Fishman sonitone removal. Will my guitar sound better?

markj · January 2020

I’ve got an all solid wood Eastman fitted with a Fishman sonitone pickup system. The Eastman sounds superb as it stands but I will never use it plugged in. Will the tone improve if I remove it? Any forum members tried this with their guitars and had success. Any advice welcome.

Andy79 · January 2020

I have a sigma that had an under-saddle pickup which I removed. I thought the tone improved but could have been completely suggestive but I felt better after it was out.

markj · January 2020

The Fishman consist of a battery compartment that’s velcroed to the inside of the guitar along with a volume and treble control and the under saddle pickup. I would think that all this in the body of the guitar would restrict vibrations / resonance etc, even though it sustains superbly and the notes ring out.

brucegill · January 2020

I took a fishman out of an Atkin as it wasn’t something I wanted or would use. I took all the wiring out, the battery bag, all the Velcro, the little tabs stuck to the top to keep the wires neat etc. I couldn’t tell any difference personally. A week or two later I’d got a new saddle to fit so I could strip the UST out as well, if there was a difference it was very small and could just as well been a small variation in action height with the new saddle. I did feel better for it not being there, like Andy above, but was it worth it? Not sure. The wires didn’t rattle anymore, so that was the best bit.

If you do do it, Stewmac do a end pin to fit the bigger hole left after taking it all out. You need to get your arm inside the sound hole to fit these, so get one before you start. Plus a new saddle.

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Fishman sonitone removal. Will my guitar sound better?

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