GEAR REVIEW
FISHMAN POWERTAP | Mitch Bohannon
• Stereo output
KEY FEATURES
• Easy blend between pickup and tap sensor
• Low battery light located on the Blend control
• Solderless installation
• Rare Earth or Matrix Infinity options
Standing at the door watching UPS park in front of the house , it almost felt like Christmas . I had no good guess about what guitar was inside , but I knew it was a guitar from Fishman . To my delight , I pulled out a Guild OM-150CE . I have been wanting a Guild ever since George Strait was playing them in the ‘ 80s and now with their resurgence I have had my eye on them once again .
I ’ m receiving this guitar because it is equipped with the new Fishman PowerTap Infinity Pickup . This is really the perfect guitar to test out with the large number of worship musicians playing OM size guitars .
In the past , I have enjoyed using a stomp box when leading before when I didn ’ t have a drummer and yet I still wanted to add some kick drum to the mix . I have also enjoyed watching Zoro and others playing the WalkaBout Drum at the Christian Musician Summit conferences . This Fishman PowerTap Pickup is kind of a blend between the two .
With the PowerTap Pickup , I have the ability to control and add my own percussion like I did with the stomp box , but I have more options of sounds to create like with the WalkaBout . The PowerTap is a sensor that sits underneath the bridge and senses the entire top of the guitar . This enables a range of sounds that can be created by tapping or even brushing the guitar top while playing .
I remember watching Phil Keaggy blow us all away with his looping skills while tapping on his guitar and even singing into the sound hole . Combining a Looper here with your PowerTap would be a good option for those who like to create rhythms on their guitar .
Thankfully , Fishman included a stereo breakout adaptor ( thank ya ’ ll ) so I was able to run separate signals for the Matrix Infinity piezo and the Tap sensor . This way , I can EQ each of signal and blend them at the FOH . If you ’ ll check out the video , I ’ ll show you the difference in each pickup and then blended together . For cables , you can certainly run a standard mono ( TS ) ¼ instrument cable or you could opt for running stereo . There , you have some options . Using a ¼ Y-cable on platform might be a little tricky as you ’ d have two ¼ cables coming up to your guitar . Or you could use a longer stereo ( TRS ) cable and use a female to male ¼ Y-cable to separate the signals and then into two direct boxes . Years ago , I had a stereo guitar setup and purchased a 20-foot cable to run from the guitar .
Overall in this Guild OM , the Matrix Infinity sounds really good , capturing a very clear acoustic sound . There is a voicing setting that can either be a flat response for larger body guitars or a low-end boost for smaller body guitars like this OM . The Tap Sensor then captures all of the nuances of the guitar ’ s top and it ’ s very sensitive so as to be able to capture the rhythms and sounds you create anywhere on the guitar .
Are you having a guitar built by a luthier ? Do you have a stock guitar that has never sounded as good as you feel it could ? If yes , then you ’ re a candidate for a new pickup . This new Fishman PowerTap Infinity Pickup is one to consider for your guitar . The solderless setup makes it super simple to install on your own and Fishman has an installation guide online .
To hear more … check out the Guild and Fishman PowerTap in my “ Such an Awesome God ” video below .
Retail : $ 299.95 www . Fishman . com