Amplifier Effects

I've got a Kala Archtop on the way and am looking for an amp.
Many amps have "effects" that you can use with a solid body electric guitar. Can any of them be used with the hollow body Kala?(Shadow active EQ)
If yes, how does it sound?

All of them can be used with an 'ukulele. If you are looking for distortion, you probably want to stick with electric guitar - 'ukuleles don't distort well. That said, if you want delay, reverb, chorus, etc... They sound pretty good. Unless you are going to fork out for a high end amp like the AC-90 by Roland, the amp probably won't do the effects justice. But if you are just looking to experiment, something like the Micro Cube is a great bet.

I recently purchased a Kala archtop as my first uke. I am a pro guitar player and songwriter so I sing while I play unless I'm looping the chords and playing the odd solo. I use a Bose L1 Compact line array PA system and plug the guitar, and soon, the uke and my mic all in one. The Bose systems are well known for amplifying the real sound without adding effects unless you add them. The sound is pure and quite often sounds better without effects. If you are just looking for an amp to play solo or practice with there are too many to mention and choices are very subjective and personal. I use a Fender Champ for that. Good Luck!

Reverb, Delay and chorus work well with the acoustic sound of the ukulele. It becomes more "electric sounding" when you use distortion, wah wah, phazers and flangers. Almost any amplifier will work with the ukulele. The acoustic ones sound more natural. The amps I own that are built for acoustic are the Carvin S400D, Acoustic AG30, Roland BA-330 and Roland AC-33. Here's an ongoing review of those amps:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?5333-Battery-powered-ukulele-amplification

I run my Kala Archtop into an Apple Mac running Mainstage (Logic 9) which gives me access to hundreds of effects. i use an Apogee Duet and then run it into the PA. I think this is the most modern, powerful and flexible way of doing things and it even allows me to automate parameters. I work a lot in the studio so this seems pretty natural to me - I just turn up with my laptop and away we go...

P.S. Amongst others I use the Amplitube 3 plugin which models guitar amps and pedals and I have found the Kala to sound pretty ok with a crunchy blues distortion.

Effects I use most often are reverb, chorus, and wah - in that order. Although I admit I prefer them on the floor - most amp effects are not quality and only there to sell as added "features". I also tend to use an EQ and a compressor.

Usualy just a touch of reverb is all a uke needs with a decent amp and EQ. That said - you can use anything. I've used distortion, phase, and a nice digital delay on occation too. It's just all a little odd on a decent acoustic uke - and you have to be trying for something very specific for it to make any sense.

Here's Gerald Ross playing a hollow body ukulele through a Roland AC-33:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-2j6ga6QHg