Why I Switched to the Fishman Rare Earth Blend Acoustic Pickup
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- Опубліковано 22 чер 2024
- Check out the Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickup - bit.ly/39os7H4
Recently I've been on the hunt for a better sounding pickup to use with my live acoustic (Eastman E20-OM). The piezo body transducer I've had in it sounds good, but can be prone to feedback in certain situations. I had heard someone I really look up to using this pickup and it kind of blew my mind at how natural it sounded, while at the same time not being nearly as susceptible to feedback. The Fishman Rare Earth Blend is a combo magnetic pickup + electret condenser microphone. Even the magnetic tone I thought sounded good, but when you're able to, blending in some of the mic signal really seals the deal. Best of all, for those that don't want to permanently install this pickup on their instrument, it is completely reversible.
In this video I'll be comparing the well-loved K & K Pure Mini (body transducer, very minimalist) with the Fishman, and I'll throw in an SM57 for reference. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Other gear used in this video:
K & K Pure Mini - amzn.to/3HkrB9u
Red Eye preamp - amzn.to/3zDonfw
Shure SM57 - bit.ly/3Qmf09F
Martin HD-28 - bit.ly/33uw6io
Eastman E20-OM - reverb.grsm.io/EastmanE20OM
Antelope Orion interface - bit.ly/3HMbdh5
Daking mic preamps - reverb.grsm.io/DakingMicPreamps
TRS-Y Cable - amzn.to/3QlVeet
Free resources, lessons, Helix presets, & contact info - www.AlexPriceMusician.com
▶️ Highlights
0:00 - Intro
0:23 - Overview
1:50 - Why I'm switching to this pickup
4:13 - Product Specifications
5:26 - Magnetic vs. Microphone tones
6:19 - Low end roll off switch
8:45 - Non-permanent installation
9:31 - How is it powered?
10:04 - Rare Earth vs. K&K vs. SM57
11:05 - Comparison: fingerpicking
11:51 - Comparison: strumming
12:27 - Criticism
13:12 - My thoughts...
14:19 - Outro
#Fishman #AcousticPickup
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Hi! My name is Alex Price. I’m a professional musician based out of Pittsburgh, USA. I make a living between touring, performing on cruise ships, and while I’m home, teaching. Check out my new uploads every Tuesday and Saturday for gear demos, lessons, and performance clips.
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Sounds brilliant and warm! Thanks for showing!
God bless you for your honesty and making such videos and posting to all in a search for your best sound live.
Happy to help!
Just subscribed - excellent topic mix on this channel, excellent depth of knowledge, excellently presented.
SOLD! I just installed one (non permanent) on my Hummingbird & man do I dig it!
Thank you for this clear and full explanation
Very thorough review and presentation. The best I've seen for this pickup system. I was considering this pickup system and the Sunrise, and I like the additional tonal range with the microphone blending and the option of not altering the guitar (endpin drilling). Very useful information for helping to decide on which product to purchase. As other comments have stated, the SM57 sounds the best, but is trickier to use in some acoustic environments. Thank you!
Nice review Alex! I really liked the RareEarth Blend which surprises me. I’m a big fan of SBT pickups too, and have used K&K, JJB, and Journey Tek, so I might know a bit more than many on that subject. This Fishman sounds shockingly better, especially with the 50/50 blend, especially in the strumming samples. It sounds warm, bassy, and punchy in the low end. Definitely has my interest because everything you say about SBT type pickups can indeed be a nightmare in loud situations.
Excellent video, I'm very thankful!
Excellent presentation! I see one of these in my future.
Great review/overview - thanks!
Sounds great! Might have to pick one up when I get the slope shoulder I've been wanting.
superb review!
i have a herd of guitars and bought this to be able to use among them.your vid convinced me,listened to many pick ups this sounded best to me!!thanx!!!
Glad I could help!
Great info - very complete review - helpfull
Thanks alot for this video! very helpful
Great, great sound
Thanks for posting this through explanation of this pickup. Well done. I preferred the Fishman. I did like the K&K at all.
Thanks for the recommendation. I'm very happy with the sound of this pickup. One question though... can you recommend a brand of TRS splitter cable that actually separates the outputs of the Fishman properly? The one I bought just gave me two copies of the microphone output and not the pickup/mic split that it was supposed to. Thanks!
Excellent video as always!
I really like the 50/50 sound of the Fishman. I just don’t like the price, but I’m going to get it because I like the Natural Sound with the upper articulation. Thanks for the great video! 🙂
Warning: change batteries every 2 years or so, no matter what. The batteries in mine, which I haven't changed in about 6 years or so, corroded. The strap pins kind of started being sticky. Luckily, I got the pickup out of my guitar's hard case before anything started rusting. It is difficult getting the batteries out; I've got the humbucker version.
How do you remove the batteries????
@@mikefantos2878 Use a flathead screwdriver.
super helpful
Thank you! 💫
I’m happy with the blender in my Taylor. One thing to consider if you want to add effects to your acoustic sound, delay, chorus, reverb etc, then a magnetic pickup will work best.
After years of frustration with USTs and an L.R. Baggs Lyric, I bit the bullet and just bought the REB years ago. Yes, it's pricey, but after using it for the first time, it was such a breath of fresh air, having a system that just plain works and sounds amazing. I could tell those engineers at Fishman knew what they were doing at a practical level, the FOH sound guy had such an easy time working with the REB. It was so worth it.
My only wish is that there was a way to change the battery without having to change out or loosen the strings, but that's a relatively minor gripe.
Totally agree with that. I haven't had to change the battery yet, but I believe I will have to unmount the pickup to do it.
Please can you tell me how to remove the batteries? I cannot find any solution and I am afraid that I will damage it.
Loved the sound at 50/50 blend. That sounds the most natural to me. Thanks for this in-depth look. Btw, did you roll-off the bass when doing the 50/50 blend?
I think so, but I can’t say for sure. For most situations I think it sounds better with the low roll off.
HI Alex, I saw your other video with all the best acoustic pickups. I REALLY liked the sound of the K&K but you said it's not too good for stages with a drummer. I was curious. What about a soundhole feedback buster - those rubber things that sit in the soundhole? I"m not a big fan of them but as a workaround, and to be able to get that good acoustic tone I heard in your sound sample. What are your thoughts?
Hi Alex, thanks for your great pickup demo videos. I switched from the built-in piezo in my Seagull to the REB and had a Fishman SBT-C wired to the original preamp as well. Right now I'm preferring the magnetic + SBT combination over the mic. Fishman recently released the REB Powertap which combines magnetic en SBT, have you tried this? I recently purchased a Martin DM which I'd prefer to amplify without modification. Thinking of going for the REB again, not permanently installed and maybe try out that cling-on which I can also use on my classical guitar.
I have a seagull that came with a built in fishman that I run though a fishman loudbox,and couldn't ask for a better sound .Love the seagulls!!!
And fishman
Thanks for this video. This helped me decide which one I like better. To me, the fishman sounds closer to the sound you got from the 57. Thanks again. And I have that same shirt. Lol.
My 2 cento: k&k sounds decent with fingerpicking and horrible with strumming, quiet impossible to use without an eq.
Fishman sounds so much better, and I do acknowledge you of having found a pretty sweet spot for the mic, it sounds really inspiring when on 100% mic..
Sm 57 still rocks, it makes anything sound as sweet as Lemmy’s voice, just a touch sweeter
An excellent video . When using with an FX rig , what unit would you suggest to boost the signal?
The Rare Earth Mic blend system is active, so it's outputting a similar level to an electric guitar. You shouldn't need to boost it at all before processing.
Hi @AlexPrice, thanks for an informative video - it inspired me to buy one, I ended up with an older Fishman RE (without the rolloff and a longer gooseneck mic it seems). Have you experimented much with mic positions? I tried pointing it at the strings but the boominess (even after extreme EQ'ing which introduced it's own problems) was insane, found the best working sound was having the mic somewhat parallel to the underside of the bridge and pointing at where your armpit would be. I'd be interested to see what results you'd had with exprrimentation
Interesting! What guitar do you have? I have the rare earth mic blend installed permanently in my East E20-OM, and I like to point the mic up at the strings. If it's pointing inside the guitar I tend to think it sounds pretty boomy.
@@AlexPriceMusician it's a D28. I might try and point it at the strings and experiment a bit more with that, maybe put a hpf before my interface. Do you angle it in any way or is it perpendicular to the strings? It's kinda hard to adjust mine and get it to sit in place because of the length of the gooseneck.
Sounds great. Was thinking of the KK as an alternative to the under saddle Element by LR Baggs... (The Anthem won't fit my Martin because of the placement of the bracing). This thing sounds excellent. Tried to buy through your link but won't ship to Ontario :( Thanks for the video anyhow.
Hi Alex. Great review, quick question if you may. Should I use the fish man pick up into a active di box? Thanks
Hey Billy - passive or active, I don't think it really matters much. The Rare Earth Mic blend has it's own preamp built in so a typically passive DI should work just fine.
Has there been an update on this video? Thanks for your insights, you're truly the one who finds the only good sounding pickups for acoustic guitars.
No updates, just still have been very happy with the Rare Earth Mic Blend.
Just ordered through ZZounds w/ your link, I am STOKED to upgrade my Baden A-scale Maple guitar with this. And toss that under-saddle piezo in the trash! Thanks for the reviews as always Alex. Blessings to you and yours
Thanks Joseph!! Glad it was useful, let me know how you like the new pickup
Hey Alex, thanks for video. Sounds so good. I have a Martin 00-28 Modern Deluxe and I just can’t bring myself to have a pickup installed in it, so I’m looking at the other best option. I trust your judgement, do you think the Fishman rare earth is the best option (without installing a pickup) or is there something better? I saw the iCloud and watched one of your videos on it; and it looks pretty interesting; but you think the Fishman Rare Earth is the absolute best right now, right? Thanks very much.
Depends on what you need I suppose - the iSolo sounds fantastic and has the benefit of the extra effects and EQ, in addition to being wireless. The Rare Earth Mic blend (the mic part of it) sounds just as good, but you’ll have a cable dangling out the soundhole of your instrument if temporarily installed - you definitely don’t want someone to step on that and pull on the top of your 00-28. The Fishman also has the benefit of having the magnetic part of you’re ever in a situation where feedback is an issue - that’s what you’ll want to use over the mic.
@@AlexPriceMusician thank you so much, Alex. Sounds like the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend is for me. Do you have any personal opinions on having permanent pickups installed by a professional in an acoustic that doesn’t already have them (like my 00-28 modern deluxe)? Is that something you would do to an acoustic, or no? Thank you so much.
@@bws1billsimpson362 I have had the same headache although with a cheaper model of martin...I decided the best bet was to buy a stage guitar and keep the martin pure for mic in the studio.
I've settled on a recording king Ro328 as the guitar but they are releasing a 42 series. Prices are 600 and 800 respectively. But I'm much happier using something like that with a fishman blend and a fishman aura spectrum di. Than I am putting a pickup in my martin or even risking having some drunk in the pub damage it.
Recording king don't do an oo28 model...but I know sigma do. So maybe have a look into those as a good stage guitar coupled up with a fishman aura spectrum.
@@bws1billsimpson362 I had mine installed with a 1/8” disconnect. So the end-pin and wiring is permanent, but there’s a 1/8” jack on the back near the side. I have a short cable running from there to the REB in the sound hole such that I can disconnect the REB and leave the wire and end-pin jack in the guitar if, say, I want to record. The jack is mounted using a small piece of Velcro so it doesn’t rattle around. Have to get a good installer to pull this off or do it yourself.
I’m considering the rare earth blend just hope I will be able to control feedback. But it sounds like a great pick up to me. And it should work well with the Fishman pro EQI have what do you think?
I've sure it'll work great with that. The EQ should help you single out problematic frequencies and hopefully achieve a higher stage volume without feedback with the mic.
Have you tried taking one of those rubber sound hole feedback blockers and cutting it to fit behind the pickup? I'm curious how effective that would be on a loud stage and if it would alter the sound from the Fishman system...
This is my fav as well
any experience with with seymour duncan magmic? Not a huge fan of the K&K. Everyone seems to love them for their ease of use and affordability, but being passive and needing a lot of EQ, I don't see the big advantage. First I as you stated, a direct box is needed, (that's 150-200 dollars) and an eq, could be another (150-300). Then when I find the sound I like I still have to worry about feedback. I used K&K a long time ago, and it was in a solo guitar format, and I still struggled with feedback. Thanks for the great video.
do you have to adjust your picking and/or strumming to avoid hitting the pickup at all? I tried another magnetic pickup and sent it back because it was so in the way.
It's not in the way for me. It sits about an 8th of an inch above the top of the guitar if that helps.
Curious if you’ve attempted running in stereo with the magnetic through an IR and then remixing with the mic to further the realism?
Not yet, that’s on my list
Don't run the magnetic thru an IR, that kind of works only with a piezo. I've got the Ibanez JGM10 with the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend and Fishman Powertab combo. I run the magnetic and the piezo PU through the Audio Sprockets Tonedexter and the Nux Optima Air. Best result was the magnetic PU with the mic, no IR. Sold the Tonedexter and the Nux (been using both with my Taylor with ES2).
What’s your mic placement? I’m a huge fan of this pickup, but the new design totally changes the mic position compared to the two older versions.
Great video; I bought a Lowden which came with the Rare Earth Blend but I found it difficult to use with feedback etc so swapped it out for the K&K which has been great and I have it now in 3 acoustics; I find the K&K works and it’s reliable & predictable. Watching your video I might try the Rare Earth again - I’m thinking of getting a new acoustics this year so might try it in that but 8 hate the thought of a pick-up altering the fundamental sound of the guitar, since in my case it’s played unplugged the vast majority of he time. Again another win for the K&K; it really is hard to beat. I use the LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI too.
I just took the Anthem SL off my J45, I’ve been looking at sound hole pickups like this, are you still loving it? One person said that the humbucker sounds different if you get the version without the mic, do you suggest having the mic?
I definitely suggest having the mic. The magnetic on it's own sounds okay, but the mic sounds dramatically more realistic. On a good day, good stage, you can use mostly the mic. In louder situations, roll the thumbwheel towards the magnetic side until the feedback disappears.
I would love to try this on my baritone acoustic guitar
I switched to the Fishman for my live playing 50/50 or my fav 70% mic and 30% magnetic
It’s on 2 of my guitars
Easy to EQ and notch
I do use the original models
NICE !
Did you do a fixed installation of the FRB in the end? Wouldn't thing go against the idea that being there all the time it will dampen the vibrations on the top and coming out the sound hole?
Yes, but I have two acoustics for that reason. My Martin HD-28 for recording or when I gig with an external mic or the Cloudvocal system. My Eastman E20 with the Fishman is my acoustic for louder situations.
I have the K and K Trinity system in my HD 28, and it is very frustrating to use, in my opinion. Changing the battery in that system is much more complicated than changing the battery in the rare earth blend pick up. Additionally, I don’t ever really feel like the microphone in the trinity system gets that crystal clear microphone sound that I’ve heard from other microphone based pick up systems.
In your a/B/C comparison, I prefer the 57 every time, followed by the rare earth blend pick up, and last was the K and K. The K & K just sounds artificial to my ear, and the 57 sounds natural. The rare earth blend pick up is not a bad compromise, but I think it would probably sound a little bit better to my ear if the microphone blend was a bit higher and the magnetic pick up was a little bit lower.
Have you ever compared the Fishman Blackstak? I like it because no batteries are required an the adjustability of the magnets to each string to customize the sound.
Fishman Blend vs Fishmen Powertap? Thoughts Anyone?
Such great videos, Alex! Best ones I've seen in pickups. Definitely earned a subscriber and fan :-) I am about to purchase the Fishman Rate Earth pick up system. Is the Fishman blend still your favorite? Have you heard if the Fishman Powertap? Seems to be combination of your favorites, the k&K and of course the Fishmen rare earth sound-hole unit. Any thoughts?
The powertap seems like instead of a magnetic / mic combo, it's a magnetic / body transducer. I think the mic is the most natural sound so I've been happy with this system. Thanks for your kind comment!
@@AlexPriceMusician Thanks, Friend... Based on your awesome video and recommendation, I purchased the Rare Earth Blend. You steered me correctly - I absolutely love it. So thank you very much!
@@cliffsmith1305 Love to hear it man! Glad it's working out.
We're not gonna take it! That really sounds good.
The Seymour Duncan Mag Mic has the mic built into the body of the pickup. It has adjustable poles to counter that inherent G and B string overload in magnetic pickups. The blend works very well. It's also $70 less than the Fishman.
To me, what most of these pickups are missing is the ability to unplug the body of the pickup from the input and power cable if it had an external battery. This would make it much easier to remove from a permanently installed endpen jack. You could have multiple jacks installed on different guitars and not have to worry about a cable dangling out the front of guitar for temporary use.
I totally agree. I explored that a bit when I was researching the Fishman pickup, even emailed the company to see if I could create some sort of system internal to the guitar that I could easily disconnect the pickup. The issue that I and the Fishman rep decided was too much to go into was the auto on/off function when the pickup senses whether or no a cable is plugged in.
How about when compared to the Fishman rare earth powertap? Have you tried that one?
Thanks
Great video! Have you tried the Fishman powertap? It seems to be v similar to the blend - not actually sure how the two are different.. any thoughts anyone?
The Fishman RareEarth Blend has that condenser microphone mounted to it in the sound hole. The PowerTap Earth has the same magnetic pickup (the humbucking version) and has a Tap Sensor underneath the bridge that is capturing the percussion, so the PowerTap is aimed more towards Fingerstyle players. For example Marcin is playing the PowerTap pickup if I remember it correctly.
If you're mainly playing for studio recordings or something like that you wanna go for the RareEarth Blend with the microphone (if you're not recording with a specific external microphone and wanna use the pickup). If you're a Fingerstyle player that also does a lot of percussion, go for the PowerTap. And if you're mainly playing live on stages I'd go for the humbucking pickup only because the microphone could cause feedback issues and the Tap Sensor won't be necessary if you're just strumming.
I just got the Double X2 wireless magnetic/mic pick up from Temu.....have transducers already....mixing the two is amazing....I can keep the transducers turned down since all I'm doing is coloring the magnetic pick up with it....all I need is slight volume of the transducers to brighten up the Double XO. This controls the feedback problems with the transducers. I can keep them turned way down. It sounds so natural to the original sound of the guitar and I use wireless for both so there's no wires to deal with
Definitely the SM57 but unfortunately not practical is some situations. Great presentation.
hello i enjoy watching your reviews and you seem to be very knowledgeable so I have a question,, for home playing or jamming with a few friends help me out here,,im trying to decide between L R Baggs eas element or L R Baggs anthiem sl classical or final choice the fishman rare earth ..very confusing to me,, i would be putting this into my martin ooo 28
thanks a bunch
I have been fitting Fishman Rare earth Blends to all of my guitars since probably 2010. Tried the K+K which is good but a bit quacky, The LR Baggs Anthem which I had fitted in my Lowde based on the hype and Lowden’s recommendation, eventually chucked it in the bin out of frustration.
hello,, im trying to decide about a pickup for my martin ooo 28 and saw your comment,, im wondering that after a year do you feel the same,, is the fishman rare earth still what you like the best thanks
What was frustrating about the Anthem?
@@HarryRemer it is a heavy little unit that needs to be stuck inside the sound hole with tape. Not a good design solution, especially on a Lowden. On top of that, it never sounded good. I tried to like it, but failed.
@@kents2908 Thanks!
Ha, those are the three pickups/mics I use! I have a K&K on the ring of my D-28 Marquis and the REB on the tip with the ability to blend between the mag and mic (main pickup). I ultimately decided I couldn't really use my K&K in 90% of my live situations. Too much feedback and weird tone. The REB became my go-to when I was frequently playing out (also had one on a 000-28 and a D-15S). I found I could get about 50% mic in pretty large venues so long as the sound person is good. But the SM-57 is the very best, and I would use that in any situation where I can get away with it. If someone could make a dynamic mic-based pickup (i.e., not condenser (but also not a contact pickup like a Schertler)), I think it would be a winner.
The Myers mic I mentioned in this video is a dynamic. You might like that one.
@@AlexPriceMusician thanks for the info. I've been looking at their site and elsewhere and am having trouble finding reference to their mic being dynamic (seems really small for that). Can you point me to a reference or citation?
The Shure SM57 mic sounded the best by far.
Liked. You earned it. Excellent review. The SM57 sounded the best to me but surprised at how bad the K&K sounds to me, given how popular it is.
I have a K & K mini in my Martin HD35. Sounds awful!
Hello, I play an acoustic instrument. is there any wireless that can work just only with under saddle pieso pickup (Passive) with out any preamp or EQ Mounted over instrument?
I had the same wireless problem with transducer mics as well.
They both work only when a preamp system is between mic and wireless.
I tested a lot and all wireless systems work with the help of pre amp or with magnetic electric guitar mics installed over the instrument and could not be able to find anything working and adaptable wireless system just with under saddle mic or sticking transducer mic over the acoustic instrument.
Thanks in advance.
I've used wireless kits with passive guitar pickups, and they work but there's this awful impedance mismatch. I think either you'll have to find a wireless with a high impedance preamp built in (and I'm not aware of such a product), or jerry-rig one in between your guitar and wireless kit, maybe mounted to the strap.
The SM57 sounds the way a recorded acoustic guitar usually sounds, so we instinctively think it sounds the most natural. But the 50/50 blend with the Fishman sounds more like a big Martin dreadnought, so maybe that's what should be considered a more natural sound as it captures the instrument more accurately.
The K&K is nice and articulate...until you start strumming. Then it sounds like a pickup.
Can i use the fisman rare earth just plugged in a fishman loud box mini alone? Will the sound be good too?
Hey Denis - the magnetic sounds okay on its own and the Loudbox mini is a great amp. I’ve owned one since they came out and have gotten so much use out of it. The mic definitely sounds much better, but the mag is alright with a bit of EQ
I can't find a useful comparison between the Fishman Rare Earth Blend and LR Baggs Anthem? Any thoughts?
Both have mics, the big difference is that the Fishman system has a magnetic pickup for loud environments and the LR Baggs instead has an undersaddle piezo. I described a bit about why I didn't want an undersaddle early in the video.
Question. Coming soon i will play in Church, lot of instrument and feedback and noisy enviroment. What you recomend!?
If it's a very loud stage, stick to the magnetic pickup on this guy. Roll in a bit of the mic until you start to get feedback, then back up just a bit. That'll get you the best sound I think.
hi Alex,
What about the LR baggs M1A vs Fishman Rare Earth Blend,
thanks
A question, can I install this in a nylon strings guitar and use only the non magnetic mic?
Certainly, the mic will still work. I haven’t tried it on my classical though. I use the cloudvocal system when I need to amplify that. ua-cam.com/video/T4f8QBvlU4k/v-deo.html
Can you help with how to choose a good pickup for a guitar with nylon strings??? Thanks.
Hey Tony - feel free to send me an email through AlexPriceMusician.com/contact
In my Alvarez AC460, I have the original Alvarez-branded Fishman undersaddle/preamp. I use that in combination with a custom IR and my HX Stomp when I'm in loud situations like a musical pit or a jazz group with a drummer. Next month I'm playing that guitar with the Pittsburgh Symphony, but it's in a classical guitar setting. For that, I'm planning on using this Cloudvocal iSolo system into my small Fishman acoustic amp for additional volume. amzn.to/3Vq6CaF
SM57 sounded the best, but you have convinced me the Fishman is the best acoustic pickup there is, short of an external mic.
Fantastic. Still dont like the way B and E high strings sound thru magnetic. But its a big improvement with this latest version.
I used a Fishman Neo-D humbucker for a short while. The output was so low that to get any usable sound it had to be amplified to the point that the noise was ridiculous, it could have been faulty though... FWIW
Peter Mulvey uses the Fishman Rare Earth Magnetic blend pickup
Alex, would you know whether it is possible to use an E-bow with this magnetic pickup ?
Many thanks in advance for your answer !
Yep, in fact you can use an Ebow on an acoustic without a pickup at all :)
@AlexPriceMusician Thanks for your reply. I have to disagree. I have an acoustic guitar, I have an E-bow and I have an old wooden Dean Markley soundhole pickup. The E-bow doesn't work. (The E-bow user guide does warn about the issue )
An E-bow works by interacting with the magnetic field of the guitar microphone. I use it with my electric guitar. Hence my question. Does the Fish man pickup produce a magnetic field for the E-bow to interact with? Have you actually used an E-bow with that pickup?
Sorry for being a bit if a pain😢.
😁
@@oliviermtd I don’t know, maybe you have a different E-Bow than I have but it works regardless of whether or not there’s a pickup. I’ve used it on my Martin with the K&K Pure Mini, which is a piezo disc pickup mounted under the bridge. Ive used it on my old Gibson mandolin which has no pickup. I’ve even seen them used on a grand piano. I have the original Ebow, not the TC Electronic or another brand’s version.
There are certainly harmonic nodes where the Ebow will not work for each note so you have to move it around. Maybe that’s what the documentation is referring to?
I just went and checked my Ebow with the Eastman that I have the Rare Earth Mic Blend installed it. It works.
@@AlexPriceMusician thank you so much for taking the time to reply in detail, and for the specific test.
I do own an original E-bow.
So, your last comment puzzled me. I went back to the user guide which doesn't explicitly say it wouldn't work on an unplugged guitar, but the long explanation about the mic selection and the finding of the hotspot got me thinking it would not work.
And when I tested it on my acoustic guitar, I got the confirmation it wasn't...
Because I wasn't using the E-bow correctly!😂😖
I held it too far from the strings... It has to be really really close.
So, thank you again because you helped me greatly.
No problem!! Glad you got it figured out, yeah they take a bit of time to get used to
Anyone try it on a 12-string ? Yay or Nays ?? Great review & subscribed !
Try playing over the sound hole. I think the guitars will show more of the sound range.
A noob question. Can these be permanently installed with no cable hanging out? Thanks.
Yep, I now have it permanently installed in my Eastman OM guitar. Drill out the endpin (I did it myself) if you haven't had a pickup installed yet and either coil up the cable inside, or cut the cable and re-solder to make it shorter. I just coiled it up nicely and stuck it to the side of the guitar with a zip tie and 3M cable mounts - amzn.to/48RZHhn
Great video indeed! But still I ask myself why so many people love the pure mini: lack of attack, boominess... sounds good but the only real deal is its passive design imho. Maybe a lot of people are simply used to piezo-crap pickups so when they try the k&k it sounds like heaven to their ears... surely this people never tried a GREAT amplification system.
I think I'm sold on buying one.
Why do you need a preamp with the pick up?
Is it better than the cloudvocal Isolo gt10?
I’m a total newbie when it comes to this,,so for us tech challenged people,, are you saying that all I have to do is use my amp cable, plug it into the pickup and to. Y amp?
You can use a normal 1/4" guitar cable and go directly into an amp, yes. An acoustic amp or a flat response PA-type speaker will sound much better than an electric guitar amp though.
If you wanted to, you can also split the signal or the mic and magnet pickup by using a TRS-Y cable. Send the magnetic pickup to one amp and the microphone to another.
@@AlexPriceMusician thanks I do have a PA system I can use,, thanks. Happy new year and thanks for a quick reply
Good stuff, this was really helpful. I recently restored an old Yamaha FG-300 that sounds surprisingly good and since they have the tune-o-matic bridge I've been looking for a good sound hole option, and I think the REB is going to do the job. I hate keeping track of battery life on pickups since they seem to die at the most inopportune times but your video helped convince me that the blend system is worth it. Cheers!
I’ve actually not yet had to replace the battery in over a year of owning it if that helps! But I only plug it in when I gig.
@@AlexPriceMusician That's good to know! I have a Taylor 312-CE that seems to eat up batteries weekly, even with unplugging in between. Just put in my order for the REB and hopeful that won't be the case here.
I have one sounds great but major problem 😕 which is the mounting: the screws screw into little metal inserts which are imbedded into weak plastic tabs. Tighten it down the inserts pull out of the tabs. Do better fishman!
Fishman rare earth vs LR Baggs anthem?? Anyone teste both? Ps: I find anything remotely resembling the tone of a piezo VOMITABLE
Does the Fishman Blend pick up percussion playing well?
The mic half of it does, not the magnetic
@@AlexPriceMusician Thanks.
I guess the few times i played thru a K&K it must have been installed improperly. I couldn’t dial in a tone directly into mixing console.
Were you using an impedance matching preamp? The K&K plugged directly into an ordinary DI box is pretty harsh.
doesn't magnetic pickups limit your string materials? So you only can use electric guitar strings since pb alloys do not work well with magnetic pickups? please confirm this since this was why electric guitarists don't recommend acoustic strings on solid bodies.
You’re correct, but magnetic acoustic pickups are built to be used with bronze strings. You could still try nickel if you want though, check out the Martin Monel set - amzn.to/3AoL0nP
@@AlexPriceMusician thanks for clarifying that!
I realise choice of tone is personal … but I find the magnetic pickups very unnatural. There is no ‘air’ in the sound. The 57 delivered a natural sound, to my taste.
In the past I only used the magnetic pickup to run thru an fix unit, to get sounds like an electric guitar.
Sometimes you just can't use a mic depending on the situation. At gigs I tend to start with a 50/50 blend and see where I'm at with feedback. If it's feeding back already, I'll roll the thumbwheel closer to 100% magnetic until it disappears. If I can get away with more mic than just 50%, then I roll it the opposite way.
Tried to install, touched and blocked the strings. How is this possible? :P
Some people point the mic towards the inside of the guitar, I tend to find that it sounds dull that way. I push the gooseneck down as far as I can into the guitar, then point the mic capsule back up at the strings.
Nice video. Are you still using this?
Yep! I had an issue with a rattle at one point, but I reached out to Fishman and they fixed it, out of warranty, no questions asked. Fantastic pickup.
@@AlexPriceMusician thank you for update. Sounds great.
Now I have guitars equipped with KK pure mini and a DPA 4060 in my guitars. I am using grace design Felix 2 on my regular high class acoustic board but also doing some short acoustic stuff on Kemper Og gigs where I then later use Kemper for electric.
So on Kemper I only benefit from KK.
Of course the setup on Felix 2 sounds great but at higher volume KK tends to feed more than I really wanna keep fighting. The Fishman rare earth blend would sound much better in Kemper than only Kk and even better with Felix 2.
Would it sound as good as DPA/KK combo? Maybe not as natural but more useful and still better than anything else I think.
Seriously thinking of switching out on all my guitars so I get more consistent sound on both rigs.
What you think?
nice video, my friend. why not the anthem?
I've just heard such dramatically mixed reviews that I decided to go with the Fishman system. Also half of the Anthem is an undersaddle piezo, which I did not want.
Any experience with the LR Baggs anthem?
The Anthem has been working well for me. Blending the mic n undersaddle is a must to suit different rooms. Sounds great enough to feel confident and comfortable playing live.
I used the Anthem gigging for a long time, it's really feedback resistant and gets a very good working acoustic guitar tone for live situations. It's by no means perfect, but couples well with a decent EQ pedal (I used an Empress Para Eq). If you notch out ~100HZ to reduce boominess, 300-500Hz to remove boxiness and then reduce some of the mids ~1.5-2.5KHz to make it less harsh you can get a nice loud and clean acoustic sound without feedback or harshness
I've heard mixed reviews. The LR Baggs is a mic/undersaddle piezo combo, the Fishman is a mic/magnetic pickup combo. Slightly different, but I was adamant that I didn't want an undersaddle piezo. The magnetic works well for me.
Fishman rare earth vs Cloudvocal Isolo gt ?
how about noise? almost magnetic pick has high noise.
I don't have that issue with the Fishman
Not sure how your frequency settings are on the K&K mini, but it doesn't sound like most I've heard, including mine, which is in my D18 - yours is way too cheap "piezo" sounding.
I didn't add any EQ. You're hearing the completely raw sound. With a bit of processing it sounds much better.
lr bagg m1 or m80 is much good