Do i need an amp?

[Dean Campbell]

Hello guys, i am new to the forum, and this is my first post, i am a complete novice to the mandolin, but have a little experience with the banjo, i am from south yorkshire in the UK,
i just picked up a good second hand one of these..
https://www.eaglemusicshop.com/prod/...k-mandolin.htm
when i had a look at it, the gentleman recommended me picking up a used amp to go with it, he said it will enhance the sound of it, would i be wasting my money buying an amp for it?, at the moment i havent even got to strum it properly yet, i am not quite sure as to what strum pattern i should even use..
Anyway, i thank you in advance for any advice,
and Hiya once again
Deano

[Jill McAuley]

Welcome to the forum Deano!

Personally I think you'd be wasting your money buying an amp right now - the mandolin you've purchased is an acoustic model, so doesn't need any amplified "enhancement". While it may have a pickup installed so as to allow you to use it with an amp if you so desire in the future (can't tell from the photo if it comes with a pickup or not), you would only really need to use an amp if you were playing live in public with other musicians or in noisy venues. Save your money and direct it towards some lessons (either in person ones or online ones) instead. Enjoy your new (to you) mandolin!

[Dean Campbell]

Thanks for the welcome Jill,
yeah it has a Piezzo Pickup, i think you are right, i will just play it as it is at the moment,
your also right about the lessons as well..

[dhergert]

Deano, it really depends on the genre of music you're expecting to play in. And it may also be somewhat geographical...

In the US, for those strict bluegrass jams and bands, amps are not appreciated very much. Again, that's strict bluegrass.

For the less strict bluegrass jams and environments, you can get away with an amp, but you're still expected not to play over other instruments or vocalists. So you have to moderate your volume carefully.

If you're targeting your playing in bluegrass, I'd suggest not getting an amp yet, just work on your technique for a while. For Irish or Celtic, I'd suggest the same, for now. If you find yourself playing in one of these environments and you or other players can't hear your mandolin playing, work on technique. When you feel your technique is "perfected" if you still can't hear yourself, talk with other players about controlling their volume before you start thinking about amps. Banjos in particular are loud by nature and many banjo players exercise little or no volume control unless other players talk to them about it.

For some other genre (jazz, swing, etc.) an amp is frequently required to be heard over the drummer, horns, keyboard and/or any other other amplified instruments. You'll still want to moderate your volume or you'll get complaints from the bass player.

[Dean Campbell]

As i said guys, i am a complete novice with the mandolin.
i think the guy i bought the mandolin off threw me off track a little, i knew it had a built in pick up, and i fully expected that to be used if i ever went on stage to play, but he somewhat implied that i would be losing out on hearing its tones if i didnt have an amp...
well anyway, i have just made myself a temporary plectrum out of a bit of thin plastic until i get to the music shop, and it sounds absolutely fantastic, it will sound even better when i know what i am doing, lol, i couldnt really hear the sound of it plucking with my fingers when i bought it, but i am now pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for the advice guys

[MojoDaniels]

As i said guys, i am a complete novice with the mandolin.
i think the guy i bought the mandolin off threw me off track a little, i knew it had a built in pick up, and i fully expected that to be used if i ever went on stage to play, but he somewhat implied that i would be losing out on hearing its tones if i didnt have an amp...
well anyway, i have just made myself a temporary plectrum out of a bit of thin plastic until i get to the music shop, and it sounds absolutely fantastic, it will sound even better when i know what i am doing, lol, i couldnt really hear the sound of it plucking with my fingers when i bought it, but i am now pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for the advice guys

It kind of sounds like he just wanted to sell you an amp if that is what he implied. A Mandolin is an acoustic instrument. Any pickups or mics we use are in an attempt to get as close as possible to the natural unamplified sound of the instrument, but at a higher volume as some gigs demand. To suggest that you are somehow missing out on the tone of the instrument without an amp is ridiculous as the best piezo pickups get us “really close” to the unamplified sound, but when you amplify your Mandolin you are typically trading off some of your tone for increased volume.

So in summary and as some others have also stated, you only need an amplifier if you are playing in a setting where the volume of your instrument is insufficient.

[stevedenver]

Hello guys, i am new to the forum, and this is my first post, i am a complete novice to the mandolin, but have a little experience with the banjo, i am from south yorkshire in the UK,
i just picked up a good second hand one of these..
https://www.eaglemusicshop.com/prod/...k-mandolin.htm
when i had a look at it, the gentleman recommended me picking up a used amp to go with it, he said it will enhance the sound of it, would i be wasting my money buying an amp for it?, at the moment i havent even got to strum it properly yet, i am not quite sure as to what strum pattern i should even use..
Anyway, i thank you in advance for any advice,
and Hiya once again
Deano

happy boxing day deano
simple answer. NO you don't NEED an amp.
it might be fun, it might allow you to use effects, but, simply, as dghert mentions, amps are frowned upon in most acoustic jams.

and, while not wishing to bore you, I have found, that getting natural sound from an amped mando is a bit tricky.
your mando, im guessing, has a piezo pick up , under the saddle. this is a mic which transmits the vibrations, and creates a signal.

heres the deal. these can sound very shrill and boxy. to "shape" or "mellow" this sound, a direct input box with fancy tone control, called an Eq (for equalizer) is very helpful. these are not cheap. 100-300US

I strongly urge you to sit tight. the time will come, when you are proficient, dialed in to the sound of your mandolin, and, you will play with others, perhaps needing an amp, as opposed to play through a mic. when that time comes, you will, by virtue of your time with the mando, be in a better position to judge and make a good purchase decision.

as one who has played, on stage, mics, and open markets , with amp, I can say, avoid buying gear until you NEED it. Don't buy it JUST IN CASE. I find needs can be specific, and worst, fleeting.

your mando doesn't need an amp. plus, as fun as electric gutiars and amps are, rejoice in the fact that all you need to do is pull it out of its case, tune it, and practice!!!

otoh, I understand curiosity and experimenting ( I have a basement full of great musical stuff from "tone tuition". presently, i use half of it regularly, at best. difference between rock and bluegrass/acoustic).

buy yourself a really good electronic tuner if you must, like a tc electronics polytune.

[Dean Campbell]

happy boxing day deano
simple answer. NO you don't NEED an amp.
it might be fun, it might allow you to use effects, but, simply, as dghert mentions, amps are frowned upon in most acoustic jams.

and, while not wishing to bore you, I have found, that getting natural sound from an amped mando is a bit tricky.
your mando, im guessing, has a piezo pick up , under the saddle. this is a mic which transmits the vibrations, and creates a signal.

heres the deal. these can sound very shrill and boxy. to "shape" or "mellow" this sound, a direct input box with fancy tone control, called an Eq (for equalizer) is very helpful. these are not cheap. 100-300US

I strongly urge you to sit tight. the time will come, when you are proficient, dialed in to the sound of your mandolin, and, you will play with others, perhaps needing an amp, as opposed to play through a mic. when that time comes, you will, by virtue of your time with the mando, be in a better position to judge and make a good purchase decision.

as one who has played, on stage, mics, and open markets , with amp, I can say, avoid buying gear until you NEED it. Don't buy it JUST IN CASE. I find needs can be specific, and worst, fleeting.

your mando doesn't need an amp. plus, as fun as electric gutiars and amps are, rejoice in the fact that all you need to do is pull it out of its case, tune it, and practice!!!

otoh, I understand curiosity and experimenting ( I have a basement full of great musical stuff from "tone tuition". presently, i use half of it regularly, at best. difference between rock and bluegrass/acoustic).

buy yourself a really good electronic tuner if you must, like a tc electronics polytune.

Thanks Steve, excellent post. i cant really disagree with anything you say there...
As i said earlier, i think the fella i bought the Mandolin off confused me a little, i knew i was going to look at an acoustic mandolin with a pickup, being a complete novice i sort of got into the idea of thinking that it wouldnt work or at least sound any good without an amp,
Now i have had a strum and play with it, i feel a little embarrassed about even asking on the forum about an amp.
it sounds lovely to the ear.

[Ray(T)]

Hi Deano
If you’re a complete novice to mandolin, my advice would be to get some playing under your belt before thinking about an amp. Likelihood is that may well sound worse plugged in but, as a novice, I doubt whether you’ll yet be able to make a reasoned decision over what/whether to buy one. Eagle music is a decent shop but it’s not exactly the place I would go to buy an amp. I see you’re in South Yorkshire (not exactly sure where) but if you’re of a mind to try an amp out I’d suggest that you take it along to somewhere such as Richtone Music in Sheffield and ask them if you could try one.

[jaycat]

I bought a set of strings off a guy like that once. He said, are you sure you don't need a new guitar to go with those strings?

[Ray(T)]

Actually, I’ve always found Eagle Music’s website quite amusing. Like many others, the website gives you a range of things you might like to consider buying in addition to the thing you actually want (try buying a single item in Macdogburger). Bring up a Martin D45 guitar and they suggest you might want a “Complete Beginners” guide to guitar!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I think that the idea of buying an amp.to go with the mandolin was only a good idea from Eagle Music's point of view !!. Get a good book of mandolin chords - i'd recommend ' The Gig Bag Book of Mandolin chords'. It's got more chords in it than you'd use in many lifetimes. Pick a few favourite simple tunes,& if you know the chords to them,find the shapes in the book & learn to strum through the tunes using some form of 'audio' to play along with. That will teach you the chord sequence & you should pick up the rhythm as well.
When you get comfy with that side of things,start to pick out the melody notes, one by one on the fingerboard - don't worry about 'what' the notes are called,that'll come along on it's own - concentrate on learning where to find the 'sounds'. Learn to pick the melody line of a tune note by note - break the melody down into easily learnable 'sections',& learn them one by one. Then string 'em all together.

It does take time,but i've taught myself to play banjo,guitar & mandolin by doing exactly what i outlined above. One thing that is an absolute 'must' - LISTEN to your chosen style of music a LOT !!!. Get the sound of it in your head,so that when you play,it's almost like a tape recorder running in your head.

It takes a lot of listening & a lot of hard,carefully thought out practicing - but as all of the other Cafe members have done,you'll get there. Enjoy the journey !,
Ivan
This book might be in a newly designed cover - but it's the same book - the ''Gig Bag'' series.

[OneChordTrick]

Don’t think It was Eagle that were trying to sell an amp. The way I read it Deane bought second hand and posted the link to illustrate the model of mandolin.

[Ray(T)]

I think you might be right there. Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever seeing an amp for sale at Eagle Music although its a couple of years since I was last in there. I still find their website amusing though and the best place for amps in S Yorks is probably Richtone.

[jaycat]

Of course, once you have the amp, you're going to need these...

[stevedenver]

well, again , Deano,
there is one aspect of having an amp I neglected to mention.

amps are terribly revealing of every aspect of your playing.
this can be a good or bad thing.

I am a pretty proficient guitarist and mando dude.
when I plug in my acoustic guitar, and play finger style, slide, etc., I hear many small inaccuracies, string noise, uneven picking dynamics among strings, some subtler stuff, some not so subtle.

I rarely played amped for years, and now I do. my technique has become much more precise, because its so much easier to hear my screw ups. playing in a jam, at tempo, sometimes sloppy isn't always apparent.

I don't think you are there yet, ie ready for microscopic scrutiny, as a beginner, but you WILL be in only a few months with daily practice.

FWIW , I use Ivan's method, and it is essential, BUT, I feel strongly that if you really wish to advance quickly, get a teacher, if only for accountability in your practice. IMHO, it comes down to self discipline and the ability to self teach. Sometimes, as a beginner, you don't know enough to even get going, ie stroke the strings, but how the (*&^^ do I make a chord, and why does it sound like (*^&, and why do my fingertips hurt. All this stuff gets answered and I can stay focused on progress with a teacher. its pricey , but, I think its worth it.

But, you need a good TEACHER, not simply a good mando PLAYER who tries to teach. Its a second set of ears. It may also be a great resource should you need help regarding a good set up and intonation, if you don't know about this, or how to do it yourself. FInd the Rob Meldrum mandolin set up e book, listed in this forum, and which I saw at the bottom of todays topical posts, print and read this!!!

And, just in case you decide an amp might be fun.
Another thing you might be able to consider, and possibly considerably less pricey, if you like effects, etc., is a personal processor, ie something like a Pandora. these things are smaller than a pack of cigarettes, have a headphone jack, many effects, keys, rhythm and bass backing. they are a ton of fun once you get basic chops. the rhythm backing serves as a metronome, or, you can use as a metronome alone.

[Br1ck]

The last thing a beginner needs is to be louder.

IMHO, the only time you will need to use a pickup is for performing, and only then if you just can't get away with a microphone. Even then, you can go into the PA. Another thing they never tell you is a piezo( likely the type of pickup you have) will need an impedance matching devise. This could be a DI or pre amp. Needs to have a 1 meg ohm input.

But for now learn to play.