Fishman Rare Earth Dual Coil

Pickup features: Active Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Preamp and "brilliance" tone switch

Model of guitar or bass: Madeira (Guild) Dreadnaught
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Lawrence Soundhole pickup
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Ska.
Reason for pickup change: The Lawrence pickup fed back like crazy, and had a cheesy clamp to keep it in the soundhole. Also, I wanted a pickup with an end-pin jack.

Perceived output level: Enough to be heard in along side a loud overdriven electric guitar.
Tone: A little on the trebly side, but it depends a lot on what you're playing through.
Sonic evaluation: Used it with my Fender Hot Rod Deville 212, and it sounded smooth with nice rounded bass notes, but still retained a percussive character on individual notes. Then I tried it with a Marshall Valvestate halfstack, and it sounded completely different (obviously). It was much more mid-rangey, and the bass notes were a little clearer and thinner. The tone you get is all about the EQ, though. It is very natural sounding, and doesn't sound like an electric guitar. It also isn't unnervingly twangy like some peoples' very expensive guitars with built in systems seem to sound, so I'm happy.
The brilliance switch doesn't do anything drastic, but adds a little bit more definition and percussive attack, while making the overall sound a little more trebly. It rarely fed back, and when it did, it was very mild.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Ska. Mostly strumming chords. It's a good match.

Comments: I really like that it came with a female "end-pin" jack at the end of a long thin wire, so you have the option of permanently installing it inside the guitar, or just letting the cord hang down. I played it first with the wire out, which was annoying, so I committed and installed the end-pin jack. It was so simple. I bought a $9 tapered 1/2" wood reamer from sears, and widened the end-pin hole. Then I just screwed all of the pieces together, and now it looks clean and professional. All you see of the pickup is a thin flat-black strip in the soundhole, Not a huge chrome monstrosity.
It also clamps into the soundhole easily, but very, very firmly.
The one down side is that there is no volume control. I mean, how hard would it have been to add a volume control? That's why I give it a 9

Pickup features: humbucking active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Larrivee OM-02
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Audio Technica Pro 95
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Fingerpicking. I like Cockburn, The Dead, Metheny, and a thousand others.
Reason for pickup change: The pro 95 condenser mic sounded okay, but not noticably better than the rare earth. And since the mic kept falling off the brace it was suppose to clip onto I decided to go with a more stable system.

Perceived output level: Good output. Better than the condenser mic that it replaced.
Tone: Nice crisp highs. The low strings sound a bit tinny and electric.
Sonic evaluation: Unfortunately I am probably unable to give a totally positive evaluation of the product at this time since I am using through a GK 250ML (an electric guitar amp). As someone mentioned in another submission, Fishman suggests that it be played through either a p.a. or an acoustic amp. I did try the Rare Earth single coil at the store through an SWR Strawberry Blonde which sounded really good. I initially passed on the pickup because I wasn't sure if it would sound to good out of a plain old p.a.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As I said, I fingerpick. The pickup has not been intrusive as of yet.

Comments: Been playing over 20 years. If I had more money I probably would have looked into purchasing a Sunrise soundhole pickup or a Trance Audio. So far I am enjoying the nice crisp high, but am struggling with trying to remove that tinny sound I'm getting.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Guild d-35
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Go to fishman Web Site and see
You musical style(s): folk, rock, rockabilly, contemporary Christian Gospel
Reason for pickup change: Needed to be louder for performance and show

Perceived output level:
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: Guild D-35 Fender Super Reverb

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: finger pick or strum all styles

Comments: Yes I would buy it again. I investigated this subject pretty heavily and tried out several pickups in the music stores in our area. This pickup is the most realistic for a soundhole pickup. Nothing beats micking but who has the time to monkey with it. I am rating this pickup a "9" it is the best soundhole pickup I have ever heard. Dean Markely, Seymour Duncan, George L, are all rated at a "2" compared. If you want to go cheap don't try this pickup because you won't like the cheap ones after you hear the fishman. So read the other reviews and step up to the plate and pay the bucks.

Pickup features: Humbucking Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Martin D 15
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Blues, country
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: About the same as Takamine or Highlander
Tone: Wound strings a bit bassy, the other two jump out a bit too much (switch off)
Sonic evaluation: I plug my Martin D 15 straight into the PA, will only use a
little Crate acoustic amp (maybe) if I'm not using my own gear.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues and other "rootsy" kind of stuff. It is a pretty good match.

Comments: If it was stolen ,(they'd probably steal the whole guitar wouldn't they), I might try something else, the acoustitube from Seymour Duncan or the EMG maybe, both half the price of this pickup, and with a volumecontrol which is something that I miss. With the treble switch on, the sound is more balanced, maybe becomes a bit more hifi or transducer like, oh well, it all depends on room acoustics and stuff like that isn't it.I have been playing fot 34 years. When playing acoustic, I sometimes also use a cheap old Ibanez for slide ,with a Highlander under saddle pickup.That guitar is more trebly anyway, and with that pickup, I dial the treble out and it sounds okay as well, just different.After all, I still am quite happy with this pickup. I wonder about their dual system, I can imagine that in order to avoid feedback you have to reduce the amount of mike signal so much that you might as well forget it ? That is an interesting subject anyway, in the old days they had no choice and some of the best players still play into an SM 57 or something every time I try it absolutely does not work.

Pickup features: Humbucking active acoustic guitar pickup, soundhole mounted
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tacoma EM10CE
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: The tacoma came with an under the saddle copolymer pickup, which I chucked out.
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Fingerstyle (classically trained), and fingerstyle singer/songwriter accompaniment
Reason for pickup change: My other stage guitar has a RE blend system in it (you can see my review under that heading) and I really dig the sound of the RE with a little tube warmth on it. I generally am left depressed by under saddle pickups by them selves...

Perceived output level: The out put is good enough to use for any sane application, although nowhere near as hot as a high end active saddle system. Oddly, the output is noticably less than the RE blend that I have (regardless of which guitar it is in) but the sound is warmer. I suspect that the blend is voiced differently or, since some time has passed between my purchase of the two systems, the voicing of the whole family might have been tweaked.
Tone: What can I say? the mag reviews have raved about "gorgeous shimmering tone" and that's why I bought another one of these babys! As mentioned above, the tone of this humbucker is warmer and more true than even my beloved RE blend and I really was happy with that magnetic. The picup works especially well in the tacoma (a guitar that is ripe with overtones) and when run through a tube pre is almost all anyone would need. I am really happy with the sound for now.
Sonic evaluation: I have run this guitar/pickup combo through: A roland VS840, ADAT & related outboard studio gear, A Fender acoustasonic SFX and, my PA setup (Rare earth into an ART tube MP into a mackie 1202 (with a digitech studioquad for delay and 'verb looped in)into a crown K2 amp and out through EAWjf100i speakers. All work great! Even at rather high sound pressure levels (read:loud as hell) the tone is pure, balanced, detailed, noise and feedback free. It transfers details in my fingerpicking better than I thought a magnetic could. A note: even without the tube pre, the pickup sounds good, if only a little "plasticky" and electric guitarish. My own extreme bias is in favor of a little tube warmth which I feel really brings out the strengths of this unit. to each their own...the treble boost (switch under the body of the pickup) is very subtle, but noticeable. Think of it as "Air" or "frosting". I leave it off when fingerpicking (I use fingernails one my right hand) but flip it on (up) when two hand tapping to bring out the treble lines in left hand hammer on and pull off stuff. The switch is easy enough to reach that you can hit it in mid tune if you want to shape tone on the fly. This unit is quieter, more hum free and more natural than the magnetic portion on the blend. I like having the mic on the blend for recording, but unless you really like the sound of an internal mic and are willing to eq and preamp and process it, you might think hard about spending the extra cash elsewhere and just run with this humbucker.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As mentioned, I am a bonehead fingerstylist, and, for that the pickup is a tour de force. A bonus is that alternate tunings with lowered bass strings are reproduced in a way that only a magnetic is capable of. This is a win-win situation: natural fingerpicking sound with unnatural (supernatural?) harmonics and bass undertones. One could use this pickup for any style that uses acoustic guitar, especially if you have to play loud.

Comments: If this pickup went the way of all things, I would get another one immediately. In fact, since I play upwards of 140 shows a year, I may get another, put it in the guitar that the RE blend is in, and use the blend for an emergency spare and recording only pickup. I really respect the engineering that went into the RE family, and I have tried a lot of great pickups from a lot of great companies(Especially the redoubtable L.R. Baggs but also emf, highlander and fishman's own under saddle polymer deals). All of the high end "name" manufactures can produce a pleasant tone, but for ease of use, warmth and volume this is the stuff. I am wondering if this unit will cannabalize fishman's own matrix and natural sales (remember, I threw away the pickup which came in the Tacoma -they say it is a fishman and it sounded like other fishman transducers that I have played. Not that it sounded bad at all, but this is better). These things tend to come around and in a field like electronics, 1st place changes constantly. (Rumours abound about new technology coming out of australia that may hit the market soon) Magnetics may be an aquired taste, and any expenditure of YOUR hard earned cash needs to be based on your ears and tastes. For now and for me, I feel that this neo-scottish masterpiece is the hottest thing going.

Pickup features: Active humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Martin 000-1
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: mic'd
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rock/ pop
Reason for pickup change: mobility

Perceived output level: the preamp puts out a strong signal
Tone: well-balanced to the strings, there are basically no 5th fret natural harmonics
Sonic evaluation: Fishman suggests running through a full- spectrum system, i.e. PA or keyboard amp. I run through a PA.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Depends on your sound

Comments: This pickup is no doubt the best magnetic pickup I've heard, but I didn't buy a $1100 Martin so it would sould like a Les Paul. There is no acoustic sound to this pickup. REPEAT- THERE IS NO ACOUSTIC SOUND TO THIS PICKUP.

Pickup features: humbucking active
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Guild JF30
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Dean Markley Pro Mag
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: I don't know
You musical style(s): blues/folk/rock
Reason for pickup change: The Dean Markley sounded like crap, very bright and tinny. So I decided to dish out the dough and get a real pickup

Perceived output level: I have no clue as to what to put here.
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing her through a small Peavey P/A system, she sounds great. Also, I have a little Tascam Portastudio (414) and the recordings sound great, nice punch and a good bass response.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a lot of rhythm and she does well with that. I also pick a lot and she does that equally well. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Comments: I'd definitely get another one! I've been playing for about ten years, first classical guitar, progressing to acoustic blues/folk and recently electric blues. I've got a Guild JF30, a Takamine EG330C, a Fender Lonestar and a Strat I parted together, a Heritage H157, and a classical Aria guitar. I have one amp, a Crate GX60C, and a Vox 810 distortion pedal.
I love the fact that is inconspicuous on the guitar, it doesn't obstruct the soundhole at all. I'm not sure the treble switch does a lot for the sound but maybe that is just me.

Pickup features: Humbucker - Active
Impedence or other specs: Brilliance switch up to 20KHZ

Model of guitar or bass: 1973 Gibson Hummingbird
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Hot dot piezo & DeArmond #230 humbucker (sound hole p/u)
Other pickups on guitar: see above
Artists using this pickup: n/a
You musical style(s): Jazz, country, rock, gospel
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a cleaner more acoustic sound in a sound hole pickup. I've tried several hole pickups and didn't want to install a saddle p/u. I came across its listing in another musical supply catalogue, and procedded to shop around and landed on First Quality Music via internet.

Perceived output level: Nice gain, better than previous passive p/u. When played through my Fender Acoustasonic SFX it sounds heavenly.
Tone: Bassy & yet punchy, every string well balanced. Doesn't have that humbucker sound. It's more like an active saddle piezo sound.
Sonic evaluation: I am playing a '73 Gibson Hummingbird through the Rare Earth 'bucker. It is wired through the heal of the guitar out the strap post with 1/4" jack. I'm playing it through a Fender Acoustasonic SFX, the best acoustic amp, I've every played through. This active pickup renders good even sound with absolutely no distortion or clipping. I've tried to think of some negatives, but can't right now (I've only owned it for two weeks). I've shopped around and this seemed to be the ticket, so I put a $130.00 pickup in a $1000's??? guitar. It renders the Hummingbird's sweet bassy tone very well. I'm sure that I better give a lot of credit to the Fender SFX (Stereo Field Expansion) amp which sounds great in its own right. See my review on the Fender Acoustasonic SFX amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Acoustic Jazz, country gospel, acoustic melodic ballads (Phil Keaggy, Larry Carlton)

Comments: I wouldn't hesitate to replace it quickly if stolen or lost. I've been playing for 35 years and have swung from many guitar vines. But have setteld on Gibson and Fender products. I own a 77 Gibson Les Paul Custom Honeyburst, 1962 & 1973 Gibson Hummingbirds (natural solid spruce top), Fender Strats, Big Apple Strat, Alvarez Classical, GTR 5 string Flying Eagle banjo, 1968 Harmony mandolin. I compared the Rare Earth humbucker with other sound hole pickups, mainly ones I've owned in the past searching for that evasive acoustic sound. I've found it in the RE2! I am at the present very satisfied with it. Maybe I feel that way because I dished out $130 for it.

Pickup features: Humbucking, Active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Takemine 330
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: I dunno
You musical style(s): Talentless noodling
Reason for pickup change: First pickup on this guitar

Perceived output level: I am running it direct to the soundboard with no outboard pre-amp (it does have an internal preamp powered by two little lithium-cell batteries), and the gain is fine.
Tone: Nicely balanced. A brightness switch gives a nice (and needed) high-end boost.
Sonic evaluation: Best tone I've ever heard from a soundhole-mounted humbucker. Most similar pickups that I've tried make the guitar sound like a Les Paul on quaaludes. Not this one. It has nice, natural acoustic tone, particularly with the treble-boost switch engaged. I auditioned this pickup in a Takemine with a piezo bridge pickup and active electronics, and I thought the Rare Earth sounded better -- warmer in tone, with much better response in the low midrange. I run the pickup direct through the sound board, with no outboard preamp or other signal processing. There is plenty of gain, and the tone is rick and full. Not as edgy or biting as a piezo. For that reason, I'm not sure it would cut through a full-band mix the way a piezo does, but its great for solo playing.
The design of this pickup is also top-notch. The dual coils are stacked, which gives you the advantages of a humbucking pickup (this pickup is virtually noise free) without having a huge chunk of metal covering the soundhole. The thin profile looks great. The mounting system is great as well -- easy in-and-out, but very secure.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I use the Takemine/Rare Earth to sign John Prine and Peter Case songs while the rest of the band is on break.

Comments: I think this is a terriffic product. More expensive than other soundhole pickups, but definitely worth the extra dough. More discerning players searching for higher performance should check out the Rare Earth blend system, which mates a microphone to the humbucking pickup