Amplifier 101

[scarver]

I recently bought my first ukulele with a pickup installed and have questions about getting an amplifier. So, for purposes of this thread, assume I know nothing about amps and you're probably right.

- What should I be looking for in an amp?

- Is it possible to get an amp for an acoustic instrument that will do the same kinds of effects as a Soundwave? Is that a desirable thing?

- What kind of budget should I have for an amp?

- Best places to buy? And should I look used?

- Best budget amp recommendations. And will this be too loud that my wife will kick me out of the house?

Thanks for any advice you may have.

 

[xommen]

Any amp for acoustic guitar should be fine (assuming you did not buy a steel string uke). Low budget, the Joyo MA-10 is fine for use at home (no effects though). Ibanez, Roland and Fishman all make fine acoustic amps. Any good guitar store should at least have Ibanez and Rolands in my opinion. There is a volume button for a reason, they should be able to go soft as well ;-).

 

[Wiggy]

This has been suggested in the recent past: take your instrument to a Guitar Center (or any guitar store) and try out several amps.

There are also Boss and Fender acoustic guitar amps.

(And yes, you will have to negotiate when you want to crank it up. You know you will, because you can

 

[KohanMike]

Most amps have a headphone jack so no problem with other people around. There are too many amp choices at many price points, from $50 to $500, to say any one is better than another is impossible to determine. As Wiggy says, take your uke to a store or two that carries a variety of amps.

It ultimately depends on how you're going to play your uke; will it be with other people that have louder instruments, like guitars or drums, or busking by yourself out and about. I'm always fully portable, so I have battery capable amps, or use a power bank.

 

[merlin666]

There is a big variety of amps. The most important question is size, and usually a bigger amp (ie more watts) will cost more. So it will help if you know how many people you will play for and how big the typical venue is. If it will be less than 100 people then probably a small amp of about 30w may do the job.

 

[mjh42]

Don't forget the Yamaha amps for home and practice....they seem nice as well. An online vendor like Sweetwater will have dozens of amps you can read about and listen to. Can be a bit overwhelming at times. Then if you can find a local store to go out and try a few.

I've played through 5w, 15w, 60w, & 100w amps. They are all a little different. I've settled on a 60w Fishman Loudbox mini for acoustic playing. Primarily for home use.

 

[Kenn2018]

First of all, do you have an active or a passive pickup in your ukulele?
If it's active, that is, it has a battery, you won't need a preamp. You may or may not have a volume control, and/or a bass/treble or equalizer.
If it's passive, your amp will need a built in preamp, or you will need an external preamp or DI box. A passive pickup gives out a very low powered signal when plugged in. Which is great for avoiding feedback with a mic. But can be a problem if you want to plug into a PA system. Like at a church or club or gig venue. Many amps have built in preamps. So if you have a passive pickup, that's a good thing.

Power. How much power do you need? Well, where will you be playing with it? Just at home or with a few friends, you don't need much. 15 watts can do nicely. If you think you're going to need to fill a large room at a venue, 50-100 may be needed. The more power, the more money the amp costs. And usually, the bigger and heavier the amp is due to bigger speakers in the box.

If the pickup is for an acoustic ukulele, you will most likely want an acoustic amp. These more closely replicate the sound of an acoustic instrument as opposed to an amp for electric guitars.

Will you be using a microphone as well as an instrument? Then you need an amp that has an XLR mic jack. (With switchable phantom power for condenser mics.) Plus a 1/4" jack for your uke's pickup.

Special effects
There are lots of amps available; some with effects some without. You can always add boxes (foot switches) with effects at a later date.

My amp is a Boss Acoustic Singer. It has effects for vocals that are applied to the microphone signal. Plus it has separate instrument effects that work through the jack receiving the instrument's signal.

Two of the most common effects are reverb & delay/echo. At a minimum the amp should have Bass, Mid & Treble controls in addition to the volume.

I have always been warned away from buying used amps. Mostly because the electronics and the wiring/solder points can go bad. Plus the speaker cones can start to go bad. All of which is difficult to hear or find with a quick test. Get a guarantee or find out the return policy before you buy one.

Get some good quality cords. Cheap cords can fail quickly or leak signal or just don't have enough wire in them to provide a clear signal. The more copper or aluminum wire in it the more expensive it will be. Ditto shielding. TUS did a podcast about high end amps and cables a couple of years ago.

If I remember right, anything over 25 feet will need a DI to boost the signal.
You can also look at wireless transmitters that you attach to your instrument & the amp. I don't know much about those.

This is a starter answer to help point you towards what you want. Enjoy your search.