Fishman Pro EQ Acoustic Instrument Preamp/Equalizer

Couldn't really be any easier.
No-nonsense manual.
BUT! You have to undo 4 screws to replace the battery!
Not helpful mid-gig.

1980 Ibanez custom A/E thru a Peavey KB/A 300 amp.
This guitar has a 'cello' back, and is dreadnought sized, and was almost unusable live due to feedback.
I'm surprised no other reviewer has mentioned the phase control.
Say goodbye to feedback!
When I first used it I thought it was great, then I bypassed the Ibanez tone controls and now it's fantastic.
I give it a nine because it adds a slight 'brittleness' to the sound.

Used it live for 10yrs, no worries.

Never had to deal with them.

I play in a full-on rock band, and until I got this an acoustic was not feasable, unless I wanted to stand shock still on the edge of the stage away from my amp.
Having to pull it apart to replace the battery is it's only fault.
Mine is an early model, so maybe the good folk at Fishman have changed that.
If you play live acoustic, I would class this as invaluable, and if it ever dies, I'll be straight into a new one.

how can it be easyer

great it's also giving a great colour to the sound and it's compressing the sound also a bit

always working

never used it since 4 years

acoustic music is my living in europe
like other fishman products always good (guitars and violins)

Check the other reviews for details....I'm no techie. However, the controls are very simple, even moreso than most 8, or even 4 band EQ's.

I play a cheap Fender DG 11E, and I run direct to the board (whatever they got) and this little wonder has made all the difference in the world. Before I got it my sound was garbage. This Fishman has given me tone I didn't even think my guitar was capable of. I can't afford no Martin, but the Pro EQ allows me to get respectable live-sound. I've even had compliments on it's warmth after shows.

It's built real solid. Medium metal gauge.

N/A

I agree with the other reviewers, and although I'm a bit of a layman musician, I wouldn't part with this guy even with a better acoustic. If this thing can put a little warmth and tone into my Fender, I can imagine what a decent elc acoustic would sound like.......

The previous reviewer did an excellent review of the features and my review will pretty much be in line with his.

I use the Pro EQ for the Fishman Rare Earth humbucker I have mounted in my Guild JF30. I play through a Peavey PA system. I wanted an outboard equalizer so I could control my sound without having to walk back to the PA: I switch from flat- to fingerpicking a lot plus the nose level in bars fluctuates greatly.

The Pro EQ allows me more control over my sound and now I sound a lot better. Not just to myself but fellow guitarplayers who've seen me play before have come up to me and said so. That's always cool of course!

The Pro EQ is dispensible of course: I have a backup with onboard electronics and I can always plug in straight. I don't want to play without it though.

The Pro EQ is tough, it has a sturdy encasement.

Never dealt with them.

I back up a female singer and we play acoustic blues/folk/pop. If it were stolen I'd get another right away at Shoreline Acoustic (www.samusic.com).

I wish the labels were printed upside down! I use the belt clip and looking down the labels are upside down. No biggie though :-)

This unit is basically an "outboard" version of Fishman's "onboard" preamp controls. It's simply a matter of moving the 4 eq sliders, volume slider, and phase switch until you get a sound that is musical to your ears. There is also an 80Hz "sub bass" control on the back for the low end. The eq controls consist of Bass (shelving): 60Hz, 350 Hz; Middle ("resonant"):1.25kHz; Treble (shelving): 2.4kHz, 10kHz; Brilliance("resonant"): 9kHz.

It really does give you powerful control over the guitar's basic tone (no "body resonance simulations" or anything like that, just good, basic EQ and preamp functions. It's also nice to have a volume control for both acoustics without having to resort to carrying a volume pedal around.

Runs on a 9v battery, Fishman power supply (not included) or even the Roland PSA power supply, which is specified in the little 4 sided "Owner's Manual" (VERY nice touch). There's not really much to the manual. An explanation of the controls, the AC power options, battery power instructions, the specs, that's basically it.


Monaural 1/4" input, 1/4" output jack/on switch.

The PRO-EQ's effect on the sound quality is pretty noticeable, especialy on my PowerBridge equipped Carvin Electric. When running direct into a mixer, the PowerBridge's sound is very thin and "un-guitarlike." This is due mostly to the PowerBridge's very high impedence (much higher than a magnetic pickup). The Pro-EQ can handle an impedence of up to 10 ohms. This, interestingly enough, is the impedence of the PowerBridge.

Even with the eq controls set flat, the PRO-EQ yields a very full, much warmer sound than going direct from the PowerBridge to the board, into my Fender Acoustasonic jr., or even into something like the Boss AD-5 Acoustic Instrument Processer. This really gives the sound person a good, basic tone to work with. The phase switch allows you to reverse the phase to help with feedback problems or phase problems.

Sounds equally nice with my Fishman Piezo equipped Taylor 612C, and my RareEarth humbucker equipped Martin 000-1. One thing about using it with the Rare Earth Humbucker. . . the pickup comes with a "bright" switch. With this switch on, be careful of adding too much brilliance, as there will be a noticeable hiss. This is more a problem with the pickup, not the EQ, which is pretty quiet on its own.

One other nice feature is the volume slider in conjunction with the PowerBridge. I installed the passive volume pot with the PowerBridge, and when the pot is rolled down more than about 33%, the bottom end becomes very severely attenuated. Having a volume control on the PRO-EQ allows me to roll of the volume with no change in tone.

I'll give it a 9 because though it really omproves the PowerBridge, it still can't make it sound like "mahogany 'n' spruce."

It seems to be built very sturdily. Medeum to heavy duty folded steel case, good sized slider controls, heavy duty fader pots with a very noticeable center detent "click." Low battery LED that also lets you know when the output is plugged in (draining the battery), or when you're plugged into AC. Looks like it'll last a long time.

Haven't had to deal with them yet at all.

I bought the PRO-EQ when my Boss AD-5 came back from the factory, and worked for about 15 minutes. It's back in California, right now, and I needed something quick for some upcoming gigs. This was a pleasant surprise!

I use acoustics and the PowerBridge electric in anything from jazz, fusion, rock, prog. rock, fingerstyle, folk, bluegrass, and blues. Been playing close to 26 years. This unit is simple to use, and if you don't have onboard controls, or refuse to have any cut into your prized acoustic, this is definitely the way to go. . . piezo or soundhole pickup. It's not one of the "blenders," so it won't really help if you need or desire to control a stereo setup with any combination of soundhole/piezo/onboard mic. There are other Fishman preamps to cover that.

This one get's replaced right away if lost or stolen. That high impedence capacity really makes this one a winner! I really can't think of a way to improve this one. I think the ability to also accept a stereo input signal, and a balance slider might be a nice option to give basic "blender" capabilities.

A "body resonance" knob like the Boss AD-5 might be nice, but that just doesn't seem to be in Fishman's philosophy, and, frankly, I think that would take away from this unit's "aesthetic" beauty.

This one actually get's a 10.