What amp for uke / folk group

Zonular · July 19

Hey all
Looking for suggestions for a amp to play bass for a folk group, at the moment we have 15 members but it's growing.

I saw a Roland d bass 210 locally for 100 quid, but I figure the 400 watts are overkill? Admittedly I'm looking to keep it as cheap as possible (arnt we all

fretmeister · July 19

No such thing as overkill on a solid state amp - they have good volume controls.

Those Rolands sound great, they are just a bit heavy compared to modern things.

But it's £100! If it's all working, get it anyway. That's a bargain.

Zonular · July 19

Even better 100 euro ☺️

fretmeister · July 19

Superb! If it's all working that's ace.

If you decide against it, please let me know where it is as I might have it.

Zonular · July 19

Obviously the thread after this, is what bass? Do u buy a uke bass? Or a abg, my only bass is a atk

fretmeister · July 19

I've owned a Uke bass before and it was ok, but they are very quiet unless plugged in, so they are really for amplified use only when playing with other people.

Nothing wrong with an Ibanez ATK!

As for ABG - I've never owned one but I did really like the old Washburn models. They sounded excellent and played really well.

Zonular · July 19

Grand I think this investment is going to be deffo cheap as chips

Funkfingers · July 20

Zonular said:
I figure the 400 watts are overkill?

Not at all.

400w RMS provides plenty of headroom, allowing you to keep your sound clean (unless you want dirt). The dedicated Piezo input, compressor and Super Flat mode should suit bass uke.

The one thing that you might want to add in the long term is the matching 1x15" extension loudspeaker cabinet.

Zonular · July 20

Ack! Sellers gone unresponsive...

Any other suggestions guys?
Hows the likes of the Warwick gnome / trace Elliot elf? I like the idea of ease of transport.

Any combos to be had on the cheap?

ICBM · July 20

Avoid those Rolands - effectively unrepairable if they go wrong due to an incredibly stupid, shortsighted manufacturing decision.

If you don’t mind heavy, look for an old Trace Elliot BLX - even the 80W model has incredible projection in an acoustic context, it really fills a space. It’s not a ‘rock’ amp though.

Zonular · July 20

Funny, saw a blx80 doing the rounds too? Any guide on the price? How much is too much for a blx 80

I'm interested to hear what not a "rock" amp is? Any references for the tone?

Zonular · July 20

The other option nearby is a Laney RBW200 or a Peavey tnt 130.

Both under the 150 mark

ICBM · July 20

Zonular said:

Funny, saw a blx80 doing the rounds too? Any guide on the price? How much is too much for a blx 80

I'm interested to hear what not a "rock" amp is? Any references for the tone?

Probably over £200 is too much, even if in good condition, or over £250 for a BLX130.

The sound is quite unusual - it’s deep, clean and fills a space almost unidirectionally - ideal for jazz, acoustic music etc. It doesn't punch directly out in front of the amp and sounds too ‘polite’ for rock, if that makes sense. It’s done with acoustic porting with a complex cabinet construction a bit like a subwoofer, made from heavy MDF so it weighs a ton for something that size.

Zonular said:

The other option nearby is a Laney RBW200 or a Peavey tnt 130.

Both under the 150 mark

The Laney isn’t bad, but doesn’t have the quality of the Trace, either sound or build. The Peavey TNT is a fantastic, punchy and aggressive rock amp, but it’s also huge, awkward (just a single top handle, unless others have been fitted) and weighs as much as a medium-sized house… I would not recommend one if you have to move it, much as I love the sound and the bombproof build quality.

Zonular · July 20

Moving is the hard part! In and out of a local pub for a uke night.

ICBM · July 20

Zonular said:

Moving is the hard part! In and out of a local pub for a uke night.

Definitely don’t get the Peavey then - it’s hard to understate how much of a pain they are to shift… tall, bulky and very heavy, with just a single handle that’s too high up and too far away from you unless you’re a giant. I also do think it’s too aggressive-sounding for the job - perfect for me, but I play in a garage-punk band

- and even I wouldn’t use one unless it’s already where I’ll be playing.

The Trace is at least fairly small, although still not light, and the right type of sound. The Laney would be a good second choice - the tilt-back cabinet does make it slightly awkward to carry, but it’s not that bad.

ICBM · July 21

I should also probably mention - although you're very unlikely to come across one unfortunately, but if you do it may be cheap because they're not a very 'recognised bass amp' brand - I have an Ibanez Promethean combo, which is a 500W 1x10"... really! (Although only 250W into the internal speaker.) I've fitted mine with an upgraded neodymium speaker, and it weighs less than 30lb even in its little nylon gig bag/shoulder-carry case - but it's loud enough to keep up with a drummer. This is the first version, there's a later one which I think is 300W and not quite as good, but still ideal for what you need it for.

There are other very small, light and powerful modern amps too, but they tend to be more expensive because everyone wants a tiny amp that weighs nothing and can keep up with a band!

Zonular · July 21

Good shout, I'll keep an eye out although I won't hold my breath

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What amp for uke / folk group

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