Successfully Amplifying Mandolin

fat_fleet

fat_fleet

Swollen Member
I've tried using AKG 411L contact mic -> Presonus Tube Pre -> Amp. It's doable but I can get much volume before uncontrollable "hollowbody" feedback starts. I don't need blindingly loud volume, just get the amp up out of the low-volume thin zone. I want to put it through some boxes too.

Should I install a pickup or will that just yield the same result? Any other ideas?
 
That depends on the type of pick up. Have you tried a small condenser or 2? Or even a large condenser. Positioning is key, obviously. I like to use small condensers on acoustics (never tried a mando); 1 on the front and 1 from the back pointed towards the headstock and mix it with a large condenser from the front and in a different spot. Then blend to taste.
 
I'm not familiar with the p/u -our mando is getting fairly decent balanced tones (w/ a different one I'd have to check, also his is not the traditional body style, and nor are we very loud.

1st two questions I'd ask is, one how close are you to your amp (or is it monitors you're struggling with?
And might the feedback freqs also happen to be hot spots in the tone balance you could go after and help both at the same time?
 
Bill L said:
That depends on the type of pick up. Have you tried a small condenser or 2? Or even a large condenser. Positioning is key, obviously. I like to use small condensers on acoustics (never tried a mando); 1 on the front and 1 from the back pointed towards the headstock and mix it with a large condenser from the front and in a different spot. Then blend to taste.
Click to expand...

Oh sheesh. I track clean mando with condensers but always kind of assumed that opening one up in a tiny room into a high gain tube amp would result in some crazy ear-splitting squealing. Also, I do think I'd be more successful with an option that wasn't as distance-sensitive so it wouldn't matter if the neck/body of the mandolin moved around a little while I was playing.

mixsit said:
I'm not familiar with the p/u -our mando is getting fairly decent balanced tones (w/ a different one I'd have to check, also his is not the traditional body style, and nor are we very loud.

1st two questions I'd ask is, one how close are you to your amp (or is it monitors you're struggling with?
And might the feedback freqs also happen to be hot spots in the tone balance you could go after and help both at the same time?
Click to expand...

Answer to the first question, usually w/in 5 feet of a Twin Reverb.
Answer to the second question is maybe.. but I've only ever tried to control the tone with the amp knobs, which I guess aren't really precise enough.. tend to affect giant swaths of the freq spectrum.
Agin, I'm not going after full-on massive volume, just trying to get the amp up near normalish operating levels. I'd like to be able to play against a drummer eventually. Right now, the mando just starts humming like crazy before the gain even hits 1.
 
While it won't help you, I'm going to build myself an electric mandolin just for this reason.
 
fat_fleet said:
Oh sheesh. I track clean mando with condensers but always kind of assumed that opening one up in a tiny room into a high gain tube amp would result in some crazy ear-splitting squealing. Also, I do think I'd be more successful with an option that wasn't as distance-sensitive so it wouldn't matter if the neck/body of the mandolin moved around a little while I was playing.


That's what I get for replying while half asleep. I just assumed you were tracking and not just amplifying. Looking at some google hits and a Lavalier clip on condenser seems to be a good non invasive way of doing that. I have a Fender resonator guitar that I'll be purchasing a condenser that mounts in resonator pan. I would imagine they have those available for mando as well. Here's a thread I found where some of the guys are discussing it, hope this is helpful.

Best mandolin pickup
Click to expand...
 
Bill L said:
That's what I get for replying while half asleep. I just assumed you were tracking and not just amplifying. Looking at some google hits and a Lavalier clip on condenser seems to be a good non invasive way of doing that. I have a Fender resonator guitar that I'll be purchasing a condenser that mounts in resonator pan. I would imagine they have those available for mando as well. Here's a thread I found where some of the guys are discussing it, hope this is helpful.

Best mandolin pickup
Click to expand...

That's perfect Bill, thanks!
 
If you insert a 31 band eq between the preamp and the amplifier, you could eq out the problem frequencies.

If you are trying to get clean amplification and an natural sound, a guitar amp is going to fight you a bit. If you want to use a portable amp, a keyboard amp would probably be a better choice.
 
Farview said:
If you insert a 31 band eq between the preamp and the amplifier, you could eq out the problem frequencies.

If you are trying to get clean amplification and an natural sound, a guitar amp is going to fight you a bit. If you want to use a portable amp, a keyboard amp would probably be a better choice.
Click to expand...
+1
So so far you're doing this in 'a tiny room'- and five feet' away -both not logical nor representative of a real or appropriate setup.
a) 'hum' freq feedback suggests some specific lower frequencies that can be notched out with the right eq.
Perhaps.
b) That's if what it isn't is being awfully close to an amp to expect much level working with a light resonant 'box inst.. i.e. the whole thing in that particular case is simply (or for the most part).. too loud.
Double the distance for example, sound back at the p/u (well.. the whole 'box+p/u) = MUCH less.
 
One other thing. Whether you go inst mounted mic or p/u.. Consider an inst preamp or or something with a volume control independent- away from the amp. With out it it can be rather troublesome that you can't approach the amp every time you want to make an adjustment...
 
When I record my mandolin & use a clip on contact mic as well as setting up a condenser - create two tracks and blend. Now my clip on is CHEAP and gets a bit of a brittle sound so it needs EQing and blending with the more natural sound of the condenser.
I haven't used my mandolin in a couple of years as I keep busting a string when fitting a new set & tuning.
 
I know i am late to the party, but i have recorded my brothers mando a few times and it was in a really small shitty room and i close-ish mic'd with a condenser, and it had Jack on it so i also just plugged it right into my interface. And blended the two signals. It turned out o.k.

I have a picture his friend took while we were tracking and i'll post a clip of the finished product of the same session. I really did not like that room. So glad i do not live there any more.

Photo

Clip:

You don't need to listen to the whole thing the mandolin starts right away.

 
rayc said:
When I record my mandolin & use a clip on contact mic as well as setting up a condenser - create two tracks and blend. Now my clip on is CHEAP and gets a bit of a brittle sound so it needs EQing and blending with the more natural sound of the condenser.
I haven't used my mandolin in a couple of years as I keep busting a string when fitting a new set & tuning.
Click to expand...
ShanPeyton said:
I know i am late to the party, but i have recorded my brothers mando a few times and it was in a really small shitty room and i close-ish mic'd with a condenser, and it had Jack on it so i also just plugged it right into my interface. And blended the two signals. It turned out o.k.
Click to expand...

Gee, yeah that's nice.


But where do the Twin Reverbs go?

:rolleyes: ;)
 
You know, having discussed this here, I suppose it may be time to ask why are you playing through an amp anyway? Why not just plug into the soundboard or mixer and use that? I never use an amp on acoustic gigs. I always plug into either a direct box or an acoustic direct box like the L.R. Braggs Paracoustic (which has onboard EQ). Amps tend to feedback too much, most don't sound right with an acoustic and it's more shit to carry. But that's just like my opinion, man.
 
a- Don't want anything but vocals and/or upright in the p/a
b- Not enough p/a inputs
c- And/or no sound man
So far he's said he's just aiming to get on with a drummer' or something and the Twin is what he has.
:)
To expand on this a bit too,
When we do our own gigs 'electrified in our band, I have a nice high quality p/a, -but no sound man.
The current I believe decent solution I've come with is-- all the vocals, bass depending, in the p/a. All inst amps rather as 'far back in a bit of curve as practical from us and our tight as possible gathered together mic positions in front.
Goal/hoped advantage.. That we're now far enough from our own amps- and not a lot farther than we are from each others- to continue with our 'live balances... just as one might 'acoustically.
I won't miss this opportunity to deff recommend one of the Fishman Loud Boxes though at this point!
 
Farview said:
If you insert a 31 band eq between the preamp and the amplifier, you could eq out the problem frequencies.

If you are trying to get clean amplification and an natural sound, a guitar amp is going to fight you a bit. If you want to use a portable amp, a keyboard amp would probably be a better choice.
Click to expand...

Great, yeah, I'll probably go the eq route down the road, thanks..
Re the natural sound, I'm wondering if I'd get better results going through a my bass amp (Ampeg B2R).. haven't gotten around to trying it yet.
 
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