Why I Switched to the Fishman Rare Earth Blend Acoustic Pickup

Recently I've been on the hunt for a better sounding pickup to use with my live acoustic (Eastman E20-OM). The piezo body transducer I've had in it sounds good, but can be prone to feedback in certain situations. I had heard someone I really look up to using this pickup and it kind of blew my mind at how natural it sounded, while at the same time not being nearly as susceptible to feedback. The Fishman Rare Earth Blend is a combo magnetic pickup + electret condenser microphone. Even the magnetic tone I thought sounded good, but when you're able to, blending in some of the mic signal really seals the deal. Best of all, for those that don't want to permanently install this pickup on their instrument, it is completely reversible.

In this video I'll be comparing the well-loved K & K Pure Mini (body transducer, very minimalist) with the Fishman, and I'll throw in an SM57 for reference. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Other gear used in this video:

▶️ *Highlights*
0:00 - Intro
0:23 - Overview
1:50 - Why I'm switching to this pickup
4:13 - Product Specifications
5:26 - Magnetic vs. Microphone tones
6:19 - Low end roll off switch
8:45 - Non-permanent installation
9:31 - How is it powered?
10:04 - Rare Earth vs. K&K vs. SM57
11:05 - Comparison: fingerpicking
11:51 - Comparison: strumming
12:27 - Criticism
13:12 - My thoughts...
14:19 - Outro

#Fishman #AcousticPickup
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Hi! My name is Alex Price. I’m a professional musician based out of Pittsburgh, USA. I make a living between touring, performing on cruise ships, and while I’m home, teaching. Check out my new uploads every Tuesday and Saturday for gear demos, lessons, and performance clips.

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[WayneMemphisMojo]

SOLD! I just installed one (non permanent) on my Hummingbird & man do I dig it!

[stevepethel]

God bless you for your honesty and making such videos and posting to all in a search for your best sound live.

[tobytoxd]

Sounds brilliant and warm! Thanks for showing!

[superduperdom]

I’m happy with the blender in my Taylor. One thing to consider if you want to add effects to your acoustic sound, delay, chorus, reverb etc, then a magnetic pickup will work best.

[samsoliva]

Warning: change batteries every 2 years or so, no matter what. The batteries in mine, which I haven't changed in about 6 years or so, corroded. The strap pins kind of started being sticky. Luckily, I got the pickup out of my guitar's hard case before anything started rusting. It is difficult getting the batteries out; I've got the humbucker version.

[mynameissang]

After years of frustration with USTs and an L.R. Baggs Lyric, I bit the bullet and just bought the REB years ago. Yes, it's pricey, but after using it for the first time, it was such a breath of fresh air, having a system that just plain works and sounds amazing. I could tell those engineers at Fishman knew what they were doing at a practical level, the FOH sound guy had such an easy time working with the REB. It was so worth it.
My only wish is that there was a way to change the battery without having to change out or loosen the strings, but that's a relatively minor gripe.

[juanrodriguezluis]

Excellent video, I'm very thankful!

[larrybegnaud]

Very thorough review and presentation. The best I've seen for this pickup system. I was considering this pickup system and the Sunrise, and I like the additional tonal range with the microphone blending and the option of not altering the guitar (endpin drilling). Very useful information for helping to decide on which product to purchase. As other comments have stated, the SM57 sounds the best, but is trickier to use in some acoustic environments. Thank you!

[AlexWalshMusic]

Excellent presentation! I see one of these in my future.

[_left_eye]

My 2 cento: k&k sounds decent with fingerpicking and horrible with strumming, quiet impossible to use without an eq.
Fishman sounds so much better, and I do acknowledge you of having found a pretty sweet spot for the mic, it sounds really inspiring when on 100% mic..
Sm 57 still rocks, it makes anything sound as sweet as Lemmy’s voice, just a touch sweeter

[freddymusicien]

Thank you for this clear and full explanation

[kents]

I have been fitting Fishman Rare earth Blends to all of my guitars since probably 2010. Tried the K+K which is good but a bit quacky, The LR Baggs Anthem which I had fitted in my Lowde based on the hype and Lowden’s recommendation, eventually chucked it in the bin out of frustration.

[Darltornjacket]

I switched to the Fishman for my live playing 50/50 or my fav 70% mic and 30% magnetic
It’s on 2 of my guitars
Easy to EQ and notch
I do use the original models

[bryanvickers]

Sounds great! Might have to pick one up when I get the slope shoulder I've been wanting.

[yunowot]

Just subscribed - excellent topic mix on this channel, excellent depth of knowledge, excellently presented.

[Jam-mm]

Peter Mulvey uses the Fishman Rare Earth Magnetic blend pickup

[marycoates]

i have a herd of guitars and bought this to be able to use among them.your vid convinced me, listened to many pick ups this sounded best to me!!thanx!!!

[cardboarddreamhouseofficia]

Thanks for this video. This helped me decide which one I like better. To me, the fishman sounds closer to the sound you got from the 57. Thanks again. And I have that same shirt. Lol.

[j-claude_r_elias]

Excellent vid. Clear explanation. Very useful. Thanks.

[tommc]

Thanks for posting this through explanation of this pickup. Well done. I preferred the Fishman. I did like the K&K at all.