Can Larry the Acoustic Guy’s newfangled pickup technology really deliver authentic PAF tones that rival boutique ’buckers?
With a couple of notable exceptions, new electric-guitar pickup technology tends to not fare well in the marketplace. Sometimes it’s because the new designs seem more for engineering’s sake than sound’s. But most often it’s because guitarists are addicted to classic tones achieved using World War II-era technology. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it,” is our basic MO. Heck, even many radical experimentalists prefer vintage pickups as starting points for their aural anarchy.
So why did revered acoustic pickup and amplification guru Larry Fishman venture into this world filled with, as he put it last year, “too much voodoo”? In a nutshell, because he felt the technology behind his Fluence pickups could yield impeccable 20th-century tones and bring something new to the table. Here we’re testing that premise with a set of Fluence Classic Humbuckers installed in a 2014 Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro.
But First, a Bit of Minutiae
Manufacturers big and small use terms like “vintage,” “classic,” and “old school” to describe their pickups’ sonic characteristics. But these descriptors are tricky, and subjective. There are simply too many variables at play in a vintage setup to predict exactly what tones will emerge: Even if you’re only looking at the electrical circuit of, say, a ’59 Les Paul, variables from materials used, true (vs. labeled) electrical-component values, and pickup-winding approaches can result in very different-sounding instruments from one ’59 to another.
For those looking to imbue their own instrument with vintage tones, Fishman proffers a route that’s theoretically more consistent and repeatable from pickup set to pickup set. They started by painstakingly measuring the complex tonal, electrical, and magnetic-field data from select vintage pickups and identifying parameters that seemed most definitively “classic.” Then they created pickups around those parameters using two 48-layer coils printed on stacks of thin circuit boards. It’s 9V-powered aerospace technology that virtually eliminates unpredictable electrical variances while offering added flexibility and reducing noise that’s characteristic of many vintage designs.
Confession Time
I’ll admit to some skepticism when I first heard about Fluence pickups. Though they’re not digital, my kneejerk reaction was to think of experiences with amp-, effect-, and instrument-modeling devices that left me wanting for the real thing. But I became intrigued when I ran into Larry Fishman at Musikmesse this year. Larry is an accomplished player of upright bass who proved his mettle in acoustic gear ages ago. And based on his company’s history few would expect him to rave about how the best old PAFs (the “patent-applied-for” humbuckers in the earliest Les Pauls) are very single-coil like in their ability to transfer nuance. As a single-coil fan precisely because so many humbuckers mask dynamic subtleties, I thought, “Okay, I gotta try these.”
So, How Fluent Are They?
Fluence Classics have two voice modes that are selectable via push-pull tone knobs. Mode 1 (push-pull pots down) is vintage PAF-style. In the bridge position, this voice delivered incredible note detail through my Jaguar HC50 and Goodsell Valpreaux 21 amps. Moderate overdrive and medium pick attack yielded crunchy, harmonically complex classic rock with nice note separation and that wonderfully open, slightly microphonic (in a wonderful way) sound that so many great PAFs have. It reminded me a lot of Seymour Duncan’s Seth Lover humbuckers.
Ratings
Pros:
Delicious vintage and hot-rod tones whether played clean or dirty. Fantastic sensitivity to nuanced attack.
Cons:
Visual aesthetics seem odd match for elegant tones and vintage-minded audience. Requires extra space and money for 9V power.
Tones:
Versatility:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$249
Fishman Fluence Classic Humbucker Set
fishman.com
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: With the same amp sound, a rabid picking attack yielded blazing tones perfect for hardcore. When I got more precise and added palm muting, I got darn near spot-on EVH rhythm tones. The real deal sealer for me, though, was the fact that you can ease up on your attack—without switching channels, disengaging a dirt pedal, or even lowering your volume knob—and get crystalline cleans that sound beautiful for anything from Edge-style delay romps to quasi-country twang. The bridge pickup’s “classic hot rod” mode offers similar tonalities, but with a hotter signal driving more harmonics and making it a cinch to ride singing leads for days, even without much gain from your amp.
PAF mode in the neck and middle positions offers even more vintage-y goodness. Soloed, the front pickup is fat and gritty, but still very detailed—perfect for Allmans jams or Gary Moore-like blues—and the middle position yields everything from Houses of the Holy-era Zep tones to soulful R&B and jazzy feels.
Fishman describes the neck unit’s alternate voicing as “clear, airy chime,” though to my ears it sounds like the mids have been scooped out to provide a more solid and focused fundamental note. It’s my least favorite Fluence sound, though I was extremely impressed with how dynamically both neck modes reacted to fuzz pedals, going from gruesomely spitty to tame and octave-y, depending on knob settings.
The Verdict
Sure, the need for onboard power for Fishman Fluence Classic ’buckers is a bit of a bummer—even if you’ve got an extra $100 to invest in the optional USB-rechargeable battery built into a rear control-cavity cover. And considering how much was put into developing their sounds—not to mention how finicky the target demographic can be about vintage sonic and visual vibes—it’s somewhat surprising that the Classics don’t have a more traditional or high-end look. That said, you can color this skeptic convinced: Fluence Classic Humbuckers serve up authentic PAF-style tones that are a compelling alternative to highly esteemed traditional competitors. What’s more, they offer extra tonal options that effectively turn them into a second set of pickups, all while remaining straightforward and easy to use.
Sublime, fronted by Jakob Nowell, son of late Sublime singer Bradley Nowell, are in the studio writing and recording new songs for an upcoming full-length album. This marks their first new album since 1996.
When not performing at various festivals across North America in 2024, front man Jakob Nowell immersed himself in the Sublime catalog and found a deep sense of connection to his late father. The band is tapping into the 90s nostalgia, writing and recording the new songs with powerhouse producing duo Travis Barker and John Feldmann, in addition to working with producer Jon Joseph (BØRNS). The first single will be released this Summer via their newly established label Sublime Recordings.
"I grew up on Sublime. ‘40oz. to Freedom’ changed the way I listened to music. I’m so honored to be working with the guys in Sublime. Creating music for this album has been so fun and exciting. Bradley comes through his son Jakob while writing in the studio and performing. Chills every day in the studio when he sings and play guitar. This is going to be really special." – Travis Barker
“Sublime has always been a huge influence on me and to be able work with the band has been inspirational and game changing…It has been a highlight of my life to work on such a seminal record with such talented people. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and to continue the legacy and keep it authentic to what they have historically done.” – John Feldmann
After Jakob Nowell’s debut as Sublime’s new front man at Coachella 2024, he and his uncles Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson continued the momentum of this latest chapter of the band, performing at over 20 festivals and shows across North America by the end of last year. Additional highlights from 2024 include Sublime’s late-night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a 4-song set on the Howard Stern Show and the band’s first top 10 hit on alternative radio since 1997 with their single “Feel Like That,” featuring the vocals of both Bradley Nowell and his son Jakob together.
2025 is shaping up to be an even busier year for the band, with a handful of headlining shows, high-profile festival appearances to support the release of the new album.
For more information, please visit sublimelbc.com.
Sublime 2025 Tour Dates
- April 5 – LIV Golf Miami – Miami, FL
- April 18 – Red Rocks Amphitheater – Morrison, CO
- May 3 – Beachlife Festival – Redondo Beach, CA
- May 16 – Welcome To Rockville – Daytona Beach, FL
- May 23 – BottleRock Napa Valley – Napa, CA
- May 25 – Boston Calling – Boston, MA
- June 14 – Vans Warped Tour – Washington, DC
- July 12 – 89.7 The River’s 30th Anniversary Show – Omaha, NE
- July 20 – Minnesota Yacht Club Festival – Saint Paul, MN
- September 14 – Sea.Hear.Now – Asbury Park, NJ
- September 19 – Shaky Knees Festival – Atlanta, GA
Price unveiled her new band and her new signature model at a recent performance at the Gibson Garage in Nashville.
The Grammy-nominated alt-country and Americana singer, songwriter, and bandleader tells the story behind the creation of her new guitar and talks about the role acoustic Gibson workhorses have played in her musical history—and why she loves red-tailed hawks.
The Gibson J-45 is a classic 6-string workhorse and a favorite accomplice of singer-songwriters from Bob Dylan to Jorma Kaukonen to James Taylor to Gillian Welch to Lucinda Williams to Bruce Springsteen to Noel Gallagher. Last week, alt-country and Americana artist Margo Price permanently emblazoned her name on that roster with the unveiling of her signature-model J-45. With an alluring heritage cherry sunburst finish and a red-tail-hawk-motif double pickguard, the instrument might look more like a show pony, but under the hard-touring and hard-playing Price’s hands, it is 100-percent working animal.
The 6-string was inspired by the J-45 she bought at Nashville’s Carter Vintage Guitars after she was signed to Third Man Records, where she made her 2016 ice-breaker album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. But her affection for Gibson acoustics predates that, going back to when she found a 1956 LG-3 in her grandmother’s home. The guitar had been abandoned there by her songwriter great uncle, Bobby Fischer.
“I played it for years before I found my J-45,” Price recounts. “At Carter Vintage, I tried a lot of guitars, but when I picked up that J-45, I loved that it was a smaller guitar but really cut through, and I was just really drawn to the sound of it. And so I went home with that guitar and I’ve been playing it ever since.”
“Having a signature model was something I had dreamed about.”
Of course, Price was also aware of the model’s history, but her demands for a guitar were rooted in the present—the requirements of the studio and road. The 1965 J-45 she acquired at Carter Vintage, which is also a cherry ’burst, was especially appealing “compared to a Martin D-21 or some of the other things that I was picking up. I have pretty small hands, and it just was so playable all up the neck. It was something that I could easily play barre chords on. I could immediately get everything that I needed out of it.”
If you’ve seen Price on TV, including stops at Saturday Night Live, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, you’ve seen her ’65. And you’ve also seen, over the years, that part of the soundhole’s top has been scraped away by her aggressive strumming. It’s experienced worse wear from an airline, though. After one unfortunate flight, Price found her guitar practically in splinters inside a badly crushed case. “It was like somebody would have had to drive over this case with a truck,” she relates. Luckily, Dave Johnson from Nashville’s Scale Model Guitars was able to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
After that, an alternative guitar for the road seemed like a requirement. “Having a signature model was something I had dreamed about,” Price says. Friends in her songwriting circle, including Lukas Nelson and Nathaniel Rateliff, already had them. Four years ago, a tweet asking which women they thought should have signature models appeared, and one of her fans wrote “Margo Price.” Smartly, Price tagged Gibson and retweeted. Codey Allen in Gibson entertainment relations spotted the tweet and agreed.
The double pickguard was chosen for Price’s J-45 because of its symmetry, as a nod to the Hummingbird, and due to her heavy strumming hand.
Photo courtesy of Gibson
“The neck is not quite as small as my J-45, but it is just a bit smaller than many J-45s fives, and very playable no matter what size hands you have.”
“And so we began our journey of building this guitar,” Price says. “I debated whether it should be the LG-3, which I still have hanging on my wall, or the J-45. I went to Montana and visited their [acoustic] factory and sat down with Robi Johns [director of sales and marketing at Gibson acoustic], and we ultimately decided that the J-45 was my guitar. Then we started talking about the specs. We did pull from the LG-3 in that the body of this signature guitar is a bit smaller. It still has a really loud, clear sound that rings through. The neck is not quite as small as my 1965 J-45, but it is just a bit smaller than many J-45s, and very playable no matter what size hands that you have.”
The pickup that Price selected is a L.R. Baggs VTC Element with a preamp, and she took a prototype of the guitar on the road opening for the Tedeschi Trucks Band. “I am used to playing with a really loud band, with drums and sometimes a couple electric guitars, and I wanted to make sure that this guitar just cut through,” she says. “It was really important to me that it be loud, and it cut beautifully. It’s got a mahogany body and scalloped bracing, which makes it very sturdy. This guitar is a workhorse, just like me.”
The Margo Price J-45’s most arresting characteristic, in addition to its warm sunburst finish, is its double-sided pickguard with an etching of a quartet of red-tailed hawks in flight. It’s practical for her strumming style, but it’s also got a deeper significance.
“We talked about all sorts of things that we could put on the pickguard, and I’ve always been a big fan of the Hummingbird, so what we did is a bit of a nod to that,” Price continues. “I’ve always been drawn to red-tailed hawks. They are supposed to be divine messengers, and they have such strength. They symbolize vision and protection. I would always count them along the highway as I’d be driving home to see my family in Illinois.”
Birds of a feather: “I’ve always been drawn to red-tailed hawks,” says Price. “They are supposed to be divine messengers, and they have such strength. They symbolize vision and protection.”
Photo courtesy of Gibson
With its comfortable neck, slightly thinner body, and serious projection, Price notes, “I wanted my guitar to be something that young girls can pick up and feel comfortable in their hands and inspire songs, but I didn’t want it to be so small that it felt like a toy, and that it didn’t have the volume. This guitar has all of those things.” To get her heavy sound, Price uses D’Addario Phosphor Bronze (.012–.053) strings.
Price says she and her signature J-45, which is street priced at $3,999, have been in the studio a lot lately, “and I have a whole bunch of things I’m excited about.” In mid March, she debuted her new band—which includes Logan Ledger and Sean Thompson on guitars, bassist Alec Newman, Libby Weitnauer on fiddle, and Chris Gelb on drums—in a coming out party for the Margo Price Signature Gibson J-45 at the Gibson Garage in Nashville. “I’ve been with my previous band, the Price Tags, for more than 10 years, and it’s definitely emotional when a band reaches the end of its life cycle,” she says. “But it’s also really exciting, because now, having a fiddle in the band and incredible harmony singers … it’s a completely different vibe. I’ve got a whole bunch of festivals coming up this year. We’re playing Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and I’m so excited for everyone to hear this new iteration of what we’re doing.”
With its heritage cherry sunburst finish and other appointments, the Margo Price Signature Gibson J-45 balances classic and modern guitar design.
Photo courtesy of Gibson
Get premium spring reverb tones in a compact and practical format with the Carl Martin HeadRoom Mini. Featuring two independent reverb channels, mono and stereo I/O, and durable metal construction, this pedal is perfect for musicians on the go.
The Carl Martin HeadRoom Mini is a digital emulation of the beloved HeadRoom spring reverb pedal, offering the same warm, natural tone—plus a little extra—in a more compact and practical format. It delivers everything from subtle room ambiance to deep, cathedral-like reverberation, making it a versatile addition to any setup.
With two independent reverb channels, each featuring dedicated tone and level controls, you can easily switch between two different reverb settings - for example, rhythm and lead. The two footswitches allow seamless toggling between channels or full bypass.
Unlike the original HeadRoom, the Mini also includes both mono and stereo inputs and outputs, providing greater flexibility for stereo rigs. Built to withstand the rigors of live performance, it features a durable metal enclosure, buffered bypass for signal integrity, and a remote jack for external channel switching.
Key features
- Two independent reverb channels with individual tone and level controls
- Mono and stereo I/O for versatile routing options
- Buffered bypass ensures a strong, clear signal
- Rugged metal construction for durability
- Remote jack for external channel switching
- Compact and pedalboard-friendly design
HeadRoom Mini brings premium spring reverb tones in a flexible and space-savingformat—perfect for any musician looking for high-quality, studio-grade reverb on the go.
You can purchase HeadRoom Mini for $279 directly from carlmartin.com and, of course, also from leading music retailers worldwide.
For more information, please visit carlmartin.com.
Together with Nathaniel, we’re decoding our favorite eras of the Edge’s tones—from his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?
There’s a good chance that if you’re a guitar fan, you’ve seen Nathaniel Murphy’s gear demos—either on his Instagram account, where he goes by @zeppelinbarnatra, or on the Chicago Music Exchange page. His solo arrangements of classic tunes display his next-level technique and knack for clever arranging, and he makes our jaws drop every time he posts. When we learned that the Irish guitarist is a huge fan of U2’s The Edge, we knew he had to be our expert for this episode.
Together with Nathaniel, we’re decoding our favorite eras of the Edge’s tones—from his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?