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  #1  
Old 12-04-2017, 11:41 AM
bmoney bmoney is offline
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Default played an amp at GC...better out there?

HI Everyone...

so no gigging here...just looking for amplification in my home...cause well...i love the sound of an amplified accoustic guitar...it really lets me hear how i am playing

At GC yesterday I played a fishman loudbox mini,.....and I thought it sounded great! then tried a "half the price of the fishman" amp that sounded awful

is there another amp out there comparable that would be cheaper and sound as good?

im using a GAce FLTD, gs mini koa and a soon to be delivered 812e 12 fret

and play everything from zepplin to neil diamond and everything in between
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  #2  
Old 12-04-2017, 01:05 PM
Big Band Guitar Big Band Guitar is offline
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Default Loud box

For the price you will not find anything better.

You will never be happy with something that has half the value.
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Old 12-04-2017, 01:06 PM
Kip Carter Kip Carter is offline
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Not cheaper but I love my BOSS
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Old 12-04-2017, 01:30 PM
jimmybcool jimmybcool is offline
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I'm no expert but in the arena of home acoustic amps it sure seems like you get what you pay for. And the Fishman brand seems a solid note sounding package. Trust your ears. Don't go cheap or you'll hate it for years.
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Old 12-04-2017, 02:35 PM
Paultergeist Paultergeist is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar View Post
For the price you will not find anything better.
I have not tried "everything" that is out there......but for price, sound-quality, reliability, etc......it is pretty hard to beat a Fishman Loudbox Mini.
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Old 12-04-2017, 04:26 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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The Carvin AG200's were in my opinion as good or better (better by my take) than the Fishman's I'd owned (Loudbox Mini and Artist) and they were way cheaper and made in the US. But they just went under so unless you find one used, you're out of luck.
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Old 12-04-2017, 06:55 PM
JakeStone JakeStone is offline
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The Fishman Loudbox Mini is an excellent amp... They are a little pricey. So be sure to check the used market on Craig's List or even Guitar Center's used website. The local GC store can help you find one... Even have it shipped to store. These can be found there for $200-249 in excellent condition.

For my living room playing, I personally have a Marshall AS50D amp... It's great for the money. Has 2 inputs, nice sound, easy to dial in effects (reverb and chorus) too.... I got it used for $150 on CL and it's perfect for home use.

But really the Fishman is the one if you can get a good deal...
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Old 12-04-2017, 09:56 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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I just helped out my sister when her little Crate "Taxi" finally gave up the ghost... got her one of the new little Vox acoustic amps for $225 at my local store here in Corvallis, then drove it up to her in Washington.

She plays and sings through it and it sounded nice... we did a little show at a local art gallery event and her amp sounded good to me; not as good as my AER Compact 60, but the Vox cost 1/5 of that, new...

Just keep looking, you'll find something with the sound you want... realize that you are not going to get audiophile sound quality from a low-priced unit, and go from there...

I've seen those Loudbox Mini's for around $225, used in good condition, as well...
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Old 12-05-2017, 09:20 AM
varmonter varmonter is offline
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Price is relative to what you can afford at the time.
The mini to my ears is one of the better sounding
Amps in their price range. Better than the artist
or the professional imho. I don't own one but I test
Drove them all . I bought an AER. But that's a big step up
In price. The mini is a great choice..
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Old 12-05-2017, 08:44 PM
Br1ck Br1ck is offline
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The Loudbox mini seems almost the default go to small amp, but I'm spoiled by the 12" speaker in my Carvin AG 300. It has a mid and a tweeter too, but the fullness of a big speaker does it for me.

Some of the big bucks amps like AER and Schertler sound great on a gig, but in a small room they don't sound as full to me.

Can't go wrong with a mini for cheaper amps, and there must be tons out there used.
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Old 12-07-2017, 11:18 AM
lweb10 lweb10 is offline
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For me, the mini has been the best piece of gear for the money I’ve bought over the years. Not perfect (nothing is) but always useful. I’ve never felt like it was a waste of effort to haul it into the venue.
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Old 12-07-2017, 11:43 AM
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Atlas Banshee bullhorn, powered by a Bogen Challenger amp (the model with the turntable on the top). That's the ticket...
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Old 12-07-2017, 12:00 PM
Billy Shears Billy Shears is offline
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I started out with the Loudbox Mini, and considering its low cost I certainly have no complaints with it.

About a year later I purchased a Schertler Jam 400, which sounds just awesome - much superior to the Loudbox to my ears (even in a small room). Given that the Schertler is not even in the same price zip code as the Loudbox Mini, it SHOULD sound a lot better. As previously noted in this thread by jimmybcool, you get what you pay for.

The Schertler has multiple inputs and can basically do the job of a small P.A. system, so that can potentially help justify the price. Of course, if you don't need a small P.A. (which most of the time I don't) you're just paying for the sound quality. Personally, I'm an audiophile and I'm very happy I paid up for the Scherlter just for the better sound quality. That said, if I'd never heard the Schertler I'd probably by quite content with just the Loudbox Mini.
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