J-200: Natural Sound from the Fishman Elipse Aura?

[GDC]

Just bought a new Gibson J-200 and I've been mashing and sliding buttons on the Fishamn thing hunting a good natural sound. Could I impose on y'all who have this device for advice and comments about how to get the best out of it? Is it truly capable of amplifying clean acoustic sound and if so, what do you mash, slide, or twist to get the rascal to put it out? I've got a Fishman Loudbox Artist that works pert good with another guitar using an LR Baggs iMix. I seached the forum and saw a lot of opinions and most seem on target but I couldn't find anything about the best settings, etc., for this thing. Thank you.

[ParlourMan]

You're unlikely to find it, it's so subjective, one man's 'perfectly amplified acoustic tone that sounds really natural' is the next man's 'metallic overly processed acoustic tone'. You'll have to just play around until you find one you're happy with.

 

Best of luck and congrats on the new guitar. ;)

[EuroAussie]

Yeah, what PM said, you just need to experiment. I have something very similar in that i have the Aura spectrum DI, which is basically a floor mounted unit same as the Aura elipse.

 

In this case I downloaded a whole bunch of J-200 images and went through each until I found the one I like.

 

The best advice I can give you is that the in 'blend' function you should not go higher than 30% blend as then it will sound unnatural. I found that to be the sweetspot which removes all piezo quack and gives the guitar a natural, mike like tone withoust sound artificial.

 

Hope that helps.

[BluesKing777]

Yes, you could stretch the mix percentage to maybe 35%!

 

EA and I have the same Fishman Aura DI. You can experiment, but for plugging in to an amp or a PA, you don't want to take the image blend over 30ish%, but if you are using headphones to practice at home, or even recording straight to a computer, you can experiment with percentages of image up to 100%. It is one of the few 'gadgets' that are lousy on 100% live! It makes the sound all microphonic and grungy.

 

 

 

BluesKIng777.

[MichaelR]

I have the same system on my SWD Standard. I also have the same amp! I usually keep the mix a bit more toward the pickup sound rather than the modeling sound. So, I keep the slider to the left about a quarter slide (from the players perspective). I don't know if the they still use the same 4 models, but I usually default to the first one. Playing live, though, I've used the others as they have given a more natural sound depending on the room. The biggest difference so far for me has been the purchase of a Mogami gold cable - guitar input (quarter inch) to XLR. Worth the 50 bucks. Also, the aura system comes from the Gibson factory with serious limits IMO. It's meant to be hooked up via usb to a computer where you can download a variety of modeling sounds and experiment. Of course, the computer input is blocked off, so were stuck with the the same 4 models.....

[drathbun]

My J200 came with the Fishman Aura. I tried every setting and don't like any of them. I might eventually install a Baggs iBeam (I know the sound of these as I've owned four) or a K&K Pure Western Mini. I find that anything that is an under saddle pickup just doesn't do it for me. The only "acoustic" sound I like from an amplified acoustic is something mounted on the sound board (or just plain mic'd up).

[GDC]

Thanks guys. Think I'm gonna swap it out. NOw to figure out how to get the thing out of there.

[Motherofpearl]

Lol I swapped mine out as well for such an expensive pup there's to much messing around for me. I recently purchased a j200 Montana gold now I'm wondering what kind of pup to put in it. Let me know what you try

[GDC]

Those Montana Gold's look pretty sweet.. I've never played one but would love to. I've orderd an LR Baggs Active iBeam. I tend to like Baggs stuff.

 

I have an iMix in an old beat up Collings I have and it works great. It has the iBeam that attaches to the bridge plate and whatever they call their UST (Element I think) along with some kind of gizmo box with screw-driver-run adjustments that is tape stuck to the inside back. That set up lets u dial in the best sound a bit and then lets u mix the UST and bridgeplate as needed - anywhere from 100% of one and none of the other to whatever blend in-between you want. The UST sounds a little bit quacky to me, as they all tend to. I think the combination is so you can roll in some UST mix to help with feedback. I've never needed the UST thing so I'm saving some coin (and the need to tape a device to the inside of my guitar) and going solely with the bridgeplate p/u with a preamp in the end pin. I think I'll have the shop who's going to set up my guitar to take out the Fishman thing and put in the Baggs. I could install the Baggs; they're simple since there's already an end pin hole. But I don't wnat to try to pry that dang Fishman thing out, being a bit of an oaf.

 

I fooled around some more with the Fishman - setting it like the guys above suggested and got it pretty ok really, not bad atall for a UST. Thnaks for your help guys. Maybe the fact that that thing is stuck to the top of my Gibson bothers me more than I'd like to admit. WHen I look at it, I'm reminded of that Borg episode of Stark Track and it gives me the willies. And being the old fashioned type, "dialing in an imagine" from some other guitar just plain seems like perpetrating a fraud lol. Both of those thoughts are crazy, I know, but hey, one has to yield to his own form of madness from time to time. How long will it be until we have "guitar hero" tone selectors? Hell, I still question the wisdom of the decision toallow drumns at the Grand Ole Opry. :)

 

Since I'm having a set up done and bone nut and saddle installed, it'll be a while before I get it back but I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

What are you thinking about for your Montana Gold?

[Motherofpearl]

Honestly I like the lr baggs element I have it in all my guitars

Maybe I just don't like change lol

[GT Hurley]

The fishman is a good system that works for me in my SJ300. It appealed to me because I had a di box and just didn't want to carry around more equipment. I like the adjustability. From venue to venue you have different sound issues and you can adjust your fishman according to the room you play. I also have an AJ with a K&K western pure mini and it sounds good. However I am at the "total mercy" of the soundman when I play it. At least with the fishman I have some options. I hope this helps.

 

GT

[GDC]

Thanks. It's a great concept I think. As I understand it, the di is an outboard device that's capable of loading a variety of "images" thus providing a near infinite level of variety or choice of what you can include for selection. The retail version of the Eclipse provides those options as well and is furnished with a CD containing a lot of images to choose from. It seems Gibson's deal with Fishman limits the images options to the 4 which are preloaded on the device with no ability to change those out. That limits the potential of the device, though clearly the device as installed would provide significantly more options and control than a regular pick up without an onboard eq or an outboard doohickey. I don't thinks its bad; nor do I think its for me. My needs are quite unsophisticated.