Fishman Aura

Easy to use, but if your feet aren't to big, it might be quit a challenge to hit both buttons at the same time for tuner mode access.

This is the worst crap ever! A friend convinced me about the Aura, and all my former knowledge about Fishman was great. But this isn't worthy Fishmans brand at all. It's sounds just like what it actually is - a digital prossessor. Either you like it or not, your guitar will sound digital. Well, at least I thought that I could use it without the blending, and save several settings for compression, boost, eq, etc. But even with no guitar connected, it makes so much noise that it's totally useless. Worst buy ever!

Well, it's kind of reliably terrible. Allways noisy.

They've been very helpful as allways.

I play jazz, pop, and songwriter music. Should have been a good match according to the propaganda. It isn't. I've been playing for 20 years, and I play Blueridge, K. Yairi and Breedlove. They work perfectly good without the Aura. I would never ever buy it again, and I'm looking for some way to get rid of it. I just feel terrible ever buying it.

This is for the AIP Dreadnought "stompbox" version of the Aura, with no tuner or presets. There's no manual included, but one isn't needed, if you know what a trim pot, a clip indicator, an on/off footswitch, a phase switch, and volume and blend controls all are. The only other thing on it, besides the jacks and "on" LED, is a central 16-position rotary switch for choosing the sound variation you like best. It's very simple, intuitive, and totally easy.

It's powered by a 9v battery, or appropriate AC adapter, and has 1/4" jacks in and out.

Right now, I'm plugging a '98 Ovation Collector's Series (OP-24E preamp) into it. After the Aura, the signal is going to a stereo chorus, then into an Mbox audio interface, and finally to a pair of Behringer B2031 Truth powered monitors. Onstage, it will go to a Mackie board and a 6-piece JBL EON system. The Aura introduces no noise that I could detect.

It would be easy to dismiss this unit too quickly as just a box with 16 different EQ settings. I only found one that I liked, but that's the one that works, and all that I need. It's not intended to be any kind of a varaiable "effects" device. And, as for it being a substitute for a good acoustic guitar properly miked in the studio with a really good condenser or ribbon microphone, well... while it's certainly closer, there's still no substitute for the real thing.

But there is one trick that this box does, that makes it entirely worth the price: IT GETS RID OF that obnoxious PIEZO-QUACK-rubberband-spang character that permeates the sound of piezo-equipped guitars. I've tried to EQ that sound out, and I've come to the conclusion that it can't be done. I don't know how Fishman did it, and don't care. With the Aura, piezo quack is really and truly gone, and that's what I bought this thing to do. That makes this box fairly indespensible for live gigs.

If it works this well with my Ovation, I can't wait until I try it with the 2006 Gibson J-185 EC that I just won the bid on off eBay, and is on its way here. That has factory Fishman Plus electronics in it, so it should get along with the Aura very well; certain new top-line Gibsons have a version of Aura built in. Perhaps I could have waited until I try it with that, before writing this review, but after it working this well with my Ovation, that is news enough to justify reporting on it.

It appears to be well-made of good components, and pretty classy-looking, too. The top and bottom are brushed chrome (although that scratches a bit easily), and the middle looks to be powder-coated metal, all held together with hex screws. The knobs are metal, the pots are tight and smooth, and the unit has a pretty good heft to it, so it seems pretty heavy-duty. Yeah, I've played a couple thousand gigs in my time, and I'd use it without a backup. You can break anything, and I do have spares of a number of important things, but if this unit quit or got broken, I could muddle through the gig without it. I'd trust it.

The only contact I've had with Fishman is I emailed them during the weekend, asking which specific model (they make six) they recommended for the two guitars mentioned, and they got back to me early on Monday with an answer, so they seem approachable, anyway.

I'm an old rock'n'roll fart from way back, am working more towards solo acoustic and vocal without my MIDI backing tracks, and I don' do no friggin' Koomboyah. I play strong, rhythmic guitar arrangements using a big, full sound, with the idea that people won't miss the drums and bass. For me, acoustic guitar is not "spice," it's the whole frikkin' band. Yeah, I still got an attitude...

I just started working with it, but I can tell already that I won't want to be without it. If it dissapeared, I'd need another one real quick.

I could have given it 10's across the board pretty easy, but I admit that I'm "still on the honeymoon," and I don't want to give Fishman an excuse to quit trying to make something better. As is, the unit comes on maybe just a bit pretentious with the esoteric-sounding name "Aura," and claiming the sound of studio mics and all, but it does take you a very useful and substantial step in that direction, with no ill effects. They perhaps could have made it a slightly simpler box with fewer than 16 presets, simply called it "Quack Smacker" or something, but then again, maybe it is first in its class at what it does, and thus deserves to look a bit "special."

I was able to get very usable results within half an hour or so. Read the instructions they do help.

I am using an Epiphone dreadnaught with a Martin platinum plus under bridge pickup. I am using a Genz Benz shenendoa pro as the amplifier. I did have to add a dbx AFS-224 feedback suppression processor to deal with feedback problems with this setup. First I can get very loud while still retaining the sound of this guitar unplugged. Is there any other reason for this product? I do add just a little compression and sweeten the tone just a little. I use a flat pick. The beauty of this box is all of the strings come through very clearly.

Had this for about 6 months now. No problems. This is built very well.

Haven't had to talk to them.

Little pricey but then you should be able to use with any of your acoustics. Sounds great. I have gotten a number of posative comments when I perform using it. Seems to be very well built. Requires some setup for each different guitar but once you have done that and saved the patch just a question of selecting patch and setting volume. I would buy this again if it were lost or stolen

It's very simple to use and set up. You are allowed 50 presets so, it's easy to create a setting for different guitars/instruments for whatever situation you might desire

Of course nothing will be able to match a high end mic in a studio. However, this is not bad. It's primary use is live performance. I've used everything including a piezo, condenser mic, a combination of a condenser mic with a piezo. The Aura allows gives you the choice of 4 different emulated mics (with a lot of tone adjustment) along with a piezo (tone and sustain/compression adjustments) and blending capabilities of those two amplication tools. I'm giving this a 9 because the sound isn't quite as good as a high end mic but it really could deserve a 10 because it's as close as you can get without all the feedback problems of a mic in a live setting!

I've had mine for 2 years and never a problem!

Never needed it!

I searched for 30 years until I found the Aura 2 years ago. The search has ended! I play in a bluegrass group with some world class pickers and I prefer it to any microphone in a live setting because you don't have to worry about feedback! The sound guys love it too!

easy to use

This thing is so ridiculous. What a joke. You know right away when you walk into venue if someone has this goofy thing running or not. It sounds so artificial. I??d be embarrassed to say i own one. Too bad because fishman??s other stuff is usually of great quality

Good. Fishman admits this thing is not for everybody.

You might as well buy a synthesizer with guitar sounds if you want to sound that silly.

Very easy to use. There is a input volume trim to be set to avoid clipping distortion, then choose a patch, and finally set the mix between the raw pick-up output and the Aura output.

It takes my Composite Acoustics (CA) Legacy Player Dreadnought with L.R.Baggs active element from good to fantastic. Depending how much Aura output you choose to mix with the raw pick-up output, it can completely eliminate that classic piezo sound and give you a flawless microphone like sound. All 16 patch selections are usable (I thought some of them would be clearly better for under-saddle piezo and some for magnetic sound hole). I liked 1 best for strumming and 6 best for finger picking, and maybe 6 best overall. I am using a Genz-Benz 150LT for this evaluation.

Appears to be very well built and I have no plan to buy a back-up.

I have emailed Fishman customer support in the past. They are responsive and knowledgeable.

Given the ~25 hour 9v battery life of current Aura electronics and the reasonable price of this pedal; it really makes sense to me to buy this pedal once, put it on the floor with an external power supply, and then put a relatively inexpensive active piezo in all my guitars. This is a great product. I've spent years trying different pick-ups (Macintyre Feather, K&K Pure Western, Ibeam, Rare Earth Blend) with none of them quite sounding right (actually the blend was pretty good but too physically intrusive for my tastes). With this pedal you can take the ubiquitous plain jane under-saddle piezo and make it sound perfect.

Very easy to use, saving editing patches to another patch is not possible.

To be short: This unit is crap. Sounds like a mic'ed guitar ? the answer is: hahaha ! I mean the sound is getting a little warmer through this unit but to say it sounds like a mic'ed guitar is just a joke. maybe if i was mr. fishman and would like to sell this unit i would say that. anyway, you can here the processor calculating your sound. yesterday i used it live for the first time, the sound you get has no chance against your bandmates, it sounds somehow tubby even if you try to eq it. i play guitar for 15 years and i have a lot of acoustic. and i've been trying to get the perfect sound for a long while. but the fishman aura is waste of money. can't understand the positive ratings on this side.

Looks stable

Don't believe propaganda on fishman website. if you want a sound that sounds like from some microchip then buy it.

I been using guitar effects before so there's no suprise for me from the Aura. There are some features and settings I am not completely sure but hey, that's what the manual for. I know a lot of people don't like to read manual but I think it is a good habit to always read the manual, it does help.
Even so most of the setting and features are very self-explainatory, if you played with a guitar effect before (acustic or electric alike) you should have no problem with Aura. The effect on and off button is a nice touch, though is going to be hard to step on it when you're on stage.

I have a undersaddle pick-up. And Aura's sound quality is great, if you want to have a real acoustic guitar sound on the stage, Aura is the answer. Although a nice set of condenser mic will still bring more transparent and solid sound, Aura is much easier and faster to setup than mic your guitar on the stage. When you listen to one of this, you don't want to go back to the old pick-up sound. But it still depend on the artist, some songs may actually goes better with the metallic pick-up sound.
overall it is a great unit for an acoustic guitar. For studio recording however, I would still use a pair of good condenser mics.

I will always bring it to the gig, because it is so easy to set up and it sounds great. But once again depend on the style of your music, if there is a lot of acoustic guitar solo, fingerstyle, or maybe country and blue. You probably will have one with you since the acoustic guitar can be the leading instrument. But if you are playing something much louder and stonger, acoustic guitar might just be sitting in the background, than Aura might not be necessary.

I haven't have any problem with the Aura so I can't give a good comment on that. But I just love that they have tons of guitar images to download for you to play around and try. The download is easy and free.

For the longest time I been wondering this: High end keyboard can simulate a grand piano perfectly, electric guitar has endless effects, dummers has 3~7 mics for their drumset, there is electric violin.. etc and they all reproduce the sound of instrument nicely, besides the acoustic guitar. Just when I get use to the dead pick-up sound in the live music, here comes the Aura. It is truly a breakthrough for the acoustic guitar. Here is something that will bring out your original guitar sound without complicated set up. Although a nice acoustic amp and effects can enhance the sound of pick-up, they can't do what tha Aura can do which is reproduce the original sound of a acoustic guitar.

I give it 8 because it is somewhat expensive although I consider a great buy.

If you want a basic sound just plug in and play. but i found the basic sounds poor.
read the manual and mess about for a while and you will get better sounds but they still sound poor.

used with a top quality PA sound system and martin J40 and Ovation Guitars.found sound was better without it.
tried to match guitar with channel like it said in book but did not sound right. spent hours on web site watching videos on how to set up and set guitars as it said but still sounded poor.
i got poor distorted sounds using factory settings and not much better when i did them myself

unit was ok for home use but stopped using it live as i found that when playing with other guitars and bass players and using a few microphones if any of the other people unpluged or switched on or off it made the fishman stop working and i had to switch off and on again to reset and get any sound out of it which is not very good in the middle of a song or if you did not double check before you started to play.
i have used and still use fishman pickups and find them top class.

contacted them on web and found them friendly and helpful.
but did not make it play better

stick to making pickups

i have been playing for 35 year but have gone back to more acoustic in last 5 year using a Ovation roundback and a 89 martin J40
i have now just gone back to using the controls on the guitar and a good sound man .
used a zoom 504 acoustic for a while it sounded 10 times better than the fishman for a lot less but did not stand up to a lot of work.
i have just sold the fishman to a local music shop for a lot less than i paid but was happy to see it go.

I'm a little amazed at the polarity of these reviewers. While some are glowing and great, an equal number are poor and almost reprimanding. That said, here is my review:

I purchased this unit on eBay, without being able to audition (something I rarely do). Fishman's Aura website was a very nice presentation of the capabilities of this product. Immediately after receiving it, I felt I had made the right decision. I plugged in an inexpensive (but good-sounding) Epiphone PR-200EB and the Aura sounded very good right out of the box! When I began tweaking, I was impressed by the suprisingly straight-forward method of setting parameters; with a "play" and "edit" setting. Once you get that, you're set.

I purchased this specifically for live on-stage use. I would never substitute this for a really nice condenser in the studio. But for replicating your own guitar's real sound onstage, I am very impressed. It took me a little while to get used to hearing it, because I'd become so accustomed to the "settle-for" piezo quack. I caught myself not even noticing the great sound of my amplified acoustic tone, which is the point, I guess. It really does sound like your guitar, only louder! To confirm (and bring a smile to my face each time), I would push the "effect on-off" button while strumming and re-affirm my happiness.

I really like the balanced XLR out option. This helps keep the noise remarkably low. I use a tube pre-amp after the Aura (one of those little ART TubeMP units) for added signal strength, headroom, and warm punch. For an acoustic group or soloist, I haven't found anything that comes as close in authentic, pleasing tone. However, I have found that the warm natural sound the Aura acheives isn't as well suited for full-band use, with drums and bass and everything.

Being the Eagle Scout that I am, I never show up for any gig without being fully prepared. That includes a back-up for everything. While I haven't had any issues whatsoever with my Aura, I still wouldn't take my spare Fishman ProEQII and DI box out of my guitar case. Better to carry it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

The Aura is robustly built, and seems like it will last a long time, provided you don't abuse it.

Other than the aforementioned GREAT website, I haven't needed any Fishman support. I did need to download the PDF manual, which I found without a problem. Judging from others' reviews, should I ever need help, I'll have no problems getting it.

Fishman really set the bar high with this one. I think future generations of this product will be even better. I would like to see one that is phantom powered, perhaps, to eliminate a power adapter. Also, this stompbox's attractive metal case seems like it is a little larger than it needs to be, and doesn't fit inside any of my acoustic guitar cases, which would be a "plus." Finally, an LED scribble strip readout would be more useful than the 2-digit 1980s style LED readout which is currently on it.

All that said, my opinion is that Fishman got the sonic part right, and with more use and gigging (and if they take some suggestions from us users) they'll get the physical and ergonomic part perfected.

New users (or users who are disappointed by their purchase), take the time to dial-in a setting for your particular guitar. If you can't find it, try downloading one from their excellent page. They even have an option for you to ship your guitar to them, and they will create a sound image specifically for your instrument!

I bought this thinking it can actually do what it says. Plug it in and it gives you that true acoustic sound! No chance. I play a Jumbo Body Guild and there where no sound images for that guitar. So I played around for over 5 hours with hundreds of sound images downloaded off the Fishman website. The one sound, which sounded the best, was when I accidently hit the BYPASS button and heard my acoustic direct with no help from the Aura.

If you want a processed tone that sounds like you're playing in a wind tunnel, then look no further! In fact, I called Fishman thinking I was doing something wrong since the Aura has been around for a few years. The tech said if you spend hours recording and editing sounds you MAY find something you like. If not you can return it back to Guitar Center. WOW. Honest advice! If you own a studio (like I do) and think this will be the 'quick setup' -end all be all- acoustic guitar imager, you are wrong. Anyone who comes in with an acoustic guitar will need to spend hours trying to dial in to a good sound. I got this unit for the budget concious recording artist who want to Plug in and play. Sought of what the AURA says it can do to achieve that good sound!

Returned it after 2 days.

Excellent support and Honest techs too! I'd still consider buying Fishman products only because of their support!

I play instrumental music. When you record instrumental music (i.e. Satriani, Vai, Johnson) you really need to have that excellent sound. The guitar does not take the back seat so it really has to be a quality tone. If you have any idea what an acoustic guitar should sound like, this product will not get it for you!

I've been looking at the other opinions and thought I'd weigh in on the Fishman Aura. I have had mine for about 4 weeks and have gigged with it and spent enough hours at home tweaking the controls to pretty much "get it".

No it's not easy out of the box to use. I struggled with the manual and still found initially the results were dissappointing. The download process is not intuitive. And once you've downloaded the sound files there is no onboard feedback that verifies what you've actually done. I don't get the compression controls or understand how the phase actually does anything.

But once I chilled out and took the time to read the manual and work with the controls it started to come easy. I like the way the pickup side and the aura side are separately equalized. The play/edit is pretty simple. The tuner and feedback "search/kill" are not all that easy to use at first. Also my units LED's don't light up unless I crank up the input and then strum hard. I don't know if thats the unit or my playing because I do get the effect anyway.

My main criticism is that Fishman ought to have a small screen readout that gives you more information that gives you a quick look at all of the settings as well as the soundfile characteristics. If its not onboard then it would be nice to at least be able to get the feedback on a laptop via USB.

But eventually once you "get it" it does seem to get easier.

I play a new Martin H28, Gibson J-45, older Gibson J45/50 and a Yiari Alvarez 12 string. I play them both through my Fishman Loudbox and through the P.A. Mixer system when I gig at open mics (don't know what model but looks expensive).

I don't get any noise at all. The effects are very strong. At home I can hear the difference immediately and it's astounding. Once you get the settings down you can hit the off/on footswitch and compare the difference. The best way to describe it is that when it is on it sounds like I am playing in my bathroom with the sound bouncing off the ceramic tiles or in a stairwell of a tall building. The sound is full and open. Once you get the settings right you won't go back to being without it. A simple trick I use to test any guitar or effect is to hit the high E at the 12 and 14 fret and hear how it rings out. You want that note to carry and sustain like you're inside a bell. The Aura delivers that note true to form. Likewise I will hit the lower strings on the 7th fret and get a sense of how rich the sound is at that location. It should vibrate your body and you should get a response in your diaphram. The Aura gives you a full sound. there as well. Finally when playing arpeggios and chords I like a full sound that is not overly jangly. The Aura delivers there as well. I have not seen or heard anything else that comes close.

At live venues its a little different and it's a little harder for me to guage. I play in a round robin open mic situation with some other pretty discerning pickers. Since I'm behind the sound system I can only hear what bounces off the wall. But the audience response is outstanding. The first time I used the Aura I could see the audience, mostly guitar players, stop what they were doing and listen in amazement. I can hear enough to know its good but I won't know for sure until I get a wireless jack and walk around and see how it sounds. But the audience feedback is unequivocal.

I listen to a lot of acoustic music. I suppose I most like, for example, the way Jackson Browne sounds on his new acoustic CD. Or something like Clarence White or Tony Rice with that rich "Martin Sound". I sweated blood to raise the money for my Martin HD28 and wanted to get what it could deliver. With the active matrix you almost get there...but not quite. With the Aura you do. Or at least close enough that I am happy.

I can't say just yet. I've had no problems yet. It looks sturdy. I gig with it without fear. I do pack my trusty Boss Chorus just in case I get somewhere and something doesn't "feel right". But so far no problems.

When I had trouble with the learning curve I e-mailed Fishman with an irate tirade. I got an immediate response and offers to do anything I wanted to make me happy. I chilled right out and I can't ask for much more than that for a compamy.

I am a purist. I dont want to change the sound of the guitar. I just want to get the most out of it. And the Aura seems to delivery.

I play a lot of fast flatpicking ala Doc Watson/Tony Rice type stuff. Also I do a lot of John Fahey and Jimmy Page "Led Zepplin III" 12 string open tuning riffs I learned more than 30 years ago. I'm in awe of John McLauglin and have been heavily influenced by that kind of picking.

I got the Aura to support that style of playing. Now I won't play live without it and if lost I would immediately replace it.

I read some of the other reviews. I will agree it may not equal a good mic recording studio system. But for the primary purpose of playing live and opening up the guitar I know of nothing (and I have every gadget known to man from Boss to Roland to Line6)that comes close to delivering the best acoustic guitar sound.

I wouldn't call it easy to use or learn. It took me about 90 minutes to figure out that patch edits are saved automatically. The manual is not very heavy. I'm not looking forward to learning the more complicated features. However, when you get your presets done and find good level settings, you're good to go. The notch filter is super easy to use, one touch for automatic, if that doesn't get it you hold the button down till the led blinks and wait for it to find frequencies. It worked pretty well for me until I got to really high volume levels with a PA. We might be able to attribute those kinds of feedback problems to the pickup or acoustics in general rather than the preamp. Other preamps on this guitar tended to exhibit the same problem.

No battery power. Drawback

One of the problems with evaluating acoustic preamps is that I always hear the sound of the guitar before the preamp sound. So, after about two hours I started editing the patches by making recordings. I have a Gibson CL 35 DC (auditorium size, cutaway, really full sounding guitar) with a custom Baggs I beam/saddle installation that I designed to be super-responsive to treble frequencies. My first results produced a muddy sound which I attributed to an old battery in the instrument preamp. Changing the battery improved the recorded tone.

One of the problems with evaluating acoustic preamps is that I always hear the sound of the guitar before the preamp sound. So, after about two hours I started editing the patches by making recordings. I have a Gibson CL 35 DC (auditorium size, cutaway, really full sounding guitar) with a custom Baggs I beam/saddle installation that I designed to be super-responsive to treble frequencies. I recorded direct into a computer with a Layla soundcard using cool edit pro and standard windows drivers. My first results produced a muddy sound which I attributed to an old battery in the instrument preamp. Changing the battery improved the recorded tone.

We have the aura's preamp tone and then the modeling tone to evaluate. Preamp tone by itself is not bad, warmer than the Baggs DI and less spiky at the top end. Fishman claims that what the aura does is not modelling, but I disagree. The results come from an algorhythm, processing is digital, so I say it is modelling. You can adjust the blend of modeling to straight preamp to your taste, and you can eq each separately. That's a good idea.

I achieved the most natural results by using 100% modelled signal, no eq adjustment on the preamp signall, raising the treble and midrange on the modelling eq.

How good does it sound? After a couple of days I was able to get sounds out of it that I thought actually sounded like the guitar itself. So, in terms of digital products I think it represents a breakthrough, especially compared to products like the POD that just can't simulate the power tube high end accurately.

That's what I would say it sounds like. It sounds like the frequency response of an acoustic put through a good fender amp. The "air" factor that you hear from an acoustic, and those kind of overtones, was not 100%. More like 80. Some of my friends think the new Taylor systems nail acoustic tone, I think one of these might put you in the same class. Kind of expensive for a preamp, particularly because it doesn't have any effects. I think it would have been pretty easy and cheap to put a chorus and delay in there too.

So, really good tone, very competitive, no effects, no batteries, high price.

Don't know.

Don't Know

Great product, but Fishman should admit they have produced a modeller, put some effects on it, and batteries power.

First of all, let me say I love this system. I did a lenghty reivew of it on the Acoustic Guitar Magazine forum. Here is the link: http://www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=019699#000000

Once you spend a little time with this system you'll be rewarded with awesome tone. The manual is done very nicely and is easy to use.

I'm gonna give a nine because there is a learning curve. But once you get past the initial stage its real easy to use.

I have never beeen satisfied with the live tone of my acoustic guitars. The piezo quack is so unrealstic compared to the unplugged tone of my guitars. I bought the Aura for its live tone and I'm very pleased with its performance. I'm going to give a nine because no attempt to amplify an acoustic will ever be perfect.

I've gigged regularly with Aura since November and I've never been let down yet.

I found Fishman to be very responsive. They have a web site devoted to the Aura. They update the site at the minimum on a weekly basis. Further, I even had Joe B of Fishman thank me for my review the Acoustic Guitar Magazine Forum. Afterwords we exchanged Emails.

The Aura is a very useful tool and a good buy.

The manual is well written, although sometimes redundant. The part about the different phase settings is confusing and gives the impression that there are 4 different settings that can change from venue to venue. Actually, you set the pickup phase setting to the particular guitar you are using and forget it. The universal phase may change from venue to venue. I don't know why they set the stock sound image blend to 75% aura (setting 6) when they recommend setting the blend to 67% pickup and 33% Aura for live use (setting 3). When you just plug in and go to a stock patch there is too much sound image for live performing (for my taste). It is definitely something you want to tweak and fine tune at home before you go out and gig with it

I won't go into detail. If you are interested, go to the acoustic guitar magazines forum, go to guitar talk, then to gear and read "Rainsong's Aura review" it's quite comprehensive and lengthy.
The only part of the Aura that I'm not that impressed with is the compression, I use little to none. Maybe I just don't like comression! It is less noisy than my Baggs PADI and that says a lot!

Looks solid enough. Only had it for 2 months. Don't drop it and it should work for years. I still keep my Baggs PADI as backup, you can't be too carefull. Belt and suspenders I always say!

I can't say enough about Joe B., Fishman and customer support. It's hard to find this kind of service in Mom & Pop shops, let alone a company the size of Fishman. I sent my rainsong off to have a custom image made and they were great!

Playing in an acoustic duo w/ an acoustic bass plyer/singer.
Other gear: see my review in AG magazine
If it were lost, yes I'd get another
WHile I can't quite say it will replace High end studio mics or it sounds "exactly like my guitar only louder" when amplified. It makes my guitar sound better than anything else out there I've heard
(again, read my review).
One thing I wish it had was an effects loop, although I mainly used effects to cover up quack. I have found with the Aura that the reverb on my mixer is all I need now, But it would be nice to be able to put a cheap Zoom 504 or something for "occasional" cheesy 12 string/chorus type sounds in a loop so it wouldn't be as noisy.

Fav feature (s): It's ability to eliminate all quack, the "seek & destry" feedback killing feature. Different foot operated patches for diff guitars, volume, playing style etc.
READ MY REVIEW ON AG MAG FORUM FOR MORE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS!!!

Takes a bit of work -- but it's worth it! Definitely have to READ THE MANUAL! You have to match the Sound Image with you guitar and pickup --

This is where the Aura shines! I downloaded the Sound Images from the Fishman site. If you set it up right, this device sounds fantastic! I use it with a Gibson J-100 Xtra with a Fishman Matrix II and it sounds like my guitar, just louder! I use it with a Trace Elliot 100R for a stage monitor and plug that into our PA.

Only had it a week, but it looks sturdy.

Fishman has it together. They have a Website dedicated to the AURA with instructional videos, manuals, and Sound Images. The Sound Images are an essentioal part of getting the best out of this device. I used a Midi cable from my computer to the Aura in order to transfer the upgrades. You MUST do this to get the most out of AURA. It's easy and the downloads are free!

The Aura is quite easy to setup. The manual and the switch/indicators are generally intuitive. The compressor/lead channel is not intuitive to this user. Both the "C" and "L" levels just seetm to make the unit louder to my ears. It does not allow the user to "copy" settings into another bank, which would be a welcome improvement. Uploading image files is a breeze, using a MIDI interface. Obviously, USB would be preferred.

If copying from one bank to another was supported, I'd have given it a 9+. Lack of USB doesn't make the unit harder to use, just more expensive to operate.

I gig with a Martin SWOM and a Martin 000-28EC. Both guitars have Fishman Matrix Natural USTs. My unit was noisy initially (see service review below). It is quite acceptably quiet now. I usually plug into a Yamaha EMx 660 powered mixer. I run the SWOM with a POD 2.0 in front of the Aura. I run the EC straight into the Aura.

When I first got the Aura, I was only moderately immpressed with its performance. I futzed around with most of the built-in image files with limited satisfaction. Late last year (2004), I got an email form Fishman offering to let me prototype their Custom Image Program. I took them up on the offer and sent my EC up to their factory. They turned it around in less than two weeks from end-to-end during the Christmas rush. The guitar came back to me just as it had left -- in perfect condition. I recieved the image files via email a few days after the guitar came back. I uploaded them immediately and was extreemly pleased with the results. The EC now sounds GREAT with the Aura. Before, it had only sounded so-so. Now it sounds better than unplugged! It is inspirational.

One of the images was a bit darker than the preferred EC version, so I tried that one with the SWOM. It was darn good as well. Once I plugged into my Pod's tube preamp with Chorus 1 selected, the SWOM was killer. The is a huge sound that works extreemly well for contemporary Christian worship music (which is what I play every week).

My Aura was one of the first ones to ship, and not long after I started using it, the power supply quit. I replaced it with a Boss pedal power supply. Then I got a SKB pedal board that will drive the Aura as well as my Strat's pedals. After about 9 months of use, my Aura totally quit working. I sent it back to Fishman and they replaced the logic board with a newer version. For whatever reason, the unit is quieter now also. Its been running about 4 months now since it was repaired and I have had no other glitches. I would not gig without a backup for any PA/Guitar device -- nothing special against the Aura. I carry a Platimum ProEQ in my bag as a fall-back choice.

Customer support is very good. Numerous emails have been answered promptly and suggestions have been very helpful. The above mentioned beta test offer came unsolicited. If a replacement power supply had been offerd instead of a recommended replacement (that I had to buy), I'd give Fishman a 10.

I play original material, EC, U2 etc. and contemporary Christian worship music. I played from age 12 to 20, quit for many years and picked it up again at age 40 (thanks to my wife). I've been playing about seven years this time around. I have three Martins (SWOM, EC and a 000-15), a 2002 Am. Std. Stratocaster, a '65 RI Twin Reverb.

I would replace the Aura with a new one if if "took legs". I love the sound I'm getting out of the PA now with both instruments. I have not tried the 000-15 with it yet. I don't like the fact that you cannot copy settings from one bank to another (which would help with "tweaking").

The Aura is fairly large and heavy, and looks to be made of quality materials. It wuold be more convenient in a smaller form-factor. I do like the way I sound with it, so I guess that means it helps me make music.

My only beef is that its made to work with online patches, but it doesn't have a USB port. You have to find a MIDI-to-USB patch cable, which is NOT cheap.

Otherwise, easy to use.

10 years eperience. I use an Ovation CS257-QT into the Fishman (sometimes a RP-20 processor) and either into the board, into a BadCat Black Cat Reverb 1x12" combo for getting a slightly broken-up semi-acoustic tube sound, or into a Roland JC120 combo when just messing around at home.

The Ovation was bought from a catalog years ago before I had too much experience with acoustic guitars, and I just never managed to get rid of it...it's pretty (gorgeous redburst finish over quilted maple), so my wife won't let me sell it. Anyway, you all know that Ovations sound more like a strat than an acoustic, and I wanted a rich, mellow sound (like a Larivee or Takemina rosewood drednought) that could be recorded without having to buy a Larivee, mic, mic-preamp, and PA.

Well, with a set of heavy bronze strings on the Ovation, and the Fishman, I was ready to roll. Well, first off, goodbye to 90% of the quack. After DLing an Ovation Legend patch, I had a good sound going live through a PA, and a really warm and rich semi-acoustic sound through a tube amp.

Does it sound like a Larive with a tube mic? Not at all. Does it sound far more usable than the guitar itself sounds either plugged or unplugged? Yes.

Sits on the floor 90% of the time in my carpeted music room. Will hold up in that environment for centuries, I'm sure.

If I gigged it every night or used it heavily, I'd be able to say more.

Overall, for my purposes it took my crappy sounding guitar and made it sound much fuller and richer, and elimentated most of the hideous peizo quack. A good buy for $120.

Easy to set-up and use. After registration,aoustic images are easily downloaded from Fishman's Aura site and transfered via computer to the unit. Stage and studio setup is simple.

Sonics are far below pro standards.

It will never get enough time on anyone's pedal board to know how reliable it is.

Fishman should be commended for the ambitous plans and amazing support of this product. That is what made me buy it without auditioning it first(something I will rarely do).

I trust first impressions, and referrals from trusted sources, but as this was a new product, I bought one without auditioning it.I gave this thing a fair try live, more than once, summer of '04. Been messing around in the studio with it, and felt compelled to write this review.
The Fishman Aura is another pedal that will collect dust in storage until I sell it or give it away(but I only give away premium stuff to my friends, so it'll be a no reserve e-bay item shortly).

I have 34+ years as a recording and touring professional.

My first major gripe about this unit was to find when I open the box that there was no power supply for it. Unless you live in USA you don't get one. Which is pretty piss poor considering this unit can't be powered by batteries and is double the price that it is in the USA. I don't think I've heard of any other manufacturer supplying a product that can't be switch on when you buy it. It's like buying a new car then being told that now you have to go out and buy some wheels for it. So I had shell out another #20 for a Boss power supply before I could turn the thing on. Not very impressed! The manual is fine although a little long winded and repetitious. The controls are staight foward and easy to use.

I bought it because I do 2-3 acoustic gigs a week in pubs and clubs. I'm using a Maton CW80 fitted with a fishman rare earth pickup through a small PA with JLB Eons. With this unit it's not like adding an effect to your sound. You have to find a Sound Image that is similar to your guitar's shape and the pickup you are using and blend it with the sound of your guitar. So it's not like having lots of different guitar sounds at your disposal as you would with a Variaxe, this thing enhances the sound of your own guitar. So as expected, of the 16 presets that came with the unit 15 sounded like shit and one sounded ok. There's a whole series of patches with great memorable names like moo184011reh that you can down load from fishmanaura.com which brings me to gripe number two. You have to go out and buy a usb to midi lead to access these patches. So I shelled out another #44 and got one, and to be fair it worked just fine I easily downloaded some patches which were marginly better sounding than the factory presets. The sounds are ok to good, it helps if you use the built in compressor, but the guitar still sounds like it has a pickup - not miked up, but certainly better than the pickup alone. The built in tuner is useful and the feedback controller works quite well.

The pedal seems well built. I'd gig with out a backup.

Never dealt with them. But the company seems very geared to US buyers, you can only have a sound image created for your own instrument in the US, and if they can't get it together to sort out a power supply for unit outside of the US, it doesn't bode well if something goes wrong with it.

I bought this unit for live use, I play James Taylor to Jazz to Blues and it does the job, just. If it were lost or stolen I'd buy something else. I had a Alphex Acoustic Xciter before this and in lots of ways it was better and cost a third of the price.

Very easy to use. Well set up. The software and downloading is a snap.

Well this is what its all about isn't it? When I first turned the Aura on and checked out the stock Dreadnaught patches I wasn't that impressed. I have a Larrivee DV 05 w/ a fishman stereo blender. The more I tweaked the eq compressor etc. the better it got until I finally got a very usable sound. When I downloaded some of the patches from the fishman website however is when things got really interesting. I downloaded a few larrivee L09 images w/ different mics all for the stereo blender. Very impressive to say the least. I than took the image I liked the best tweaked the settings. Voila, a good sounding acoustic guitar nice and loud through my Mackie mixer and Event monitors. Next I recorded a few minutes of different guitar styles fingerpick flatpick etc simultaneously with a condenser mic on two tracks so I could A b them. They both sounded very good but as expected slightly different (can't wait to have the guys from the acoustic act I play with do the live or memorex thing). For recording I would still use the mic but for live would use the box as it is dead quite. Please keep in mind that the image I'm using isn't exactly for my guitar. Can't wait to hear the exact patch.

Well built. Made to gig with.

I called them before I bought it to ask a few questions and the guy on the phone couldn't have been more helpful. I asked him whem he thought they would have images for my Larrivee and he told me they are building a new studio just to record images and the company expected to have more out by the end of December. Then he went on to tell me not to count on it since the holidays were coming up and he felt that even though the are pushing to get more images out it will be early next year before I'll see them. His honesty impressed me.

I play acoustic music in a band with Mandolin another guitar and stand up. We do an eclectic mix of rock covers jazz standards bluegrass or whatever we like w/ three part harmony. This is a big break thru for me as I never like the acoustic sound I had and was always searching. I didn't by this thing to record with but to play live. And for this I can't see whats not to like.

The AURA itself is quite simple to tweak. Well it includes a compressor and a limiter and it is helpful if you have an idea of what these tools are doing. But they all have quite useful presets. The whole AURA-thing is only useful when you make use of the MIDI download feature. And this demands a certain technical versatility. Also the names of the new files are terrible (what was the difference between "RE4FCS1KNTII1" and "RE4FCS1KNTII2"?)

I always strongly disliked the sound of any guitar pickup. And I was very much pleased with what the AURA can restore from piezo sound. It is not the promised microfone sound but much closer to it and very useful, especially if you mix it with the natural sound. I have still hopes that the quality will improve even further if only I could get a chance to have a custom made sound image (the downloadable sound data files). Maybe it sounds better if the file matches the guitar more perfectly. But sadly this feature does not get ahead until now (Nov 28. 2004)

The housing LOOKS strong but actually it is a glass chin! The top is a thick solid aluminium plate BUT it is connected to the bottom case by four metal columns that are kind of soldered to the top plate. This means any blow, the AURA gets from horizontal direction goes straight to these important mountings. Well my AURA made a strange sound after a few gigs, like something loose inside. Then I opened it and saw one of these columns hat broken off. Very bad construction!

And the round wings on both sides might look cool but they take uselessly much space in your suitcase.

Custumer support was nice and friendly although not always helpful until problems arose. Then it got a little scarce.

I would definitely like to have another housing for it.

And I am VERY curious to compare it to the D-TAR mamabear once it comes out in the next months.

Purchased at Manny's, 48St in NYC. Very simple to use.

Well, I wish I had something better to say. My acoustic steel and nylon string guitars sound better with the Aura out of the signal chain. Thats the bottom line.
The beautiful dynamics and clarity of my guitars sound muted through this pedal.
We tried to tweak it during sound checks at shows this summer, but could not find a use for it.

Seems to be built the way pro gear should be. Very well built.

No need to worry about customer support for gear that sits in a storage room.

I play all styles of music, I am a professional guitar player. I only play and use the very best gear money can buy. The Aura is a great idea, but does not meet high standards of sound quality.

This unit is easy - easy to use, IF you take the time to read the instructions. I am shock at the comments of some of the reviewers!
they either have ears made of mud, or really have a bad sense of tone, or most like work for one of Fishman's competitors!

Getting a tone is pretty easy, patch number 2 is a standard dread,
and I use my 12 string washburn in live situations, my fender POC
into my protools digi001 and a loaner d18 which I used live, all with stunning results.

Again, I have used several guitars, and when you hit the aura button,
you get it. It brings my guitar to life in a live situation, and
I would rather use it, than my Rode mics ( I sound my neumann to buy
other gear. )

Getting itno the editing mode requires a bit more deep thinking, but
man this unit sounds great.

have used it on 10 gigs, built like a tank. pick it up and
you'll be surprised at the weight. It's heavy, but I don't want cheap and light when I'm performing. Fishman has a rep for great pro gear... this piece fits the bill, pro quality

top notch, fishman are pro's and helpful.

I'm a strummer, and singer. I plug into a variety of amps, and
have found this unit has replaced a fair amount of gear. I am
a telecaster player mainly, but find myself doing more and more acoustic gigs. This piece is an absolute no brainer. $300 bucks
for the best "effects" I have ever bought. I've been reading about
the "mama bear" that that rick turner's been promoting on AG forum,
what's up with that... kind of lame to be blowing your own horn saying it's better than this or that without having the market decide.. So decide for yourself.. I think the AURA is the piece.

Within about 20 minutes I had the sound I was looking for, extreamly easey to use, intuitive system. Knobs are good, I'm tired of adjusting parameters with arrow keys, the aura is very easy to manipulate on the fly, the "data" knob adjusts whatever parameter you have selected. The other plus is that there ain't to many buttons, there's an UP a DOWN and a TUNER OFF. Very simple, no bullshit.

I've been searching for months to find the right peice (or peices) of equipment to make my accoustic sound good live & loud, I play folk/weird stuff, like Pages "Black Mountain Side". I have a piezo under saddle pickup on an old accoustic (suzuki violin co. copy of a gibson, the one with the dove on the scratch plate). I play it through a PA. I'm new to the world of piezos and accoustic amplification, and what frustrated me on my search was the "quack" of the piezo and the severe lack of that accoustic sparkle or life. The aura was my last ditch effort at finding my live guitar sound, and I must say I'm very impressed. True, there is a little noise, but the sonic life that I've heard the thing produce so far is quite good in my books. It has that "real" sparkle that I was searching for, even the sound of my fingers draging on the strings sounds more life like. Some of the presets are a little top end heavy, but are not outrageously bad, and can be adjusted. Even if you want that piezo sound, you can select a straight piezo setting & choose no digital blending. The only other equipment that impressed me was Fenders' surround sound accoustic amp, with a fishman preamp, but the aura is much more maleable and a quater of the price. To me, a middle weight performer, it sounds good.

Its made out of thick metal, the jacks are very sturdy, and its quite small, and much lighter than what I imagined. Aye, I'd use it at a gig, its probably going to end up being the heart of my set up.

This peice of equipment has really got me excited about playing, where as before I was never really to happy about how the guitar was sounding. For its size, fairly competitive price, build, ease of use & sound, its well worth a look see. I would replace it in an instant. As I stated before, because its what my guitar is played through, how it sounds is paramount, this is a very important part of my set up. I no longer have to whinge and moan about how crap my guitar sounds (my guitar has an excellent natural sound, so its not like making a peice of crap sound good), or having to worry about mics or any of that. I play stuff like Led Zep, Tool, The Tea Party, Pink Floyd, Loreena Mckennitt, America, to my ears it sounds good. I actually read these reviews before purchasing mine, and the love/hate rate is about fif