 | Download Example 1 Flat |
| Download Example 2 With Reverb and Chorus |
| Download Example 3 With Gain |
| Download Example 4 Drop D with Gain |
| All clips recorded with a Yamaha Dreadnaught with factory onboard preamp and undersaddle pickup. | |
When Larry Fishman started
selling acoustic pickups in the
early ’80s, he probably didn’t
imagine that the acoustic
amplification market would
become so big, varied, or
competitive. Yet as the market
has evolved, Fishman has consistently
remained among the
most trusted and successful
companies in the business by
making pickups, preamps, and
acoustic amplifiers that sound
great, are built to last, and fit
players’ needs.
The latest addition to the
company’s Loudbox amplifier
line (which debuted in 1993),
the Loudbox Mini carries on
Fishman traditions of quality,
sonic versatility, and practicality.
Offering 60 watts of power
in a small, super-light, and ultra-affordable
package, the combo
is a breeze to tote in one hand and
powerful enough to fill just about
any smaller gig space.
Rock Solid, Feather Light
Like most of the Fishman amps I’ve played,
the Mini feels stout and appears flawlessly
assembled. You get the feeling you can
throw it in the back seat, take it on the subway—
even strap it to your bike rack if you
needed to—without worrying a lick about
whether or not it will work when you get to
the gig.
The understated little Fishman is also
designed as elegantly as a mid-century hi-fi
system, and its subdued brown-and-tan
motif makes the controls easy to find, reach,
read, and adjust. Each channel has its own
simple control set. The far-left Instrument
channel has a Phase switch, plus Gain, Low,
Mid, High, Reverb, and Chorus knobs. A
simpler set of Gain, Low, High, and Reverb
knobs are on the Mic channel, and a Master
volume sets the amp’s overall level.
The back panel features a D.I. out to feed
the house system or a slave amp, 1/4" and
1/8" auxiliary inputs, and the power switch—all readily accessible without tilting the amp
(or crawling around on hands and knees with
a flashlight or lighter in the middle of a gig).
My only complaint about the design is that
you can’t angle the Mini back any further
(which might be nice for certain monitoring
situations) without placing a book or some
support under the front of the amp. The
speaker baffle has 10 degrees of built-in tilt,
which compensates to some extent. And
given the Mini’s light weight, it’s no problem
to elevate it with a light stool or milk crate.
All things considered, the amp’s portability
and small footprint are a fair trade for
reduced tilt-back capability.
Big Bass for a Little Box
To run the Loudbox Mini through its paces, I
used a Yamaha FG cutaway dreadnought with
a factory-installed undersaddle pickup and preamp,
a Taylor 312ce with a Taylor Expression
System, and a Taylor 712 with a Dean Markley
ProMag soundhole pickup. It was easy to get
a warm and natural sound out of the Mini
straight away with its tone controls set fl at, the
Gain and Master volume about a third of the
way up, and just a smidge of reverb.
The first real surprise came when I turned
up the bass EQ controls on the Taylor 312ce
and the Yamaha. With the low end kicked up
on the guitars, the Mini’s bass response and
character expanded drastically—becoming
rich, colorful, and heavy without dominating
the higher frequencies. Plugging in the Taylor/
ProMag combo and boosting the amp’s
bass control produced a similar, if slightly
woolier version of the same effect. But even
at this low volume, the amp sounded much
bigger and more powerful than its diminutive
dimensions suggest.
Higher volume didn’t diminish the color or
potency of the Mini’s bass sounds. With
the bass control dialed up to 75 percent
of maximum, fingerpicking and flatpicking
arpeggios in DADGAD and C–G–C–G–C–C
tuning coaxed low end that was detailed
and rich in overtones and sustain. Even with
a neighbor’s massive upright bass plugged
in, the Mini held up just fine, kicking out
colorful, well-defined low-end tones without
muddiness or a hint of breakup.
Though the Mini’s bass response was
regularly impressive, the treble response
didn’t always have quite as much bloom or
complexity as they might in a larger, more
powerful amp with increased headroom. Using
a flatpick with both the Yamaha and the
Taylor 312ce sometimes drove the amp toward
fairly compressed territory in the higher
frequencies. But it was easy to dial in a bit
more dimension and life for the trebles with
a touch of reverb. And a slight roll-off of the
bass always seemed to even the compression
effect across the EQ band.
Players given to strumming will find a lot to
like about the Mini. In fact, it often seemed
much more balanced in a strumming, high-volume
environment where the slightly compressed
highs made complex chords a little
airier and better defined. A percussive take
on the Who’s “Overture” from Tommy—which
combines fast, heavy strums, flatpicked runs,
and a delicate arpeggio section—revealed
not only the Mini’s punch and definition when
hit with a Townshendian flurry of strums, but
its dynamic range as well. And the amp went
from a relative roar to a hush without a significant loss of detail or tone.
To test the Mini’s full gigging potential, I
plugged a vocal mic into the Mic channel
and summoned a nicely balanced guitar
and vocal blend—complete with a dollop of
digital reverb for my voice—that would work
well for a small, not-too-loud café or house
concert. I even had some fun cranking the
reverb and chorus on the Instrument channel
and the reverb on the vocal mic to do a
little Neil-Young-via-The-Twilight-Zone set in
my living room. It’s probably not what Larry
Fishman had in mind for the Mini, but the
amp performed gloriously anyway—maintaining
harmonic balance, tonal integrity, and
that impressive bass bloom throughout my
experiments with its digital effects.
The Verdict
If you’re an acoustic player who rarely gigs
out of the comfy confines of a coffeehouse,
small restaurant, or bookstore, the Fishman
Loudbox Mini may be the only amp you
need. It’s surprisingly loud, projects well,
and responds to a dynamic touch at high
or low volume. The amp’s bass response is
exemplary. And though fingerpicking and
flatpicking styles that emphasize single notes
can highlight the amp’s tendency to compress
high frequencies, that same tendency
can work well for strumming and pounding
out complex chords. Whatever your musical
style, the Fishman Loudbox Mini is an exceptional
acoustic amp that sounds bigger,
richer, and more expensive than its size or
price would suggest.
Buy if...
you play small venues and need a high-quality, rich-sounding acoustic amp for a rock-bottom price.
Skip if...
you jam with a loud band or play larger venues where you can’t count on a PA.
Rating...
Street $300 - Fishman Transducers - fishman.com |
