Progressive electric guitar virtuosos Tim Henson and Scott LePage have signed on to be part of Fishman’s artist roster, the pickup specialist has confirmed.
According to Fishman, the two Polyphia shredders will be using Fluence pickups in their respective axes – specifically, LePage has taken a fancy to the classic Fishman Fluence humbuckers, while Henson has recently hopped to Fishman Fluence Multi-Voice pickups.
No further details were given, except for the fact that both guitarists will be receiving Fishman Fluence-equipped Ibanez signature guitars some time next year. It’s the first concrete piece of information we’ve received regarding the specs of Henson’s elusive upcoming electric signature model, which recently made it its way onto Polyphia’s latest record, Remember That You Will Die.
Speaking to Guitar World, Henson recently listed the guitars that made it onto the album – revealing he used “a shit ton of guitars” in the studio – before hinting at an upcoming new model.
“We did a bunch of out-of-state sessions, and we brought a shit ton of guitars with us,” Henson explained. “I left, like, six guitars in Detroit; they’ve been there for two years. I used an Ibanez SC500N and the nylon guitars. I played my signatures – the THBB8 and the THBB10. There was an AZ seven-string and an AZ prototype.”
The guitarist also briefly referenced a “new signature prototype”, but remained tight-lipped about it, saying, “I can’t talk about that right now.”
Regardless of Henson’s cryptic comments, we now know for sure at least one spec the guitar will feature: Fishman pickups. Specifically, if the company’s latest statement is correct, then the guitar will feature the Multi-Voice humbuckers.
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When the guitar does eventually arrive, it will be a radical departure from Henson’s flagship HSS-configured Ibanez THBB10, which favored a set of DiMarzio Notorious pickups.
Likewise, LePage’s own signature model will come loaded with Fishman Fluence humbuckers, which will be utilized in favor of the DiMarzio True Velvet/IGNO combo found on his original HSS-configured SLM10.
It will be Henson’s second signature guitar in as many years, after the prog virtuoso recently teamed up with Ibanez to produce the TOD10N – a nylon-string beast that made its debut on Polyphia’s Nuevo Flamenco-inspired single, Playing God.
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Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
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