[steelvibe]

A quality outboard pre/di (starting at around the $100) range is essential in IMO. I just bought a Fishman Platinum stage at $119 and I'm very happy with it. No electronics in my Shorty, no wall wart. It is powered by a 9v battery and gives me 18V of headroom. This particular unit also is automatically phantom powered once plugged into the XLR. The best 2 benefits to spending the money on an outboard are:

1) the ability to convert from 1/4 guitar jack to XLR while better matching any pickup impedance to the PA

2) because of the added headroom it makes virtually ANY pickup system sound better. I use a Miniflex 2mic and I'm very happy with the results. It sounded good without the preamp but sounds fantastic with it

..and all this before other bells and whistles like phase cancellation, low cuts/boosts, compressors, tuners....

I do agree with Captain Jim's assessment here to an extent, RainSong has taken a great deal of thought into the Fishman Prefix + system- and what i've heard personally from those that use it live it sounds great (although I've heard running that same system through an Aura Spectrum is killer). For my tastes, I would rather determine an aftermarket setup that takes a bit of time dial in than be stuck with an onboard pre that will be outdated far before my CF guitar is- just my own 2 cents.

Good luck with your purchase Jerry. What you decide ultimately is all that matters!