B-Band A10-22R-1470 Dual Channel Preamp/EQ/Notch, XOM

This is the new model for the AST and UST transducers the preamp "fits" in the industry standard Fishman Prefix hole in the side of your guitar. It has independent gain settings for the AST and UST w/ a cut feature. It allows a blend between the AST and UST. It has a notch filter between 100hz and 330 hz. The basic bass, middle, treble and volume sliders.

I installed this in an Ibanez AW300 with a Fishman Prefix Plus. The Fishman was fine until I played an awful sounding unplugged Washburn acoustic with the a B Band UST that sounded real good plugged in, the clock began ticking.
I wasn't going to carve up the guitar to put in this unit. I read that they were going to make a drop in retro fit for the Fishman, so I waited.
The installation wasn't as cut and dry as I thought is would be due to some vague directions. The vagueness was in the plug ins for the pickups and the jack. The instructions didn't say plug the side with the 2 slots facing outward. The picture in the instructions looked like there were no slots facing outwards, so I plugged all the jacks in backwards. Also, the leads for the pickups cannot touch, so I thought that might be the problem, it wasn't. I switched everything around a few different ways until I faced all the slots outward. Then, it worked.
The AST is an adhesive backed soundboard transducer. The kit came with a cardboard template that stuck to the outside of the transducer. Then, it had 2 holes for the bridge pins to line it up. OK, that sounds alright. After getting the AST in place, you are to carefully remove the cardboard template. The tape on the cardboard was pretty strong and it didn't come off gracefully. It pulled the AST off, so I lined the AST as best I could without the cardboard and re-applied it. It worked and sounds great. I've done all my guitar work, I can see someone butchering this up and ruining the AST.
If the directions were better, it would have been done in under an hour.
Another minor complaint is the fit of the preamp. It is the exact same size as The Fishman it replaces. B Band used a soft rubber outer ring to cover the minor gaps. There is a slight raise in the rubber on one side. I tried to adjust and make it flat, but I couldn't get it perfect. I don't get that mental over something like that, but if you have issues with perfect fit and finish, you will have an issue.
I changed the Fishman Prefix Plus because it just didn't sound near as nice as the guitar sounded acoustically. After hearing that bad Washburn come to life with a B Band, it was just a matter of time. I run an old ART Acoustic pedal for a better preamp, fx, and boost function. It sounded fine, but I just wanted better. I'm not hating the Fishman, I heard a B Band and knew it would be an upgrade.
On the B Band site, there are sound clips of Johnny Hilland and Scott Henderson using the system. Shoreline Music has an extensive soundclip page of multiple systems, it is worth the time to check it out.

The output level is good enough to plug straight into a board and have good tone. The thing sounds great with the AST and UST mixed together. I set the gain a little less for the AST because it was a little tinny at the highest setting. The UST gain is at full.
I just got this today and set it up. I'm pretty impressed so far and a little excited. This is a quality upgrade. It reproduces the sound of the guitar well. The Ibanez Art Wood series acoustics are fine instruments. They are very balanced and taking heavy strumming and fingerpicking well. I use D'Andrea brass bridge pins that add a little extra heft and sustain in the bridge.
I play a little bit of everything. I tried jazz chords, single note runs, power chords, and played everywhere on the neck to test it out. The A10 can handle anything. I found that turning down the gain on the AST helpful with heavier parts (you can also cut the gain by a knob, too).
This is a great pickup. I should have lived with it longer to do a review, but it is good stuff. It sounds like the guitar only louder and I'm very happy with it. Some reviewers had issues with balance problems so, I shimmed the under saddle pickup during installation. There were no balance issues.
I wish I could say there were some tone issues; I can't. Installation issues were annoying, though.

The A10 uses 2 transducers and they sound different enough to have a few tones on an acoustic guitar. The A9 and under preamps are for one transducer. I would recommend the 2 pickup system. It is great system. I did my homework and there are other brands that I might have tried like Pick up the World or K&K. This just was a retro fit to my current Fishman and my ears liked what I heard with the B Band. I would check out the Shoreline Music site to hear the differences, there are a lot of good options. The B Band system is pretty inexpensive since you don't have to buy another preamp.
I am satisfied with this system. I'm not playing out now, but I know that plugging in means having a better system than most "on guitar" systems. There is this coffee house guy that has a great sounding guitar.... until he plugs in. I think L.R. Baggs had an ad years ago that said, after the first row, all your audience hears is your electronics.
I searched all over for this unit and found the price to be $214.99. I got it for $199.99 shipped from Blue Star Music on eBay. It is worth the money, I'm glad I didn't go $10 cheaper and buy the A9.