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Thread: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

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    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    I play a Kentucky e300 electric 4 with a set of Bill Lawrence hotrails. I've read in discussions here over the years that the higher tuning of a mandolin lends itself to amplifiers with smaller speakers. I don't have a whole lot of cash to spend on a new amp, but I see a lot of "starter" guitar amps use eight or 10-inch speakers. To me, these might be a good idea -- it gets me in the game at a low investment as I can't afford the tube amp I really want right now. Any thoughts?
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    Quietly Making Noise Dave Greenspoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    The sonic qualities of a 10" speaker have long been recognized. Look at all the older Fender 4x10 amps. 'Nuff said.
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    To my ears, nothing beats a Celestion Blue, which is 12". However, my two cabinets that each have a Celestion Blue in them were "small as possible" builds, definitely smaller than normal guitar cabinet specs, but A/B'ing 'em with someone else's Celestion Blue-equipped cabinet, I couldn't discern any loss of "warmth".
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    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    Hartley Peavey used to tell me that speakers were speakers and the only difference between most brands were "the type of swamp water they chose to bless them with." Yes, that's also a subjective statement. The question is really if size matters with regard to the range of a mandolin.

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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    There are a lot of good little robust amps in the Roland range. Your mando has magnetic pickups, so I'd suggest you might first first try electric guitar amps. They're usually designed round the frequency response of electric guitar pickups, so can (but don't always) sound better than 'acoustic' amps designed lately around piezo pickup response (ie acoustic guitar pickups). The Cube range has some great micro amps, including things like the Micro Cube Micro Bass, which is a workable bass amp with 4 x 4" speakers! Bigger isn't always better with speakers. However the Roland guitar amps with reverb/delay aren't cheap, even used. However the older Cube 10 and 15 don't have reverb/delay and can be a lot cheaper - yesterday I bought a well used but perfectly functional Cube 15 (with Boss licensed distortion effects, if you'd use them), for £30. If you have the cash, try the guitar version of the Micro Cube. It's so versatile as a practise amp that if you buy one you'd probably never sell it again - but it's $$$ for a little amp. Then again, how loud do you need it for home practise and maybe rehearsal with friends? Modern amps (even small ones) are LOUD! The Cube 15 I just bought (8" speaker, same as most expensive violin amps which cover the same frequencies) would do for most acoustic and amplified acoustic band rehearsals that don't include a drum kit. It's loud enough for home practising with the volume on the clean channel at 2.

    Play everything you can get your hands on, because sometimes an amp just works with your instrument, and sometimes a perfectly good amp doesn't...

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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    There's lots of good little amps in your price bracket Roland/Boss Cubes and katanas, blackstar core, Fender Mustang. Also used ones: DV Mark, Yamaha THR or ZT Lunchbox, you shd try as many as you can.

    I'm wondering what a Lawrence hotrails sounds like on a mandolin, I use them on pedal steel a lot. My speakers range from 4" Pos grid spark to 15" bass cab
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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    The virtues of the Quilter MicroPro Mach 2 8" amp have been discussed extensively here. Great little amp ... but not exactly cheap.
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    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    I'll let you know how the hotrails sound when I get an amp.

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    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    The virtues of the Quilter MicroPro Mach 2 8" amp have been discussed extensively here. Great little amp ... but not exactly cheap.
    It looks good but I have a beer budget with champagne tastes.

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    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Question Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    My Roland AC 60 has 2 wide range 6" .. Their AC 90 2-8" & 2 tweeters .

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    Registered User Pete Martin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    I use a Quilter Micro Pro and like it for gigging. My fav amp all time tho was a 66 Ampeg Gemini 6 with a 15” Jensen Alnico speaker from the mid 50’s. It was perfect with my 5 string Mann. If it hadn’t been so darn big, I never would have sold it. But my office is small…
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    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    Quote Originally Posted by maxr View Post
    There are a lot of good little robust amps in the Roland range. Your mando has magnetic pickups, so I'd suggest you might first first try electric guitar amps. They're usually designed round the frequency response of electric guitar pickups, so can (but don't always) sound better than 'acoustic' amps designed lately around piezo pickup response (ie acoustic guitar pickups). The Cube range has some great micro amps, including things like the Micro Cube Micro Bass, which is a workable bass amp with 4 x 4" speakers! Bigger isn't always better with speakers. However the Roland guitar amps with reverb/delay aren't cheap, even used. However the older Cube 10 and 15 don't have reverb/delay and can be a lot cheaper - yesterday I bought a well used but perfectly functional Cube 15 (with Boss licensed distortion effects, if you'd use them), for £30. If you have the cash, try the guitar version of the Micro Cube. It's so versatile as a practise amp that if you buy one you'd probably never sell it again - but it's $$$ for a little amp. Then again, how loud do you need it for home practise and maybe rehearsal with friends? Modern amps (even small ones) are LOUD! The Cube 15 I just bought (8" speaker, same as most expensive violin amps which cover the same frequencies) would do for most acoustic and amplified acoustic band rehearsals that don't include a drum kit. It's loud enough for home practising with the volume on the clean channel at 2.

    Play everything you can get your hands on, because sometimes an amp just works with your instrument, and sometimes a perfectly good amp doesn't...
    So Roland makes things like the JC 40 which is essentially a clean amp witha chorus effect, one of them has 6.5" speakers. Is this a good thing, or something to steer away from with an emando?

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    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    Quote Originally Posted by Elliot Luber View Post
    So Roland makes things like the JC 40 which is essentially a clean amp witha chorus effect, one of them has 6.5" speakers. Is this a good thing, or something to steer away from with an emando?
    I find many speakers too bright, and specially small guitar speakers, by which I mean the cone, not the amp. The Roland Cube 40 would be better, although still a bit on the bright , tinny side.

    Many here like that, and use fairly bright amps like Fender Champ or Blues Jr. The only amp I liked on just plugging in was a Quilter with an 8" cone. Emandos tend to be tinkly bright, and I use small woofers for my cabinets, and I like bass heads of the lightweight Class D (digital) type. The Trace Elliott Elf is a good head, 130 watts and 1.6 lbs. I currently like the Eminence Beta 8" woofer for smooth highs and a gentle midrange.

    Worth checking out is the amp-pedal from Electro-Harmonix, the Magnum 44. 44 watts (needs 8 ohm speaker or higher). Save money on the amp and buy a cabinet.

    The Cube is a useful amp, you would probably like it.
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    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    I have a few different amplification options.
    1) A Marshall GR 15 CD about 25 years old. (Bought for $100 in San Diego a in about 2004,) They don't make them anymore, and I've modded it from necessity. It's a fully old-school solid state amp, no emulation whatsoever. Both the opamp (100 euros) and the transformer ($100) have been replaced after falls. So this amp sounds richer than it would otherwise (the transformer made an immense difference). I get a lovely tone on my 4 string mandobird, which has also been modded: bone nut, strung for mandola tuning. 8" speaker.
    2) A vox AC30 amplug. ($40) I usually use headphones with this guy, but sometimes I run the phones out into the auxilliary input of a Marshall MG 30 CFX. ($150)[Don't buy the MG 30 CFX or any other MG series. Horrible things. Made for people who can't be bothered to listen to the amp as you adjust settings. Only the clean channel is useful, and only if you really want clean.] However, the auxilliary input has a great circuit, and it makes the Vox AC30 amplug sould pretty darn good.
    3) Line6 POD 2.0. These are dinosaurs., but they can be had cheap. I bought mine for $50. There are a lot of tones to play with and they are approximate enough in their emulations that you can decide what type of real tube amplifier melts your butter more. Me, I've decided I love the Vox AC series, but the Fender-y tones are more useful in a group setting. Once again, I run it through the MG 30 CFX as an aux input when I'm practicing at home, but I send it to the PA at gigs. (I might have to get another MG 30 to create true stereo output!). I have also run it through the Tape input on the living room hifi, that was fun.
    4) The aforementioned and rightfully maligned MG 30 CFX. Cheap at less than $200. Don't use any channel other than clean (there's "crunch", overdrive 1, and overdrive 2 as well: they suck unless you're a 13 year old wannabe metalhead). Crank both the channel volume and the gain ALL THE WAY. (you can adjust the output volume with the master volume knob). Add a boost pedal to the front. Ahh, now it starts to break up a bit in a more pleasing way. Leave the effects off. They're rubbish. The reverb is pretty good, and it's separate (thank the heavens) from the effects. 10" speaker
    5) An Orchid Electronics preamp. (£140) This is an amazing little box, a great bit of kit for a gigging folkie. I normally run my Mix F5 into a SlideRig (2 stage limiting prea-amp pedal), and then into the Orchid before sending the signal to the PA. The Mix likes the compression and the 2 stages allow me to create a boost/cut situation if I need to go back and forth between chording and melody playing in a group setting. I know people who like to run their emandos into amps designed for 'acoustic' amplification, which is why I mention it. But I prefer to run emandos into amp circuits designed for electro-magnetic pickups.

    IF we are talking true class A or class AB amplification with tube powered output, then I do prefer smaller speakers. It's a matter of slightly weaker output relative the the electric guitar and the higher frequency range. To my ear, smaller speakers tend to focus better on the mandolin. However, when emulation is being employed (signal is digitized), just go with what you have and don't worry about it.

    Hope this is helpful!
    Daniel

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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    I use a large speaker, 15", when I play my electrics. I think it helps tame the high end.

    An old Peavey Nashville 400 is my main amp currently. I primarily use this amp with a funk/jazz band that is all electric with some horns. It is a beast, over 50 lbs easy. I got it from a fiddle player friend who used it for electric fiddle in some past groups. It is primarily used as a steel/pedal steel guitar amp by most players so the tone range is wider than a typical guitar amp. All solid state but you can dial in tones very well and cut out some of the harsh/brittle high end that mando can bring in. Loud enough for any setting I've needed so far. It has a lot of clean headroom so any dirt/od sounds would need to be from a pedal, if that is something you are concerned about.

    I have wanted a nice tube amp for a long time but since I started using this about a year ago. Since I got it though I find myself browsing for pedals and effects vs tube amps so I am sticking with this for now.

    I would recommend finding a used amp first. You can probably find a few different sizes (speakers and watt) pretty cheap on craigslist to try out. Pretty easy to resell used after you try it out as well.
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    Default Re: Speaker size for 4-string emando amplifier

    I used a Line 6 Flextone with 30cm speaker for a long time. Mostly I used the Fender Tweed emulations for less noise. Then I switched to a ZT Lunchbox and extension with 15cm speaker. It was great for electric mandolin and so much lighter to carry.

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