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The mambo handles pedals really well. I would recommend the wedge 10 though. As a student (I'm studying jazz at the royal conservatoire of Scotland) I find that a lot of the time I'm travelling to gigs on foot or on the subway and taking a larger amp can be a bit of a pain. However I ended up selling my mambo and going back to using my Rivera valve amp. Not a huge fan of the polytone-ish thing the mambo has going (coming from someone had a vintage polytone mbII).
I'd recommend a zt lunchbox as a backup/spare. There's not much sense in spending so much on a backup amp and the zt is tiny and great for taking to impromptu rehearsals and jam sessions - it's a complete pain taking a big amp to someone's flat! Plus they're much cheaper on eBay.
Have fun at gsmd though, my friend Kieran just graduated and is now doing masters there. Will be great to study with Phil Robson too!
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08-04-2014 09:18 PM
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I suspect that if you get a mambo, you'll quickly sell your AER. Little comparison IMO.
If you're happy with the AER now, maybe a a lunchbox is a good backup option as Gabe suggests
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EV-Speakers are heavy, arent they? Still waiting for my Mambo 12" to come (with EMI beta) but interested in Speaker-modifications. Did you try others? The EMI "Tonker", "Tonkerlite" or "Tornado" seems to get lots of love. But the Mambo has an output of 180 RMS. Hard to find a speaker which can match that.
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I have a Force one which is only 150w (versus 200w of the EVM) but weights 5kgs instead of 8kgs. So it only added 2 kgs to the amp and well worth it... But the Force are rare speakers. I am lucky to also have a 15 one. Also my Mambo is the 300w / 150w version not the 180w.
I tried Tornados with an Henriksen - they sound nice and have extended treble which I like but 1) they have a 150hz spike that makes them muddy 2) they can be a little fatigating after a while, no idea why. Never tried them with the Mambo... and also never tried the Tonker or the Tonkerlite. Jack Zucker has some clips of a Tonker in an Henriksen, might give you an idea.
One thing to have in mind is most speakers are designed with open back designs in mind I believe. EVs have the advantage of sounding really good in closed back ported designs which I am not sure is true to most other speakers out there.
In your case I would get a trolley and an EVM-12. I did that when I had an Henriksen - 200€, 5 kgs extra but a much better sounding amp. But hey try the Beta first and maybe you'll love it right away and no need for an EV.
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I have had the ZT Club, but swapped it for a Mambo 12" Wedge. Absolutely no regrets!
Playing a Gibson ES175, I cannot explain how much better the Mambo sounds in my ears. The sound is excactly as warm, full, woody and at the same time open, as I hoped (but maybe not expected) it would be and really brings the best out of my guitars
I am using TC Electronics reverb and loop-pedal, which works just perfect.
I ordered mine withouth hearing it "live", just saw a few videos on Youtube. Jon was a pleasure to communicate with, send him an email, and I am sure he will answer all your questions.
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I did the Evm route for a while. It's fine when you have the amp on a trolley, but no fun at all when you reach a set of stairs. I swapped the speaker out for an eminence lil Texas, it's much lighter and sounds equally good - if a little different flavour. I'd much rather carry round a lighter amp, especially considering I'm gigging at least once a week and I don't drive.
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Have any of you tried both the 10" and 12"?
I'm just wondering if the 12" is worth getting.
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The mambo 12 is just like the 10, except a couple of inches wider/deeper, has more bass, is about 1.5 kg heavier and approximately twice as loud as the 10, due to increased speaker area and efficiency. In practice, it means you can keep up with a full horn section and loud drummer with the 12". So, I'd say it depends on the application for the amp.
If you're still comparing with the AER, don't forget that the AER compact 60 has only an 8" speaker and 60 watts.
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Yeah, thanks. I giged the Mambo 10" with the stock speaker and liked it very much. I´m just curious what this amp can do with other speakers.
Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
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Just to be fair - I hated the Henriksen with the Beta and it became much better with an EV (still far from perfect). The Mambo sounded really good even with the Beta - I am just picky enough to upgrade to an EV. Originally Posted by lapideusvir
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Even when I may find a speaker I like better than the Emi beta, does it really need to be at least at 180w? Will a, say, 100w speaker be blown by the Mambo?
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It can... if you turn the amp VERY loud, I guess. Jon offers an RMS limitter as an option, it's great.
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Has any one in the states ordered one of these?
Do they subtract out the VAT for non EU customers?
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From the homepage,
"I do not charge VAT. (i.e. there is no VAT to deduct if you are importing)".
Even so, totally worth it. My guitars sound wonderfull on it.
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This is an interesting point. The difference between 90W and 180W is 3 decibels - which is nothing like twice as loud, more like " yes, I can hear it's louder". The idea between having these amps putting out 180w is more about making sure that peak note transients don't distort, rather than being able to blow out windows…….
A general rule is make something 3 db louder - in other words, one can tell that the loudness has increased - you double the amp power. You can also do the same thing by installing a speaker that is 3db more efficient.
So, cutting power by half will sound " a bit less loud". The human ear finds it difficult to detect changes of less than 2db, apparently.
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Proud owner of a Mambo 12" wedge now!
This sound is not big, it´s HUGE!
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Hi Mambo-Users. Just curious if you use the fx-Loop for effect pedals or if you run them in front.
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Delay and reverb on the loop. The rest in front.
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tried an overdrive in the loop and it sounds better than in front.
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Calling the Mambo owners: how do the Mambo amps sound at appartment volume level? Just like tube amps, solid state amps can sound very uninspiring at low volumes. I wonder how the Mambos are for home use. Any comment would be appreciated.
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I have only found that true with high watt tube amps with no master.. But the Mambo has gain and master so maybe that helps?
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Yes, I've seen they have a Gain and Master and I don't doubt that it's easy to dial in a low volume. The question is, how do they sound at that volume? Some amps only open up tonally when played louder, some sound very nice already at low volumes.
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Hm, I dont think the Mambo "opens up" at high volume levels. It sounds basically the same at low levels as at high levels, that is: very good, imo. As jorge mg said, you can find a sweet spot by dialing in the gain+master.
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Thanks! That's good to know. Very tempting to try one.
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Hi, Originally Posted by Drifter
IMO you will not be disappointed with a Mambo ( no affiliation )
I have five amps and would put them in this order of quality
1) Mambo 12"
2) Evans AH200 (head)
3) Evans AE100 (combo)
4) Henriksen ER12
5) Fender Princeton Reverb
The Mambo sounds equally well with any of my Archtops, of which I have several
and the Evans amps run a close second.
regards Silverfoxx
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