Electronic Problems

Is the power button on?    Have you replaced the battery?  We ship with new 9 volt batteries but sometimes heat and cold during shipping will damage them or they just go bad.  If you need a new battery our guitars accept all 9 volt batteries and most times this fixes the issue.  Something Fishman recently informed us about is they now recommend Energizer 9 volt batteries as they’re taller than other 9 volt batteries. We discovered 50% of our non working electronics worked again after installing Energizer 9 volt batteries because they’re taller and make a solid connection.

This is covered in the Fishman user guides at the top of this page. All electronic tuners work in the same fashion where you turn on the unit, pluck the string you want to tune, then adjust the tuning gear for that string using the red and green lights until you see full green.

This is shown on the Fishman user guides at the top of this page. In brief, on the 900 and 80 Series guitars the control panel folds open after pulling on the clasp that holds the control box closed. On the 50 Series, 20 Series, Parlor and Travel Series guitars the battery is located on the lower outside bout of the guitar. Pull the clasp and open the door and the battery will fall out. Fishman recommends Energizer 9 volt batteries as they’re slightly taller and make a better connection. We’ve had customers who thought their systems weren’t working who tried Energizer 9 volt batteries and their systems worked perfectly again.

All high quality electronics systems burn through batteries fast as they are high power active systems versus lower quality passive systems. Mr. Zager recommends lithium batteries for players who use their electronics a lot as they last much longer. Most of our performing artists use rechargeable batteries which last even longer and charge them between shows so they never have to worry about failure.

This has to do with fresh woods settling on a brand new guitar which causes the saddle (the white part in the bridge) to lose contact with the transducer underneath.  On an older guitar this is caused by dry woods and vibration from playing as the saddle can move around and lose contact with the transducer underneath. To make sure the saddle is in good contact with the transducer Mr. Zager will strike the saddle several times (white part) with something hard. It may sound crude but in working with guitars 70 years it’s simple and it works. If you get no results striking it Mr. Zager recommends loosening the strings and making sure the saddle is placed directly over the transducer and making good contact.  As the B and E are the lightest strings they put less pressure on the transducer meaning you will need to turn up those strings on the control panel depending on your preference in sound.  Another way to get more sound is moving up one gauge in string weight which will put more weight on the transducer.  If you need the next gauge of strings email us and we’ll send you some free of charge. Lastly, if you continue to have sound problems plugged in, any shop can adjust this for $40 without $200 in shipping fees, risk of damage in shipping and long delays.  We recommend Guitar Center and we cover all costs if your guitar’s under 2 years old  https://stores.guitarcenter.com/browse/

This is addressed in the Aura user guide https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/aura-pro-onboard-preamp-wide/ but if you fold out the system control box and look on the side of the control box you will see a tiny square cover. If you remove that cover you will see the USB plug in.

This means your battery is low, you have a bad amplifier cord, or you have a loose wire or ground. Any local shop can repair these items for $30 without $200 in shipping fees, risk of damage in shipping and long delays.  We recommend Guitar Center and cover all costs if your guitar’s under 2 years old  https://stores.guitarcenter.com/browse/

This usually means you have a bad amp cable. If your amp cable is good then this means you have a loose wire inside your guitar. Any local shop can repair this for $30 without $200 in shipping fees, risk of damage in shipping and long delays.  We recommend Guitar Center and cover all costs if your guitar’s under 2 years old  https://stores.guitarcenter.com/browse/

When you receive your new guitar you may find the jack can be tight when inserting your amplifier cable the first few months, and there may not be a final snap upon insertion. Fishman designs their jacks so they’re made to loosen with use, meaning the more you use it you’ll find inserting the cable and removing it will become easier and easier. You’ll also notice in time and with use a final snap upon insertion letting you know the cable is fully connected to your guitar.

This is an easy fix, and we have two videos that will guide you, but this is a sign your humidity levels are low as when woods get dry they shrink leaving metal parts loose. Be sure to maintain minimally 55% humidity as dry woods warp and eventually crack. This video will show you how to tighten the amplifier jack if it’s only slightly loose: https://youtu.be/4cnbN8IXA_I .
 
This video will show you how to tighten the amplifier jack if it’s really loose spinning and dangling: https://youtu.be/nJlp9YBiz6U
 
You can read more about humidity at https://zagerguitar.com/humidity-and-your-guitar/

 When the systems are brand new and haven’t been used the battery compartments on the lower bout can occasionally be hard to fully close. In our daily use we have found simply slamming them shut with the palm of your hand will shut the compartment and engage the new mechanism. With use the door will eventually shut easily on its own.

All Fishman electronics systems use 9 volt batteries. 9 volt batteries can vary in size meaning some batteries are harder to fit than others. We’ve found Energizer batteries fit very well.

If you’ve gone through our checklist and are still having issues, 99% of these problems revolve around a simple loose wire which any local shop can repair for $30 without $200 in shipping fees, risk of damage in shipping and long delays.  We recommend Guitar Center and cover all costs if your guitar’s under 2 years old  https://stores.guitarcenter.com/browse If you need new replacement electronics systems we offer those for wholesale cost at https://zagerguitar.com/accessories/