Seymour Duncan Nazgul vs Keith Merrow Fishman Fluence | Metal
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- Опубликовано: 16 фев 2019
- Seymour Duncan Nazgul:
www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/...
Keith Merrow Fishman Fluence:
www.fishman.com/products/seri...
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Fishman is brighter in the low mids. Like they said. That low end clarity is so punchy and good.
Wish someone would compare the KM voice VS the Classic’s Hotrod voice, lol
Nazgul is such a great pickup. I keep tinkering with the possibility of trying others but I keep coming back to it.
And it will do ANYTHING. Not just a one trick pony.
Cheers for the review , great job again 👍🏻
Great video. Cheers for the comparison dude!
Nazguls are unsurpassed for general riffing for me. Fishmans are an absolute pleasure to record with though
NAZGUL All day!!!
Thanks for this. Debated on getting a Fishman set but really didn't want to waste the money if I didn't like them. I have two sets of the Sentient/Nazgul combo. Not changing em now.
Will be sticking with my Nazgul 👌
to each their own. I prefer the clarity and tightness of the fishman, but both are killer pickups
I didnt like the Naz that came with my KM-7, it sounded way to quiet and I wasn't really getting full chords. I swapped it for an Instrumental SFTY3-7 which is so much better
Want a Nazgul but concerned they are too shrill in the high end and not enough low end. Can this be EQ'd to solve this?
@@profile1251 You don't need much low end when you are on a 7 or 8 strings trust me.
@@profile1251 The Nazgul might be more responsive to what guitar cable you use since it is a passive pickup. Active pickups have a buffer, so the cable matters less. If the Nazgul is too bright, use a longer guitar cable or one with higher capacitance.
If you use silicon or germanium fuzz pedals though, passive is usually the way to go. Because it has no buffer/preamp, the fuzz can load the pickups and the volume/tone knobs will interact more and give you variation. Actives break the interaction.
I tend to prefer passive pickups, but sometimes actives give you something specific that is more consistent and difficult to beat. It's really a double edged sword to me. I really like the feel and in-the-room sound of passive pickups, but sometimes actives record really well.
Great comparison, man!! I really appreciate it.
Personally I both like the edgy tone of Nazgul and punchy tone of Fishman, but I prefer the fishman a little more. They are really tight!
I don't blame my choice to get a Nazgul-Sentient set for my 7 string headless build last year... these beast (the Nazgul) really has beautiful presence and more pronounced armonics on the lower strings in comparison to Fishman's, also IMO a more natural still tight attack on the notes. BEAUTIFUL PICKUPS. Got them with thr active style soapbars, they look great too!
When you made this comparison without the OD, did you unplug the OD and run one guitar cable straight to the input of the amp, or did you just switch off the Overdrive and leave both cables connected? Leaving both cables would make the Nazgul's sound muddier due to extra capacitance. The Fishmans are buffered, so they don't suffer from as much cable tone suckage.
I keep coming back to this video and I'm really divided. The Fishmans sound like a buffered Nazgul to me, with the benefit of extra note separation as Ken Susi has explained in some random YT video(s)/interview(s). Buffers tend to add some brightness and combat cable tone suck like I said, but they also tend to suck out some low end vibe sometimes. It's mainly a fee thing I think. In a mix, it might not be as dramatic.
I guess i'll use the nazgul for my low-tuned djent and brutal DM on my 7-string and will probably buy fishmans for tech and melodic DM on my 6-string. Thanks for the vid btw
Thanks man.
Gonna get Nazgul for my 6 string. And Keith Merrow for my 7 string for more tightness
What im curious about with these fishmans is how do u change the voicings is it a push pull knob kind of thing? An active and passive voice? If so, i can see why the hype is strong with those pups
I have a video up about these. These work differently than standard pickups. Stacked coils instead of coils of wrapped copper. This allows them to change the output, EQ curve, feel and response of the pickup.
In the end guitar only portion of the comparison, the part without OD sounded to me like the tone knob on the guitar was turned down some.
Tone knobs and Lal settings even pickup heights were the same. The fishman have more clear and present top end than really any pickups.
Nazgul has those aggressive mids! Gives it that pissed off mean tone for riffing
Awesome comparison 🤘 I got Nazguls in my 7 string DBZ Bird of Prey
....Before diamond killed the company
Lol why would you buy a BOP
Hey man great video how would you compare that schecter km7 to say you solar.
The solar is a great guitar, but the kmIII is on another level. Like comparing a good car to a high end sports car.
Ok man great to know. Ive been looking for a new guitar and the schecter km is definitely on my list. I have two schecters both sls elites 6 and 7 but am really thinking about the km. Where there any negitives to the km you can think of.
@@InfamouslyCantankerous for me personally? No, it's perfect for me and how I play. I honestly wouldn't change a thing and it's the only guitar I've ever had that I haven't modified in some way.
Awesome now I really want it. No I just have to decide what color and 6 or 7 string. Decisions decisions. Thank you
Curiously I thought that the Duncan’s sounded a little more natural on the low strings, but really kind of ice-picky on the high strings. I’d have to go with the Fishmans overall.
About half a year ago I did a little experiment with 3 pickups at a jam session which lasted 4 days with a bunch of friends and other musicians. Funny thing was that nobody noticed that each day I swapped pickups from my guitar that we often used for the majority of our sessions. The guitar was a prs Holcomb Se with bkp juggernaut set that I had in there prior. The next day I had swapped them for a nazgul/sentient then finally the Keith merrow set. While nobody had really took notice, it was only when we got to the merrow set was when they were asking me if I had done something to the guitar. But long story short, everyone preferred the sound of the Keith Merrow and I would have to agree. There is something special about the fishman pickups. Though it’s hard to hear through a video, you can feel it in the playing and through the amplifier in a live setting. Sounds insanely clear under loads of gain and very articulate. Still have that merrow set in my guitar and haven’t swapped it since.
They are my favorite pickups ever
You still feel this way? I like my fluence modern bridge so guessing if really like the merrow. But then again I get along with most pickups. What would yoy say yupr top 3 pickups are? And maybe why or how you like to use each pickup(riffs, leads, live, recording, etc)
@they_arent_human Still rocking the keith merrow in my Holcomb Prs Signiture. I kinda stopped tone chasing using pickups because the change can be so marginal, and god knows I've spent loads of money trying all the brands. I love the fluence for the fact the string to volume balance is perfect for both the treble side and bass side. I always struggled with traditional pickups trying to get even volume even with BKPs. I use heafys set to which my understanding is just moderns with a good coil split as well as a classic. For all around pickups man the fluence are really great. They haven't given me problems no matter what I use them for.
@@anhedonia0 what's your favorite fluence set? I have a modern set with alnico in neck pickup. I do enjoy them. Both voices are cool and have their uses. Wish I could get a split sound out of them. The merrows interest me most. Different enough from my modern set and split sound etc.
@@anhedonia0 i luckily never went that far into pickups. Could def waste a ton of money trying everything out. Def better off buying dif speakers and cabs over almost anything in the guitar signal path. I used to think I wanted to own 50 duf tube amps. But now I realize gain and saturation can only be so different. Tonestacks are different but doesn't matter much with equalizer pedals/racks etc.
I have the normal fishman modern set and the nazgul, and i prefer the Fishman, but hey, the Nazgul is still really good, so why should i change it?
They're both great, and I have a nazgul in one guitar and the Keith merrow set in another. The Keith set has more versatility than the nazgul with it's paf voicing and gorgeous coil split.
@@MetalHeadProductions does the coil split on the KM cancel single coil noise? Great videos!
@@samuelportfolio there is still some noise but not nearly as much as a standard single coil
i have 5 nazgul sentient sets across my collection.... changed my life... The km6 artist is otw to me and im so fucking nervous about the pickups..... agree with most people still prefer the nazgul... yikes.
please tell me if there was a ground wire since you've obviously done the swap in this guitar
actually i think i may prefer the fishman by the end of the video without OD... that shows the most... remember kids... the guitar and bass are 2 different instruments... dope video
How come you changed your logo to a pentagram? (Nice vid btw)
the original is still in the center and my gf is going to touch it up a bit. I just did that because I keep having people thinking Im ripping off music is win so I wanted to separate myself
@@MetalHeadProductions I was one of those people, so I dont blame you at all I'm mainly just not a pentagram guy. Rhanks for the response btw I appreciate a youtuber that responds to his viewers.
Nazguls All Day!! I just watched the 15 Pickup Shootout by Seymour Duncan and for me... The Nazguls wiped that too!
I did exactly the same thing, I can hear that riff in my head right now lol. I use a Bose speaker and I don’t look at the screen I just chose what my ears like and it was like the Nazgul over and over...
Difference is minor with heavy chuggin riffs, but I`m sure Fluence is more versatile.
Can you help me dial in a tone like this? All I have is a Yamaha thr10x though so I know it's not gonna be perfect but maybe I could get close? I have no clue about finding tones. New to all of it.
Those are cool little amps. If you're recording with them, I'd suggest dialing in a sound with the two notes WOS plugin for a better cab sound, but on its own, find an amp and cab sound you like on it, I typically cut the bass a bit while turning up the mid and treble. Mids are super important
@@MetalHeadProductions that's funny. I normally cut mids. I'm trash. Lmao
@@J.R...... nah, we all start somewhere
I haven't even tried plugging it up to the computer yet. Mainly because I'm scared of all of the technical stuff I've seen on the interface. Looks complicated. Thanks for the speedy response man, and sick playing for sure. I subscribed like 30 seconds in to your playing.
@@MetalHeadProductions oh yeah one more question if you don't mind.. what's up with the master volume, and the guitar volume? Which should I be turning up more than the other?
I'm surprised I preferred the Nazguls for the riffing. Cleans and leads I prefer the Fishmans. The Fishmans sound more mix-ready and complete overall, probably from being more dynamically even. They must have some kind of added or natural compression. But I'd prefer to work with the more dynamic, bright, and raw sound of the Nazguls.
Man I love both the nazgul is what my first pickup of choice was but the Fishman is clear but the nazgul has more balls IMO
If you want to go no lower than B or A both are good. BUT I& you want to go lower fishmans will give the nastiest brainfuck of a resonance and upper mids without any deep low end which is crucial for heavy tone. 8 strings with fishmans Moderns are abandoned it's this house..
Fishman sounded a tad brighter, noticed more of a difference on the cleans. I'd take the Fishman. I don't know, didn't hear a huge difference especially in the mix. Old age and Tinnitus must be kicking in.
Nazgul all day. Something about the grit and percussivness
anyway it's close (noshit) but the fishman seemed to kick a bit more, yet i think it's too much even for me, the nazguls sounded less irritating in the long run IMO
oof i preferred the nazguls by miles
to each their own, man. that clarity and tightness of the fishman is for me, especially when recording music, but I love both.
@@MetalHeadProductions full disclosure i'm not listening with headphones. i'll revisit later for a more faithful depiction of the two. probably mostly placebo bias against non traditional pickups, i'll update then
@@n1w4 its all good, man.
Saaaaaaaaaame!!!
@@MetalHeadProductions which do you prefer the KSE set or the Keith Merrows?.Thanks
What tuning does he play in
A standard I think
I love your channel bro!
it's almost like watching mine! lol
Man... Nazguls for the win for me..
to each their own. Im big on the fishman now. they solve a lot of the noise, harshness, and problems Ive had with traditional pickups. love the Naz too, owned a bunch over the years
Sounds very similar (just EQ the difference). I'd go with the Nazgul so I don't have to worry about batteries.
Love both, but the fishman are way more versatile. I only used Keith's voicing, not the paf or single coil options within the set.
Can't go wrong with either, but I prefer the fishmans
@@MetalHeadProductions do you hear any difference in the noise between the pickups??? Is fishman better in that situation?
@@ignacioffm yeah the fishman are way lower noise
@@MetalHeadProductions wow in the video is not too noticeable, but in mt case I always have problem with my internet router and my pickups with some alien noises also abuse of the noise gate is really bad for the tone.
@@ignacioffm I have a zuul running when Im using high gain. the Fishman are the lowest noise pickups I think Ive ever used.
The differences weren't as pronounced as I expected. The Fishmans seemed a slight bit fuller and defined but without the side by side it would be hardly noticeable.
The biggest difference for me, when I record guitars especially for my own stuff, there is a lot less I need to do in post to get the guitars the way I want them with the Fishman
@@MetalHeadProductions that's fair, what's noticeable from a gigging perspective vs recording perspective are two very different things. I work overseas so I'm limited to a ge-200 and two heavily modified strats I travel with so I'm just used to tweaking like crazy "in the box".
@@Terribleguitarist89 for sure. no one live at live volumes will really hear a difference between these two pickups, but for someone like me that does mostly studio work, the differences are big to me. thats whats great about all this awesome gear, stuff for everyone
@@MetalHeadProductions Do you mean less EQ? If not, what other plug-in would you use on the Duncans that you wouldn't have to on the Fishmans?
Sound to me very similar, I thought the biggest advantage was the 3 different voicings for the Fishmans, as opposed to the Duncans having only one. WDYT?
@@xBergade the three voicings is a big plus for Fishmans, but it's also the clarity and high-end presences, the Dynamics and how easy/different they are to voice because of how these work.
Now, I am talking about EQ, for the most part. With the fishmans I don't have to add high end, I don't need to cut or use a multi band compressor much on the low end, and I don't have to sweep across the frequency spectrum as much to isolate and notch out frequencies that sound unpleasant in the final mix and master.
Fishman sound compressed to me.
That's the point of active pickups and why they suck imo.
@@LuluBanzai Fishman's are not traditional active pickups. I think Fishman only uses the term "active" to describe one of the tones you can get in their pickups. Then you can flip a switch and get a "passive" tone.
They don't use a battery to push the output signal to make it hotter....which can compress the signal (to varying degrees though btw). That's traditional active. The Fishman's use the battery to power the circuitry that replaces wire coils in a traditional pickup. This gives them more control and more options of the tone the pickup creates.
@@ccchicken8889 even passive mode is active, because it's buffered (I'm pretty sure since it uses a battery). Won't work well with a Fuzz that is reactive to volume and tone control changes or needs a high impedance signal, as the buffer breaks the loading interaction between the pedal and the pickups.
The Fishman kinda sounds like the Nazgul with a buffer. It sucks out some low end vibe, however, there is more note separation and a little more clarity.... Especially when comparing without a boost, because a boost adds a buffer to the signal, where the boost is in relation to cable distance from the guitar.. The Fishmans, being active, don't have that issue. The guitar cable length and quality make a much smaller difference than with passives.
Nazgul
nazgul rules lml
It is a killer pickup
Cleans were better with the Nazgul
If I had used the paf voicing or coil split on the fishman set I can get better cleans but this was just about the pickups Keith personally voiced
@@MetalHeadProductions I know :) But, even though there's a big hype about the Fishman's, the Nazguls appear to be amazing as well
@ both great pickups, still love my duncans and I love my Fishmans
passives everyday. way more clean on solos and less compressed on leads. fishmans sound compressed on leads. not that that is a bad thing,their among the best actives around. And aside from the tech, the fishman definitely go for that active sound, perhaps with a more passive feel. I find fishman a bit confusing on what they wanna be, wanna be passive or active???. They miss the tightness of an 81 and neither have the fullnes of a jb or such. are they bad, far from it. They tend to lean towards passive more as an active pickup. it's and active for passive players. I kinda see it this way, medium output passives have that dryer kinda sound in metal, why not go emg's then, then you might go emg or fishman but like a nice fullbodied lead tone, high output passives then. for me there is only one option, higher output passives that is. There is no good or bad, just preferance. there is no pickup that does it al.
I mean I think a lot of people would disagree on fishmans sounding compressed, kinda the whole point is they're very dynamic. Also, Keith's pickups, along with sets like the classics and others, aren't really actives. Keith likes to call them "powered" and that's pretty apt because these are passives but are powered to switch voicings. I can assure you the Keith Merrows arent compressed.
If you want tight, active fishmana, go with the moderns or the Devin Townsend set. tighter than any EMG, far less compressed, and more tonal options, plus EMG I'd kinda not the best. Like the 57/66 and Jim Root sets are ok. 81 is laughable.
Fishman do high and low output. The PAF setting on these and the classics are fantasy, for example. I also kinda disagree there isn't a pickup that can do it all. With all the great voicing options of these, it covers most tonal ground I could ever use.
@@MetalHeadProductions and they still don't sound quite like a jb or a dimarzio. if this could everything then why is not everyone on board. not to bash the pickups or so. You can't have let's that ceramic sound in the bridge mixed with that alnico sound, it is and or. I've got a set of fishman moderns in one of my jackson, i quite like them perhaps the best actives i've played if i may call them that''actives''. maybe i'm wrong but to me the 81 has more low end bark and the fishman is smoother in the leads. The 81 is underrated, it was overrated and now is kinda hated upon for no particulair good reason. I'm curious about the classics tough, how do they sound. I'm really a fan of the seymour duncan jb, curious how the classics stack up to that. for thrashmetal would you choose moderns or classics.
@@aryinc what? They're not meant to sound like dimarzios and the Willie adler set is just a better jb/59 which it's based off of. Not everyone is on board because it's fairly new pickup tech, not everyone knows about, plenty of people are misinformed about it or are making assumptions about it. I didn't say they could have multiple types of magnets in the same pickup. Typically the bridges are ceramic and the necks are alnico in a lot of the sets.
I've owned the 81 and I don't like it. Sterile, flat sounding. Way too compressed. There's a reason so many guys that used the 81 for decades have started to switch to the Fishman moderns. Behemoth, at the gates, Killswitch, cannibal corpse, Devin Townsend, trivium, and plenty of others.
For thrash I'd go either the classics or the Willie Adler sets. The classics have this hot rod voicing that is great for thrash, they also have a PAF and could split that are great. You might be more down for the Willie Adler set. The main voicing is based off a jb/59 which Willie used for years, and there is also an active higher output voicing that is also great. Since you like the jb already I'd say go for the Adler set.
I can bareley hear any difference. I dont know how you did such a compressed sound but with this every pickup will sound unnaturally compact.
Funny cause I'm not using compression. What monitors are you listening through?
@@MetalHeadProductions krk rp7
@@nephosl5292 might want to upgrade from the krk monitors. Little off on the low-end. Regardless, the Keith merrow fishmans are based on the nazgul, at least his voicing. They are nearly identical, but the fishmans are a tad tighter and clearer. You can hear it more in the cleans for sure. I also didn't show paf or coil split because I was just comparing the nazgul and setting based on the nazgul.
Nazgul is muddier
They're really close, but yes the fishmans have a tighter low-end and are a little bit more clear.