Anyone using a Fishman blender or similar?

[frodebass]

Hi!

Anyone here using or having used something like the Fishman bass blender?
Which pickup did you use, and which microphone and amp?

What are your experiences?

Thanks,

Frode Berg

[basstuhd]

Originally Posted by frodebass

Hi!

Anyone here using or having used something like the Fishman bass blender?
Which pickup did you use, and which microphone and amp?

What are your experiences?

Thanks,

Frode Berg

I've used a fish/pocket blender on occasion. It works with all kinds of mic's and pickups. If I had one piece of wisdom to impart in the mic-through-amp area, it would to be to expect to need more pickup signal than mic. I've used cheap fish/electret mics, high end amt condensors, and dynamic instrument mics, and none of them can produce enough volume without feeding back. You're really just best off suplementing a good pickup sound with the airy-ness of a mic.

[oystein]

Hi Frode,
I used to have an Fishman Pocket Blender for mixing pickup with mic. I used it together with different pickups and a crown condenser mic provided by Fishman as part of their sets. I have replaced the Pocket Blender with a Raven Labs PMB which basically have the same functions but are far superior to the Fishman both soundwise and in construction.

regard Oystein (also in Norway)

[Pacman]

I use the Fishman Bass blender for the two channels of my K&K BassMaster Pro. Warmer sounding than the K&K preamp (which is quite nice).

[Adrian Cho]

I'm using the LR Baggs MixPro. I just bought it a couple of weeks ago and I've used it on a few gigs and at rehearsals. It performs as advertised and from my research it was the quietest unit at the best price. I'm oddly enough not actually using it for a pickup and a mic but rather a bass mic (the AMT SP25B) and a vocal mic (SM-58) for addressing the audience. However it works fine for this purpose too and the the options on the "mic" channel such as the low cutoff come in use for the vocal mic since I don't want low end on that anyway.

The MixPro is tiny and it has a phase invert which not all boxes seem to have.

[lojack]

I recently dug out my Fishman Acoustic Bass Blender; I bought it many years ago whilst playing with a "rock" band when I used it with a underwood and a Pierre Joseph String Charger with my Kay (it was really loud).

Years later (that's today), with an Eminence bass and steel strings (been a long time) I'm interested in using it again with the String Charger and the supplied/attached Realist (if I'm going with a pickup, why not try going all the way? ) I used it recently last year in a combo with a rented AMT SP25B and an underwood (lots could be said about that..).

However, with the String Charger and the Realist I get distortion. The trim is turned all the way down on both channels, I don't get it when I plug either pickup into an amp. I should add I play pretty hard, but that shouldn't have anything to do with anything.

I contacted Fishman tech support and got an answer within hours; he was genuinely helpful, but provided no answers despite the fact that for this very problem as detailed in the manual under troubleshooting, it says to contact Fishman. He mentioned altering the power source (I'm using an AC adapter) and turning down the inputs, but I'm already at three o'clock on the master out. Any thoughts? Is there an outboard device I can purchase to add to the signal chain that will lower the signal? Is that just dumb? The dude mentioning adding a preamp to the signal chain before hitting the bass blender, but the bass blender is a preamp, isn't it? There can't be a preamp that lowers a signals strength.. you use them to do the opposite, right?

That Raven Labs PMB II looks rad; but it looks as though it does all the same things as my discontinues bass blender does. Better to save up for that AMT mic.

[JonB]

Raven Labs is out of business, but you could probably find a used PMBII.
D-Tar Solstice looks like a very versatile preamp.
Anyone using one for DB?

[Touch]

Rane AP-13. K&K BassMax pickup, Crown GLM mic.

The Rane has excellent and very flexible blending capabilities including (2) XLR outputs, tuner out and piezo out.

Rane's web site has all the details.