What to avoid in an amp, when one has a preamp (LR Baggs Venue)

I think for me the real benefit of portability lies somewhere in "fits in a backpack (even if a big one)". Anything larger than that is almost the same to me, if I have to get myself a car anyway.

And if there's a certain "benefit spike" at the 12" level, why not go all the way there?

A good reminder about the mixer, Col50. Might make more sense for me not to pay for a multiple channeled speaker, if I'm not really sure if I need the channels.
 
Jupu, Though I stand by my recommendation as the best long term set-up for your pedal, check out the YouTube video of Tim from Vox at A Strings. A Google search of [Vox VX50 Acoustic Amp Overview] should get you there. Notice the tone with a little 8" speaker. A 12" speaker cab. w/ horn or piezo will sound even better. But, the price on the VX50 is pretty good. A consideration if the prescription cost is too high.

I found the video. The VX50 Acoustic sounds quite pleasing for an 8", but I try to stay on the MV50 AC path, as prescribed.

What is strange about the MV50 AC though is that I can find dozens of electric guitar heads presenting it all over YouTube but _none_ with acoustic guitar, let alone an uke. Why is the world like this.
 
Jupu, Depending on your choice of music and personal preference, you should make the determination between the MV50 Clean or the MV50 AC. The clean model has no gain knob which is very good if you are doing strictly acoustic material. If you wish to reproduce the violin-like sustain of Marl Knopfler or Carls Santana, the gain knob on the MV50 AC will get you there. Most of your tone variation is going to be done thru your modeling pedal. I like being able to reach over, move a knob and switch from a Pete Seeger song with banjo sounding steel string picking to the intro licks of "Money for Nothing" on the ukulele. That is why the MV50 AC works for me.
 
Sorry for more silly questions, I'm still a total newbie in this amplifying thing.

Is it safe and sensible to plug:
1) headphones in the line out of LR Baggs Venue (200 ohms) and what does it demand of the headphones or
2) an electric uke (or an active acoustic one) on the input? What volume/tone level would be good on the pickup?
 
So the chain would be:

Active/passive uke -> Venue -> Headphones OR
Active/passive uke -> Venue -> Vox MV50 -> Headphones
 
Sorry for more silly questions, I'm still a total newbie in this amplifying thing.

Is it safe and sensible to plug:
1) headphones in the line out of LR Baggs Venue (200 ohms) and what does it demand of the headphones or
2) an electric uke (or an active acoustic one) on the input? What volume/tone level would be good on the pickup?

These aren't silly questions.

Using the line out to power headphones may be safe but is not likely to be sensible and may require a headphone preamp for improved headphone performance. Line outs provide a low-noise, low-current signals to high-impedance inputs that don't consume much current; they are not designed to provide current sufficient to drive headphones. Having said that, some line outs will provide a "functional" signal to the drivers in some headphones.

Your section question is a thorny one. The short answer is yes but that the limiting factor is likely going to be the pickup or its associated preamp. If rolling off the volume on the built-in preamp subtracts content from the signal (it probably does), then you'll probably want to leave it as high as possible since you cannot use EQ to recover missing information. This may result in the pickup becoming so hot that the Venue's preamp section clips the signal and/or the gain knob becomes overly sensitive. Having said that, these behaviors might be exactly what you're looking for if you're seeking subtle grit or a darker tone with less clarity. Take note that this sort of signal distortion has the potential to cause speaker damage; proceed at your own risk.
 
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Alright, thank you, bacchettadavid! I'll proceed with caution.

I have ordered the MV50 AC (I was lucky to find one used locally - very few are selling, it seems!); I'll report back.

In the meantime, I did plug different headphones (with a regular stereo 1/4" adapter) straight to the Venue. It didn't clip, according to the meter, but all the volumes and gains in the chain needed to be cranked to the max, and the volume still was very modest to my ears. Soft plucking didn't quite get picked up at all. So quite suboptimal, I'd say.
 
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