Acoustic guitarists often seek ways to capture the complete sound of their instrument – not just the strings, but the percussive taps, the body vibrations, and the natural air around the guitar. Fishman, a leader in acoustic amplification, has stepped up with an exciting new option: the Jon Gomm Signature Series PowerTap Earth Pro. This system is a game-changer because it’s one of the first widely available pickup systems that combines three distinct ways of capturing sound, offering incredible versatility for players, especially those who use percussive techniques.
Contents
This innovative setup was developed with English fingerstyle maestro Jon Gomm, known for his dynamic and percussive playing style. While custom multi-element systems exist, the PowerTap Earth Pro brings this level of detail and control to the broader market as a standalone unit you can install on your own guitar. It builds on Fishman’s existing technology, blending features from their PowerTap Earth and Rare Earth Mic Blend systems into one comprehensive package.
At its core, the system uses three elements to create a rich, detailed sound profile: a magnetic pickup for the strings, a miniature microphone for the air and ambiance, and a body sensor to capture the vibrations of the guitar top, including percussive hits.
Breaking Down the Triple Threat
Let’s look closer at how each part contributes to the overall sound:
Element 1: Capturing the Strings with Rare Earth
The first element is Fishman’s well-regarded Rare Earth magnetic soundhole pickup. Think of this as the workhorse, focusing on the sound directly from your strings vibrating over the soundhole. It’s an active humbucker, which means it’s designed to be powerful and minimize buzzing noise often associated with single-coil pickups, especially near electronics.
This pickup uses a strong neodymium magnet structure to deliver a clear, balanced, and powerful signal. It’s relatively small and lightweight compared to some other magnetic pickups, making it less intrusive in your soundhole. While different in character from Fishman’s warmer Blackstack pickup, the Rare Earth excels at providing plenty of output volume and clarity for your core guitar tone.
Element 2: Adding Air and Ambience with the Mini Mic
To capture the natural sound of your guitar vibrating and the air around it, the system includes a small condenser microphone. This tiny mic is attached to an adjustable gooseneck, allowing you to bend and position it inside the guitar to find the spot that sounds best for your specific instrument. Fishman suggests starting with it parallel to the strings, which is a solid position for many guitars.
A key feature here is the blend control, a small wheel on the pickup itself that lets you dial in just the right amount of the microphone signal to mix with the magnetic pickup. Adding the mic signal introduces a sense of space and realism, combating any potential “boxy” sound that a magnetic pickup might have on its own. The system also includes a small switch for a high-pass filter on the mic. In quiet solo settings, you might turn this filter off to allow lower frequencies from the mic to come through. When playing with a band or in situations where feedback is a concern, engaging the filter helps reduce low-end rumble and potential feedback loops, letting the magnetic pickup handle the foundational sound.
A photo showing the elements of the Fishman Jon Gomm Powertap Ear Pro pickup system
The Fishman Jon Gomm PowerTap Earth Pro system includes a magnetic pickup, a gooseneck microphone, and a body sensor.
Element 3: Tapping into Percussion with the Body Sensor
The third and perhaps most unique element for general players is the Tap body sensor. This small sensor attaches to the underside of your guitar’s top, usually near the bridgeplate. Its purpose is to capture the vibrations of the guitar top itself. This is fantastic for players who incorporate percussive elements into their playing – tapping on the body, hitting the top, etc.
The Tap sensor adds a lively, three-dimensional quality to the sound. It’s designed to be highly sensitive to these body taps, but it also picks up the overall resonance of the top, which can add a mic-like ambiance without the same feedback risks as a microphone in certain situations. Similar to the mic, there’s a separate blend control, a small wheel located in the soundhole lip, specifically for the Tap sensor. A little bit of the Tap signal often goes a long way in adding that extra layer of percussive punch and resonance.
Making Connections: Output Options
Getting this powerful three-element system installed typically requires professional help. Once installed, you have flexibility in how you connect it.
The simplest setup uses a single output jack, like a standard acoustic guitar. In this configuration, the system mixes all three signals together internally based on how you set the blend controls for the mic and the Tap sensor. This combined signal can then go to your amp, direct box, or PA system.
For more advanced control, the system allows for a second output jack to be installed. This opens up possibilities for separating signals and processing them individually.
Splitting Your Sound
With the dual output setup, you can send the magnetic pickup and microphone signals out of one jack (mixed together or potentially split further, as we’ll see) and the Tap body sensor signal out of the second jack. This allows you to send the percussive sound to a separate channel on a mixer or a different amp, giving you dedicated control over its volume and tone.
Want even more control? The system includes a stereo adapter for the main output jack. By using this adapter and a stereo cable plugged into the main output, you can actually split the magnetic pickup signal to one channel (the tip of the stereo cable) and the microphone signal to another (the ring of the stereo cable). When you do this while using the second output for the Tap sensor, you can effectively get three completely separate signals from your guitar.
This level of separation is incredibly powerful for shaping your sound. You could send the Tap signal and perhaps the mic signal to a clean acoustic amplifier to maintain clarity for percussive hits and natural ambiance, while sending the magnetic pickup signal to a different amp – maybe even a tube amp – to add some grit or character to the string sound. Mixing these distinct signals together, perhaps through a small mixer, gives you immense control over your final tone, replicating the expansive sound Jon Gomm achieves.
A publicity photo of Jon Gomm playing his Ibanez JGM5 acoustic-electric guitar equipped with the Fishman Jon Gomm Signature Series Powertap Earth Pro pickup system
Jon Gomm playing his Ibanez JGM5 signature acoustic guitar, which comes equipped with the Fishman PowerTap Earth Pro system.
Why This System Matters
For years, acoustic guitar players have often had fewer pickup options compared to electric guitarists. This new Fishman system represents a significant step forward, especially for players who utilize the full sonic potential of their acoustic instruments through percussive techniques and varied playing styles.
It’s a direct answer to the call for systems that capture more than just string vibration. By including the Tap sensor and a dedicated microphone alongside a strong magnetic pickup, Fishman provides the tools to create a truly dynamic and nuanced acoustic tone.
While installing a multi-element, dual-output system is a bigger commitment than a simple soundhole pickup, the resulting tonal flexibility is a major draw for serious acoustic players and Jon Gomm fans looking to replicate his signature sound.
For those intrigued by the system but less keen on aftermarket installation, the Fishman PowerTap Earth Pro comes pre-installed on Jon Gomm’s signature Ibanez acoustic-electric guitars, such as the more accessible Ibanez JGM5. This model offers the full system in a ready-to-play package, proving just how integral this pickup is to Gomm’s sound and the design of his signature instruments.
A publicity photo of Jon Gomm playing a guitar equipped with the Fishman Jon Gomm Signature Series Powertap Earth Pro pickup system
The Fishman Jon Gomm PowerTap Earth Pro system provides immense versatility for acoustic players.
The Value for Acoustic Players
Priced around $379, the Fishman Jon Gomm PowerTap Earth Pro offers a comprehensive acoustic tone solution. It gives players access to a much wider range of sounds than traditional single-source pickups. Whether you blend all three elements into one output for simplicity or split them into separate signals for intricate mixing and processing, this system empowers you to sculpt an acoustic tone that is truly reflective of how you play your instrument.
Using this system with separate channels on a mixer or routing different signals to different acoustic amplifiers can bring your guitar’s sound to life in new ways, especially in live performance or recording settings. It’s a bold move by Fishman, making a professional-grade, highly flexible pickup system available to acoustic enthusiasts everywhere.
Ultimately, the Fishman Jon Gomm PowerTap Earth Pro is an exciting development for acoustic guitarists who demand more from their pickups. It caters directly to the needs of percussive players and anyone seeking to capture the full, complex voice of their instrument, from the subtlety of string vibrations to the impact of body taps.
A photo of an Ibanez JGM5 Jon Gomm signature acoustic guitar
The Ibanez JGM5 acoustic guitar, featuring the integrated Fishman Jon Gomm Signature Series PowerTap Earth Pro system.
