Fishman Loudbox Mini v Artist

[kaos]

Originally Posted by bho

Hello,
Do you think the Loudbox Mini suffices, or would it be helpful for me to have a more powerful amp like the Loudbox Artist? It is really hard for me to tell from the stage.

Why don't you ask someone you know in the audience?

[AcouStickistNS]

Originally Posted by bho

Hello,

I have a Fishman Loudbox Mini which I use at small gigs. I play an acoustic guitar with a K&K mini pickup, a bandmate plays an electric guitar, and we have three female vocalists. We typically play venues of under 100 people, but occasionally play at fairs on outdoor stages. Usually (not always) we are hooked directly into a PA system. I like the fidelity of sound and portability of this amp.

Do you think the Loudbox Mini suffices, or would it be helpful for me to have a more powerful amp like the Loudbox Artist? It is really hard for me to tell from the stage.

Thanks.

I don't often play live, but I had found my former Loudbox 100 was never enough. I sold that and now have the Performer. Oddly, last week I played with other musicians for a couple hours with the Performer and had to turn it up a bit more, and the sound was a bit thinner than other places. Sometimes the building you are playing in can have a drastic effect on the sound. We were in a long narrow room with a high ceiling. Took me a few, but I could dial in what I needed. We were also playing with a drummer, so I know the former LB100 would not have worked.

I'm thinking only you can answer your question by determining what happens if there's no PA for you to plug into, and you need more volume? I do know a guy that uses an older Fishman Loudbox product (not the Performer series) and always puts it in an amp stand. He typically plays solo or with other acoustic musicians and has had no issues. Elevate the amp if you are not already doing that. When I had my LB100 I often had to put it on a chair or table, so an amp stand would have been nice. I don't need that now with the Performer. Last week I did tilt the Performer back with the foldable extension it has, that made a huge difference in that room. Was the first time I ever had to use it.

[Medford Guitar]

I use a LB Mini for gigs as my personal guitar monitor. I DI from the back to a mixer to an EV Evolve50 that my little acoustic group always brings (3 singers, me on guitar) I use a small amp stand to tilt the Mini up a bit for me. I've never had a problem with this setup.

I tried an Artist this weekend when I purchased a J-45. Definitely nice amp. More tweakable than the Mini and more bells and whistles. The J-45 sounded good through the Artist. However, I am really digging on how the J-45 sounds through the Mini. I didn't think for me, the extras justified the additional cost. YMMV

[Willie_D]

Here's what I'll add to the conversation.

For some guitarists/performers the Loudbox Mini will be everything they need and nothing they don't. It's a great-sounding little amp, louder than it looks, with onboard chorus and reverb, mic in for vocals, and has aux/bluetooth ins for backing tracks. It can also serve as a DI into a mixer.

If that list of features gets you where you need to be, thumbs up.

If, however, you want more onboard effects, can't live without an effects loop, a notch filter, phantom power for a condenser mic, and moar power, the Artist is the way to go.

It really depends on your needs. With the Mini you have one reverb and it's a good one. With the Artist, you get more. With the Mini you get a chorus. With the Artist you get chorus, flanger, delay. If you absolutely need an effects loop, the Mini doesn't have one. Your audio routing options are simplified, which some might find limiting while others will find it just right.

For me, the Mini is all I need and nothing I don't. For the next person, the Artist is perfect. It really depends on what you want/need.

[jaz761]

I’m really enjoying the mini. I have gigged with it quite a bit, indoors and outdoors. I use the direct out to our PA outdoors and to house PAs. It’s mandatory for the outdoor shows and just helpful on the indoors stuff. I use an OM21 with a K&K and no longer use a preamp at all. I used to use a Pure and sometimes a Baggs Venue DI on house systems.

Horses for courses I guess.

[dnf777]

Ive had both for many years, and having nothing bad to say about either. I used to travel with the mini, but evolved to taking the artist. The extra capabilities (namely phantom power) offset the increased weight and size, which isnt a big difference. Not sure if the discrete channels would benefit your situation, as it sounds like you might be feeding a mixer into the amp.

[zeeway]

I owned and gigged with both. The Mini is a very capable amp…but the Performer had more guts. Have moved on from both, but the only negative I remember is the weight.

[Goat Mick]

I currently own a Mini and an Artist. I also had a Performer that I used for several years. In my opinion, I believe the Artist is the sweet spot of the lineup. The Mini just doesn’t have enough power for a room that has any background noise at all like small restaurants or pubs. The Artist is also very light and puts out a bunch more volume but can easily play at quiet room levels. It has enough power to overcome background noise without being too loud for the room. My Performer sounded great but was a bear lug around. If I need that much power I’m just going to use my EV30m.

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by Goat Mick

I currently own a Mini and an Artist. I also had a Performer that I used for several years. In my opinion, I believe the Artist is the sweet spot of the lineup. The Mini just doesn’t have enough power for a room that has any background noise at all like small restaurants or pubs. The Artist is also very light and puts out a bunch more volume but can easily play at quiet room levels. It has enough power to overcome background noise without being too loud for the room. My Performer sounded great but was a bear lug around. If I need that much power I’m just going to use my EV30m.

I agree with this 100%! I also had (past tense) the Mini. I now have the Artist and it is vastly more capable for gigging. The mini was great for home but I took it a background music cocktail hour gig at Ritz Carlton on a patio and the Mini was simply underpowered and lacked the projection and fullness. I am very happy with the Artist. When I need a little better coverage than the Artist, I use the DI Output from the Artist and send that to an EV Everse 8. It makes a very portable and capable rig that is still easier to carry than something like the EV 30M or my Bose L1 Pro8.

[Goat Mick]

I have an Everse 8 as well and the projection on those things is amazing. They don't spread out quite as well as a Bose S1 Pro, but dang they can project sound and fill a room and they have a bunch more headroom than the S1 Pro I used for years.