Shopping for an amp....PLEASE HELP!

phanzo

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Howdy,
So I've started lookin around the interwebs for a little amp to plug into. I'll just be using it in my apartment, so I dont need anything big. I dont wanna spend more than $150.

I'd prefer to have some onboard effects as well. I've been looking on craigslist to find one here in Phoenix, but I dont know much about amps, so I dont know what's good or bad. I've read all the threads I could find on amps but I wanted to get some feedback for my personal situation. I would like to be able to plug it in, so I dont have to buy batteries all the time. Also, a headphone jack would be nice, so I can shred at night.

The couple that I have found on craigslist are:

Fender Acoustonic: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/1554769354.html

Fender G-DEC: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/msg/1553144073.html

Crate GT-15: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/1546951729.html

Crate GFX-30: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/1543966951.html

Crate GX-130C: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/1538014797.html

Crate XT-10: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/1519723253.html

Crate XT-15R: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/msg/1518546235.html

Crate MX120R: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/1518638314.html

Fender Ultra-chorus: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/msg/1552711661.html

Vox: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/1554757972.html

Peavey: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/1554667781.html

Let me know if you can suggest any of these or PLEASE give me other suggestions. I really dont know much about amps, so everything helps!! Let me know if you need more info. Thanks!!! :shaka:
 
For ukulele, it's hard to beat the Roland Microcube..
It plugs in (as well as battery if you want to take it out). It's quite compact.
Has headphone output, which doubles as a line/record-out.

As for on-board effects, it has plenty!
There are 6 settings to choose from, each emulating a different amp.
And plus it has on-board Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Delay and Reverb effects.

They have great reviews. Check it out :)
 
For ukulele, it's hard to beat the Roland Microcube..
It plugs in (as well as battery if you want to take it out). It's quite compact.
Has headphone output, which doubles as a line/record-out.

As for on-board effects, it has plenty!
There are 6 settings to choose from, each emulating a different amp.
And plus it has on-board Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Delay and Reverb effects.

They have great reviews. Check it out :)

+1 Its perfect for an apartment. Not too loud but great tone!!! The JC setting is the model of the famous Roland JC-120 (probably the cleanest sounding amp produced), my ukes sound great through that channel!!! If you want more volume, you can plug into an extension cabinet or a PA for larger venues.
 
+1 Its perfect for an apartment. Not too loud but great tone!!! The JC setting is the model of the famous Roland JC-120 (probably the cleanest sounding amp produced), my ukes sound great through that channel!!! If you want more volume, you can plug into an extension cabinet or a PA for larger venues.

yea I'm thinking about going to Guitar Center and trying one out. How loud would you say it gets? Would it be loud enough to play out in a parking lot while tailgating or something?
 
I have a VOX DA5... tiny little thing but sounds great. If you go to Guitar Center, try one out.
 
Yea, when I go to GC, those are the 2 that was I was gonna try bc I've read many good things on here about them. Does anyone have any others they suggest?
 
Ok, so I played both the Micro Cube as well as the DA5 at guitar center tonight. I think I liked the Cube a bit more than the Vox but I didnt buy either. It seemed liked even though there are more effects on the Vox, most of them sounded pretty bad with my uke. Even the "clean" sounded a little muddy. Is that pretty accurate? It seemed like the Cube had more "playable" effects and you could shape the sounds more than you could with the Vox. There's a guy on Craigslist who has a brand new MicroCube for $100. I'm gonna offer him $85 and see what he has to say. I think that would be a GREAT $85 amp, but I cant see myself payin the $130 that GC is asking for.

With that being said, I still need more opinions. If you have any knowledge of the amps listed in the OP, please make some suggestions so I can narrow this thing down. I'd like to get one soon, but this isn't a decision I want to rush into.

PLEASE HELP if you have any experience whatsoever. Every little bit helps!!
 
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If you can snag the Fender Acoust. do it. Better than all the others, and they have a great string dynamics control that makes it simple to dial out the piezo pickup quack.
 
Sounds to me like you bonded with the Cube, so why wait? Time for a trip to eBay to get the right price -- have fun!

well I didnt exactly "bond" with the Cube, it just sounded better, to me, than the Vox. I still want other suggestions though. Maybe something from the list in the OP or something else that folks enjoy. I dont want to just "settle" with something, I want to try all of my options.
 
+1 on the MicroCube. It's loud enough at home, and it does a very good job on batteries. For busking? Dunno. You'd need to ask someone with that experience.
 
You said you prefer no batteries. The Fender Acoustisonic available to you is the best of them all, and has good gizmos.
 
I have a Fender Acoustisonic 30, and I really like it. I have no experience with the others that you mentioned, but I do like mine a lot.
 
I'm very partial to the Vox. Ricdoug suggested it for doing what I wanted an amp to do. Plus you can plug in 2 cords -- uke and micif you want.
 
Interesting. So we have a couple for the Vox, a couple for the Fender, and a handful for the MicroCube. I may need to go to GC and try out the fender before giving the guy a call.

If anyone else has any input, please chip in. I need as much help as possible :D
 
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