Boss / MA-1 Mascot Amp / 1980's / Yellow / Effect For Sale
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Boss MA-1 Mascot Amplifier s/n 021900 1981 Japan in very good condition with box, manual, and a sealed bag contain 2 eyes to be put on the knobs.
The Boss MA-1 Mascot Amplifier is definitely not a stompbox. It’s not meant to be stepped on. But using it in a signal chain can produce a dramatic difference in your overdrive sound.
When Roland introduced the Boss line in the late ’70s, the pedals were marketed as small, portable effects that produced studio-quality sound.
They were also marketed as sturdy boxes that could take a beating. The Mascot amplifier was no exception. Built in a rugged, small metal enclosure (same size as the MXR Phase 90), the Mascot can take a tough night out. It offers two lines in and one line out.
The lines in are labeled simply “Line In” and “Guitar.” They offer separate volume control. The line out reads “Phones.” There’s an AC adapter jack, or the Mascot can be powered by a 9-volt battery. It also sports a 2″ speaker and a belt clip.
The Mascot is meant be used as a portable practice amp you could take anywhere. It was one of the earliest mini-amplifiers on the market, and it works great in that role, though it’s not very loud. It would be great for the bedroom at night.
But what’s really interesting is that the Mascot is best when used as a preamp or line booster. With a Stratocaster and a Fender Vibro-Champ, one can create the sounds of a big rig. Using the guitar line and headphone out into the amplifier, you can achieve some really thick overdriven tones. Also interesting is that there seems to be a set amount of gain on the guitar line in, and the more you turn the volume up on the Mascot, the more sustain you get. On a guitar with humbuckers, even more so.
At higher volumes, the Mascot yields more noise, but three-quarters volume yields a fat, trebly overdrive with mucho sustain. It also boosts the volume in the signal going to the amp while sounding very natural, like a cranked tube amp or Ibanez Tubescreamer on an extreme setting, but with more sustain.
The line in seems smoother, with a dark-sounding overdrive reminiscent of an Ibanez Tubescreamer at half to three-quarters setting.
With the volume control maxed, it still yields a smooth, sustaining overdrive sure to please most tube amp purists. Using your guitar’s volume control will also cause the Mascot to reduce noise and clean up the overdrive on either line.
Another really nice thing about the Mascot is that each line in can be used as a separate channel. If desired, you could put an A/B box in front of the Mascot and run a cord into each line and use the A/B as a channel select switch. This would enable smoother and heavier overdrive tones to be obtained by simply hitting the A/B switch.
If used in conjunction with an EQ pedal, great tones can come from this simple, little preamp box. When used with larger amps, the Mascot gets a little out of control and noisy. It’s best with small amps, or for recording direct.
As with most good things, there are some not-so-good things. With the Mascot, the worst thing is the noise. As mentioned, at higher volumes it can get noisy and add an audible hiss. Another downfall is no tone control, but if it used with an EQ pedal, the Mascot can easily overcome any tone shortfalls. Most players won’t want to run the Mascot in their signal chain all the time. It’s a great tone aid for recording and practice. If you’re wanting to change back and forth to cleaner settings, using it at a gig might be challenge, but it could be done with two amps, or an amp with more than one channel.
But if you’re looking for an inexpensive way to spice up a small practice or recording amp, deliver natural-sounding overdrive, or add some extra oomph to your signal chain, the Mascot is a first-class ticket.
While one can usually find these primitive mini-amps at reasonable prices, locating them can be difficult. The Mascot was only made for a brief period in the late ’70s, so it may take some searching.
BEP - Boutique Effect Pedals, Netherlands 
Bienvenidos a nuestro monasterio BEP, donde yo, junto con otros monjes cazadores de pedales muy bien formados y educados, estamos en la búsqueda del pedal más sagrado de todos. BEP se especializa en pedales de efectos vintage y boutique. Actualmente, nuestro principal objetivo es vender pedales de efectos fuera de la UE debido a las normas fiscales confusas dentro de la UE, con las que nos enfrentamos actualmente. Cuando se resuelvan estos problemas fiscales, volveremos a realizar envíos dentro de la UE. Sin embargo, el lado positivo es que BEP realiza envíos regulares a EE.UU. UU., Canadá, Japón, China y Australia con costos de envío subvencionados por nuestra parte, por lo que estas normas fiscales confusas dejan de ser válidas. A partir de junio de 2021, BEP ha sido honrado con la distinción de convertirse en distribuidor oficial de pedales de efectos Ibanez, GuitarSystems y MTFX. BEP ha aceptado estas oportunidades y nos gustaría que otros fabricantes de pedales se pusieran en contacto con nosotros. En BEP tenemos nuestro propio departamento de reparaciones, por lo que todos los pedales se han enviado después de haber sido probados varias veces. Algunos nos llaman el Louvre de los pedales de efectos vintage, pero otros preferirían el Versalles de los pedales de efectos vintage gobernados por Miss Domina XXL XIV. Antes de que se envíe su pedal o compra, se probará para detectar problemas comunes, como interruptores de encendido/apagado pegajosos, potenciómetros agrietados, clips de batería sueltos, etc. Estas pruebas se grabarán en video, principalmente para la participación de los clientes de Reverb, pero estará disponible si lo solicita. De acuerdo con el plan de protección de Reverb, está cubierto durante 7 días después de la entrega. Si surge algún problema, comuníquese con nosotros primero. Tenga en cuenta que todo el trabajo de BEP está protegido por derechos de autor, incluidas las fotografías, el texto y las descripciones. gracias
Welcome to our monastery BEP where i amongst other well trained and highly educated pedal hunting monks are on a quest to find the holiest of all pedals.
We're processing 1300 vintage effect pedals so keep a watch out !!!!
BEP specialises in Vintage and Boutique effect pedals. Currently our main focus is selling effect pedals outside the EU because of fuzzy tax rules within the EU, which we are currently dealing with. When these tax issues are cleared then we will be shipping within the EU again. On the sunny side however .... BEP ships regularly to the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Australia with subsidised shipping costs at our end, so these fuzzy tax rules become non valid.
As of June 2021 BEP has been graced to become an official dealer of Ibanez, GuitarSystems and MTFX effect pedals. BEP has accepted these opportunities and we would welcome other pedal manufacturers to contact us. At BEP we have our own repair department so all pedals have been shipped after been tested several times. Some folks call us the Louvre of vintage effect pedals, but others would prefer the Versailles of Vintage effect pedals ruled by Miss Domina XXL the XIV. Before your pedal or purchase is shipped it will be tested on common issue's such as sticky on/off switches, cracky pots, loose battery clips etc etc. These tests will be recorded on video, mainly for Reverb's customers engagement, but will be made available on your request. According to Reverb's protection plan you're covered for 7 days after delivery. If any issue's arise please contact us first. Please beware that all BEP’s work is copyright protected, including photo’s and text, descriptions. Thank you
Our pedals are sold on a personal level and are thoroughly tested on battery power and with an adapter. These tests include sticky on/off switches and cracky potmeters and all tests are recorded on video. Before any pedal is shipped we make sure that they work 100%.If for any reason your ordered pedal is not working properly then please contact us first, so we'll make sure the correct Power Supply Unit is used ( Boss ACA vs PSA Adapters for example ). Please do not open the pedal yourself, not even for a battery replacement, unless it has a separate battery compartment such as regular Boss pedals, but contact us first. If you do open the pedal we can not accept a return.
Nuestros pedales se venden a nivel personal y se prueban minuciosamente con la alimentación por batería y con un adaptador. Estas pruebas incluyen interruptores de encendido y apagado pegajosos y potenciómetros que crujen, y todas las pruebas se graban en video. Antes de enviar cualquier pedal, nos aseguramos de que funcione al 100 %.Si por alguna razón el pedal que pediste no funciona correctamente, contáctanos primero, para que nos aseguremos de que se use la fuente de alimentación correcta (por ejemplo, adaptadores Boss ACA o PSA). No abras el pedal tú mismo, ni siquiera para reemplazar la batería, a menos que tenga un compartimento de batería separado, como los pedales Boss normales, pero contáctanos primero. Si abres el pedal, no podemos aceptar una devolución.
