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Anyone Here Use The Fishman Rare Earth Blend?


BluesKing777

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I am enjoying fiddling around with removable soundhole pickups recently including a Fishman Neo-D Hbucker, Fishman Blackstack HBucker and a Seymour Duncan Woody. I only want the removables so I can try them on guitars I don't want to alter and I guess I am a bit sick of the undersaddles.

 

So I am contemplating a Fishman Rare Earth Blend Soundhole Pickup - as far as the internet search shows, there is One in the whole country and it is really expensive and a really long drive.

 

I have watched some videos and this pickup interests me because you can blend the mic and soundhole on and off etc, and I will run it to my Aura pedal. I know it has been around a long while and a bit uncool because of the Baggs Lyric etc. The Baggs units don't have this blend business, and would upset the Aura, so they are out......for now!

 

 

Any happy customers here?

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Nobody?

 

 

Doesn't matter.

 

 

I was mentally prepared for the long, long drive because the local delivery guy thinks he is the mail guy in Chevy Chase Funny Farm, so avoid if possible, so I rang everyone in town and nobody stocks the pickup. The place mentioned above advertises them, so I rang them to double check before embarking on a long journey against warnings of major delays from massive roadworks in 3 places and thunder, lightning, pelting rain just to see if you really want the gadget........phone answered by a cretin who put me on hold forever and came back to say they don't stock the pickup - I have to order it from them. Blow it out ya trumpet, I can and have ordered one myself from Fishman. So!

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Sorry, I have one !

I bought it used from a bloke on the AGF some 5 years ago and i do quite like it, in particular how you can blend the microphone and humbucker output.

 

I use it sometimes when i want to plug in, normally at home my gits without the pickups, mainly the vintage stuff.

 

I don't feel its as good as the Fishman UST / Aura combo, doesn't quite have the same stability, quality and consistency of tone in my book, but certainly no such. Very nice and authentic at low volume.

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Thanks EA!

 

 

A lot of the internet complaints are about the mic feedback at gigs, followed by needing to like mag pickups. If asked a few months ago, I would have laughed, but one thing leads to another and here I am. I saw the ad for the TCE clip tuner, bought it, very impressed, saw the ad for the TC Play Acoustic while looking at the manual for the tuner...hmmm if it has the quality of the tuner it could be nice, bought it. Oh Oh, sounds superb, but my recent guitars purchases are all 'pick up free' and should stay that way, then......>>> soundhole removable pickups! Yeah!

 

 

Shouldn't get feedback from the mic with headphones or in ear monitors, so the unit will get a good test with me, but I can see how it would scream like a pig plugged to an amp.

 

 

 

BluesKing777. (Waiting for the mad postman again).

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I was going to say, why not have one of us buy you one in the States and ship it to you! But maybe with shipping and potential taxes and such it would kill it anyway.

 

I'm thinking I'm going to have to make a 12-hour journey if I want to A/B an SJ-100 and an SJ-200. Yikes! With gas and hotel, I'd be better off buying both and shipping back the one I don't want (or both!). I guess there are benefits to living in a small country, but I wouldn't want to deal with your traffic and the like. :) I'd take the train ha.

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BK, I have one and I highly recommend it. I bought the non-blend model, tried it, then returned it and got the blend which is much better. The mic on that little boom allows you to find the sweet spot, under the bridge. Best pup I've ever owned and real easy to stick on any guitar temporarily. In fact, I've never installed the jack since I don't have a need to play through an amp. I doubt if it's had 2 hours of PT, so it's like new in the box. Any idea of the going price of these. I might consider selling it. Jess

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Thanks!

 

 

No way around our good old dollar exchange rate has collapsed because of possibly crooked political leadership.....73c to a US$ as I write. So with delivery Fedex from Elderly, it would be about $AU660. Whereas I got it online by the Aust agent for $AU430 - full price no negotiation allowed - the agent is wholesaler and on lower import tax and duties....

 

 

Same with new guitars.

 

So if you see that fellow with a bag of capos and strings and leads at the airport......guess where he is heading?

 

 

Good news is the guitars I bought when the exchange rate was a $1.10 to the US$ are now, on paper, worth that percentage difference more! [mellow]

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I'll admit I'm sometimes "technology challenged," but what is this blending stuff you're talking about? This question is from a guy who uses a DI box to boost the sound of a passive pickup and hasn't a clue about doing anything else with it. Am I missing-out on something major in the sound department?

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You are not missing out Larry, unless you have a guitar you don't want to drill to put pickups and leads and volume knobs and stuff in, perhaps a vintage guitar or collector's item.

 

People want the acoustic guitar to sound the same live, but if you use a mic and turn it up it squeals so various devices are around. If you don't mind altering your guitar the Baggs Lyric is a mic attached to the inside of your guitar. Sound great but in a band with drums a bit iffy as the volume goes up all around you.

 

So people have used the soundhole magnetic pickups, basically the same as the pickup in an electric guitar and the first complaint is that it...derr...sounds like an electric guitar! May as well take the Telecaster.... So enterprisng pickups people have come up with soundhole mag pickups that pickup a bit of the acoustic guitar sound as well as the strings in various ways - Baggs M1 and M80 and Fishman Rare Earth and Fishman Neo-D.

 

Fishman have the model I am talking about that adds a little mic on the back of the soundhole mounted pickup to add some acoustic 'air', but of course it is a mic and people turn it up at a gig and they get....feedback from the mic and then turn that down and just use the magnetic pickup - again, may as well take the Telecaster. If you are playing solo and not too loud, you can get a 50% mic, 50% Mag pickup sound to please all around...hopefully! The mag pickups are way louder than the little mic. And the 'Rare Earth' magnets pick a bit more guitar up.

 

 

So if I plugged in to a mixer and used headphones/in-ear monitors instead of an amp or foldback monitor, theory says I could use all mic from the unit or if I wanted a bit more oomph, add 25% mag..... and we would be cooking with gas!!!! (of course you could use a plain old mic but you can't jump around like Elvis)

 

Here is a chap with a strange accent, but he does a great little demonstration of the Fishman Rare Earth Blend Soundhole Pickup (an easier name like the Plucker or something would help sales!!! :

 

 

 

 

And to show the Baggs Lyric I mentioned above from the other side, in the best light I have ever seen, so to speak, is the wonderful Sierra Hull:

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Got it, Blues. Thanks for the detailed explanation. I appreciate you taking the time to do that..........Basically, I just plug-in and play. I guess that so long as it doesn't sound like an electric I'm good with it. Speaking of the LR Baggs Lyric, I just installed one in my J45TV. I installed one earlier in my koa AJ. Real easy install. If I can do it, ANYONE can. The most important thing is to have the right drill bit. Anyway, I really like the sound. A couple weeks ago I had the guys in a band compliment the plugged-in sound of the AJ. The Lyric seems to be a really decent piece of equipment with that inside mic. Thanks for the video of Sierra Hull. It's late in the evening now and I knew what I'd be seeing, but I watched it anyway....lol..Maybe a Unisom will help....lol......I think they wrote a song about her and she wasn't even born yet: Ain't She Sweet?

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Yeah, it goes like this - BK, MP and motley crue waiting at the agent's office for the gig as promised...in walks Sierra....may as well go home.

 

 

How is the volume on the Lyric, Larry?

 

I don't want to put one in the guitars that I want to leave unaltered, but I could swap ou the Baggs Element from my J45 or Blues King for the Lyric! Good idea I just had!!! [rolleyes]

 

Another pay day - they are out of stock at my local guitar shop.

 

 

The only bother with mics and acoustics is the memory of a night I played in a cocktail bar many years back - everyone except guitarist [mellow] dressed to the nines to be let in by the bouncer and the Princess took advantage of the more congenial conditions, let me say instead of my bourbon bar gig, to bring some work friends. They all sat at a table near me and they were louder through the mic than my guitar! They were taking no notice of me. Not being a patient guitarist, I asked them to talk a bit quiter and then of course I was now the party pooper a'hole......

 

Yeah Telecasters!

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJrENPvKns4

 

I like this Lyric demo because it does not have the technical EQ wizardry of Baggs behind it. This is just a user demo, plugged direct with no EQ or anything. Sounds better coming out of an amp or a PA, but this is the pure sound you would be getting.

 

I've gotten good sound from mine, too, although I still prefer how an external mic (Shure SM58 in this case) sounds. I like the extra bass and presence and oomph from a mic. Of course that is part of the reason why people don't like mics! The Lyric works to remove a lot of that. By necessity, the Lyric really only "hears" the top of the guitar, not the back/sides, because the back/sides are reflection, and reflection is what it is designed to eliminate to keep the squeal away.

 

That said, it still sounds good. BK, I have actually noticed it is rather quiet. I thought maybe it was just me. Although I'm told that my amp gives a 20 db (can that be right?? maybe it's 2 db or 4 or something) boost to XLR mics. For whatever reason, it does not give that boost to 1/4", which is what the Lyric is, just a standard guitar cable. So that could be why it seems quiet to me, but... yeah. Seems quiet.

 

My J-15 came with the Baggs Element, so I just had them take that out and put the Lyric in. Like you, I don't think I want to put anything into my guitars that came without electronics, but if I did, I'd much rather put in the little Lyric instead of some undersaddle thing.

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I think I like Sierra better, not just for the looks but because I know the Martin sound and it seems close with the Lyric whereas I wouldn't know a Walden if I fell over it. He could have strummed a few bars un-Lyric-ed to give a reference, but.....

 

Sierra and friend are both using the Baggs Para DI as recommended - did you get one? Most forumites use a Para.

 

 

Obviously if someone can invent something small, simple, wireless that sounds exactly like we hear an acoustic, well then we can concentrate on colonising Mars or whatever they announced the other day. Otherwise they won't really be able to do it! I think Apple should get to it - new acoustic guitar mic/pickup please, Cookie if you watching. Just had a thought - gaffa tape my iPhone to the inside of the soundhole - wireless stereo mic bluetoothed to the laptop! [flapper]

 

 

BluesKing777.

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The Lyric has plenty of volume. More than the lr bags M1 pickups. My Hummingbird has a Martin Thin Line Gold and I've always liked it. No controls on it, aside from your external amp/mixer, but it has plenty of volume. I've been been thinking about swapping it out for a Lyric. The Lyric has the volume and a soft tone to it.... And I'm not inferring there's anything wrong with the Baggs M1 pickups. I just thought the one I had in the J60 was on the quiet side when compared to the pickups in other guitars that I'd plug in........The Baggs element (I assume that's what it is) that came in my Dove has really good volume and tone. It has a volume control, so I don't know if that's an upgraded Baggs element or just one with a volume control..........Yeah, I have the Baggs Para Di, but I don't use it with the Lyric.....Should I? I don't know.........See I only really crank-up my sound unit if I'm doing a "music in the park" kind of venue where I need to cover a bigger area with sound. Otherwise, my Roland or Yamaha provide far more than enough sound and they're rarely above the half-way mark.

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Yes, MP the pickups like the Element that have a battery have a little pre-amp to boost the signal in your guitar lead to mixer and wherever - mine are way louder than pickups without preamp. (Undersaddle and soundhole).

 

I have the Aura Spectrum which apart from the sound images, also has handy and convenient controls like the Para DI. Try the Para with the Lyric - it will boost the level and you could cut some woofy bass and mids with the eq control, plus have a DI to go straight to a mixer/PA if you get a outdoor concert gig.....

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I think I like Sierra better, not just for the looks but because I know the Martin sound and it seems close with the Lyric whereas I wouldn't know a Walden if I fell over it. He could have strummed a few bars un-Lyric-ed to give a reference, but.....

 

Sierra and friend are both using the Baggs Para DI as recommended - did you get one? Most forumites use a Para.

No, but I do think a Para would do the job for me. Or one of those things! Would be nice, because I could tweak the EQ some as well and bring in a little more bass. My J-15 sounds like my J-15, but I think it loses some of the growl.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9KJF3lF1Rs

Here's another Martin with Lyric that sounds like a Martin. I do think you lose a bit of the rosewood (maybe all of it), but there's no doubt it sounds fantastic. I do think that Baggs and whomever are doing some technical wizardry for their demos, though. I don't think it's just plugged into a DI box and then recorded. They wouldn't post it unless it sounded fantastic. :) And not all of us fellers are gonna have that kind of know-how. Or, maybe the DI really does do the trick and make it sound just that much better.

 

I had to wonder too if the guitar isn't bleeding into the vocal mic some.

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Yes, I watched most of their vids rcently with headphones for a decent listen.

 

If you go to the Youtube link in the video you posted, they have a little blurb including a link to a Soundcloud file of the pickup recorded direct. Headphones needed. Quite different I thought.

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I do like the sound of the Lyric, and feel its a stronger and more stable pickup than the Fishman blend. But the beauty of the fisherman is that it can be used across different guitars as its portable. Im not fully sure but i don't think thats an option with the Lyric, or is it ?

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Yep, portability is the reason I bought the Fishman Blend.

 

 

I have no idea how long I have to wait for delivery.

 

 

The Lyric would be better in larger guitars like J45s and D28s, I reckon after listening to the soundfiles of the Baggs demos. Unfortunately, my J45 has the best Aura image in the Spectrum, so swapping the Baggs Element for a Lyric could be a mistake.

 

 

I will see how the mic part of the Fishman Blend sounds......

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Yep, will be interested to hear your experiences. I recall that normally u use around 55% pickup and 45% mike for optimum tone, but if i want to get a bit down and dirty then i crank the pickup to around 70%. You also need to spend quite a bit of time positioning the mike inside the sound hole as that influences it. If i have time maybe i might record a demo with it on the Martin or perhaps illustrate it against the Fishman Infinity on an SJ for example ?

 

 

Yep, portability is the reason I bought the Fishman Blend.

 

 

I have no idea how long I have to wait for delivery.

 

 

The Lyric would be better in larger guitars like J45s and D28s, I reckon after listening to the soundfiles of the Baggs demos. Unfortunately, my J45 has the best Aura image in the Spectrum, so swapping the Baggs Element for a Lyric could be a mistake.

 

 

I will see how the mic part of the Fishman Blend sounds......

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Yes, I watched most of their vids rcently with headphones for a decent listen.

 

If you go to the Youtube link in the video you posted, they have a little blurb including a link to a Soundcloud file of the pickup recorded direct. Headphones needed. Quite different I thought.

 

 

BluesKing777.

Interesting! Still sounds darn good, direct, but sounds more like the sound I've been getting with a flat EQ. Not perfect by any means, not as nice (in my opinion) as a truly unplugged guitar or an external mic, but... definitely the best "pickup" I've ever heard. Have you seen the demo from Sound Pure Studios where they play it along with a band? It is in a particularly trebly-sounding Eastman. It still sounds good, just not as full. I agree with you that bigger guitars seem to work best, and I think that's because it was designed to be "one size fits all," and they assume most folks have bigger guitars and tune it in that regard. I think if they made one for smaller guitars, they'd allow more bass to creep in, but there is danger in that with big guitars. Seems like they would have thought of a remedy for this by now. I guess people just use EQ, and it does sound great flat.

 

I do like the sound of the Lyric, and feel its a stronger and more stable pickup than the Fishman blend. But the beauty of the fisherman is that it can be used across different guitars as its portable. Im not fully sure but i don't think thats an option with the Lyric, or is it ?

Nope, it is not really portable at all. One could stick it in oneself and just leave the cord hanging out the soundhole, but that's not really a good permanent solution, and it needs sticky tape. It's not a pedal or anything but functions the same as a pickup, installed inside the guitar. It doesn't cost much more than the Baggs Element or a Fishman UST, but of course most of our guitars come with one of the above. I've tried to sell my unused stock Baggs Element that was removed in favor of this, but no one wants to buy it! :)

 

With the Aura, you get EQ and everything in a pedal. With this, you have to buy and install one in each guitar you want to use it with, and then you might still have to buy an EQ pedal. I think it's designed to sound good without EQ, and I think it does, but still.

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Yep, will be interested to hear your experiences. I recall that normally u use around 55% pickup and 45% mike for optimum tone, but if i want to get a bit down and dirty then i crank the pickup to around 70%. You also need to spend quite a bit of time positioning the mike inside the sound hole as that influences it. If i have time maybe i might record a demo with it on the Martin or perhaps illustrate it against the Fishman Infinity on an SJ for example ?

 

 

I guess I could use 100% mic if I use headphones/in-ear monitors?

 

If I run leads to my 4 channel mixer, I could (slightly) overdo things by using my J45 with the Baggs Element in one channel, Fishman mic or mag in one channel and Neumann mic in another channel!

 

People on forums mention splitting the Fishman into stereo with the mag in one lead and the mic attached in another with different eq settings for each!

 

Hahaha - mad scientist with leads everywhere........

 

 

Moot point at the moment coz Fishman (Aus) haven't even given me a tracking number for delivery yet! That is why I was going to drive for hours to get it home last Saturday, but they didn't have one, so.....waiting......

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Hahaha - mad scientist with leads everywhere........

 

Moot point at the moment coz Fishman (Aus) haven't even given me a tracking number for delivery yet! That is why I was going to drive for hours to get it home last Saturday, but they didn't have one, so.....waiting......

BluesKing777.

 

So while you're waiting, watch this mad scientist (if you haven't already seen it). Loopers, Baggs pick ups, pedals galore, and Two Capos.

 

What more could you want?

 

Fast forward to 15:30 if you like....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjFCnLjDPlA

 

 

FMA

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Are you trying to evangelize us?? Just kidding, just kidding.

 

I've always really liked Phil Keaggy. I remember playing his self-titled on repeat back in the late '90s, and before I got the album, I had sound clips of it from the internet that I listened to over and over. I really like his songwriting and of course his guitar playing. He reminds me of some weird American version of Paul McCartney. Seems like a nice guy, too. He did a Christmas album I used to love, too. Might have to dig them all out.

 

I wonder if all the fancy stuff he does is to keep his audience from getting bored, or to keep him from getting bored!

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Phill K. actually handles all the extras very well!

 

 

In the wrong hands, well, it can be real overkill and a good lesson in paring down/back.

 

 

I have seen a few solo acts live at a local club - they have all the razz(matazz) and it was very exciting in the first song - got everyone's attention for sure. But one act started the next song the same...boom boom..da dahhhh...rat..screeet. then guitar... loop....more guitar..more loop...bass line...pssst noises.....vocal....a bit 'one man band' without the ability really.....and then I was bored and wandered off to chat with other old guitar players and joined in the group anti-gadget grumble.

 

 

 

 

No tracking for my pickup yet!

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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