Amp suggestions other than Fishman Loudbox Mini

KaminTheWeaver

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All I ever hear is that the Fishman Loudbox Mini is the only and best choice for a uke amplifier in that price range.

Are there any more options out there in the $300-$400 range, and if so, how are they different than the Loud Box Mini?
 
I briefly owned the Fishman Loudbox Mini and hated it: quacky and unnatural to my ears and not enough controls to dial in a nice tone. I suspect the Mini is optimized for steel-string tone and just didn't render nylon string tone worth a dad burn darn. I could force a decent sound out of it by using a Fishman Aura Spectrum D.I. but sheesh. I much preferred the Genz Benz Shenandoah SHEN-CPK-8T I replaced it with and the Roland AC60. Yes, both amps cost a couple Benjamins more but sounded so much better straight into the amp and really didn't need the Spectrum D.I. to sound good. I don't own the less expensive Roland AC33 but I hear it sounds great if you didn't need a lot of volume.
 
When I was looking it was Fishman and Roland and ZTLunchbox Acoustic and Yamaha.

I did end up with a Fishman, the Roland AC33 was a close second.


I guess I would ask what is your end purpose as well? Do you need the power for large venue's? Or is this for home? Small venues? Portability?
 
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Roland AC 33
Great amp
Have had the Roland 60
Fishman loudbox
Also have a AER 50 for bigger venues
Can’t beat the AC33 for an acoustic instrument
Ron
 
You should checkout a Roland AC-33 if battery power is going to be important to you but if you don't need battery power check out the Roland AC-40. The AC-40 is cheaper without the battery pack yet has larger speakers than the AC-33.
 
For my ukulele, tenor guitar, and cigar box guitar, I use a Blackstar 75 with a Fat Fuzz Factory pedal. It serves all my electrical needs. I have never had the volume past 2.
 
I recently bought a Roland AC-33. The Fishman was my other choice, and I'm glad I went with the Roland. Plenty of volume for the room sizes that I play in. Very portable, and the ability to run off batteries or plugged-in is great. Lots of features, including a looper.
 
Marshall AS50D. 2 channels, vocal & instrument. I've got one in pretty good shape I may be willing to sell for less than $300 (mostly use my Quilter these days).
 
Vox VX50GU amp 50W great tone, small size and even nuvalve tech onboard.

Add a Zoom G1X Four pedal unit for effects and you are good to go well within budget.
 
Not sure if it fits your usage, but I have a Roland Micro Cube. :)

I saw one of these the other day at a pawn shop. The size and design looked very appealing for an amatuer(me) who won't be playing for an audience. And I believe it would run on batteries.
Think I might go back and get it, if it is still there.
 
What did you end up getting? I have a NUX Mighty Lite Blue Tooth amp. Battery or AC adapter. 2 channels. A bunch of effects. It can be controlled via smartphone. It's tiny for sure. But, the sound is quite acceptable.
 
I have yet to make a purchase. I’ve been trying to find local stores that carry some of your suggestions, but surprisingly have had some difficulty. No one seems to have any of the Rolands in stock.

The good news is that the venue I thought I needed one for actually has a direct plug in, so I’ve been using that for now. The hunt continues!
 
Yep, battery/mains, & built in effects. :)

I went back and got the Micro Cube. Didn't have an adapter cord, but sounded great on batteries. And I like the chrorus feature.
Talked them down to $32, so should only have about fifty in it after I get a cord.:D
 
I'm happy with my Traynor TVM15. Two channels, one takes just a quarter inch jack and the other accepts quarter inch or XLR. The charge lasts a really long time and it's light enough to carry around for busking. I use an SM58 in the XLR channel.
Traynor Travel Mate.jpg
 
Surprised to see a Giannini Baritone mentioned. I have two of them from when they were made in Brazil. For my power source for everything from my electric bass ukuleles to smaller sizes, I really like my Roland Microcube. Since I have two of them I thought about putting output from one into the other one. I have yet to find out if going to "output" takes the speaker out of service on the first unit.
 
I bought a used Roland AC-60 for $250 7 or 8 years ago, and I love it. Brand new, they're out of your price range, if if you're lucky like me, your can find one second-hand for a reasonable price.

- FiL
 
I see the OP has made their purchase, but for other readers I'll throw in. I own both the Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge (has internal lead acid rechargeable battery) and the Roland AC-33.

I like them both. If I was doing it over again I might have just gone with the Roland because it is adequate for my needs. However, the Fishman is louder, especially going battery powered. The Fishman delivers it's full power using it's very heavy internal battery. However, the Roland's power is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced when going battery. That is according to manufacturer spec and it is a noticeable difference. So if you really need a battery powered amp, make sure you are considering the Roland based on it's reduced power without the AC adapter.

My first amp was the smaller Roland Cube Street. The smaller one with the slanted front, not the larger one. If I was doing it over, instead of buying the Fishman, i would have kept the Street, and picked up an AC-33. Then if I needed more battery-powered volume I could use the Street for reinforcement. I prefer carrying the AC-33 over the Charge. The AC-33 is a little smaller and is much lighter than the Charge (though the Loudbox Mini without the Charge feature puts it back in the weight range with the AC-33). But I usually take the Fishman Charge anyway because of it's superior clean power and volume.

You may have guessed by now that I am not a professional performer, and you would be correct. I lead local uke gatherings, a sort of uke club, in Austin TX. I use the amps mainly to play music that we play along with. They both sound great with amplified recorded music, not distorted nor bass-heavy, just what we called High-Fidelity when I was a young man, before everyone wanted the bass amplified to a ridiculous level. I have tested them with just ukes going through them, with some very nice ukes with pro-quality pickups and I thought they both sounded very good.

I have tried connecting the two for a lower volume from each amp but the same overall ambient sound. However, every way I have tried I get a slight hum or buzz. I have used high quality cables. I assume there is a way to do it without the buzz but I haven't found it yet. I don't know if it is easier to daisy-chain same brand-name amps, or if it is generally not done. I'll try to report back if I find a way that works.
 
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