Fishman Artist or Mini ,, both great deals.. which to purchase .. why .. tell all ..

[jasperguitar]

Black Friday week deals galore. I've decided to get an amp for my Taylor. I'm not out gigging or anything, but it would be nice to have an amp, if for no other reason, to learn how to use one.

Fishman loudbox mini .......... great deal ..
Fishman Artist .................. great deal

Which should I purchase ....... why ? I see the Artist does have more
controls.. is it the more recommended, if one can afford, amp?

Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving .. question .. did the Pilgrims have an acoustic guitar along ..

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Though I do not own either, I have A/B demoed these amps at my local instrument shop multiple times. On every occasion I have been MUCH more impressed by the Loudbox Artist.

I'm not exactly sure why I find the Artist to be so superior, but I think it's because of the larger speaker in the Artist (8" vs. 6.5") and the more headroom it offers. (?)

BTW, I'm pretty sure John Carver played a Martin 0-18 built in Germany. (<--- Total and complete fabrication. )

[Captain Jim]

Either amp will give you a good sound. I auditioned both, but preferred the Mini. Of the two units I tried, with the controls set the same, the Mini seemed less colored. Might have been those two units.

My take is you can't go wrong with either.

I bought the Mini, thinking I might use it for really small gigs. Turns out, I prefer the sound with the Mini run direct to my Bose Compact... so I didn't gain any "downsizing."

OK, that doesn't tell you which to buy. Try 'em. If price doesn't matter, the Artist isn't that much bigger or heavier than the Mini. If your Taylor has a balanced signal (ESv1), you can use a balanced cable on the guitar channel with the Artist. That probably isn't going to be a big deal for you, though; I use an ESv1.3 and an ESv2 both with the Mini. The signal is a little hotter with the ESv2.

Have fun with whichever you choose. You may find you like the reverb and chorus on occasion. Even when practicing, I am usually plugged in. You will enjoy either.

Best wishes,
Captain Jim

Pretty sure the Pilgrims were all electric.

[Ghostpicker]

I would think it depends on what your performing needs are. I have only used (own) the LB Mini but I'm sure they are both excellent. The mini is really hard to beat for the price. The Artist might be more suitable for a playing venue larger than the mini could handle. I'd guess that you can't go wrong with either. If I didn't care about the price, I might have bought the Artist just because it gives you more options but I'm completely happy with the mini. Awesome amp.

[KeepInTune]

Just get the Mini.
The mini is amazing for its size. It will give great sound for any coffee shop performance or home use with friends you will play.
I bought the mini 3 years ago and have never wanted anything "more".

[dcopper]

I just bought the LB Artist and love it. I did an A/B comparison with my AER Compact 60/3 which is at least IMHO the Ferrari of acoustic tone, and the LB Artist holds its own. Right now i am running them both and getting incredibly excellent acoustic tone from my Taylor 914 with a Sunrise pickup and two Taylor 2012 version ES guitars.

If you just want a small amp to fiddle with, the Mini is an excellent choice as well.
Both are, I think, the best bang for the buck in quality sound. If you have any inclination to do any gigging, whether it is coffee house stuff, parlor concerts, worship services or just cranking it out on your patio - i would suggest the Artist. The vocal channel is really good and you can carry all you need in two hands and a back pack.
davidc

[woodenstrings]

I'd go for the Artist, more power if needed, yet still small and light to carry. Great amp.

[RockerDuck]

I've owned both and gigged both numerous times. The LB mini does 75% of what the Artist does. Both sound good and the Artist is a little fuller sounding than the mini, but once turned up, not much difference in sound or volume. But the Artist is more professional for its controls.

[Methos1979]

I've got the Mini and really like it. I bought it as a backup to my Soloamp and just for small gigs that didn't need the Soloamp.

I'm seriously thinking of upgrading to the Artist though just to get the dual XLR inputs with phantom power on both as I run my guitar through a Red Eye preamp and phantom power would be useful to have.

Right now when I use the Mini I have to run the guitar from the Red Eye into the vocal harmonizer and combine signals there to a single amp XLR input and I can't tweak the guitar signal alone. It's okay but I prefer a separate channel for the guitar and vocals.

[Molder]

[QUOTE=Captain Jim;4239680]I bought the Mini, thinking I might use it for really small gigs. Turns out, I prefer the sound with the Mini run direct to my Bose Compact... so I didn't gain any "downsizing."


Jim

Are you running the vocals and the guitar through the Mini - using it like a mixer?

[Paultergeist]

Both great choices......I have played through both amps and currently own the Mini. To echo what others have stated:

Option 1: If price is no object, just play them both and purchase the one you like better (sound, features, size, weight if/when carrying, etc).

Option 2: If price IS a consideration, just buy the Mini.

[rschultz]

Artist… by a MILE. 6" speaker in the mini is… mini. The 8" speaker in the Artist will do much better with the low end. And the Artist has WAY more bells and whistles.

[MaurysMusic]

Originally Posted by rschultz

Artist… by a MILE. 6" speaker in the mini is… mini. The 8" speaker in the Artist will do much better with the low end. And the Artist has WAY more bells and whistles.

This. Without a doubt the artists smokes the mini.

[RockerDuck]

Originally Posted by MaurysMusic

This. Without a doubt the artists smokes the mini.

No it doesn't after all my gigs with both. Not much difference in volume, if you understand volume.

[Petty1818]

The Mini is a great amplifier and it's shocking how full it sounds. However, speaker size makes quite a big difference so if I had a choice then I would get the Artist.