affordable guitars with Fishman Fluence pickups. If you are on a budget, and want versatile & mean Fishman Fluence tones, solid hardware, and comfortable playability, Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy is one of the best options. Other guitars on the Epiphone’s Prophecy lineup are also great budget options.

Check Today’s Price on

Best Overall – ESP LTD EC-1000S Fluence

What I like

• Great metal tones
• Stunning looks
• Spot on the action and smooth neck make this axe comfortable to play
• Works well with small hands too
• Fishman Fluence Alnico Modern and Fishman Fluence Ceramic Modern humbucker pups are versatile and sound amazing
• Versatile
• High quality
• Tons of different color options are available
• You can get LTD EC-1000’s with tons of different extra features from piezo pickups to Floyd rose

What I don’t like

• Upper fret access is not great
• The use of plastic nut feels a bit cheap for this price

Who is it for?

I’ve been lovin’ this guitar since I first tried it out a couple of years ago. With this axe, you get excellent value for money. It’s built for metal but can handle different music too. For people who mostly play metal, but want to explore other genres too, this guitar is definitely worth the money.

And another awesome thing is that there are so many different versions of this guitar available. Versions with:

• Evertune bridge
• Seymor Duncan pickups
• Floyd Rose
• Piezo pickup
• etc.

I know, it can be hard to decide which one, but it’s awesome that there’s an LTD EC-1000 for almost everyone. It’s an awesome, versatile metal machine, and this version with Fishman Fluence pickups is one of the best options out there.

You can read my full review of ESP LTD EC-1000 here.

Check Today’s Price on

Best Premium – Ibanez Prestige RG5121

What I like

• Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers offer a wide variety of different sounds
• Handles metal really well
• Thin Super Wizard HP neck feels really smooth
• Stays in tune like a beast with Gotoh MG-T Locking tuners
• Tusq XL nut improves sustain
• Premium quality
• Gibraltar Standard II Fixed Bridge feels really comfortable for the picking hand

What I don’t like

• Expensive

Who is it for?

If you are after all the premium qualities from Tusq nut to locking tuners and from Gibraltar bridge to Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, Ibanez Prestige RG5121 is a great choice. It has a really slim Super Wizard HP neck which gives great access to all corners of the fretboard. A premium guitar that could cost even more.

Check Today’s Price on

FAQ

Who Uses Fishman Fluence Pickups?

There are several great guitarists using Fishman Fluence pickups. Here are a couple of them:

• Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders)
• Javier Reyes (Animals as Leaders)
• Andy Sneap
• Brian Welch (Korn)
• Michael Derks (GWAR)
• Will Adler (Lamb of God)
• Killswitch Engage
• Devin Townsend

Who Should Buy Fishman Fluence Pickups?

Do you want versatile active pickups, you value the different voicing options each pickup offers, and you like the cool non-traditional technology? If all of this, or at least some of this sound good, Fishman Fluence pickups are a great choice.

Pros and Cons of Fishman Fluence Pickups

Pros

• The use of more modern technology allows the same pickups to have different voicings (adds versatility and tone options)
• Each copy of the same pickup model sounds exactly the same
• Really versatile
• Best sounding active pickups to me
• The same pickup can sound the same on a 6, 7, 8, or 12-string guitar

Cons

• Usually a bit more expensive than other active pickups
• Every copy of the same pickup sounds exactly the same (some people want the unique sound of a normal copper-wire coil pickup. All copies of the same traditional pickup model don’t sound exactly the same.)

Are Fishman Fluence Pickups Good for Metal?

Fishman Fluence pickups, as active pickups usually, are a great option for metal. And as you can see from the little list above, most of the guitarists using them are metal guitarists. But Fishman pickups are usually a bit more versatile than regular active pickups. The main reason for this are the different voicing options Fishman pickups have. This separates Fishman Fluence from many of its competitors.

What is Special About Fishman Fluence Pickups?

Fishman Fluence pickups don’t have a copper wire around the magnetic coils. Instead, there are multiple circuits on top of each other that have printed coils in them. This use of more modern technology is a welcome change to the pickup scene which has been staying pretty much the same for decades.

The use of circuits and printed coils enables users to activate and deactivate different parts of the circuitry, which enables pickups to have different voicings in them. This adds a ton of different tone options to your arsenal.

Here’s a video where Fishman Fluence pickup is cut in half, and the video also reveals how Fishman Fluence pickups work:

 on

Which Guitar Brands Use Fishman Fluence Pickups?

Several guitar brands use Fishman Fluence Pickups, here’s some of them:

• ESP
• Jackson
• Schecter
• Ibanez
• Dean
• Charvel
• Legator
• Epiphone
• Solar Guitars
• BC Rich
• Cort
• Framus

Alternatives to Fishman Fluence Pickups

The main alternative to Fishman Fluence pickups are EMG pickups. They use a normal copper wire coils and each pickup sounds a bit different because of that. They are also more commonly used inside metal-scene. Check some cool guitars with EMG pickups out and learn more here: 47 Guitars with EMG Pickups – Plus 3 Best Ones.

Conclusion on Guitars with Fishman Fluence Pickups

I’m ready to own a guitar with Fishman Fluence pickups. My wife has to be really tough if he wants to keep our house free from new guitars, haha. The voicing options, cool technology, and excellent sound just make me want Fishman Fluence pups so badly. Even though I like passive pickups more, and probably always will, guitars with Fishman Fluence pickups have a special place in my heart.

I hope that this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions just leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.

I wish you all the best and keep rocking!

You might also like:

5 Best Hollowbody Guitars Under $1000 in 2023 – Great for Jazz & Blues

5 Best Electric Guitars Under $200 in 2023 – Budget Guitars In-Depth Tested

5 Best Metal Guitars for Beginners in 2023 – Kickstart Your Shred Journey

Yamaha Pacifica 112V Review – In-Depth Tested

5 Best Electric Guitars for Small Hands in 2023 – The Only Guide You Need

Ibanez GRX70QA Review – In-Depth Tested