Fishman Loudbox Mini

lambchop

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Well, I went from the Marshall AS50D to the Fishman Loudbox Mini - both wonderful amps but I have to say in my opinion the Marshall seems to have more umph to it as well as quite a few more features for only $90 more. That being said, the Mini sounds very natural, very neutral, but in some ways it seems a bit thin (although it was the bassy sound of the Marshall that was bothering me both in terms of exaggerating my already overly-sensitive Phantom pickup and making the vocals less bright). I'm figuring I will find the right combination of bass, middle and treble to get the sound I want, but, as I said, I think I had more of a rapport with the Marshall.

One thing I have to say about Fishman. I had a question about the sound of it at start up and was able to call and get a real live tech person within seconds - yes, seconds. They answered my questions, spent time with me and I came away from that experience with an incredibly good feeling about Fishman as a company.

Mike
 
Looking forward to seeing the comments on this, I just started researching acoustic amps.
 
I'm expecting there to be a big contingent for the Marshall, actually. Mike
 
I like my Fishman mini, but the only thing I've had to compare it to is a real piece of junk I got off
craiglist for $25. I think it's a good amp for the $257 shipped I got it for. Simple controls, 2 channels, reverb and chorus, small and pretty loud. I boost my low and turn down the high and it sounds pretty good. Looks really well built. I know Roland and Marshall make fine amps too.
 
I know there's a huge price difference but how do these compare in sound to the honeytone amp?
 
A few days into it and I am feeling better about my choice. Being a person who loves really good stereo equipment (kind of dating myself by saying stereo, but I am still a two-channel person) this is really a high-fidelity system in that it is faithful to the source. Sometimes I am not sure if I am hearing the amp or my ukulele (or voice for that matter). I know the 100-watt had this same quality, but I am really building a rapport with this amp. I think anyone getting a Marshall AS50SD or Fishman Loudbox Mini will be happy. The Marshall has some more features (couple of ways to eliminate feedback is a nice Marshall feature and I am going to have to buy a phantom mic power supply to use the Mini with my condenser mic), but for being as inexpensive and light (oh my gosh, truly can carry this in one hand, uke and amp/mic stand in the other, and save for the mic, there is my show!) the Mini is one mighty amp (could not resist that). Their Artist model, coming out next month, looks good, too, but a couple hundred more so it's out of my reach. Mike
 
I recently bought a used Roland AC-60--only a little over a pound heavier than the Loudbox Mini, and about 14 pounds lighter than the Marshall AS50D. Sounds fantastic, has some feedback control and phantom power, and a nice carrying case. Two channels, with a ton of input and output options. It is significantly more expensive than the other two, but used, I got my for half price.

- FiL
 
FiL thats a great bit of business I have the Marshall but tried that it was awesome
 
I have a Roland AC-33. I bought it before I had a chance to try out the Loudbox Mini. In retrospect, I would have gone with the Loudbox Mini. The AC-33 sounds good but it isn't quite as natural as the Loudbox Mini and it doesn't have nearly the output. The AC-33 is battery powered which is a nice feature (and a feature that I have used) but, given a choice between the two, the Loudbox Mini wins out.
 
I'm a big fan of the Roland AC-33, for it's transparency and versatility. Not only does it run on batteries or AC, it has onboard effects, antifeedback circuitry and a 40 second looper. Plenty of footswitch and input/output options. My friend Sarah Maisel http://www.sarahmaisel.com uses a Fishman Loudbox mini for her lounge performances and it sounds great. She is currently borrowing my Roland AC-33 and roland Microcube Bass RX for a remote wedding performance.

On another note, I just got around to doing a review on the Kustom PA50. It's perfect for small to medium settings, especially for those on a budget:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...-100-bucks…&p=759637&posted=1#post759637
 
I almost bought a used AC-60; really liked the sound of it. I think I would love that 40-second looper in the AC-33. By the way, not sure why, but I read somewhere that the best quality sound comes from battery powered sources, something about the stability of the power source, but I'm not smart enough to know if that is true or not. Read it once in one of the many hi-fi magazines I used to read. Mike
 
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