I just dropped by the Mudcat to see if there are any interesting threads; saw this one about amplifying a mandolin, and figured it would be worth reading. Was surprised to find out that I started the thread back in my Mudcat-cruising days.

I still haven't found the perfect solution to my decade-old dilemma, but thankfully I mostly play in lower-volume settings these days, and using an outboard mic (a Shure SM-81 in my case) is less problematic than it used to be.

Thanks again for all your valuable input over the years.