Cromdubh, forget it. If you start briging an amplifier to traditional Irish sessions you are going to fuck them up.

If the player does not think that their instrument or the style in which they play is loud enough - the answer is to change their instrument or their style - never to bring in amplification.

Out of choice - I would play bouzouki at sessions. Howver, for carrying the melody it is not loud enough to be heard among lots of other instruments or in a big or crowded venue. So as a compromise I play tenor banjo for the melody and bouzouki for the chords.

Despite it being advertised as an 'unamplified celebration of the folk tune- - I find myself not only competing on a regular basic with one amplifier (for a bass guitar) but another regular - (who also has and plays tenor banjo) who insists on adding yet another amplifier in order to play melody on (amplified) mandola.

On a bad night in the course of a noisy evening - the two of them compete and turn-up their levels and at by the end of the evening - all that can be heard are the bass and (amplified) mandola. Do I now leave my banjo at home and take my amplifier as well - before the fiddle players decide to amp-up as well?

No amplified instruments do have their role to play - but NEVER at sessions. For if you accept one (say for a bass) you then have to accept them all...........

The ironic thing is that the chap who now insists on bringing his amp - once started a come-all-ye session where a chap welding his loudly amplified Stratocaster turned-up and treated us to the entire Jimi Hendrix back catalogue - while the rest of us listened and clapped..........

If you accepted an amplified acoustic guitar picking out melodies - it would be rather difficult to excude and Heavy Metal thrashers who also decided to entertain you.......