Fishman Loudbox mini question

firelakekid2 · #1 10-14-2021, 08:58 PM

I have a chance to get a good deal on a friends Fishman Loudbox Mini. Like new condition--I haven't seen it yet but I trust him on this. My question is and what I need to know to make a decision is this: I play guitar and do vocals. But other times I play banjo and also sing. The Mini only has one XLR. So I am wondering if I can take my Soundcraft notepad 12FX mixer and using the left master channel (speaker chord channel) and plug it into the Mini's XLR so that I can have a vocal and instrument mic. I should add that I have two Yamaha DXR 10s which are great and most often I use one speaker. But at 73 I just want to lighten my load and also have a smaller footprint. I am aware that there are other array systems that sound great and are very portable. But also can be quite costly. I thought that for a modest investment the Mini might help me in that they sound decent for small venues, have a quick set up; plus I'd still have the powered Yamaha's if needed. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

gfirob · #2 10-14-2021, 11:55 PM

I think the Mini is an excellent and surprisingly powerful little amp that punches above its weight. I use a little mixer with it for a variety of medium sized venues, indoors and out.

Jman21 · #3 10-15-2021, 05:47 PM

The LB mini is great. Have you considered an ABY switch? If you are considering the LB mini to do it all, you can leave the soundcraft at home. I'm assuming you are a solo act. I have the fender ABY to switch between acoustic and electric.

YamaYairi · #4 10-15-2021, 08:43 PM

The Mini is a great sounding amp. It has 2 RCA jacks on the back that can be used as inputs, you could run a mixer into those. The XLR input is mic level, not line level, so you wouldn't want to use that.
One thing I did with mine was to use a mic that has an unbalanced output and run that into the 1/4" jack and then run my mic with an XLR into the mic input, and it worked fine.
Now I use a LoudBox Artist because the lead player in my band plays so frickin' loud I needed the 120W output to keep up with him. The Artist has 2) XLR / combination inputs.

Chriscom · #5 10-15-2021, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamaYairi

The Mini is a great sounding amp. It has 2 RCA jacks on the back that can be used as inputs, you could run a mixer into those. The XLR input is mic level, not line level, so you wouldn't want to use that.
One thing I did with mine was to use a mic that has an unbalanced output and run that into the 1/4" jack and then run my mic with an XLR into the mic input, and it worked fine.
Now I use a LoudBox Artist because the lead player in my band plays so frickin' loud I needed the 120W output to keep up with him. The Artist has 2) XLR / combination inputs.

Could he also run a 1/4 inch out of the Aux on the Soundcraft into the 1/4-inch guitar input on the Mini? Then he could run all EQ etc from the Soundcraft. I'm unclear on whether line level is the same as "guitar input level."

YamaYairi · #6 10-16-2021, 03:49 PM

The Instrument input is a low level input for a passive or active pickup. (200mV max) A mixer output is line level (1V and higher) and would overload it.

Chriscom · #7 10-16-2021, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamaYairi

The Instrument input is a low level input for a passive or active pickup. (200mV max) A mixer output is line level (1V and higher) and would overload it.

Thank you, I've been insanely confused about a simple thing and I'm saving this for future reference.

firelakekid2 · #8 10-18-2021, 08:22 AM

Thanks everyone for the responses. I did get the Loudbox mini. I've tried it out a couple times just in my house. I really do like it. It has good sound and surprising power. I also got out my Soundcraft notepad mixer and plugged that into the XLR mic line on the mini. It sounded good and there didn't seem to be a problem. Of course, I'm not putting it at high volume. Volume was half way. So maybe using the mixer that way is not good in that is might somehow jeopardize the mini? I don't know. Some things I wish the mini had were two channels where you could plug in either a guitar or mic--much like my Soundcraft mixer has. Also some phantom power, but that is something I can remedy if need be. But it is a wonderful amp and it sounds good and plenty loud. Price was $150 and does like like new. However, if I could justify spending the funds I would likely get a Fishman 330X. But I really don't see myself playing out that much anymore. Pretty much just gonna play around the house and with my friends when I can. Again, thanks for the input.

Big Band Guitar · #9 10-18-2021, 09:37 AM

I use mine with a self contained clip on condenser microphone.

I play in a 16 piece big band and this gives my acoustic arch top the boost I need to blend in.

I have both the mini, and the charge. The mini didn't survive running off a noisy generator so now the charge is for the outdoor gigs.

Fishman did replace the dead mini out of warranty for $50 plus shipping.

The mini out performed the 1960's Fender Deluxe I used to have.