fishman platinum EQ

[eyesore]

hi . JUST BOUGHT THIS TO GO WITH MY k&k pure mini. have not really had a chance to play live with it because ;there are no live gigs these days.I play fingerstyle blues mostly. anyone own one? any suggested settings? I just can't get a good feel for in my living room . i have to wait til the plague is gone so i can try it out doors... thanks for any suggestions.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by eyesore

…any suggested settings?

Hi es

The goal is to set it so it makes your guitar sound more like itself - in different settings.

And the important words in that sentence are 'DIFFERENT SETTINGS'. There is no pre-set for any guitar in every situation. The reason the dials have knobs is so you can adjust them.

The least adjustable preamp is the FireEYE line which have programmed in an average EQ for average rooms, and average guitars in average settings. It doesn't appeal to me, but many people like the point-n-shoot ease of use.

Why do we want EQ?
You can use an EQ to correct perceived defects in the pickup system through your amp/PA. Or an EQ can be used to correct room anomalies (which generally manifest as feedback). Or an EQ can eliminate extreme low or high frequencies which cause pickups to sound shrill or muddy.

The Fishman Platinum Pro EQ has several dedicated EQ controls:
1 - Notch for locating and eliminating feedback
2 - Sweepable mid - for knocking down less desirable frequencies from the guitar pickups
3 - Low Cut for eliminating super low frequencies which in ensemble settings compete with other instruments (they muddy up the mix).
4 - Brilliance for adding or subtracting very high frequencies (or triggering all the dogs in the neighborhood).

It (unlike most others) has a compressor built in. Sometimes useful - especially for strummers who get carried away the harder they play.

And it has a Boost - also a more frequent addition to most modern preamps. Good for jumping from strumming/picking to a single-note-lead/solo.

Many modern preamps have most of these in one form or another. Even the baby brother of the Fishman Platinum Pro EQ (the Fishman Platinum Stage) has sweepable and hard-switchable low cut.

It's important to start experimenting through amps and/or a PA to find out how each control actually affects in your mix.

Have fun experimenting!!

[guitarman68]

Let us know what you especially do not like in your amplified sound.
What guitar do you use ? I'm asking because soundboard transducers and especially K&Ks tend to behave very different in different guitars - boomy, muddy, sometimes even brittle .... whatever.

What I used when plugging a D28-style guitar with K&K - pickup into the Fishman Platinum Pro EQ is HPF, presence and compression. Would be different when using my D18 or OM18.

Generally spoken: Turning up the HPF to 80 HZ and dialing in some trebles / presence is a good start. Maybe notch out some lower mids (feel free to play with that knob - anything what sounds good is right )

Cheers,
Bob

[eyesore]

thanks for the advice . I play a Martin OM28 thru a fishman soloamp. it sounds kinda brittle without the preamp.[i only tried it twice]. guitarman; what is HPF

[M Hayden]

The instructions that come with it are pretty good, actually. I’ve had once since the first edition - the grey Platinum Pro box - and it is surprisingly easy to use.

[steelvibe]

The Fishman Platinum Pro and the Platinum Stage might be a cool overall units overall but the Stage is a poor design in at least a few different ways, and I find it to be nearly just as "point and shoot" as the RedEye:

- the Stage design is good and bad. Love that it can fit in your storage compartment of your guitar case, but the belt clip design is just meh. Nobody is going to use it like that while attempting to not trip over cables swinging down from your waist and possibly killing your signal mid-performance. So, the "boost" function is not great because it sits on the side of the unit, and if you want to use it while standing you don't get that stomp box feel. When and if you are called out to "take it away", are you really going to reach down and press that button? The Pro has both a mute and boost switch on the top- so that is a better thought out design.

-I found the EQ to be good, but not nearly as musical as others, especially the mid-Q. (granted you will pay more for the better EQ pedals)

But I do like how it can be phantom powered and overall is a far better option than the cheapo DI boxes that are found in so many venues/ churches etc. Great to hand an acoustic player that has a passive and generic box.

Since I've used one live before everything was shut down, I just think I should share that the Stage has a couple glaring flaws and would even be willing to pay a few extra $20s to correct those issues.

Happy playing!

[guitarman68]

Originally Posted by eyesore

thanks for the advice . I play a Martin OM28 thru a fishman soloamp. it sounds kinda brittle without the preamp.[i only tried it twice]. guitarman; what is HPF

HPF means High Pass Filter, often called LoCut.