Fender Accoustasonic 15 amp.

moetrout

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My wife bought me this amp for Christmas. Sounds nice and I like the chorus effect it has. My uke sounds great through it. This uke also has a XLR mic input. My issue is that the mic volume is not noticeable until you get the 3/4 volume and really full volume (and singing into the mic at a very close range) is where it starts to become acceptable. That does not seem right to me. The volume on the uke at even half volume is more than enough. Anyone else have this amp? I had the mic checked out at the music store where it was purchased and it works just fine. I'm thinking there is a problem with the XLR input. Whadda ya think?
 
Have you checked your XLR cable yet? Take the amp and the mic to the music shop and borrow a new cable. That's all I can think besides the preamp just not having much juice. Or maybe your mic has very low output.
 
It's a new cable, but still could be bad. I still wonder if there is someone on here that has one and what their experience was.
 
It's a new cable, but still could be bad. I still wonder if there is someone on here that has one and what their experience was.

Brad had some good advice. Weakest link is usually a cable. Expensive cables can go bad (though less often) and cheap cables can be DOA. Most often the problem is bad soldering inside the plugs from the wires to the contacts, typically called a 'cold solder joint'.

also, another point to consider - What mic are you using?

Not all mics are the same.

If you can give make and model of the mic, as well as if new or used, we can see if your mic is compatible with the amp.

Not all mics will work in every situation.
 
The mic is a Shure PE56D, used. I'd appreciate your opinion on the compatibility to my amp.
 
Just a question but do have much experience with small amps and singing into dynamic mics. I don't own this amp but I own a Fishman Loudbox mini with 40 watts. I have a Shure SM58 mic which is very popular and widely used. Your mic and my mic are both dynamic mics and you have to get very close to them, almost lip touching close. This is by design so they don't pick up surronding noise. Even though my amp is almost two and a half times the power of yours my volume settings are simiilar to yours. My uke volume knob is at 30% and mic volume knob is around 50%.

As Booli and Brad said and it could be the cable and that is worth a try. Go back to the store with your mic, cable and amp and try another 15 watt amp and see what happens.
 
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Dave, I have absolutely no experience with amp or mics. So now I understand that I do have to be close to the mic. I do still question having turn the volume to 100%
 
Old school mic! Might have an answer: http://pubs.shure.com/view/guide/Model-PE56D/en-US.pdf. From the 1979 manual:

Your microphone is supplied wired for high impedance for connection to high-impedance microphone inputs

And from a brand new post on the Shure support site:

The SM58 is a low impedance microphone. All professional mics are low impedance.

Not the same mic, but it leads me to think (Booli can confirm) that you need to follow the directions in the manual to switch the high impedance wiring to low impedance for the old mic to work with new gear.
 
Yes, nothing particularly unusual in your situation. You need to be reasonably close to microphones and I wouldn't read anything at all into the different volume requirements on the different channels.

I would suggest though that you need an independent set of ears to judge volume and balance. For various reasons its next to impossible for a musician to accurately judge the volume of an amp while playing.
 
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