Fishman Platinum Stage EQ/DI

A powerful and easy-to-use acoustic instrument preamp/DI.

March 9, 2017

Last year, Fishman introduced its two latest external preamps, the compact Platinum Stage EQ/DI and the full-featured Platinum Pro EQ (click here for our demo of the latter unit). The Platinum Stage EQ/DI is the entry point into Fishman’s line of stand-alone preamps, offering a surprising amount of features in a box that will fit into many instrument cases.

The Platinum Stage’s analog preamp has a ¼-inch input (at 10M Ohms) with a gain range from -6dB to 14dB, which is enough to accommodate just about any pickup, from passive ones that need a lot of boost to active designs that might overdrive some circuits. The Platinum Stage’s EQ includes treble, bass, and midrange controls, and the mid control offers selectable frequencies. A small Guitar/Bass switch allows you to choose between two different EQ curves that are fine-tuned for instruments with higher or lower frequency ranges. In addition, there are switches for a low-cut function, phase-reversal, and pre- or post-EQ DI selection. A Boost button with a selector wheel allows you to set the volume of the boost, which is triggered by the push of a button. Output is via ¼-inch or XLR jacks, both of which can be used simultaneously. The unit can be powered with a nine-volt battery, an optional power adapter, or 48-volt phantom power from a mixing board. The Platinum Stage’s rugged aluminum housing also includes a belt-clip for easy onstage access.

In this video, Peghead Nation’s Teja Gerken demonstrates the Platinum Stage using a Martin OM guitar with LR Baggs Dual Source electronics and a Fishman Loudbox Mini amp.

Fishman Platinum Stage EQ/DI specs

Acoustic instrument preamp/EQ/DI box
17-volt discrete class-A analog circuitry
Controls for input trim, volume, and three-band EQ (with tunable mids)
Switches for phase reversal, guitar/bass mode, low-cut (at 40, 80, and 160 Hz) and pre/post XLR EQ
¼-inch input
¼-inch and XLR outputs
Powered by a nine-volt battery, external power supply, or 48-volt phantom power
Metal and plastic construction
Designed and engineered in the USA, assembled in China
$239.99 list/$120 street

fishman.com