I'm thinking about a small acoustic amp that would work with both a mandolin and a guitar. Mostly it would be for jamming at home or friends; for any gigging I would use it more to control the sound, and put a mic in front of it if needed. The guitar has a sound hole pickup, while the mandolin would use a mic, so I want an amp with both 1/4" and XLR inputs, which most have. The obvious (to me) choices are the Marshall AS50D, the Fishman Loudbox Mini, or one of the Acoustic brand amps, either the 15 or the 30 watt. Also, and I hate to mention the "B" word here, is the Behringer ASX450.
I'm a little conflicted about the price range. Part of me just wants to get a small, under $200 (or even <$100) amp for banging around at home with pedals, and if I do start gigging regularly in the future, get a better one (trading or selling the cheaper one.) Another voice says get the best one I can, once, and use it for everything. Hence the range in my above choices.
I'd like to hear from anyone who's used any of these, or from anyone who's used a different one that they think was great. Or any other advice (go ahead, recommend a ham sandwich even tho I'm asking about different grilled cheese flavors...)
Thanks
Bookmarks