After a number of ukuleles, I got my first one with a pick up installed. Misi Trio. What then? I am entirely new to this. I know I need to plug it in and charge it, and that's all I know! I don't even know what to call that "sound box". Amp? Speaker? And do I need any little small electronic box between the ukulele and the sound box?
I am just looking for bare basics. I don't do gigs, I don't need special effects. And I don't even know if it will be too loud to tick off my wife...
Need advice.
Good for you Joseph, playing amplified is fun and adds another dimension to the sound of the ukulele. What you want is called an "amplifer" there are amps for acoustic instruments or electric guitars, you want the acoustic amp. You do not need the "thing" that goes between the instrument and amp, that is called a preamp. Your MiSi is an active pick up and supplies enough power to go straight into the amp. A passive pick up doesn't have a battery or internal power source so it would need a preamp.
I own the Yamaha thr-5A as Campbell listed, so does Brenda. Great little play at home amps, volume is not huge but adequate. The other amp I own is the Fishman Loudbox Mini, 60 watts so lots of power to play on a small stage. You can also plug in a mic for singing if that interests you.
One word of advice, get the best amp you can. There is nothing worse than having a world class uke with a world class pick up that sounds great until you plug it into a cheap amp and then it sounds like crap. I know you are not that type but some people think I will only use it occasionally so cheap is ok.......not if it sounds so bad you never use it.
I have the MiSi pickup in two of my ukes. I love not having to change a battery. It only takes 60 seconds of plugged in time to charge it. Don't plug it in to the charger and leave it for a long amount of time, it can mess up the pickup. As far as how long you can play on one charge.....I'm not 100% sure. At least 10 hours, maybe more. I recharge mine for 60 seconds every other month on the uke I play plugged in at church every Sunday. So far in 7 months, I've never had it go dead on me.
I use a Blackstar Fly amp at home. At church I'm plugged into the sound system. My next purchase will probably be a Fishman Loudbox Mini.
It is modestly priced, so if you are not gigging it is affordable.
It is a quality amp, so considering the price you get great sound. Small, light, powerful enough to use for fun practices and to play loud enough to make the dogs howl ... or so I've been told by a friend!
It gives you the option of powering it with batteries or the AC adapter, so you can take it outside or wherever you want.
It does have some tone features, reverb, etc, but they are easy enough to dial down to zero.
Mine is usually set on the basic "acoustic" setting. In the acoustic setting the sound is pretty clean and pure so you get the real sound of the ukulele, but enhanced with some added volume.
Wow, thanks everybody for your input.
Now I've got a starting point and a few amps to choose from. Time to start researching about what will fit me best.
If you are just playing at home then as others have alluded to....I would vote for the Yamaha THR5A. Not only does it sound great, but it is very portable. The effects are first rate for such an inexpensive amp. All the effects are designed to play with an acoustic stringed instrument and it has compression. This is not an easy thing to describe but it very subtly evens out your picking or strumming. It sort of squashes the peaks and gives you a more professional sound. It is subtle though and you will not want to overdo it.
Another big thing is that it will plug into your computer via USB and you can record yourself directly into the computer if you have any suitable recording software. I think there may be some recording software supplied with the amp to get you started. You may stilll want to record yourself using an expensive mic etc......but if the dog is barking and the doors slamming or the phone is ringing! The direct recording will never pick it up.
I think they are great!
Also as DownUpDave mentioned your pickup system is fitted with a preamp so you can plug directly into any amp and it will be nicely balanced and ready to go.
Mike
If you're looking for just a simple small amp to plug in and play a little w/o effects, you might consider a Pignose amp. Small, good sound. Nothing fancy.
I've used my THR5 for a few gigs we do in the community. I'm the only one amped with 15 or so acoustic. It works fine for what it's meant to do and also use a 50wt PJB bass amp for a really clean sound. Kohanmike recommended a computer battery that lasts a long time. I've played for ten hours with plenty of power left. I find it indispensable.
The beauty of the THR5 is it's light, compact and can be carried in bag. Mine sits on a windowsill when not in use. One less thing sitting on the floor.
An amp is not going to make you sound better. It will make you play better because all the nuances are amplified.
Like exercise equipment; they either get used or become a "space taker upper" as my wife says. Consider the space it'll take up.
If you're looking for just a simple small amp to plug in and play a little w/o effects, you might consider a Pignose amp. Small, good sound. Nothing fancy.
That would get boring very fast for a lot of people.
There are mini amps that are the same size as Pignose that have effects. For example, the VOX AC2 RV ("Rhythm VOX") is very cheap, same size as Pignose, but packed with features including effects and drum machine.
