Schertler AG6 vs Fishman Rare Earth Blend vs Skysonic Pro1
 

I am looking into acoustic guitar sound hole dual source pickups (magnetic with microphone) that would be permanently installed no wires hanging out of the soundboard.

Options are the
1. Schertler Magnetico AG6 with S-Mic
2. Fishman Rare Earth Blend
3. Seymour Duncan Mag Mic
4. Skysonic Pro-1 (3 source.. adds a SBT)
5. Maybe a K&K Trinity Pro?


To be honest I would prefer a passive magnetic and mic... No batteries in the guitar.

I hate piezo USTs so...
The mag pick up with a microphone seem the least objectionable to me.

Nothing beats a straight microphone for the quality of sound.
This would be used for recording mainly... Not live performance necessarily although I would like to keep that option open.

Has anyone played with any or all of these?
Thoughts ? Recommendations?

I've owned a Rare Earth Blend and thought it was a great sounding pickup, but the goose neck for the mic made it hard to install and remove quickly. Fishman has since redesigned it and it looks like the goose neck folds flat against the pickup housing for easier installation. It is a good choice for tone and has the option of temporary install.

The Duncan Mag Mic has an external battery which means you really need to install it permanently. It gets some very good reviews.

The K&K Trinity Pro would be the favorite for the greater AGF crowd.

If you are primarily a lead guitarist, I would go magnetic dual source. Otherwise I would go K&K.

This is a video I made of the Schertler AG6 with the S-Mic-S, the mic was turned all the way up. I did this to demonstrate the quality of the mic for recording and I've sold quite a few systems for that purpose.

That video is what sold me on the AG6/S-mic.

One thing to be aware of with this pickup is that it is designed for recording as well as live performance. For live performance you are advised to is 10% or less mic. For recording you are supposed to turn the mic all the way up.

I had the Skysonic FS-1 for a while. I liked the wireless feature. I liked the sound overall, but I thought it was lacking in highs and far too sensitive to touches to the pickup or the body of the guitar.

Two issues:

You had to reach way into the soundhole to turn the pickup on or off.

Just brushing against the power switch on the receiver would accidentally turn it. Turning it on takes just a touch. Turning it off took a couple of seconds press. I ended up getting a special case to carry it so that the battery wouldn't be drained when you arrived at a gig.

The mic on the Rare Earth Blend is directional. That is why it is on an arm that can be pointed. The directional mic is less prone to feedback but the directionality colors the sound slightly in my opinion. The mic and the magnetic pickup can also be separated with a stereo TRS cable. The most recent version uses the magnetic pickup more for lows and the mic more for highs.

The S-Mic for the Schertler AG-6 is a separate plug in piece. It is an omnidirectional mic and thus does not need to be aimed. There is no separating the pickup and the mic with a TRS Y cable. Like the latest REB, it draws the bass frequencies more from the magnetic pickup to avoid low frequency feedback. The S-Mic is very sensitive. Live you want 10% max or it will feedback. For recording they recommend turning it all the way up.

The Skysonic mic is an omnidirectional built into the pickup. It picks up much more handling sound than the REB or AG6/S-Mic. It is also less sensitive. I would typically turn the mic all the way up and back of the mag to 50%.

I have never played a Seymour Duncan MagMic, but one of my friends has one and it sounds great when he plays.

I have used both the skysonic and the REB.
Out of those Two the REB would win hands down.
The skysonic felt flimsy and was just a pain
to use. The sound was ok ..just ok.
The Reb sounded much better. It eventually
developed an annoying click sound that to me
sounded like a capacitor discharging. ??
I now use a baggs m80 which i like alot.
but it doesnt have a mic. but i dont miss it.

Schertler AG6 vs Fishman Rare Earth Blend vs Skysonic Pro1
 

I am such a fan of the Schertler AG-6/S-Mic. I have them in three acoustics and haven't played live recently with anything else. The amplified sound I get now is just so much better than any other pickup I have tried.

I record with it as well. I do it exactly as Schertler recommends: 10% or less mic for live, mic all the way up for recording with headphones. All I hear is the mic on recordings.

Hi all,
resurrecting an old thread...
I would be happy to hear any real-world comparisons of the m-AG6 with the Fishman Rare Earth only regarding the humbucker pickup part. How do they compare? I am asking this as I have had a RE (non blend) mounted on my old Lowden for the last ten years or so, and while certainly being more than decent for live use, I have always felt the sound coming from the the high E and B strings was too loud. It made me want to be able to trim those two down to restore a correct balance with the others! Now I am considering a mag/internal mic combo for my Martin 00018 1937 Authentic and it is between the Schertler with mic and the Rare Earth Blend, with a strong possible outsider being the Trance Audio Amulet Phantom. I am asking specifically about the pickup-only sound as I realize this is what gives 90% of the loudness in live use.
While we are at it, any comments on battery life on these two systems?

Any input would be greatly appreciated
Best regards
Ciao
Massimo

I just got a Fishman rare earth blend. It sounds really, really good. The mag portion does NOT have the problem with the high E and B being too loud. It is voiced to deal with the plain strings and it makes a bit difference (if I install it backwards, yes... they are way too loud!). The mic is really good. The gooseneck in the newer ones is not too flimsy.

I get a very useable single from both the mic and pickup if I use a TRS. Or if I just you a standard 1/4 mono, the blend is really nice. I prefer to set it to about 3/4 mic and 1/4 mag, but if I need to play louder 50,50 is also very nice. 100% mag setting on this would not be ideal for me, but I'd probably take it over many other options if I needed to play that loud.

Yes, I've been really pleased with my REB's tone, versatility, and simplicity. Last night I used it mono into a Fishman ToneDeq at about 60%mag 40%mic. The mag is definitely voiced to be warm and dialing in the mic brings treble into the mix. It is key to find where you like the mic positioned as pointing one direction gave me a shrill, metallic, treble and pointing elsewhere didn't enhance the high-end adequately. I haven't tried it with a TRS yet but that would definitely be the ideal way to mix it at FOH.

I own the Fishman REB and I think it is simply a fantastic pickup! It's the only soundhole pickup that I currently own and I have been impressed with the tone. It is installed in my Martin 00015m.

Is it worth getting the mic for only live play? since it's barely used (10%)

I have the REB, “It’s A Great sounding pickup - I would rank it on par with Anthem in terms of sound quality. The slight miss I feel is the lack of a volume control. I am not sure why fishman left this out of an active pickup.

The mag mic, which I also own has a volume control. Tone wise I prefer the REB, for which you can tweak the directional internal gooseneck to perfection. Different guitars will respond differently to the mic direction.
Functionality wise the mag mic wins out as it has a volume control. It does not however have a directional gooseneck.

I also have m80, m1 as well, but to me the best in terms of sound among the bunch is the REB.

Thanks for the comparison Ippier.
So your review means the Fishman wins over the Schertler also in the "pickup only" category (no mic engaged?). The two high strings are balanced in both? Do you have any comment on battery duration?