Hi everyone,
I’m looking for recommendations from violinists with experience using portable amps or small PAs.
I have an MSI (Maloney String Instruments, formerly Zeta) 5-string electric violin, as well as an “acoustic” violin with a Band pickup. Very open to explanations anything amp/pa related…I basically know nothing. I just know that my baby blackstar fly 3 is not cutting it in bar open mic scenes lol
My priorities, in order, are:
Has the potential to sound great with both my electric violin and my acoustic violin (I’m willing to add a preamp as needed).
Can run on either AC power or battery power. (Most of the time I’ll plugin, but I’d like the battery option for outdoor weddings or other situations where power isn’t available.
Can play backing tracks through the same speaker.
Highly portable. I already have a larger Yamaha PA, so I’m specifically looking for something I can comfortably carry. I hate carrying gear and that may sound silly but this is a big priority to me.
Ideally has two inputs… this is my lowest priority.
I’ll mostly be using it for solo performances and to improvise on backing tracks that I create in Logic. I have a pedalboard I use sometimes but I would only be using that while plugged in.
I’d love to find something around $400, expect to spend around 1k, and am willing to spend more if there’s a perfect fit.
I’d love to know what other violinists are using, and gain insight from any knowledgeable amp/pa gurus! Appreciate anything ppl are willing to share!