I have been playing an amplified acoustic guitar publicly for two decades now. The first dozen years or so were rough. I had my Dean Markly and Lawrence sound hole pick ups... I had my Martin and Fishman under the saddle types... I was never happy. My guitar always sounded "tinny" to me. I also heard it from people everywhere I played. "Tinny... tinny... tinny..."

I will never forget the day I got my Fishman Rare Earth Blender. I took great care installing it into my Martin D-35. When the moment came that I first heard it, I strummed a slow open E chord and it was clear at that moment I had purchased the very best pick-up for my guitar, and my ears that money can buy. I run the signal through a stereo chorus pedal and then through my stereo mixing board. What comes out of my Mackie SRM-450's is sheer heaven. If you are having trouble deciding on your next pick-up and you really don't know if you want to spend the money on this pick-up, all I can say is- you won't regret it. Everywhere I go people comment on how great my guitar sounds.

Typically, I run the blend at about 70% pick-up and 30% mic. It seems to work well for me. If I get in a position where I need a little more umph out of my guitar and I can't get to the board or something, I can always turn the pick-up closer to 100% on the humbucker and get a little more juice out of it.

I have used the Rare Earth Blend pickup with my Larrivee OMV-60 for almost two years now & have been very pleased with the overall sound. Love the blend switch, which of course allows me to dial in just the right balance between pickup & mic.

I only have TWO complaints: First, the battery installation is AWFUL - it takes some serious juggling to get the two 1.5v batteries put in, and the strings have to either be loosened or removed altogether. The other complaint has to do with feedback when the mic is heavily engaged, although I suppose that is to be somewhat expected. Overall, a fantastic product!

I purchesed a Rare Earth Blend 2 years ago. I had immediately some trouble with cardioid capsule and currently my REB don't work correctly. I called Fishman customer service, but they said to me that cardioid capsule in not possible to service. What a pity, I bought an expensive item for nothing ....and now I'm without a mic to fit my Martind28

I like the sound - Sparkly clean with true acoustic sound. Though I am primarily an electric player, I have found a solution to using a acoustic guitar in an amplified setting without feedback. truly a nice piece.

Way better than any Piezo under-saddle.