[RareBird]

I'm your guy on this. I have the steel string Yamaha Silent Guitar and the Fishman Aura Spectrum. I've read that the Aura favors Fishman under-saddle pups which the Yamaha doesn't have but the device works just fine and gives you access to a myriad of guitar and microphone "images". Since the Aura only effects the input from the under-saddle pups, any guitar with a built-in mike has to sacrifice that signal. I therefore turn the balance between the Yamaha "SRT" system and it's piezo all the way to piezo.

In a way it's good that the guitar is "silent" in that you don't get "competing" sounds between its natural acoustics and the "image" you apply. The Aura is kinda expensive but once you have it it opens a world of possibilities where you might want to trade off buying several acoustics trying to get certain sounds you're after and limit yourself to one or two, like me having the silent guitar and a Martin D-41. Fishman is coming on as a real game changer--both in the acoustic guitar and amp world and the electric guitar world. I have the Fishman "Fluence" system Greg Koch signature "Gristle Tone" set installed in my G&L ASAT (it's made for Fender Telecasters and there are issues in trying to make it work in a G&L. But once I overcame them, my ASAT, according to the professional technician who did the rest of the set-up he said that mine is the best-sounding Telecaster of any kind to come through his regional Guitar Center in years. It has no noise whatsover and gives me every sound in the Fender pantheon. Amazing. That technology will change the thinking in pickup design. Good luck to all.