Fishman have been producing solutions for amplifying acoustic instruments since the 1980s, continually improving to give the musician the truest amplified tone possible. As a company Fishman don't pay artists for their endorsement and so the impressive (and very long!) list of users is there because their products deliver. We consider Fishman to be amongst the best available - not always the cheapest  but always value for money.

All prices over £100 include 48 hr UK delivery.

100Watts of clean power in a very compact package. Two channels with individual 3 band EQ and overall master volume - channel two also has a mic input with switchable phantom power. The Feedback control and the phase invert switch give plenty of options for suppressing feedback and the onboard digital effects offer 4 reverbs (2 hall and 2 plate) plus chorus - level controllable. Power is bi-amped to the 8" woofer and 1" tweeter resulting in crystal clear acoustic tones. There are also a DI out, a tuner out and a headphone out and a very useful mute switch on both inputs plus a level controllable auxiliary input. The amp is 40.5 x 34 x 29cm and weighs only 10.5kg.  This is a great little amp, delivering plenty of clean volume with some very useable and subtle digital effects.

If you need more power than the Loudbox then the Performer delivers with an extra 30W (130W in total) in a tri-amped design through 2 6.5" woofers, a 4" midrange driver and a 1" tweeter. Arguably this probably delivers and even better clarity than the Loudbox 100. This amp has all the same features as the Loudbox 100 and also has tilt-back stand allowing the amp to go back to 45 degrees. The amp is 49 x 39.5 x 28.5 cm and weighs 16kg.

The Solo amps is 6 speaker (+ 1 tweeter)  line array design which gives much great penetration of sound than a conventional design and very wide dispersion.

Check out the video demo on the Fishman website (audition tab)

Currently only available to order but readily available.

Probably more realistically called a modulation pedal as it offers tremolo, phasing, flanging and rotary effects as well as 3 chorus settings. Obviously this is intended to give a more effected sound than the reverb pedal but what is on offer is useable and gives you the opportunity to creates some more interesting textures with the acoustic guitar. The speed control has a wide range allowing you to customise the presets and match song tempos. The tone control takes the effects from crisp and bright to warm and rounded depending on the effect you are trying to create. Careful use of the level and tone control can produce very subtle effects that enhance things and provide interest without detracting from the acoustic nature of your instrument. The pedal is 32 bit with 24bit stereo A/D conversion - the bypass is analogue buffered and subjectively, to us at least, very clean. This is a very quiet pedal with no noticeable noise at all. The pedal is housed in the standard AFX metal housing and runs off 9V battery or power supply.

A superb clean delay with both analogue style and crisp clean on offer. The analogue style gives a more rounded sound with a bit of that magic warmth whereas the digital side is uncannily exact. You can do tap tempo with a separate footswitch and automatically get eighth, dotted eighth or quarter note rhythms.  You can also hold loops by holding down the footswitch. The unit is stereo and has a 'pong' delay setting for the classic bouncing between speakers effect. Controls are time and repeats along with a (mix) level. The whole unit is mounted in the standard AFX metal housing and runs off 9V battery or supply. This is a great delay unit with up to 2.9s of delay and sufficient controls that you can get the most out of it. You can even set the unit for 'carryover' of repeats i.e. when the unit is switched out - the delays keep sounding.

The AFX Reverb is a stereo in/out 32 bit digital pedal (24 bit A/D converters) with analogue buffered bypass. The reverbs are well voiced and blend well with acoustic instruments and the bypass setting is nice and clean preserving the instruments tone. There is a wide range of voicings - room to canyon to suit all situations. The canyon setting works surprisingly well when mixed quite low! The reverbs can be varied from dark to bright with the tone control - especially useful with acoustic guitars in matching things to the overall tone of the guitar - a darker reverb can add warmth and a bright reverb can add a bit of life. The pedal can run off standard 9V input or battery (we would recommend a power supply) and is sturdily built with an all metal case. This is not the cheapest reverb pedal out there but it is extremely quiet, well built and well voiced for acoustic guitar and we think justifying its price tag.

If you acoustic tone is important to you then you should try one of these - they are well worth the money. These pedals are also very effective in obtaining a good acoustic tone from piezo bridge electric guitar such as our Godins

• Dreadnought

• Concert

• Orchestra

• Jumbo

• Nylon String

• 12 String

SOUNDHOLE PICKUPS

NEO-D HUMBUCKER £85

The Fishman Neo-D uses Neodymium magnets for a warm tone and great string to string balance. The pickups treble response gives a great feeling of clarity and presence. The Neo D is a high impedance passive design, in a low profile format that will fit into nearly all acoustic guitars with the minimum of effort. You could put one of these in and be plugged in within 5 mins and no alterations to your guitar. The humbucking version uses stacked coils to eliminate hum with a slight trade off in the treble response. Comes with an attached 10ft lead but can easily be installed with a strap button jack socket. These pickups are a highly cost effective way of amplifying your acoustic or maybe just improving on a poor piezo output.

RARE EARTH ACTIVE HUMBUCKER  £169

Essentially an active version of the Neo-D with the same features - good string to string balance and a warm tone. We would say that the treble response is smoother and the extra headroom keeps things sparkling clean. The humbucking version uses stacked coils and as with the Neo-D has a slightly different treble response. These pickups are surprisingly good - producing a very 'acoustic' tone  - not the more electric you might expect from a magnetic pickup. Comes with two easy to change miniature batteries and an attached cable that terminates in a jack socket which can also be endpin mounted.

Taking the Rare Earth idea a stage further with the addition of a high quality microphone - the blend gives extremely good acoustic tones allowing you to mix the pickup and mike outputs. Careful positioning of the soundhole mike really pays off and finally you can start to hear your instrument amplified not just a characterless piezo or pickup. If you rely on your acoustic tone then this pickup is well worth considering - the mike is also useful in picking up percussive tapping on the guitar body which other pickups might not capture. Comes with two easy change miniature batteries and an attached lead and jack socket which can be endpin mounted.

UNDERSADDLE PICKUPS

Check out the Fishman Website

The full Fishman range is  available from Jam Guitars.