My older son gave me an electric mandolin and a small amp for my birthday (which is today, although he gave it to me yesterday). He plays guitar, so he is into music, and he knows how much playing music means to me.
It's a Kentucky 4-string mando, used, with tone and volume controls, and the amp is a Fishman LoudBox Mini. A very nice little outfit. and OMG! is this thing fun! I normally play acoustic guitar and mandolin, and this is my first real experience with pickups and amps. So, a few questions.
1. On the acoustic mando i prefer a thick pick, say 1.5mm, with rounded points (not as round as the Golden Gate picks). I often use ProPlec picks, but sometimes a heavy V pick. On this I found the ProPlec to be a little too heavy and so far have been trying out lighter picks, which seem better with the single strings. Is this true for those of you who play both acoustic and electric mandos? What sort or picks do you gravitate towards for electric playing?
2. I'm finding that playing tremolo on the electric gives me a very staccato sound, so I've tried angling the pick much more and it's better, but not as fluid as on the acoustic. How do you guys handle tremolo on the electric mando?
3. What kind of strings do you all use on electrics? My son said the guy at the music store said it was strung with guitar strings, and they are ball end strings. Also, these are pretty light gauge (I have no idea what gauge they are), so what gauges are recommended for electric? On my acoustic mando I like mediums.
4. The ones on it are nickel plated, so is that the recommendation for use with a pickup? Will bronze wound strings work as well?
This is a whole new world for me, using an amp, and I'm having a great time with it so far.
thanks, Jack
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