Fishman Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro

The latest version of Fishman’s acclaimed Rare Earth magnetic pickup includes both a mic and a body sensor.

January 22, 2025

Available in several different configurations, Fishman Rare Earth pickups are among the most popular soundhole pickups on the market. When the Rare Earth was introduced in the late 1990s, Fishman offered a version of the pickup that included an internal mic (the Rare Earth Mic Blend). A more recent version, the PowerTap Earth, uses a body sensor pickup instead of the mic. However, a steady contingent of players have wanted something with all three sources. Percussive fingerstyle phenomenon Jon Gomm has long relied on a custom system that not only combines a Rare Earth Mic Blend with additional body sensors but he also uses independent output that allow him to process each of the three signals independently, resulting in his famous larger-than-life sound. Fishman has now collaborated with Gomm to produce a ready-made version of his system: the Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro. I’ve used every version of the Rare Earth since its introduction, so I was excited to install one in my 1994 Taylor 712c and check it out.

At first glance, the Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro looks like a PowerTap Earth that uses the Mic Blend version of the Rare Earth, rather than the pickup-only version, but combining the three sources took a bit of engineering. For starters, rather than plugging the body sensor directly into the Rare Earth pickup, the Jon Gomm system has an endpin jack–mounted preamp. As on a standard Rare Earth Mic Blend, the gooseneck-mounted microphone is blended into the signal with a control wheel at the bottom of the Rare Earth pickup, and the system has a separate blend control (attached to the edge of the soundhole) for the body sensor. Instead of the small button battery that powers other Rare Earth setups, the Gomm system is powered by a nine-volt battery that you have to mount somewhere in the guitar’s body using a velcro-fastened battery bag. The system comes pre-wired with a dedicated second output jack for the body-sensor signal, and (combined with the main jack’s ability to provide a TRS stereo output for the Rare Earth pickup and internal microphone) the rig makes it possible to control and process each output separately, as Gomm does with his sophisticated pedalboard setup.

Here’s one of the really cool things about the way Fishman has packaged the Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro: Players who wish to combine all three sources with a single mono output jack can remove the leads to the second jack at the preamp (this requires careful work with a soldering iron!) and blend everything onboard. While this doesn’t allow for as much flexibility and individual processing, if you’re only using one jack, you don’t need an additional hole in the guitar, and the single output makes for simple plug-and-play connectivity. In either configuration, installation of the Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro is more involved than other Rare Earth packages, and unless you’re experienced at working on guitars, it’s probably best left to a professional. I installed the system with the single-jack configuration. My guitar is already drilled for an endpin jack, and it has a nine-volt battery mount from a previous system, so the installation didn’t require any further modifications.

I played the system through my gigging amp, an AER Compact 60, at home, and I used a Fishman SA-330x mini PA while shooting the demo video in the Peghead Nation studio. I have used a standard Rare Earth Mic Blend extensively for many years, and have also spent a bit of time with the PowerTap Earth system, both of which I had installed in the Taylor I used to check out the Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro. Naturally, the new setup offers the same fabulous rich low-end, warm attack, and excellent string balance the other Rare Earth systems do. However, Fishman has found a way to assemble this rig in a way that is greater than the sum of its parts. The sound of the body sensor adds more dimension and clarity to the overall sound than it did in the PowerTap Earth I had installed previously, and I suspect that has to do with the new version of the preamp. Internal mics and body sensors can have fairly similar qualities, but with this setup, the mic provided more of the body resonance, while the sensor added a more direct sound, especially when hitting the guitar percussively.

For players looking for a simple way to combine a magnetic pickup with an internal mic and body sensors, the Fishman Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro is a brilliant solution. The fact that it gives players the choice of straight-ahead wiring with a single jack or an installation with full independent signal access adds to the system’s appeal. Though targeted toward percussive fingerstyle players, the Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro is worth checking out for anyone looking for a sophisticated amplification solution based on a great-sounding magnetic pickup. Well done, Fishman!

Fishman Jon Gomm Signature PowerTap Earth Pro Specs