Fishman Platinum Pro-EQ Bass User Manual

USER GUIDE
PRO-EQ PLATINUM BASS

Welcome

Thank you for making Fishman a part of your acoustic experience. We are proud to offer the finest
acoustic amplification products available; high-quality professional-grade tools which empower you
to sound your very best.

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Quick Start

1. Place XLR Pre / Post switch to “post” position.

2. Adjust the Input Gain so that the Clip / Low Battery light barely flickers with strong playing.

3. For acoustic bass only: Set Phase switch to position that sounds best and suppresses feedback.

4. Set Compression and Depth to 10:00.

5. Set EQ and re-adjust Input Gain if necessary (Clip LED should barely flicker with strong playing).

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Power Options

1. 9-Volt Battery

Squeeze the tabs on top of the preamp together and the battery drawer will pop out. Snap in a fresh 9-Volt
alkaline. To conserve the battery, unplug the input of the Platinum Bass when you are not using the preamp.

2. 48-Volt Phantom Power

Use an XLR cable to connect the Platinum Bass to a mixing board with 48V phantom power. When you turn
on the 48V phantom at the mixer, the green 48V phantom LED lights up, the 9V battery shuts off and the
Platinum Bass draws power through the XLR cable.

The green 48V phantom LED may not light up once you switch on phantom power. This means the phantom

power from the mixer is not delivering enough voltage. For insurance, keep a fresh 9V battery in the preamp.

The battery will take up the slack if the phantom power is too low.

3. AC Adapter Input

Use only a well filtered and regulated AC adapter with a 9-Volt DC output. We
recommend the Fishman 910-R. Use of a non-recommended adapter may void
the warranty and damage the unit.

(center = negative)

Input—Plug your bass in here

When you plug into the input jack, the 9-Volt battery switches on. Remember to unplug the input jack when
you are not using the preamp to save the battery. Turn down your amp or mute your mixer input before you
plug into the Platinum Bass input to protect your speakers (and your ears) from loud pops.

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Input Gain

For the cleanest possible signal, adjust the Input Gain so that the Clip / Low Battery LED barely flickers with
strong playing. If the Clip LED lights up brightly as you play, your bass signal is overdriving the circuit and
you will hear distortion. Not every instrument will have enough signal to engage the Clip light on your
Platinum. This is perfectly acceptable.

Clip / Low Battery Indicator

This light has three distinct functions:

1. Power Up Indicator

The LED flashes briefly when you plug into the input—it is telling you that the unit is powering up.

2. Clip Indicator

Flashes brightly when your bass signal overloads the preamp. Adjust the Input Gain so that the Clip LED

barely flashes with strong playing.

3. Low Battery Warning

When the red LED lights with no signal present it is time to change the battery. If the Low Battery light
comes on while you’re playing don’t worry, you’ll have enough power to get through a gig (at least 4 hours).

Volume

For the cleanest sound, set the Volume as high as you can without distorting your amp or mixer.

Compression

This allows you to alter the attack, sustain and dynamics of your bass. Set the Input Gain before you turn on

the compressor (compression is off at 7:00).

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