Best Amp For Electric Mando

[Blueglass]

Tell me more about these vox valvetronix and the mandolin. I was just thinking about these very amps and plugging my mandolin through one. Has anyone compared between a 15W and a 30W or a ten inch speaker and a 8 inch speaker?

[Gina Le Faux]

I use a Vox AC15 and I also use a Trace Elliot Acoustic amp. I like the AC15 best as it's a warmer sound than my Trace Elliot.
Gina

[Elliot Luber]

These are acoustic amps, not designed for a solid body electric. They do sound good with hollow-bodied instruments.

The Valvetronics digitally reproduces the sound of a number of classic amplifiers, thus its a digital modeling amp, but it's really solid state. I was thinking about the Valvetronix 30watt myself, but I'm also wondering if I should find something with smaller speakers. I'd buy a Lunchbox, but I think it's overkill and limited in the sound contour and effects.

[SHORTY]

I'm no pro by a long shot but I use a Fender Twinn Reverb with my J.Mann solid 8-string Custom. Just remember to turn it on a low volume to save your home windows, ha.

[jdchapman]

The new one? Agreed. I tried the Epiphone and the Fender Champ in more or less the same category, and they were fine, but the Vox is fuller. Breaks up fast and well, and it's full and growly and sizzly. Sounds great with old Kay/Harmony pickups.

[jdchapman]

Sorry, responded to an earlier post--I meant the new Vox combo tube amp. The digital ones are fine, I guess. Depends what you want to do. I play electric, I wanna sound rocknroll.

[Tom Wright]

Carried a Twin Reverb in the 70's, a Boogie combo more recently. Now I use a cheap class D amp, a Crate PowerBlock. 150 watts in 4 1/2 pounds, for about a hundred bucks. Not a pretty sound inherently, but a Boss GE-7 handles that issue fine. Played through a neodynium Celestion Vintage 12" in a minimal open-back box, on floor and tilted up. When going through an AnalogMan Sonic Distortion it sounds like Santana, or Scofield, or Jimi, as needed. Total weight about 15 lbs. including pedals. Performed with this rig a number of times with my electric viola, also. Very loud.

[rsgars]

Fender Pro Junior. Plain, simple, sweet tube tone.

[Elliot Luber]

I was going to suggest the 30-watt Valvetronics, but the 15 is essentially the same thing. That's what I'm looking at for myself. Just bought an emando.

[Brad Weiss]

I'm happy with my Vox VT15.

[Ronny]

I play Irish Music & Rock through my Orange Crush 15R, and it's sound good with my emando...
(low gain and very little overdrive for Irish music).
I can't play without the built-in reverb now !

[Ben Milne]

I use a Blackstar HT-5 ministack and am yet to be dissatisfied with it for Rock mando...

I haven't yet take on on any parrot haired muppets playing drumkits but is a great sounding little dual stage low wattage valve amp.

the 2x 10" cabinets really rounds out some great bottom end I think it sounds much better than he combo or even just using 1 cab.
Have also recorded rock guitar using it driving a 4x12 cab with great results


the orange crush 15 looks like a pretty good for a grunty little combo...

[david blair]

I'd like to hear more about Mesa amps?
Those Carr amps look real nice too.
I have an old Dean Markley K-50 and a Roland Jazz-120. The Roland has awesome reverb settings, and works well with a Schertler on the mic/XLR plug.
The Dean Markley works perfectly for piezo pickups.

[djweiss]

I just switched from a Blues Jr to an older MusicMan RD110. Sounds much better for my Schwab...

[Jim Bevan]

On tour, I use an Orange Tiny Terror with the Jules Potter and the Mercury Magnetics Holy Terror mods (minus the Mercury input transformer -- I need voltage switching capabilities), through a Bob Fusco small-as-possible cab with Celestion Blue. Best sound I've had.

Waiting at home, however, is a new Bob Fusco small-as-possible combo, with the innards of a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia head and a Celestion Blue. Should be interesting...

[TonyEarth]

what about practice/portable amps? which is better for electric mando?

[Jim Bevan]

I don't have an endorsement, but I love that little Orange Micro thing, with the built-in tuner.

[Elliot Luber]

A few thoughts.

The term "best" is problematic to me. If you're touring stadiums "best" may truly have no boundaries in terms of price, but if you're struggling to afford things and get into the electric game "best" may mean "for the money." If you can shell out for an Orange that's great. If you can't that's another story. As the OP just said best, I guess you're right to suggest the more "esoteric" brands.

I would look at a number of threads on this subject on the Four and Five String Electric Mandolins section. Some say that an eight or 10-inch speaker is better at reproducing the mandolin's sound than the traditional 12-inch speakers. Of course others disagree. Myself I'm a big fan of Tube amps and I played an Ampeg 50-watt 2x12 amp for many years with my guitar, but the Valvetronix is a newfangled digital modeling amp, which I believe uses a tube in the preamp section but then uses digital technology to (in my view) accurately recreate the sounds of a good many other popular amps and the popular effect settings of some key guitarists. I haven't tried it with my new emando yet, but I will before I buy one. Yeah. I'd love an Orange stack, but...

[mcasey]

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I use it with my MANN EM-5. Sounds great!!

[rico mando]

oh man i have played this amp wish i ha money to buy itwww.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/1965-Fender-Bandmaster-Piggyback-Amp_12790308

[Ben Milne]

I just got an elcheapo orange crush 12 which us lunchbox sized for portability... not to bad for what i want it for and although it is orange it is actually black.

Nuthing compared to my HT-5 of course but the best for into to backyards for jams etc

[Dave Greenspoon]

I just picked up a new Laney LX 65R for under $200 at Guitars of Pikesville. The clean channel takes my Rigel/Fishman preamp nicely and it sounds great. Then I take my solid body Jerman and plug it in dirty and enjoy how dirty the reverb can be. By the way, take a look at the Laney A1 http://www.laney.co.uk/show_prod.php?prod=a1 if you are looking for a serious acoustic amp. I hear that the US distributor dropped them, so if they are taking up space somewhere, maybe you can get a good deal. NFI, btw.

[Perry]

I posted to this thread way back. These days I have a Carr Rambler. Sweet tube amp with great musical overtones. Gotta admit that being a electric guitar player from way back I now think that an electric mandolin is a hard road to travel. I'd rather just pick up an electric guitar.

[Charlieshafer]

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Egnater-...24-i1423761.gcCheck out the Egnator Rebel in addition to the other fine suggestions here. This link is to the "Guitar Center" page which I used just so you can see street prices and such. Obviously, there's no commercial interest and I don't care if anyone ever shops there, but there's the info. As a practice amp, you can switch it down to 1 amp so you won't bother anyone else, and it's got that great tube sound because, well, it's a tube amp. I like it as it's less than $600 bucks by a little, which still may be more than you want to spend, and everyone I know who has one loves it.

[Elliot Luber]

I love Egnater amps, but "less than $600" for a 20 watt head with no speakers is a waste of money in my personal opinion. If you can light your cigar with a $100 bill, it might be okay.