Fishman Classic Series Banjo Pickup, PROREPBAN

Easy install awesome sound with NO background noise. Worth the money 100%

Update: After a few months I still think this is one of the best sounding acoustic pickups you can get. For me…… & I think this maybe because I leave it plugged into the amp……..I go through batteries every 3 weeks or so. Also be careful not to put too much pressure on the small plastic tabs that hold the batteries in line. They will break easily.

Still cannot believe the sound am I used to be a real snob about using a mic only for my acoustic.

Only problem I have with this pickup was trying to get the extra wire secured down so it wasn’t clunking around inside my guitar. The little sticker ties they provide stuck for a few minutes tops. Problem resolved eventually and I’m loving this thing.

This is the first acoustic pick up I have tried, so much easier than messing about setting up a mike set up plus it it gives sound options that the mike doesn’t, I like a mix of about 60% humbuck but it’s nice to have the option to change that. Using with a Roland AC33 and really likeing the sounds.

ARRIVED BEFORE TIME AND IN PERFECT CONDITION. THE FISHMAN RARE EARTH HAS A GREAT SOUND ON A GIBSON ACOUSTIC GUITAR. FIT JUST RIGHT IN THE SOUNDHOLE. I LOVED THE SOUND. WILL BE TRYING ON MY OTHER ACOUSTIC GUITARS.

I like what the Fishman Rare earth does for my 1962 Guild acoustic guitar. I also was surprised at the built in volume control. Thank you and I will be in touch with you for future purchases. Sincerely, Frank Thibe

I like what the Fishman Rare earth does for my 1962 Guild acoustic guitar. I also was surprised at the built in volume control. Thank you and I will be in touch with you for future purchases. Sincerely, Frank Thibe

Sounds amazing! the sound is clear and precise. Recommend this to anyone who is gigging all the time. Very happy

I got this pickup so I could run my banjo through my effects pedals. Banjos, by their nature are harsh, and amplified, even more so. I like what I can do with a looper and reverb.

I am very impressed but it will feedback which apparently it is not suppoesed to. Still better than fighting with a mic.

I used a Baggs M1A for about a year before I switched to this. i heard lots of people say that the Baggs was the better pickup but, as soon as I used this, I was sold. The Baggs may sound better in some guitars but, in mine, it’s not nearly as clear or as bright as this. At first I tried the Fishman single coil, which also sounded great, but I had to get the humbucker after experiencing too may problems with 60 cycle hum.

put it in my Fender dreadnaught and only wish i have held out for the the next step up in quality with the mic as well… Love it to death, had it pertinently installed and love the sound and the versatility. the built in volume knob it a GREAT tough. I could go on, but there are reviews on you tube that will do a better Job than here.

Fishman Rare Earth Blend Pickup is a perfect choise for an acoustic guitar. I love it!
Amozon delivery was very sharp and constantly updated.
Very happy about my purchase..!!

The Fishman banjo pickup was fine but I did not find it easy to fit and needed a specialist to install. However, this was the recommendation with the product.

I like the fact that it can be “partially” installed with the cord coming out of the sound hole or it can be easily installed on a more permanent basis by cutting the cord to length and running it inside the guitar body through the end pin hole (which will have to be enlarged a bit). Either way, once plugged in, it sounds great. This pickup maintains the great acoustic sound of my guitar, a Blueridge BR-160. I installed some Fishman “under the saddle” pickups in a few Martin guitars and this pickup sounds just as good, if not better. If you don’t mind the pickup visible in the sound hole, this is the way to go. Another nice thing about it is the ease of changing out the batteries as compared to the undersaddle type pickups where the batteries are attached to the inside body of the guitar.

My grandson is an amazing guitarist and he needed a pickup. When I got this for him, he couldn’t quit smiling or playing. Amazing difference!

Just incredible…. very very good one. Much better then several that come already with the guitars. . . . .

I had first ordered the Neo D passive pickup but it just didn’t have enough volume. I had to turn the amp all the way up just to hear it at a decent level. With the Rare Earth active pickup it’s at a quarter volume and it picks up every nuance of the strings. Incredible sound!!!! You won’t be disappointed with this one!!!!!

I have been looking for this particular item on other music supply sights and no could come close to this price!

great mic, arrived in time the sound I get with this mic is as close to acoustic as it ever was

As with all products, some reviews are critical and some are full of praise. Based on the high ratings and several reviews from pros mentioning how good the sound was, I went the extra from around $79 to get this one, and I love it so much that I shortly bought a second, so I could put one in each of my two beautiful sounding Martin acoustics. I play them through a Roland Mobile Cube (the little short and wide one you can find here), and am extremely pleased with the sound as well as what I can get out of the Roland. It has several choices of effects, including plain acoustic, electric, over drive, distortion, chorus, delay, and reverb, and PLENTY loud enough for the small place I live in; even better with phones on!

Mounting tip: You can probably mount it without pulling the strings, unless you want to change them. I had just put on new sets and wanted to keep them on. Just loosen the tension up as much as you can without the string popping out of the tuning pegs. You may be able to reach your arm through the sound hole to mount the output jack; I did on the six string. But the 12 string was more difficult, so after loosening the strings, I carefully pulled out the pin and removed the string, put it aside, then re-inserted in when the job was done.

For drilling, use the stepped type drill bit which will drill multiple hole sizes, chucking it (for the Martins) so the drill just catches about 3/8″ to 1/2″ of the shank; otherwise, the drill chuck will hit the guitar before the drill goes all the way through. You will need to go all the way up to 1/2″ hole size. DO NOT TRY TO USE A REGULAR or any other type bit, as you will almost certainly split the wood. Not nice!

BE SURE TO PUT TAPE ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR GUITAR around the hole, so if you do slip, the damage will be limited; and go nice-and-slow, with constant speed, on a the LOW speed setting for a cordless. Put a small bit of Beeswax on the outside of the bit and the cutting edge to reduce friction, “grabbing,” and make for a MUCH better cut.

Here’s the tricky part: find an old wooden knitting needle, wooden dowel, a very long bamboo chopstick, about 14″ long. At the business end, you want 1/4″ diameter and of course, smaller than 1/2″ at the large end. With everything ready, unwind the pickup wire fully, letting the pickup dangle on the table top (hope you put a towel under there), and with one hand put the output jack through the sound hole. Now with the other hand, insert the 1/4″ knitting needle, dowel, whatever, through the hole you drilled and up towards the Sound hole, where you will insert it, while twisting slightly, into the pickup jack – the part that will go through the hole. Smoothly pull the knitting needle or dowel, etc, back through the hole (you did remember to remove the nuts which hold it in the hole before starting, right?), and twist slightly to remove the jack from the dowel.

This turned out to be so easy that I did it several times until I had the exact length of the mounting nuts perfect. So, tighten down the assembly with your fingers (no locktite, please), mount the pickup in the hole, then shorten up the cord and wrap it up with a Velcro type, multi-use fastener for easy removal and battery replacement. Put the strings back in, tighten the tuners, tune – be sure to adjust the sound level to “high” as the manual suggests – then plug and PLAY!

As with all products, some reviews are critical and some are full of praise. Based on the high ratings and several reviews from pros mentioning how good the sound was, I went the extra from around $79 to get this one, and I love it so much that I shortly bought a second, so I could put one in each of my two beautiful sounding Martin acoustics. I play them through a Roland Mobile Cube (the little short and wide one you can find here), and am extremely pleased with the sound as well as what I can get out of the Roland. It has several choices of effects, including plain acoustic, electric, over drive, distortion, chorus, delay, and reverb, and PLENTY loud enough for the small place I live in; even better with phones on!

Mounting tip: You can probably mount it without pulling the strings, unless you want to change them. I had just put on new sets and wanted to keep them on. Just loosen the tension up as much as you can without the string popping out of the tuning pegs. You may be able to reach your arm through the sound hole to mount the output jack; I did on the six string. But the 12 string was more difficult, so after loosening the strings, I carefully pulled out the pin and removed the string, put it aside, then re-inserted in when the job was done.

For drilling, use the stepped type drill bit which will drill multiple hole sizes, chucking it (for the Martins) so the drill just catches about 3/8″ to 1/2″ of the shank; otherwise, the drill chuck will hit the guitar before the drill goes all the way through. You will need to go all the way up to 1/2″ hole size. DO NOT TRY TO USE A REGULAR or any other type bit, as you will almost certainly split the wood. Not nice!

BE SURE TO PUT TAPE ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR GUITAR around the hole, so if you do slip, the damage will be limited; and go nice-and-slow, with constant speed, on a the LOW speed setting for a cordless. Put a small bit of Beeswax on the outside of the bit and the cutting edge to reduce friction, “grabbing,” and make for a MUCH better cut.

Here’s the tricky part: find an old wooden knitting needle, wooden dowel, a very long bamboo chopstick, about 14″ long. At the business end, you want 1/4″ diameter and of course, smaller than 1/2″ at the large end. With everything ready, unwind the pickup wire fully, letting the pickup dangle on the table top (hope you put a towel under there), and with one hand put the output jack through the sound hole. Now with the other hand, insert the 1/4″ knitting needle, dowel, whatever, through the hole you drilled and up towards the Sound hole, where you will insert it, while twisting slightly, into the pickup jack – the part that will go through the hole. Smoothly pull the knitting needle or dowel, etc, back through the hole (you did remember to remove the nuts which hold it in the hole before starting, right?), and twist slightly to remove the jack from the dowel.

This turned out to be so easy that I did it several times until I had the exact length of the mounting nuts perfect. So, tighten down the assembly with your fingers (no locktite, please), mount the pickup in the hole, then shorten up the cord and wrap it up with a Velcro type, multi-use fastener for easy removal and battery replacement. Put the strings back in, tighten the tuners, tune – be sure to adjust the sound level to “high” as the manual suggests – then plug and PLAY!

I recently bought a Martin D-18 and never intended to have it electrified, but love the guitar so much I wanted to use it live. In the past, I have always gone for Headway pickups, but this means drilling the area under the saddle and my guitar has the vintage style saddle that sits in a slot that’s open at both ends. This makes adjusting the saddle in any way a very skilful operation – skills I do not possess.

So I looked around and read some very positive reviews about this soundhole mounted unit and thought I’d give it a go.

This is the first Fishman pickup I have ever bought and my immediate impression was positive; well packaged, detailed fitting instruction and a very solid feel to it (apart from the flimsy arm the mic is attached to – all the other comments about this are spot on). Initially, I was going to just have the wire dangling from the soundhole, rather than fit the thing more permanently, but I had nightmare visions of standing on the lead and ripping the front out of the guitar so decided to fit the endpin jack.

The instructions talk about using reamers and stuff to enlarge the hole, but if you have the correct final drill size, it’s relatively easy to use increasing drill sizes as a series of pilot holes until you get to the final size (half inch, I think, but don’t quote me). After shortening the lead wire – leaving enough spare to remove the pickup to change the batteries – I just used a length of solder wire to reach through the end hole and pull the jack through. Once tightened and with the decorative jack surround in place, you’re done.

By the way, StewMac.com do a clever little device the allows you to replace the jack with a standard endpin if you decide to de-electrify at some point.

Plugging in to my Headway preamp the tone is good if lacking in treble a bit. EQ adjustment soon fixes this and it’s possible to get a very pleasing tone blending a little mic with the pickup and perfectly good for an amplified acoustic (which I never find truly authentic sounding, but good just the same).

This was a good solution to electrify my Martin, but I do wonder if they’re worth the extra you pay for it having the mic.

I have been playing electro-acoustic and acoustic steel string guitars for nearly 20 years. I am also a sound engineer and a producer, and am extremely critical about sound overall, specifically critical about acoustic instrument’s sound. I have found that most acoustic guitars with pickups sound terribly artificial, so the past 2 guitars I have bought have been Martins with no pickups. About a year ago I began playing in a band and needed to amplify my steel string, so after researching a bit I decided on this pickup. I was especially drawn by this pickup’s ability to blend both a mic and a magnetic pick up. It brings out the best of my instrument. I like to set the knob to halfway between both, which gives me a very natural, beautiful sound. When feedback becomes an issue with the mic, I simply turn the knob to magnetic pick up, and still the guitar sounds beautiful.
The goose neck does move out of place, but only when moving the guitar from place to place. I haven’t found this to be an issue.
I highly recommend this pick up.

I have a seagull cedarwood acoustic, in which the pickup gave out a few months back after 10 years of wear, tear and travel. I removed the pickup and began hunting for a decent replacement. The Fishman Rare Earth series seem to have almost universally positive reviews, and although the ‘blended’ model is thought to be the best, it is not currently available on amazon. The humbucker model is thought of as 2nd best, and I must say I think it is excellent. It is easy to install, and sounds great, giving a very well rounded EQ, not the overdriven mid-heavy sound of a standard seagull pickup, or the laser-beam-through-the-brain treble overkill of an electro-taylor, but just a very natural, believable acoustic sound, which is versatile enough to be tweakable in any EQ direction once it hits the amp or mixing board. Good stuff, which I would definitely reccomend.

I purchased the fishman rare earth humbucking pickup largely based on the reviews I read on amazon and other forums. I must say that I am extremely pleased with the sound. I am using in on my Guild D-4 and playing through a fender acoustisonic amp. a little reverb and a little delay and it sounds amazing. Previously I used a basic Dean Markley pickup and it buzzed pretty bad. No buzz or hum with this one. I would 100% recommend this pickup.

This pickup is sweet! You get a nice, crisp sound out of it. I personally play it with my Martin guitar in a rather large church. It is perfect for that.

EDIT: Nearly three years later, being put through extensive use, I’ve had to replace the batteries only once.

easy to install. amazing sound, much better than the under saddle piezo that it replaced.its not cheap but it is one of those purchases that you wont regre