Bass amp for emando?

[jesserules]

I'm thinking of getting a bass amp for my solidbody electric mandolin. Does anyone have any thoughts/advice/experience to share? Thanks!

[hattio]

I've played my mando through a miniature Laney (maybe a 10 inch speaker). Worked fine. Sounded a bit tinny without a pre-amp, but that's probably more the quality of the pickup than the amp from what I understand.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Pignose Hog 30 - has the added advantage of being portable... (battery and mains).

[buchrob]

Make sure you try before you buy since this will be 95% a subjective experience.

In my experience, solid body mandos do better on closed-back bass amps. Compared to open-back guitar amps, the sound is a little fuller and less shrill. I really liked my Crate BT25 / mandocaster setup.

[jesserules]

Yes, it seemed from my research that a bass amp would mellow the sound a little, especially as I go up the neck on the E string. Actually I got the idea from harmonica players, who use them a lot. Found very little on using them with electric mandolins though.

[Barry Wilson]

I'll have to try mine through the bass amp. I like using my keyboard amp though.

[mandroid]

keyboard combo-amp will assure you that it is full range. Bass clef stops at middle C

on a mandolin only the first few notes on the G string are below middle C ..

[jesserules]

Well yes, but a bass amp doesn't just go dead if you venture out of the bass clef. I got the idea from harmonica players, actually; many of them use bass amps, even though they seldom go below middle C. But thoughts on why a KB amp would be better - or on why it's best to stick with a guitar amp, for that matter - would be very welcome!

[Pete Martin]

For a period of time, I had a 64 Vibroverb clone that gave its best sound for me sound when loaded with an Eminence Big Ben, a 15" bass speaker. And lots of guitar players use Fender Bassmans and love them.

The first thing to know is the sound you want. Then you need the mandolin-amp-speaker combination that gives "that sound".

Go out to stores and try stuff. Best of luck!

[Tom Wright]

Except for small practice amps, you can get plenty of bottom by dialing it in with tone or outboard EQ. But there are two areas where bass amps have a particular advantage for me. One is that bass players do not want tube distortion so the combination of light weight and clean high power is possible with those Class D heads like my Gallien-Kreuger MB200 (2 pounds, 200 watts). And small speakers will be bright and tinny (and not high power capacity) unless they are bass speaker cones. These have plenty of high end but are optimized for long travel and high power, so they cost a bit but can give you 100 watts in a 6" speaker. I like the Eminence AlphaLite 6.5". You can hear it in my soundclips Red House and Street Fighting Man.

If you aren't chasing guitar crunch and don't mind a separate cabinet I highly recommend that amp head and the enclosure of your choice.

[F-2 Dave]

I love playing my electric through my bassman. Only trouble is, it's a lot of amp to carry very far.

[vwfye]

I've played mine often through my Univox bass amp. it isnt as tinny sounding as my Fender guitar amp. It will be completely subjective, for sure!

[Barry Wilson]

I didnt try the mando yet but the mandocello even played above the 12th fret sounds good through my bass amp

[Ed Goist]

All of the electric thingies I have played through my Hartke Kickback 12 have sounded great going through that amp.
It is a fantastic amp.

[David Rambo]

I've used my SWR bass rig with my Mandobird VIII with good results. I also have a G-Dec 30 blues guitar amp that I like, too. I can pretend that I have a lead guitar if I wish, and can alter the amp styles and the effects as I wish.