It was like Christmas morning here in the Upton Bass barn.  Jack had just returned from a short trip...and on his bench waiting for him was the Fishman pre-amp.  He was so excited, so Dave grabbed the camera and shot an impromptu video of his first look. 

So, why would you need a pre-amp?  We've always thought that if you're a professional musician who relies on an amplified tone, it's as important as your pickup and amplifier.  First, you don't always have the luxury of using your own amp, and having something that you know that sculpts your tone is a great tool in creating your sound.  Second, most of us are using piezo pickups, and some amplifiers don't quite understand the signal being sent, so the pre-amp acts as an impedance matching device.  

Wait, what? (OK, techies stop reading, i'm about to get very basic).

Imagine your pickup is talking French, and your amplifier only understands German.  With lots of effort and wild gesticulating, the amp kinda gets the gist of what is being said...but it's missing the nuance and romance of the language.  Enter the Pre-Amp!  The pre-amp is the translator, and makes it so the amp understands everything the pickup is saying.

So, if you've experienced feedback, low volume, thin tone?  Get a pre-amp!