Fishman PREFIX PREMIUM BLEND User manual

www.fishman.com
USER GUIDE
PREFIX PREMIUM BLEND

Welcome
Thank you for making Fishman a part of your acoustic experience. We are proud
to offer you the finest acoustic amplification products available; high-quality
professional-grade tools to empower you to sound your very best. We are
confident Prefix Premium Blend will both enhance and inspire your music making.

3
Quick Start
Before you begin, set the controls as shown:
1. Plug in • Use a ¼-inch instrument cable.
2. Tune up • Press the Tuner button. When
engaged, Tuner
mutes the output. Press again
to exit Tuner.
3. Turn up • Raise the Volume and adjust the
Blend control to your liking.
4. Pickup tone • Adjust tone controls to
your liking.

4
Controls
Volume • For the cleanest signal, set the Volume knob as high as possible,
without causing distortion or feedback.
Blend • Move the Blend slider to change the balance between the pickup and
the microphone.
Bass • Boost here to add depth and weight to the sound of the guitar. Note
that this control only affects the pickup signal.
Contour EQ • Two sliders (Contour and Contour Frequency) make up this
EQ. The Contour Frequency slider lets you tune in on a specific range of sound
that you can boost or cut with the Contour slider.
Treble • Boost to cut through the mix. Cut to mellow and subdue the sound.
Note that this control only affects the pickup signal.
Notch • Tune the Notch filter to remove low-end feedback. Raise the Volume
until feedback occurs, then slowly turn the Notch to the right until the feedback
is eliminated.

5
Phase • Use the Phase switch to improve bass response at low volume and
suppress feedback at high volume. If feedback occurs, push the Phase switch. If
feedback recurs when you change your location, press the switch again.
Microphone Position
Position the microphone to find the “sweet spot” inside the instrument. Take the
time to experiment with microphone placement until you find the position that
works best in your instrument.
Plug in the guitar and move the Blend slider to the left for mic only. Start with
the mic capsule so that it faces the back of the guitar. Move the mic closer to the
soundhole for more bass. Turn the capsule toward the sides of the instrument for
less bass.

6
Tu n e r
Depress the Tuner button to turn the circuit on and off. This digital chromatic
tuner accommodates all standard and alternate tunings and mutes the output
when engaged. It can be activated without an instrument cable connected, in
which case it will turn itself off after three minutes.
Note that the tuner is calibrated to A=440.

7
Power
Plug in the guitar, and the Prefix Premium Blend switches on. The Battery LED
will flash once at power-up to tell you the preamp is on.
Low Battery Indicator
When the Battery indicator lights steadily, it is time to change the battery. To
conserve power, unplug the instrument and turn off the tuner when not in use.
Replace the battery by flipping open the preamp body using the latch located at
the top of the preamp. Be sure to observe the correct polarity during this instal-
lation.

8
Sample Settings
Fingerstyle “Scooped” Mid
This will add fullness to the bass This setting emphasizes extreme bass
and definition to the treble. and treble

9
Stereo Operation
A small switch, located on the side of the preamp, let’s you choose between
mono and stereo operation. Factory preset to mono, you use the onboard
controls to affect your mic and pickup sound and connect to your amplifier or PA
with a standard guitar cable
If you wish to split the pickup and microphone signals for separate external
processing, move this switch to stereo and connect to your amplifier or PA with a
stereo “Y” cable. In this mode, the pickup signal goes to the tip output and the
microphone goes to the ring output.
Mono / Stereo switch
MONO CABLE
Microphone & Pickup
Signals
STEREO "Y" CABLE
Tip
Pickup
Ring
Microphone

10
Microphone Trim Adjustment
The microphone and pickup levels are preset at the factory and do not require
adjustment. However, a microphone trim control may be adjusted to alter the
microphone and pickup balance. Set the Blend slider to the center position and
adjust the trim control as necessary.
Trim

11
Electrical Specifications
Nominal Input Level: -20dBV
Input Impedance: 20MOhm
Output Impedance: Less than 3.5kOhm
Nominal Output Level: -12dBV
THD: Less than .04 %, -20dBV input
Noise Floor: -97dB
Dynamic Range: 102dB
Battery Life: 100hrs. (tuner off)
Notch Filter Range: 30Hz – 300Hz (-15dB)
Bass Control Frequency: 60Hz
Treble Control Frequency: 10kHz
Contour Control Frequency: 250Hz – 10kHz; Q = 0.5
All specifications subject to change without notice.

www.fishman.com
513-000-001 Rev B 9-08