ukulele through bass amp
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foxisaac
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I run my uke through my bass amp, I had no issues, but if you have a low G string you may find that it cuts trough the rest of the sound more than you'd like
Wooville
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I (on occasion) play my baritone uke through my vintage "62" Fender Bassman. Wow! What a sound. I also will go straight through a small Pevey PA or small (1 x 10 Fender solid state), but the Uke sounds better by far, running through that old Bassman.
I recently picked up a 34" Samick Corsair MCR-1 minibass and I too am looking at amps. I am half-settled on the Carvin micro-bass 10" with a neomidym tweeter so it will work better with my ukes and to use with blues harp. It has about 250W of power, so you can add on a big extension cab if you need more bass and it weighs about 12 lbs or so.
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Coconut Willie
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No problems! I have an 6 string I took to GS looking for an amp for it and played it through a bass amp and it sounded quite nice! I did not by that amp bought something else instead - Fishman mini (sounds amazing!!!)
Jon Moody
Well-known member
Not true; many bass amps cannot handle the full frequency range that a keyboard needs, especially in the lower price ranges. Easier to run a bass through a keyboard amp than the other way around.
As for running a uke through a bass amp, you can do it but tonally, you're going to make some concessions with that. Since a bass amp is designed for those lower frequencies, you may find that your uke doesn't sound as bright as it could. Then again, you may like the sound. Any reason you're buying a bass amp over a guitar amp for this purpose?
I've run my uke regularly through a Phil Jones Bass Bass Cub (100w, 2x5" speakers) and it works great, albeit a little darker than what I would want. PJB is scheduled to produce a uke/violin/mando amp this year, which will hopefully allow uke players to finally have an amp DESIGNED specifically for them.
Diggin out old stuff....
A very simple reason I could imagine: having only a single amp for ubass and uke is easy on budget and takes less space.
Playing a bass through an guitar amp might very well blow out the speakers whereas playing a uke through a bass amp might only cut off some higher frequencies.
Fortunately the amp people have developed quite a few portable mini amps in the meantime - any recent recommendations from the experts out here?
At least I am currently having a closer peek on Roland's Micro Cube Bass RX vs. Phil Jones Double four - the PJ Briefcase is way out of budget (and with ~13 kg not exactly portable when you come from an ukulele perspective, not even compared to the relatively heavy ubass)
Stuntman
Well-known member
If you can live with just one input, have a look at a yamaha THR10. In addition to being a great small, very portable amp for guitar/uke it also has a bass setting and it is surprisingly good for its size - ok its not earth shattering, and doesn't have the depth of a dedicated bass amp but it is a lot better (imo) than a number of the other generic small (10watt or so) bass amps and it will hold up in a smallish room of uke players.
Might be a good choice if your looking for something for uke/guitar primarily, but can also serve double duty as a bass amp if needed. If on the other hand your looking for a dedicated small portable bass amp only there are probably better choices (as you have noted).
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I picked up a used Peavey 60W 12" bass amp for $65 in great shape. For the price of a "practice amp" I got something that will probably do me forever since I'll likely never "gig" with it.
Jon Moody
Well-known member
As someone that uses the Double Four on a regular basis and professionally gigs with it (I've used it in theatre pits, onstage and in large studio orchestras), I'd go that route in a heartbeat. Plus, you can get one of those small USB power supplies and power the unit, making it a TRULY portable amplifier. It sounds fantastic.
The PJB Briefcase isn't light, for sure. It's also 10 years old and the only amp I know of that can have a battery installed in it, for another portable option (although as mentioned, that adds more to the weight). I've had one of those for years, and it's a bit brighter and snappier than the Double Four.
strumsilly
Well-known member
so to answer your question, no.
bnolsen
Well-known member
strumsilly gave you the good simple answer (no problem). A bass amp with a tweeter will get you a better frequency response.
I wouldn't play a bass through a ukulele amp.
I wouldn't play a bass through a ukulele amp.
joneo
Well-known member
resurrecting an old thread: I have a couple old bass amps here, one is a Pignose Hog 30 Rechargeable portable amp, and the other is a much bigger Fender BXR One Hundred, 300w amp. Can I play a solid body electric ukulele through these without messing anything up, or sounding bad? (My playing expertise notwithstanding.) I'm currently awaiting arrival of a SB Fluke with B-Band internal pickup and preamp, and would like to not have to buy more new stuff if possible. Also have a Dunlop Crybaby Bass Wah pedal - not sure how that would sound with an ukulele.
bnolsen
Well-known member
test it and tell us? the response on top might sound hollow or harsh or fine depending. These amps are tuned for the low register.
joneo
Well-known member
I can test it and let u know in about a month 
pbagley
Well-known member
Over a month later and looking for the test results...
A lot has been said about some bass amps having limited high frequency response, and this makes our electric ukes sound dull or dark. I've owned quite a few bass amps over the years. One of the most dramatic differences between two amps was when I bought a Fender M-80 Bass (grey carpet) to replace a Peavey TKO-65. With the Peavey I was convinced my Godin Acousticaster bass had a defective treble control. I could slide it up and down and there was no difference. Then I plugged into the M-80 and found there was indeed a lot of difference. The TKO was just so dark an amp that none of the treble was shining through.
These days I tend to use a Roland micro-cube when I need a small light amp for quiet situations. Good frequency response, and I like the few effects built into the design. A little reverb on an electric uke or acoustic guitar is nice. It is a bit expensive for what it is, but there does not seem to be any competitors offering anything to compare in this little segment of the market. And it works well with the U-bass in acoustic jam sessions, even on battery.
I'll check back for the Hog-30 review.
A lot has been said about some bass amps having limited high frequency response, and this makes our electric ukes sound dull or dark. I've owned quite a few bass amps over the years. One of the most dramatic differences between two amps was when I bought a Fender M-80 Bass (grey carpet) to replace a Peavey TKO-65. With the Peavey I was convinced my Godin Acousticaster bass had a defective treble control. I could slide it up and down and there was no difference. Then I plugged into the M-80 and found there was indeed a lot of difference. The TKO was just so dark an amp that none of the treble was shining through.
These days I tend to use a Roland micro-cube when I need a small light amp for quiet situations. Good frequency response, and I like the few effects built into the design. A little reverb on an electric uke or acoustic guitar is nice. It is a bit expensive for what it is, but there does not seem to be any competitors offering anything to compare in this little segment of the market. And it works well with the U-bass in acoustic jam sessions, even on battery.
I'll check back for the Hog-30 review.
strumsilly
Well-known member
Most amps have some sort of equalization. My Crate BX-50 works fine for my ukes. especially the steel string electric. I turn down the lows and bump the highs.
joneo
Well-known member
Over a month later and looking for the test results...
A lot has been said about some bass amps having limited high frequency response, and this makes our electric ukes sound dull or dark. I've owned quite a few bass amps over the years. One of the most dramatic differences between two amps was when I bought a Fender M-80 Bass (grey carpet) to replace a Peavey TKO-65. With the Peavey I was convinced my Godin Acousticaster bass had a defective treble control. I could slide it up and down and there was no difference. Then I plugged into the M-80 and found there was indeed a lot of difference. The TKO was just so dark an amp that none of the treble was shining through.
These days I tend to use a Roland micro-cube when I need a small light amp for quiet situations. Good frequency response, and I like the few effects built into the design. A little reverb on an electric uke or acoustic guitar is nice. It is a bit expensive for what it is, but there does not seem to be any competitors offering anything to compare in this little segment of the market. And it works well with the U-bass in acoustic jam sessions, even on battery.
I'll check back for the Hog-30 review.
Haven't received new uke yet. Was on a trip to Austin and had them wait to send it. Should be coming later this week! :nana:
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joneo
Well-known member
Well it's been a few days now and I have to say, I'm VERY pleased with the sound coming out of my Pignose HOG 30 bass amp when using my new SB Fluke concert! With the tone controls on the amp basically turned off (knobs all the way to the left) it sounds very clean, if not a bit bright. I've got some higher end cables coming soon (Death Valley Cables), and will see how it sounds using those. Have not plugged it into the BXR amp yet; I've been having too much fun with the Pignose and the Electro-Harmonix headphone amp. Will post some pictures (and maybe a video) soon.
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