Small Amplifiers

Jerryc41

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I have two or three ukes with passive pickups, and I'm just thinking about getting a small amplifier. I know they are available as battery-powered and plug-in. This won't be used for public performances - just at home.

So, any suggestions about what would be a usable amplifier? Amplifiers are not my area of expertise.

From Amazon -

I'm leaning toward this Finder.
https://smile.amazon.com/Fender-Fro...pID=61WxwocahEL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://smile.amazon.com/Danelectro...ukulele+amplifier&refinements=p_85:2470955011
https://smile.amazon.com/Fender-Min...ukulele+amplifier&refinements=p_85:2470955011
https://smile.amazon.com/Portable-A...ukulele+amplifier&refinements=p_85:2470955011
 
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If you're not going to be gigging, why does it have to be small? I too am very ignorant of electronics and what I did was grab a bigger amp, a Blackstar ID30TVP. It is supposedly a smaller amp, according to the company, but it is the size of a valise and it is loud. I have only played it at the minimal loudness setting. It has a bunch of settings so that I can play ukelele stuff with distortion or reverb or whatever. It is a blast.
 
If you're not going to be gigging, why does it have to be small? I too am very ignorant of electronics and what I did was grab a bigger amp, a Blackstar ID30TVP. It is supposedly a smaller amp, according to the company, but it is the size of a valise and it is loud. I have only played it at the minimal loudness setting. It has a bunch of settings so that I can play ukelele stuff with distortion or reverb or whatever. It is a blast.

A large amp would come with a large price. : )

As I said, I have some ukes with a pickup, and I thought I'd see how they would sound with an amp. This is strictly for my mediocre playing, by myself, at home. Spending $300 for an amp is out of the question. When I get to the professional level of playing, I'll get a professional level amp. :)
 
As I said, I have some ukes with a pickup, and I thought I'd see how they would sound with an amp. This is strictly for my mediocre playing, by myself, at home. Spending $300 for an amp is out of the question.

Just realize that how your ukes sound with an amp is highly dependent on the amp. If you live anywhere near a decent sized music store, I'd recommend taking one or more of your ukes with pickup to the store and trying out several amps. If you get a good store and find someone helpful you can learn a lot and figure out what your taste is.

If you can't do that, well here is what I know.

I have a Roland Micro Cube (roughly $100-140 and can run on battery) and a Fishman Loudbox Mini, which is the $300 amp that is out of your question :)

The Fishman is head and shoulders above the Roland for basic acoustic tone - in my research it was the cheapest amp with universally positive reviews online. If you reach the point where one of these is in the picture you can often find a sale at the big box retailers that will knock 10-20% off the price. Or you could buy used - there are two available in my local classifieds, and Guitar Center has a used one for $150. If cash flow isn't a problem, I'd consider buying one used and reselling it after you've satisfied your curiosity - these should be relatively easy to sell on your local classifieds because they have a good reputation and appeal to guitar players as well as uke players.

The Roland has a bunch of modeling features that allow you to imitate a bunch of different amp setups - its designed for an electric guitar. It is a lot of fun, but it doesn't take long to figure out that the tone isn't as clean, clear, and rich as with the more expensive amp.
 
Jerry,
Are you committed to staying within the $30.00 - $50.00 price range you are looking at?
I found an as new but used Roland Mobile Cube for $100.00.
I am quite pleased with its performance in the home and it has adjustability that can be geared towards an acoustic/electric instrument.
Not the end all beat all, but worth a look.
 
I started with something very small, you could almost clip it to your belt. It sounded dreadful. I returned it the next day. The next one, was the Yamaha, which at $199(Amazon), is outside your budget but it is a very nice small amp that is powered by batteries and the included power supply. The thing about this amp is that it is designed for acoustic instruments and models different types of microphones and, most importantly, sounds good.
If you just want louder, spend $50. If you want louder and decent sound, stretch your budget to acquire an amp that is worthwhile IMO.
 
I have everyone of those little mini amps and I do not suggest them at all. The Fender 10w for $60 might be OK, but the 15w version would be better for $10 more, BUT, if you want to buy an amp to use at home just because your uke has a pickup, don't waste your money. When the time comes that you need an amp for a gig, only then should you buy, and be prepared to spend around $150 to $200, and even more depending how loud and good you want the amp to sound.

The leader of our group uses a 120w Fishman Loudbox Artist ($575), after her 60w Loudbox Mini died ($330), I have a 50w Crate Limo I used for guitar, that's big and heavy and over 20 years ago cost $350. I now use a Phil Jones Double Four 70w bass amp since I started playing bass uke with the group, but it works well for my ukes, it's over $500 with battery and is extremely small and portable. If I ever have a uke gig in a large outdoor area or in an arena, I have a dual box 200/250w Carvin MB15/115MBE that I also mainly use for bass.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video
 
This is just a thought. I don't know much about electronics, but is there a way to plug the ukulele into a computer and use the computer's speakers? This way there would be no need to buy anything aside from the appropriate cable.
 
The Danelectro Honeytone, of my three cheap amps I reckon is the best value for home use. As others have said, it's worth spending a fair bit more if you want a decent sound. Personally if I had the money again, I'd buy a small PA (the Kustom PA100T perhaps) rather than an amp so I could use a mic too. A passive pickup also really needs a preamp unless the amp is specifically designed for electro-acoustic. The Behringer ADI21 does that job ok for me.
 
I'll actually second the call for a Roland cube (though someone had a bad experience). It has a preamp and inputs for a mic and a USB cable. Comes with power cord but you can run it on batteries. Mine doesn't get a ton of use, but it's up to the job when I need it.
 
Thanks for all this info. I was hoping everyone would recommend the same, excellent $25 amplifier. :)

Based on what you wrote, these are the ones I'm considering.

Fender Frontman 10G Electric Guitar Amplifier $59
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001L8PIF...olid=1K6S0U4KGY5NH&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Roland Battery Power Acoustic Portable Guitar Amp (MOBILEAC) $129
https://www.amazon.com/Roland-Batte...+mobile+ac&dpPl=1&dpID=41yQW2az5NL&ref=plSrch

Roland CUBE-10GX 10W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp $129
https://www.amazon.com/Roland-CUBE-...F8&qid=1541330928&sr=1-12&keywords=roland+amp
 
Thanks for all this info. I was hoping everyone would recommend the same, excellent $25 amplifier. :)

Based on what you wrote, these are the ones I'm considering.

Fender Frontman 10G Electric Guitar Amplifier $59
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001L8PIF...olid=1K6S0U4KGY5NH&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Roland Battery Power Acoustic Portable Guitar Amp (MOBILEAC) $129
https://www.amazon.com/Roland-Batte...+mobile+ac&dpPl=1&dpID=41yQW2az5NL&ref=plSrch

Roland CUBE-10GX 10W 1x8 Guitar Combo Amp $129
https://www.amazon.com/Roland-CUBE-...F8&qid=1541330928&sr=1-12&keywords=roland+amp

Jerry you have gotten great advise and I am glad you are following it. A cheap amp makes a great uke sound like crap, then you would NOT use it so a cheap amp is expensive because it was money wasted.

Out of the above get the Roland Mobile AC it is an acoustic amp so it's designed to give a good acoustic sound as opposed to an electric guitar type sound..

A preamp migh be needed, your passive pickups might not have enough signal strength to sound good through that amp. A preamp boosts the signal between instrument and amplifier. An active pickup has a built in power source so it delivers enough juice to the amp by its self. This is another whole can of worms and you can be overwhelmed with choices. The Behringer AC121 V-TONE ACOUSTIC DRIVER DI is universally loved and recommended for an inexpensive ($29.99) unit that gives excellent results. I got one for fathers day and I have been very pleased with it. I also have a LR Bagg Venue D1 which is close to $300 and this Behringer performs nicely in comparision

1541332586722175865236.jpg
 
This is just a thought. I don't know much about electronics, but is there a way to plug the ukulele into a computer and use the computer's speakers? This way there would be no need to buy anything aside from the appropriate cable.

To do that you have to buy an interface that you plug your instrument into then that gets plugged into the computer. That can cost more than an inexpensive amplifier.
 
Jerry you have gotten great advise and I am glad you are following it. A cheap amp makes a great uke sound like crap, then you would NOT use it so a cheap amp is expensive because it was money wasted.

Out of the above get the Roland Mobile AC it is an acoustic amp so it's designed to give a good acoustic sound as opposed to an electric guitar type sound..

A preamp migh be needed, your passive pickups might not have enough signal strength to sound good through that amp. A preamp boosts the signal between instrument and amplifier. An active pickup has a built in power source so it delivers enough juice to the amp by its self. This is another whole can of worms and you can be overwhelmed with choices. The Behringer AC121 V-TONE ACOUSTIC DRIVER DI is universally loved and recommended for an inexpensive ($29.99) unit that gives excellent results. I got one for fathers day and I have been very pleased with it. I also have a LR Bagg Venue D1 which is close to $300 and this Behringer performs nicely in comparision

View attachment 113244

Thanks for the info.

So the uke would be connected to the Behringer, and that would be connected to the amp?
 
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quite often you get what you pay for, particularly with lower priced musical equipment.
 
Check your local craigslist, You can go try them out. I don't have much experience with amps, I just have a bass amp. It's an Orange Crush bass 25 and it's head and shoulders above the Fender Rumble 25, it's just built better. I found it on craigslist, like new, for almost half price from new.
 
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When I get my ukulele that I can plug in I'll be using a Vox mini 5 for my first plug in experimentation. It's what we have in the house. Bought it for my son and his electric guitar playing. Can't say how it will pair with what I'll buy but I'm leaning towards a UFOS ukulele, definitely solid or semi solid body instrument. The Vox has multiple settings, extra plug in, runs on batteries and AC power. A slightly less expensive Mini 3 is also available. Not sure how the Vox would pair with an acoustic plug in ukulele. If the Vox works out I'll have to step up and get a bigger and better amp for my son.
 
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