My Fishman Rare Earth Blend review. Are you into acoustic guitars? If you are, then you probably are looking for ways to amplify that acoustic sound. As there are a lot of available pickups in the market these days, one stood out as being unique. I would like to introduce the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend Active Soundhole Pickup.
What is Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend Active Soundhole Pickup?
It is a new and improved acoustic guitar soundhole pickup with a flexible cardioid microphone with an upgraded microphone bass extension/roll-off switch. The easily accessible Mic/Pickup Blend control will offer just the right mix selection at your fingertips.
For its unmatched sound quality and ease of use, it’s hard to beat the performance of the Rare Earth Mic Blend.
The Features:
- Flexible cardioid microphone and mic/pickup blend control
- Warm and full humbucking sound
- Miniature batteries (included) offer 100 hours of life
- Microphone bass extension/roll-off switch
- Pre-wired output jack can also installed permanently
- Easy installation with no alteration
- Active electronics and neodymium magnet structure for unparalleled string balance and clarity
Price
This pickup is a bit costly due to its quality and unmatched sound. It retails between $210 up to $400.I would personally consider this price reasonable as the pickup is awesome. If you can afford it, I would say give it a go.
What Users Are Saying About This Pickup
Some are complaining that the mic doesn’t help the mix. Some are worried about battery life. Considering all the complaints, the overall sound when blended properly is heaven to a lot of ears.
Pros
This pickup being a full humbucker pickup will give you a cleaner sound as the pickup will not produce hum, and the true acoustic sound of the guitar is the one amplified not the noise. The mic, on the other hand, will give you the real sound of the guitar body.
Cons
Considering how great this pickup is, there is always something on the negative. This pickup is an active pickup, so you will have to change batteries. The price is a little steep between $210 up to $400.
Conclusion
I love this pickup because of the feature that you can blend the mic and the humbucker pickup. For my ears, it doesn’t help if you dial 50% pickup and 50% microphone. It is best if you lower the microphone selection to like 25%.
This pickup is the best acoustic guitar soundhole pickup in the market today even if it has a steep price tag. The money spent on this pickup is worth it considering the quality and the unmatched performance it offers.
Feel free to ask questions, post comments or subscribe to my email list to be the first to get the updates and offers.
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Den
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Hi
Im seriously considering one of these , i really dont like my picknup on my yamaha cpx compass series , sounds quacky ,, even through a nice fishman amp ,, , i wander if i can fit one of these but have it set so the fishman pickup goes to where i plug in on my yamaha , maybe make the yam pick up obselete ?
Hi Jim,
Yes you can upgrade your stock pickup with the Fishman. It is a minor job for a Guitar Technician to utilize the existing input jack in your guitar.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
I have a Martin acoustic that I installed the rare earth mic blend in. I’ve noticed a buzz from the strings. If I put a finger on the mic and strum the buzz goes away. What can I do to resolve this problem? Seems like the buzz is coming from the mic not being supported? I would appreciate any suggestions . Thank you
Hi, Darrell,
I was worried the first time I installed one of this on my customer’s guitar. The mic holder design is not that great. Anyways, if the buzz is just a vibration caused by the loose parts of the “snake holder” of the mic, the only workaround I could think of is wrapping a layer of electrical tape around the “snake holder”.
Check also the firmness of the pickup holder itself. If it is loose, touching the mic holder could alter its position and could remove the buzz. Don’t hesitate to ask more questions.
Cheers,
Den
Fantastic comprehensive review of the Fishman Rare Earth Blend. Thankful for the Pros and Cons section.
I’ve used one of these are you are dead on about making sure the mic is dialed back to like 25%. You get a little too much of the body if you go over 30%. Glad you recommend this pickup. Good to see others enjoying like I did.
Hi,
I am glad you like my review about the Fishman Rare Earth Blend Pickup. Thank you for sharing your experience with this awesome pickup. It is about having the right blend between the magnetic pickup and the cardioid microphone.
Thanks for the comments,
Den
Hi Den,
Great review, I have a question, I’m a mandolin player and I’m wondering if you know of anything like this for the mandolin, I’m pretty sure it would sound great but because most of them have F holes rather than a hole in the middle (actually the mandolins like the crafter do), you’d need a smaller version.
Paul.
Hi Paul,
I am sorry but Fishman do not manufacture a rare earth blend pickup for Mandolin as magnetic pickups should be installed underneath the strings. What they have is a bridge type pickup for Mandolin.
Thanks for the comment,
Den
I like the way you honestly discuss the relatively high cost of the Fishman Rare Earth Blend Soundhole Pickup as well as describing the benefits. This is a much better improvement than previous pickups as they incorporate a humbucker magnetic pickup to reduce guitar hum as well as a cardioid microphone to produce the guitar body sound and you can even blend both. Thanks for the review.
Hi Robert,
Thank you. The Fishman Rare Earth Blend Pickup is an excellent pickup with the feature of being able to blend the humbucker pickup and the cardioid microphone.
Thanks for the comments,
Den