User manual FENDER AMERICAN STANDARD GUITARS

[. . . ] The sensing material exhibits a sensitivity and dynamic range that far surpasses all other known materials. The ACOUSTIC MATRIXTM transducer is a fully EMI shielded, multi-layer sandwich of co-polymer strips that run the length of the pickup. This design allows the pickup to sense the motion of the entire saddle length, providing superb string to string balance, as well as sensitivity to both the strings and top of the instrument. THE MICROPHONE The microphone, in conjunction with PHASE, NOTCH and CONTOUR controls (see page 6), will provide very high level sound reproduction before feedback. Conveniently shock-mounted to the back of the preamp case, the microphone is acoustically isolated inside the instrument, providing freedom of movement as well as minimal leakage from other instruments on stage. 2 ACOUSTIC GUITAR SYSTEM QUICK START To successfully combine microphone and pickup signals, it is best to start by presetting the microphone EQ to control feedback, then mixing in the pickup. [. . . ] The pickup signal will add significant attack and definition to your sound. Adjust the BASS and TREBLE controls as desired. Please note that these controls will affect pickup signal only. Double check the PHASE switch position until you find the clearest response. See diagram on page 6 3 FISHMAN PREFIXTM ONBOARD BLENDER PREAMP FUNCTIONS BATTERY COMPARTMENT Pull the small tab at the top of the ONBOARD BLENDERTM toward you. The body of the preamp will swing out, revealing the BATTERY COMPARTMENT. Insert a fresh 9V alkaline battery. MICROPHONE TRIM 9V BATTERY PREFIXTM SERIES PREAMP GUITAR BODY MICROPHONE TRIM CONTROL A small circular potentiometer is located on the underside of the preamp just below the battery compartment. This control is used to calibrate the microphone gain in relation to the pickup. To use this control, set the BLEND slider to the center position and, with a small screwdriver, adjust the potentiometer until both the microphone and pickup levels are balanced. ENDPIN JACK The ONBOARD BLENDERTM has no ON/OFF switch. It is turned on only when an instrument cable is plugged into the endpin jack. PHASE SWITCH The PHASE switch compensates for acoustic phase differences that often occur between instrument and speaker. It can be used as a tone filter at low volume levels or a feedback filter at high levels. Whenever you play through a different sound system or at a different venue, flip the PHASE switch several times and use your ear to find the optimum setting. BLEND CONTROL This control determines the balance between microphone and pickup signals. This control can be used as a feedback "escape hatch" if you ever need to instantly shut off the microphone during a performance. 5 FISHMAN PREFIXTM ONBOARD BLENDER SUGGESTED EQ SETTINGS 50 Hz + 12 dB PHASE 900 Hz + 12 dB - 12 dB + 12 dB - 12 dB QUIET LOUD 10 kHz ANTI-FEEDBACK Refer to page 3. If you are playing through an electric guitar amplifier or have dead strings on the instrument, you can brighten up your sound by setting the Contour FREQUENCY slider to 10 kHz and raising the CONTOUR Level to taste. If you plan to play at high stage volume levels, dial in more pickup than microphone to avoid feedback. - 12 dB MIC BATTERY PICKUP LOW 250 Hz BRILLIANCE 50 Hz + 12 dB PHASE 900 Hz + 12 dB - 12 dB + 12 dB - 12 dB QUIET LOUD 10 kHz - 12 dB MIC BATTERY PICKUP LOW 250 Hz 6 ACOUSTIC GUITAR SYSTEM MID CUT You can scoop out harsh midrange by setting the FREQUENCY slider slightly above center with the CONTOUR Level cut to taste below the center detent. Often the desired mid-cut will fall into the same frequency range as potential microphone feedback. You can also cut midrange (pickup only) by boosting the BASS and TREBLE sliders to realize an "implied" mid-cut at 800 Hz. 50 Hz + 12 dB PHASE 900 Hz + 12 dB - 12 dB + 12 dB - 12 dB QUIET LOUD 10 kHz This setting will add fullness to the bass and definition to the treble. - 12 dB - 12 dB - 12 dB 250 Hz - 12 dB MIC BATTERY PICKUP LOW 250 Hz 50 Hz + 12 dB 900 Hz + 12 dB + 12 dB QUIET LOUD 10 kHz FINGERSTYLE PHASE BATTERY MIC PICKUP LOW 7 FISHMAN PREFIXTM ONBOARD BLENDER WHAT IS PHASE? Phase is the relationship between two signals or soundwaves originating from the same instrument. For our purposes, phase relationships are expressed as being either "in phase" or "out of phase". In phase tends to enhance, while out of phase tends to suppress the natural characteristics and acoustic tendencies of an instrument. A simple way to determine the quality of phase (in or out) of two sounds is to compare phase switch settings at low volumes. IN PHASE In phase is when the waveforms of two sounds originating from the same instrument are similarly aligned in time. [. . . ] If you move from your position on stage more than a few feet, you may have to invert the PHASE switch again to maintain an out of phase relationship between the mic'ed instrument and speaker. Continued . . . 9 FISHMAN PREFIXTM ONBOARD BLENDER Continued from Page 9 Here's why: A typical guitar has a cavity resonance of about 100 Hz. This is the frequency that generally feeds back when a mic'ed guitar and speaker are in phase. 100 Hz has a wavelength of about 11 feet. Phase inverts 180° for every 1/2 a frequency's wavelength. [. . . ]