Fishman Platinum Stage EQchat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

The unit has no dedicated power switch, so it stays on whenever a 9V battery is installed, draining it unless the battery is physically removed. This risks a dead battery or leakage if forgotten.

@Vipre77

Just ran across this video. My daughter has this preamp to use with a piezo pickup on her cello. My only complaint with this preamp is that I wish it had a power switch on it. From what I can tell, if you're running it off a 9V battery, there's no way to turn it off other than to remove the battery. if you forget to remove the battery, it could be dead the next time you try to use it, or worse if the battery leaks. I wish Fishman would have included a 9V AC adapter with the unit. Also, I wasn't super impressed with the documentation Fishman has available on this preamp. It's pretty lacking in content or details and ours had essentially nothing in the box for documentation. What little info they provided with ours was all on their website. Like the info I noted above on powering the preamp. I initially thought perhaps the power automatically turned on/off when a signal was detected or lost. I can't find anything that confirms or denies that. It just seems like it's always on when you have a battery installed. It wasn't clear to me how to use the XLR port for phantom power. I don't currently have any soundboards, mic preamps, or other gear that uses XLR cables, but that could change if they told me what it was and how to use it. I'm a newb on this stuff and they don't provide enough information on their product to help out guys like me.launch

smart_display

January 13, 2026

One user found Fishman's provided documentation minimal, with essentially nothing included in the box and key details only available on the website. This left basic questions about powering and phantom power unanswered.

@Vipre77

Just ran across this video. My daughter has this preamp to use with a piezo pickup on her cello. My only complaint with this preamp is that I wish it had a power switch on it. From what I can tell, if you're running it off a 9V battery, there's no way to turn it off other than to remove the battery. if you forget to remove the battery, it could be dead the next time you try to use it, or worse if the battery leaks. I wish Fishman would have included a 9V AC adapter with the unit. Also, I wasn't super impressed with the documentation Fishman has available on this preamp. It's pretty lacking in content or details and ours had essentially nothing in the box for documentation. What little info they provided with ours was all on their website. Like the info I noted above on powering the preamp. I initially thought perhaps the power automatically turned on/off when a signal was detected or lost. I can't find anything that confirms or denies that. It just seems like it's always on when you have a battery installed. It wasn't clear to me how to use the XLR port for phantom power. I don't currently have any soundboards, mic preamps, or other gear that uses XLR cables, but that could change if they told me what it was and how to use it. I'm a newb on this stuff and they don't provide enough information on their product to help out guys like me.launch

smart_display

January 13, 2026

The same user was unsure how to properly use the XLR port for phantom power due to insufficient product information, despite wanting to potentially use it with future gear.

@Vipre77

Just ran across this video. My daughter has this preamp to use with a piezo pickup on her cello. My only complaint with this preamp is that I wish it had a power switch on it. From what I can tell, if you're running it off a 9V battery, there's no way to turn it off other than to remove the battery. if you forget to remove the battery, it could be dead the next time you try to use it, or worse if the battery leaks. I wish Fishman would have included a 9V AC adapter with the unit. Also, I wasn't super impressed with the documentation Fishman has available on this preamp. It's pretty lacking in content or details and ours had essentially nothing in the box for documentation. What little info they provided with ours was all on their website. Like the info I noted above on powering the preamp. I initially thought perhaps the power automatically turned on/off when a signal was detected or lost. I can't find anything that confirms or denies that. It just seems like it's always on when you have a battery installed. It wasn't clear to me how to use the XLR port for phantom power. I don't currently have any soundboards, mic preamps, or other gear that uses XLR cables, but that could change if they told me what it was and how to use it. I'm a newb on this stuff and they don't provide enough information on their product to help out guys like me.launch

smart_display

January 13, 2026

A new owner wasn't sure whether any indicator lights on power-up and didn't fully understand what the trim/cut control knob does, even after hearing its audible effect.

@laceibagroove

Great, I just got one... nothing lights up while turning it on or anything right? Any insights about the trim cut control knob, I can hear what it does, but don't understand quite well exactly what it means, thanks, great video.launch

smart_display

January 28, 2024