Hey piezo guys, you have to try this!

[ShaneV]

I've been interested in trying the Fishman Aura pedals on my JP's piezo ever since they came out, but I was never sure which pedal would be the best choice when they were segregated by guitar type, and then couldn't justify the cost of an Aura 16 or Spectrum once the patches became switchable over USB.

Then Fishman released a software upgrade that turns any of the old type-specific Aura pedals into an Aura 16! I did some searching and scored an "Orchestra" pedal for 60 bucks.

Haven't even done the upgrade yet, but just using a few of the orchestra patches I am really happy with this thing, it makes the piezo sound absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend these Auras to any piezo users, and now is a great time to score the old pedals (especially the hard to resell ones like nylon and 12 string) cheap on the used market and upgrade them (the upgrade is 20 or 30 dollars, I forget specifically, but very reasonable).

 

[threeminutesboy]

can you describe how it improve the sound? and how do you upgrade those pedals do you a USB connector?

 

[Spudmurphy]

I'm always a sucker for a thread that has Piezo in the title.

Would the pedal be of any benefit to someone who has a dedicated acoustic amp?

 

[threeminutesboy]

I'm always a sucker for a thread that has Piezo in the title.

+1 Spud

 

[ShaneV]

can you describe how it improve the sound? and how do you upgrade those pedals do you a USB connector?

The shortest (but perhaps not most helpful) description is that it sounds less like a piezo, and more like a miced up acoustic guitar. I can get that "thud" on the low strings that I always loved about playing a real acoustic, and the spikiness of the piezo is gone. It sounds much more lively and has a lot of character compared to the sound without the AUra.

I'm always a sucker for a thread that has Piezo in the title.

Would the pedal be of any benefit to someone who has a dedicated acoustic amp?

That's what I'm testing it out with today, so I'd have to say yes.

EDIT: And yes three, you use a standard USB cable. The original pedals were built with a hidden USB port under an easily removable plate.

 

[Sweat]

Intereting, have to check it out, thanks for sharing

 

[ShaneV]

My audio interface is giving me trouble so I tried making a short video demo for YouTube, but the audio from my camcorder isn't that great and the differences over the regular sound aren't as apparent as just listening in the room (though they are still pretty noticeable). I can upload it if anyone is really interested but otherwise I probably won't bother. Let me know.