JTV 59 + Pickups Fishman Fluence

[Rastan]

Hi to all.

 

First of all, sorry about my poor english (I'm from spain)

 

I'm new at the forum. I'm thinking to buy a JTV 59 but i have a great doubt, 

 

I would to change the original pickups and installing a new FISHMAN FLUENCE classics (active pickups)

 

The wiring diagram is here:

 

http://www.fishman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Fluence-Classic-HB-Set-Wiring-Diagram.pdf

 

 

¿Is it possible to install this wiring in the JTV 59? ¿Can i use the four pots?

 

 

Thanks.

[specracer986]

I don't know about the wiring for a JTV59. But I can say the the Fishman Fluence Classic pups are great. I've had them in my #1 guitar, for about a year. The second voice, which is supposed to be hotter, doesn't give much change in tone. I also have the Fluence single coils in a Strat, and the second voicing on those is much different from the first voicing.

[specracer986]

Now that I think about it, you're supposed to use the Fishman pots when you install the Fluence pups. So I'm not sure you could use the model selector pot that you need for the JTV to work. 

[cruisinon2]

I know it's come up before, and to the best of my recollection, the official word is that active pickups do not play well with the rest of the Variax guts.

 

If you're looking for "noiseless" (well, LESS noise anyway) single coils, there are other passive options: Lace Sensor, and Kinman (which incidentally are really nice. I just put a set in one of my Strats).

[davidb7170]

I put a set of noiseless DiMarzio "Area" series single coils in my 69S and they are quieter (hum & noise-wise) than many of my humbucker guitars.... Love them. The Fishman Fluence series does require battery power on both the single-coil and humbucker style form factors. On a traditional guitar, the powered pickups like EMG, and also the Fluence, usually entwine the power circuit into the whole circuit so that unplugging the 1/4" turns off the batteries. With the JTV's you would have trouble doing anything like that because of the complexity of the internals of the Variax. Also so much is crammed inside the JTV's, you'd have problems just trying to find space to place the battery(s?). Don't know if we've heard of any success stories with powered PU's on these guitars. Plus, batteries suck. I would not want a mod that I'd have to take my guitar apart in the middle of a show to change a dead battery.... No thanks....

 

Dave

[cruisinon2]

I would not want a mod that I'd have to take my guitar apart in the middle of a show to change a dead battery.... No thanks....

 

Dave

Amen. Plus, without an additional L6 product, the OP would already be relying on the Variax battery for the modeling. Multiple batteries powering a guitar, some rechargeable, some not...ugh. I'd rather gouge my eyes out...

[Rastan]

Thank you very much for the quick response.

Then I will forget fishman pickups and I'll focus on passive pickups as you recommended.

The thing is that  I don't know which pickups to choose. I have already 3 guitars, a strato with 2 singles seymour duncan pickups and a hot rail, an ESP with humbuckers seymour duncan (jazz and Jason Becker Perpetual Burn HB) and a flying V jackson with EMG HZ.

I'm looking for a Les Paul sound, something warmer and I thought that JTV 59 guitar would offer me with its simulations to be able to try other types of sounds. But I want to change pickups to avoid to play all the time with simulations. 

 

One idea is to install seymour duncan Alnico II Pro Slash pickups, but maybe i should try other different pickups like DiMarzio (I already have two guitars with seymour)

Which dimarzio pickups would you recommend? Or should I directly install some gibson 57 pickups?

[cruisinon2]

 

 

Thank you very much for the quick response.

 

Then I will forget fishman pickups and I'll focus on passive pickups as you recommended.

 

The thing is that I don't know which pickups to choose. I have already 3 guitars, a strato with 2 singles seymour duncan pickups and a hot rail, an ESP with humbuckers seymour duncan (jazz and Jason Becker Perpetual Burn HB) and a flying V jackson with EMG HZ.

 

I'm looking for a Les Paul sound, something warmer and I thought that JTV 59 guitar would offer me with its simulations to be able to try other types of sounds. But I want to change pickups to avoid to play all the time with simulations.

 

One idea is to install seymour duncan Alnico II Pro Slash pickups, but maybe i should try other different pickups like DiMarzio (I already have two guitars with seymour)

 

Which dimarzio pickups would you recommend? Or should I directly install some gibson 57 pickups?

Well one obvious suggestion is to just try out the stock pickups...you might like them.

 

But honestly, if you're not particularly interested in using the models, then why bother with a Variax at all? The modeling is the whole point...if what you're really after is a Les Paul with active pickups, then that's probably gonna make you a whole lot happier.

[TonyHay]

I would recommend maybe waiting until you play the JTV 59 first.  The stock pickups it comes with are actually very good, in my opinion.  

[PierM]

Stock pups are ridiculous HOT and flat. I've measured 14.5KOhm average from both, which is the official output of G&S G-109 humbucker, which should be the one used in the JTV59.

Considering how weak the variax models are, in terms of overall output, I would swap mags with some warm and low output humbucker and/or P90 humbucker sized. I would stay on average 8KOhm so you don't have to do crazy things when moving from models to mags, and also you don't have to push on model gains to make it barely balanced with mags. I'm planning to do the same with mine, with a couple of '57, or P94. Still have to decide....:)

[psarkissian]

Bulk resistance should be kept around 6k to 8k-Ohms.

Try not to go outside of that.