Fishman Resonator Pickup

Submitted at: 18:30, 8/8/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $125
Purchased from: Tim Scheerhorn (builds custom resos)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Scheerhorn R Body and L Body square neck resonator guitars
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: McIntyre on both guitars
Other pickups on guitar: I've tried Bill Lawrence and McIntyres on my resos
Artists using this pickup: Jerry Douglas
You musical style(s): Bluegrass, Blues, roots music
Reason for pickup change: McIntyre is a contact pickup which lacked strength of signal and also was prone to picking up right hand percussive noises

Sound

Perceived output level: Adequate output, but needs decent preamp/e.q. to function properly
Tone: This pickup sounds great, if and only if it is installed properly and is run through a decent equalizer
Sonic evaluation: My main instrument is Scheerhorn L Body maple square neck resonator guitar. My rig is Fishman passive reso-pickup, L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic D.I. which I run into a AER Acousticube IIa amplifier. I almost always supplement the plugged in sound with a Shure KSm32 microphone (it depends on the venue). I am pretty happy with my current rig...I have found that it really helps to run the reso pickup through some kind of spatial effects - either delay or reverb. The combination of the Fishman with the Baggs and the Acousticube is quite good. The Acousticube effects program are truly top notch quality and make a huge difference in the quality of the sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Bluegrass, blues, roots music, a lot of times I play backup for local talent who write and play their own tunes.

Overall Rating

Comments: At this point the Fishman is still the best reso pickup available, especially for bluegrass square neck players. I bave been playing reso for about 15 years now. I also own a 1994 Martin HD28 which I won at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a late 40's Rickenbacher BD-6 lap steel (a.k.a. the panda bear) and a mid 1920's style 1 Weissenborn guitar with a sunrise pickup. I give the Fishman reso pickup an 8 because it is an improvment over the McIntyre pickup and contact pickup in general. Be forewarned that the installation of this pickup can make or break the resulting sound, which is likely the reason for so many negative ratings as profiled here. Few, if any, local guitar repairman know how to do a proper set up on a resonator guitar, so if you are serious, spend the bucks, send it to someone who knows what they are doing and have it done right the first time. This pickup absolutely, positively has to be run through a decent quality preamp/e.q. It is one trebly sounding pickup unless you do so!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8

Submitted by: RobA <dobro_rob@yahoo.com>

Submitted at: 22:09, 1/5/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Mine's the Passive model
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $100
Purchased from: McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica CA

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Fender FR-50
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Had none, new install.
Other pickups on guitar: Plan on adding a single coil electric in neck
Artists using this pickup: I forget
You musical style(s): Delta slide blues
Reason for pickup change: Not loud enough for noisy bars.

Sound

Perceived output level: Compared to my other passive (under saddle) piezos, slightly less.
Tone: Alot of Treble
Sonic evaluation: I wanted to post a follow-up since I now have my L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic D.I. I had some slight high frequency "pinging", but I think I got the pressure lessened on the pickup enough to get rid of most of that - THIS IS ONE BIG REASON FOR UNHAPPY USERS. Next I got the L.R. Baggs DI box. WHOA. The thing sounds very natural through a powered JBL Eon PA cab. PIEZOS NEVER SOUND EXACT, but you need as close a representation at volumes without feedback that Mics cannot accomplish. THIS FITS THE BILL. Again I want to stress the importance of a good preamp and installation. Wow.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This rocks for old style delta slide blues. Match it with a great preamp and you're set.

Overall Rating

Comments: If stolen I would try others, but I'm sure most Piezos are created equal - the only exception on where the pickup is to be installed (it'll "see" sound differently in different places). Maybe a "feather" type that actually sits on the cone (instead of Fishman at the cone's base). IDK though, I'm very satisfied! NO TEN RATING UNTIL TECHNOLOGY CAN GET AROUND THE PIEZO "QUACK", but still a great deal!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8

Submitted by: JohnnyCrash

Submitted at: 21:00, 9/20/2004

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $100
Purchased from: McCabe's Guitar Shop - Santa Monica CA

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Resonator
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: soon to be a tele pickup in the neck for electric sounds
Artists using this pickup: Don't know
You musical style(s): I like Delta Slide Blues, electric Chicago Blues, and Classic Rock (AC/DC, GnR, the Cult)
Reason for pickup change: Have to "plug in" to get good volume live. Otherwise I usually dislike piezo Acoustic/Electric pickups, they often sound too "goose honk"-ish.

Sound

Perceived output level: Quacky, BUT with acoustic/electric pickups only make up HALF of the tone, a good PREAMP makes the other half.
Tone: Alot of mids and treble. A little bit MORE than a Reso in the first place. With even a "decent" preamp it sounds very close to a live acoustic Reso.
Sonic evaluation: I am using a Tube Microphone preamp into a small mixing console to shape the tones/frequencies. Set flat, the pickup was harsh. The Tube Pre warmed it up a bit and rolling out some mids and treble gave me a VERY convincing Reso tone. Much better than normal piezo pickups, probably due to the area the pickup detects vibration from. Unlike normal piezo systems, the Reso one mounts on the bottom of the cone, instead of directly under the strings and bridge. This leads to NO problems with some strings being louder than others - what the Cone "hears" the pickup does as well. My only beef is my own fault... the passive is a little bit noisy. Not a problem since most house PAs are noisy anyways and in the studio I only use Mics (NEVER pickups).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Delta Slide Blues

Overall Rating

Comments: By itself the pickup sounded harsh, BUT in electric guitar terms that's like saying your original '59 LesPaul sounds terrible when plugged into a crappy solid state amp. ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC PICKUPS REQUIRE A GOOD PREAMP, just like electric guitars require a good amplifier. The tone chain never begins and ends with JUST the pickups - electric or acoustic. I rate this LOUD and BETTER THAN MOST NORMAL PIEZO pickups for "Normal" non-Reso acoustic guitars. Also it is very easy to install (no soldering). I'm glad I bought it. The only negatives I have about this fantastic pickup are 1. Even the Active model does not have easy installation for Onboard Preamps. and 2. It was a tiny bit noisy. Other than that, the best for Resos in my opinion.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8

Submitted by: JohnnyCrash

Submitted at: 22:47, 10/7/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: Active Transducer
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $110.00
Purchased from: Resophonic Outfitters

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Dean Chrome S
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fishman Reso Pickup that didn't work....
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Not sure
You musical style(s): Delta Blues
Reason for pickup change: I originally purchased the same pickup from Resophonic Outfitters and after weeks of frustration,I decided it had to be a faulty pickup.

Sound

Perceived output level: High Output
Tone: Well-balanced,However it tends to be quite harsh without a good preamp.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Peavey Ecoustic amp with a Tech21 Acoustic DI.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Delta Blues

Overall Rating

Comments: I would not buy this pickup again. It is a fine pup but not suitable for the way I like to use a Reso guitar. I prefer to run my Reso into a modified Tube Screamer into a modified Vintage Fender amp. I like to have a little Overdrive on my Tone for that"Eric Sardinas"sound,therefore I need a magnetic pickup.

The Fishman Reso pup is perfect for a straight-ahead clean Reso sound and after Paul Beard replaced the pup with one that worked,it was a very nice pickup.It was everything it claims to be,which was quite a suprise after my experience with the faulty one.

I apologize for not writing a rebuttle to my previous review sooner,but to be honest I had forgotten about it.

I ordered a Lace Dobro Sensor today from Paul Beard who was extremely helpful after learning of the problem I had with the first pickup. He sent me a replacement for the Fishman and a Lace Dobro Sensor to try when I informed him of the problem earlier this year.

The Lace pickup sounds great,however the Dean did not have enough space under the strings to allow the placement of the pickup.

The Reso I'm using now(Gretsch Historic Series) has ample room for the Lace and I'm looking forward to its arrival.

I've continued to do business with Resophonic Outfitters and will do so from now on. Their Customer Service,prices,and friendly staff are unbeatable.

American Musical Supply and Resophonic Outfitters have proven themselves to have the Ultimate Customer Service and I do my Mail-order business exclusively with those two companies.

Many thanks to Paul Beard,a wonderful person to do business with.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Grady Musick <bluedawg68@hotmail.com>

Submitted at: 20:52, 2/13/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: Cdn $219.00
Purchased from: Not Just Another Guitar Store

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Dobro DM 33
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Hihglander 1P-1X
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues and Folk
Reason for pickup change: I replaced the Highlander, because I did not like the external power supply (battery supply) and the sound would crack intermittently. I called Highlander and they suggested that the problem was the internal RCA connection, if left alone for a while it may oxidize. I took it apart and cleaned it, as suggested, but It didn’t work. I was also unhappy with the output; it was higher than the Fishman natural Matrix 1, which I have in my Martin.

Sound

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: Initially when I installed the pickup I had trouble with the sound. The right amount of pressure has to be applied to the pickup. Once I thought I had the correct amount of pressure I would reassemble my guitar only to find that the string pressure would negate what I thought was the correct amount of pressure. Once I got that figured out I installed the pickup and reassembled my guitar. Only to get the worst sound out my dobro that I ever heard. It was shrill and extremely bright. I emailed Fishman and they suggested I buy one of their equalizers to remedy this situation. I then took the pickup out of the guitar as I was going to return the stupid thing, but I thought, why don’t I put some of the contact putty between the biscuit and the cone. This is the same type of putty that you get when you buy one of those contact pickups. This shifts the sound the pick up is getting directly to the biscuit from the cone. The cone is essential to the dobro sound but not required by the pickup. The biscuit is a fine transducer of sound for the pickup. Well that worked the trick. I get the most incredible sound out of my Dobro. When I play it live directly thru the house PA in any club I’m playing. The comments I get are all good. “Your dobro sounds great”. Those were the same comments that I got on from my Highlander when it was installed, less the cracking. I have read the previous reviews and I would suggest that the correct pressure be applied. You will have to test this a number of times and use the putty.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Overall Rating

Comments: I will keep this pick up for a long time.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8

Submitted by: <adelex@shaw.ca>

Submitted at: 12:08, 12/21/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $105.00
Purchased from: Beard Guitars

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Dean Chrome S
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: probably none
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: Looking for a way to amplify a metal body resonator

Sound

Perceived output level: Low,very low
Tone: Trebly,Brittle
Sonic evaluation: Trace Elliott ta50r Laney La30c

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues/Slide

Overall Rating

Comments: I've been playing for 15 years and this is the worst pickup I've bought. I also have a Thinline Gold Plus in a Martin 00-15 and it is almost as bad. Hopefully,LR Baggs will come out with a reso pickup soon.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 1 - What a hunk of Junk!

Submitted by: Grady Musick <bluedawg68@hotmail.com>

Submitted at: 22:58, 11/23/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $105.00
Purchased from: Resophonic Outfitters/Paul Beard

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 2002 Dean Chrome S
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to amplify my Resonator.I spoke with Paul Beard and he recommended this pickup highly,so I trusted him and ordered it. I've got to learn to quit trusting people,especially when my money is involved.

Sound

Perceived output level: Very high output,as much as a Humbucker if not more.
Tone: Tone is very Fishman piezo-like. Thin and crappy.
Sonic evaluation: I wanted to use this pickup with my Fender Blues Junior so I could add just a touch of overdrive to my sound for flavor. But,this pickup has a noise in it that you cannot get out. Its not as noticable running straight into a PA,but if you want to play it thru a Tube amp you will be highly annoyed by the Static coming from your speakers.Either the pickup's output is too high or there's a flaw that they didn't work out before they started selling them. I'm going to try some different pre-amps and amplifiers to see if I can live with this pickup or not.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Delta Blues

Overall Rating

Comments: I would not buy this pickup again. I would try a Magnetic pickup. The Fishman Reso pickup has a very noisy(static) to it that you cannot get out.I've tried everything one could possibly do to get it out of the signal but to no avail. I e-mailed Mr.Beard at Resophonic Outfitters and he hasn't bothered to contact me. Fishman did contact me and said they would replace it. I really regret cutting a hole in my guitar for the output jack. I've worked with this pickup for 2 weeks now and I'm about to give up.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 1 - What a hunk of Junk!

Submitted by: <bluedawg68@hotmail.com>

Submitted at: 7:34, 10/30/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive, small ring-shaped pickup that readily mounts to the resonator cone-to biscuit screw with NO MODIFICATION of the instrument whatsoever. No on-board controls or power source, to standard 1/4 phono jack.
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $86
Purchased from: Beard Guitars (by mail order)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Vintage National Duolian ( Steel resonator guitar)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: n/a
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: This was the first pickup for this Vintage 1931 Duolian: chosen for ease of installation and no need for modifications of the vintage instrument, and because Paul Beard highly recommended this as his favorite , new resonator pickup(he worked with Fishman to design this pickup.)

Sound

Perceived output level: Louder than most passive Acoustic pickups: Preamp thus is not mandatory but recommended.
Tone: The tone is Balanced, preserving the tone of the resonator: the bass is deep and pleasing, while the accuracy of the mids and highs was beyond my expectations. Highs are Crystal clear with no added distortion, minimal/negligible mud in the lows and mids, to my critical ear.
Sonic evaluation: '31 National Duolian with the Fishman mounted, very simply, using the single existing screw that attaches the biscuit to the resonator cone: wire out through the high E-side small F hole, no active electronics/ power/ EQ needed. I felt very comfortable doing the work myself. I have tried it through a variety of Blackface and tweed Fender tube amps, which I cannot seem to EQ quite to my satisfaction, but am presently using a 50 watt solid state Peavey bass amp, which I like alot with this pickup. I am sure an Acoustic Guitar amp would sound even better. I am using the LR Baggs ParAcoustic DI preamp (which I love) which allows great control of tone and eliminates feedback while maintaining clean signal.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is my slide/ blues/ fingerpicking instrument and this pickup is a perfect match for this style: Think Paul Rishell or Keb Mo tone, clean, with deep bottom end but clear, singing highs, nice balanced tone. None of that harsh, brassy upper mid I have heard with other acoustic pickups.

Overall Rating

Comments: I would replace the pickup without hesitation. My only dissatisfaction is with the entirely unresponsive customer service people at Fishman, who never responded to a string of emailed questions I had regarding their failure to pack a critically needed insulating washer with the pickup, and failure to include a long enough replacement screww for my application, Thankfully, Beardman Guitars, where I mail-ordered the pickup, were prompt and courteous in helping me.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Zig <dzeller@comcast.net>