OVER THE YEARS, Fishman has made its reputation by building quality pickups, preamps, and associated accessories for acoustic instruments. But with its new Pro-EQ Platinum Bass preamp/DI the company heads in a slightly different direction: this product is intended for use with acoustic and electric bass.

Designed to plug in between your bass and your amp (or the P.A.), the Pro-EQ Platinum Bass offers such features as feedback reduction, photo-optic compression, five bands of equalization, an XLR direct out with ground lift, and a Tuner/Send output. It can also be powered in three ways: with 48V external phantom power, with an AC adapter (optional), or with a 9V battery.

TONE SHAPING

The EQ section is voiced to benefit electric and acoustic bass setups. It allows for varying amounts of boost or cut, with more boost available (12 dB) in the Bass and Treble than in the three midrange bands. That design makes sense because on upright and electric basses, the lows and highs generally require the heaviest equalization. Players of both types of instrument will appreciate the scope of the bass slider (30 to 275 Hz) because its upper range is high enough to allow some serious adjustment on the G string's tone.

I tested the unit out on “Big Wood,” my Czech-made string bass, and right out of the box it helped the instrument sound better than ever. I then tried setting my amp to a variety of tone and volume combinations, and the Pro-EQ Platinum Bass allowed me to dial out runaway frequencies easily. The only feature I found missing was a mute switch for easy instrument swaps.

Using my Fender Precision loaded with flatwounds and a Yamaha electric with bright rounds, I tried Fishman's suggested settings for sounds like Tumbao, Classic Thumb Style, Motown, and Five String. I was able to dial in some radically different tones.

The Platinum Bass's compressor is of the photo-optic variety, and like the unit's EQ section, it's designed to handle the particulars of a bass's signal. For one thing, it's placed before the Bass and Treble bands of the equalizer but after the midrange controls in the signal chain. The logic here is that on a bass, it's the mids that need the most compression. Additionally, the compressor is preset with slow attack times that allow transients (from slaps and pops, for example) to pass through without getting squashed down.

FEEDBACK WHACKER

Feedback is the archenemy of the acoustic bassist, and the Platinum Bass offers two features that combat it effectively: the Depth control and the Phase switch. The former is essentially a low-cut filter. When rolled off from maximum, it pulls back booming lows and focuses bass response as volume is added.

The Phase switch is the true key to stopping feedback by preventing your amp's speaker cone from moving in the same direction as the wooden top of your string bass. When feedback develops at high volume, flipping the phase can really help diffuse it. Following the excellent instructions and graphics in the owners manual, I was able to successfully weed out feedback and bolster bass response in almost every situation (particularly on the G string), except when I was totally pushing things.

HARDENED EXTERIOR

The unit's ergonomic shape and large rubber feet keep it from moving around on your amp, and the construction is rugged, consisting of high-impact plastic around a steel case. A good battery-compartment design and handy quick-start instructions printed on the bottom are well-thought-out touches.

Overall, the Fishman Pro-EQ Platinum Bass is the most helpful portable preamp/DI I've ever used. Serious bassists, whether they play acoustic or electric, should flock to this unit when they hear how flexible and effective it is.

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Ed Ivey is a San Francisco-based musician who really hates feedback. Check out his Web site at www.edivey.com.

PRO-EQ PLATINUM SPECS

Input (1) ¼"

Outputs (1) ¼" main, (1) XLR main, (1) ¼" Tuner/Send

Input Impedance 10 m•

Amp Out -20 dBu to +10dBu

XLR Out -30 dBu to -6dBu

Tone Controls: Bass ±12 dB @ 30 Hz

Low Mid +6 dB, -12 dB @ 200 Hz

Mid +6 dB, -12 dB @ 1.25 kHz

High Mid ±9 dB @ 5 kHz

Treble ±12 dB @ 10 kHz

Depth Control 12 dB/octave low-cut filter

Range 15-125 Hz

Compressor -14 dB max. gain reduction

Power 9V battery; AC adapter; 48V phantom power

Dimensions 4" (W) × 7× (L) × 2" (H)

Weight 1.8 lb.

PRODUCT SUMMARY

Fishman
Pro-EQ Platinum Bass
Bass preamp/DI
$249.95

Onstage Ratings

Features	●	●	●	●
Sound Quality	●	●	●	●
Road Readiness	●	●	●	●
Value	●	●	●	●	◖
	1	2	3	4	5

Pros: True feedback reduction. Bass-specific equalization. 48V phantom-power compatibility. Innovative battery compartment is rugged and easy to open.

Cons: No mute switch.

Contact:
Fishman Transducers
tel. (978) 988-9199
e-mail fishman@fishman.com Web www.fishman.com