Amplifiers

Brad - what is modeling?

To put it short: a modeler amp takes the incoming signal from your guitar, samples it (ie: converts it to digital) so that various effects can be applied.
This is generally done so that you can fine tune your tone to resemble how a guitar player sounded on a certain track.

I started with one (electric guitar) because I was intrigued but, honestly, it just sounded wrong.
Tube amps for life.
 
 
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I knew there was a video of that... called it! :D
 
The Roland cube is a great amp but (my opinion) it'll leave you feeling unhappy with the bass. I don't think you'll struggle to get an amp that sounds good with both the uke you already have and a uke bass but you're going to need to really focus on getting a larger speaker and enough watts for the bass, regardless of the tone or other features. It's easy to amplify a high pitched instrument without a lot of power, but bass frequencies really need a lot of air movement.

I would echo the advice above - avoid amps that focus on modeling since most of them are targeted at things you're not looking for (i.e. copying a specific electric guitar tone, making an electric guitar sound acoustic or vice-versa, etc).

There are a lot of good acoustic guitar combos out there, but the ones in your price range almost universally have small speakers and less power, which (not to sound like a broken record here!) is why I'd stick with a bass amp for your two proposed uses. It'll be much easier to find a cheap bass amp that the uke will sound good through, than to find a cheap acoustic guitar amp that the bass will sound good through. And u basses have such an amazing deep thumpy tone, it would be a shame to neuter it by playing through a tiny speaker.

I like the Fender Rumble amps among the cheaper bass combos. One benefit of them is that they sell a billion of them so they're all over the place (makes it easy to try one out locally, and also easy to find one used if you're inclined). Ampeg makes good small combos too, and they're widely available, but they sound "like an Ampeg" - some people love that and some hate it (I'd guess you'll hate it based on your needs - people who want the Ampeg tone generally know that ahead of time). If you're willing to stretch your budget a bit or look for something used, I like the Warwick combos (BC 20 will be maybe $125 used) or the smaller Hartke combos. Hartke bass combos use aluminum speakers which give them a pretty bright tone, should work well for the uke.

As always the best thing to do is get out and play as many amps as you can find...

Thanks for everyone's input. I am now more likely to go with a 10" speaker. thanks dwizum for the lengthy reply - very helpful. Though going out to try amps is, for now, out due to Covid. Has anyone tried the Acoustic (brand) B50C 1X10 50W Bass Combo Amp?
 
I'm quite happy with a Peavey Rage 158. I do not use the "gain" channel (distortion), but it has a good clear tone. With under saddle piezos, set the Low at 2:00, with Mid and High at 9:00. On the instrument EQ, boost the bass just a little, the mid nearly off, and the treble down just enough to eliminate the quack. The amp also has a Modern/Vintage switch which is effective in a good way.

The Rage 158 is easy to find used for under $50.

I also have an Ultrasound AG-30 that I like a lot, but it mostly sits as I just like the Rage for general bangin' around. I also use the Rage for practice with a short-scale Fender Bronco bass, and it works fine.

The Peavey does have a slight 60hz hum that you only hear when you are not playing.

The Ultrasound is dead quiet, and the one I have has an XLR line out (DI) to use for recording or sending to a PA. Used are about $200.

Read: https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76098

Budget: Peavey Rage

More bucks: Ultrasound AG-30 or...?

-Wiggy
 
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Bass amps here work really great for Ukuleles. Not too sure why, but it sounds better than most guitar amps.

The explanation I can think of is that most Bass amp speakers have a wider frequency range than Electric guitar amps (which focus on mid-range).
Hence, a better, fuller sounding ukulele without excessive treble either.
 
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Good morning guys! Well, I recommend you to check some articles on the Internet on this theme as it will definitely help you with this problem. My favorite website is stereodamage because there you can always find some information about Amp For dt 990 and many other useful things as well. I think that it may help you with everything as it's very detailed. It's just my personal opinion but personally I think that Little Bear B4-X Portable - Tube Amplifier For Byerdynamic is the best variant for you
 
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Hello everyone here. Guys, can you please recommend me a good amplifier right now? I need something reliable and cool, so please help me with it here...

I really like my Boss Acoustic Singer amp. It's aimed at singing with playing. Their sister company Roland has a version aimed at the instrument. Both have settings to help the acoustic instrument sound more "acoustic" when amplified.

A friend has a small portable amp he busks with a Yamaha THR5 Mini Acoustic Amp. It puts out very good sound for its size and weight.
 
I use the Phil Jones bass Double 4 amp for larger venues; 75 watts about 7 by 10" weighing around 9 or 19 lbs.
For smaller venues I use the Yamaha ThR5, very small with around 5 wts but does a great job.

I use the computer battery for both. Have played over 5 hours with it and still had plenty of juice. As long as the amp has a plug in port for power, this should work. Sure beats using 6 d batteries that'll last perhaps 90 minutes at most.
 

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Plus 1+ on the Roland Cube...

My 2Cents, If you have $100 to spend, you can't go wrong with a Roland Cube in acoustic mode. Plenty of sound lots of things you can play with. Plus it runs on AC or a ton of AA batteries. Great sounding amp.

It's about 50-60 $$ more than your $100 budget, but it has everything you'll need for the reasons you stated as "why I want!"

One caveat... I've no way to assure it'll work with a UBass (don't have one). Perhaps others will add their experience.

BTW... I use rechargeable batteries and they last for over 20 hours.
 
I really like my Boss Acoustic Singer amp. It's aimed at singing with playing. Their sister company Roland has a version aimed at the instrument. Both have settings to help the acoustic instrument sound more "acoustic" when amplified.

A friend has a small portable amp he busks with a Yamaha THR5 Mini Acoustic Amp. It puts out very good sound for its size and weight.

I think you replied to a Spam post ( one post wonder, asking a question already answered )
 
Yeah, I noticed that they only had one post. That's why I didn't click on the link. But, just in case it was legit, I answered the question. Who knows, other members might be curious.
 
Yeah, I noticed that they only had one post. That's why I didn't click on the link. But, just in case it was legit, I answered the question. Who knows, other members might be curious.

Yeah.. I just mention it cause I got "noted" by the Admins for replying to a spam including a quote. Just hoping to share the wisdom ! No ill-will intended. Ciao
 
My recommendations:
Affordable - Fishman Loudbox Mini
Expensive - Amplified Acoustic Instruments - AER Compact 60
Expensive - All amplified Instruments - Henriksen Bud
(I have a Henriksen Bud 6 that sounds good with everything, including electric guitar and bass and anything with a piezo pickup, active or otherwise, as well as a vocal mic.)
 
I have a fishman Loudbox and if sound is what you want, then it's the one. Substantially cleaner than my friend's Roland. I have a friend who puts her ubass trough a 15W Fender, and that's a waste of time and money. She was shocked how good her bass sounded through the Fishman.
 
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