The platinum pro EQ ($399.99 MSRP)
pedal and Platinum Stage ($194.99 MSRP)
belt-pack acoustic preamps are two new
additions to Fishman’s family of preamp products for processing and amplifying any acoustic instrument fitted with a pickup.
I put the Platinum Pro EQ high-headroom Class-A pre-amp to work amplifying and improving the sound of a Takamine Model AC/TGB acoustic guitar. I liked that there is a 1⁄4-inch output jack for the stage amp plus a fully-balanced XLR DI output switchable to either Pre, the guitar’s dry signal, or Post with the pedal's processing.
I liked the choice of Fishman Classic EQ frequency centers for the Bass, Treble and Brilliance controls—for acoustic basses, they’re switchable down the octave using the Guitar/Bass switch.
It was easy and fast to find and reduce the Takamine’s “bite” using the sweepable (200 Hz to 3.1 kHz) mid-range frequency EQ. The guitar’s propensity to feedback was handled using the phase/polarity flip switch and the tunable 45 Hz to 1 kHz notch filter.
The Platinum Pro EQ is a rugged all-metal stomp box; it has durable foot switches to toggle the adjustable volume boost or high-contrast chromatic tuner. With an effects loop, LED indicators for all functions, nine-volt battery-powered, and useful for guitars or bass instruments, the Fishman Platinum Pro has everything you need to produce an excellent and finished sound from any guitar, bass, mandolin, or violin.
fishman.com
Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs, and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com
