Best Ukulele Amplifiers

best ukulele amplifiers
ukulele amplifiers

 

Ukulele amplifiers 

Most of the best ukulele amplifiers are actually guitar amps as the ukulele’s pitch range is within that of a guitar’s. Therefore,  amplifiers designed for an electric guitar will work very well with all ukulele sizes and types.

Why do you need a ukulele amp? Ukuleles are traditionally acoustic instruments. Playing at home or with your friends, you will usually find that the acoustic sound it generates is enough. If not, you will need to purchase an amplifier.

In order to transmit the sound to the amplifier, the ukulele must have a pickup installed. Some acoustic ukuleles have a pickup installed which will allow you to use it as either acoustic or electric, while other ukuleles are purely for electric use.

 

What should I look for in a ukulele amplifier?

If you want to play your ukulele anywhere, a battery-powered guitar amp is probably just what you are looking for.  You could take your battery-powered amp on holiday with you or to the office or to a party. The possibilities are really endless when you aren’t relying on mains power.

If you can’t commit hours of your time to track down the right acoustic electric ukulele guitar amp, we listed below some of the most popular amps for your convenience. This list of the best ukulele amplifiers should help you decide which one is right for you.

From tiny amps that can fit in a backpack to ukulele amplifiers that you can gig with, there’s a huge selection out there. All of the amps below also feature a 1/8″ inch aux input, so you can plug in a phone, laptop, or mp3 player and jam along to your favorite tracks, and a headphone jack for when you want to practice quietly. Here’s our guide to the best ukulele amplifiers on the market today!

Top 7 Best Ukulele Amplifiers 

1.  Roland Micro Cube GX Portable


The Roland Micro Cube GX  is a great little practice amplifier and it is very popular with buskers, thanks to its durability. It only has 3 watts of power but it is surprisingly loud. With 8 on board DSP effects such as chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo and separate Delay/Reverb plus amp modelling and up to 25 hours of playing time on 6 AA batteries, you can see the appeal. This amp runs on AC power (adaptor supplied) as well.  3WUltra-compact portable DSP guitar amp has a 5-inch speaker and includes CUBE LINK jack that provides simple audio interfacing with Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (interface cable included)8 COSM guitar amp models including JC-120 and a special mic preamp model. Built-in chromatic tuner Recording/Headphone output and stereo Auxiliary input for CD players, etc. Roland Micro Cube GX is one of the best ukulele amplifiers available today.

Pros

  • Solid-construction
  • Built-in effects
  • Portable
  • Simple to use
  • Clean sound

Cons

  • Can’t connect guitar and microphone simultaneously
  • Tuner is a bit difficult to use

Summary

Micro Cube GX is a little combo that certainly delivers when it comes to both sound and value. The GX is also being great for home recording and for band practice sessions. If you need a versatile battery amp with a small form factor and plenty of features, the Roland Micro Cube GX is the ukulele amplifier you need.

2.  Blackstar FLY3 3 Watt Battery Powered Guitar Amp


Blackstar FLY 3 has a lot to offer despite the fact that it has only 3 watts of power capacity and a single 3” speaker. It combines the legendary sounds of the brand and delivers a spectacular performance. You can supply this amp with an AC adaptor and you can power it with 6 AA batteries as well. FLY 3 is equipped with Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) circuitry, which provides an ultimate level of tone-shaping capabilities. FLY 3 can be utilized as a speaker for your MP3 or phone. You can simply plug external sources in MP3/Line In jack. With the speaker-emulated output, you have the option to connect this amp directly to the recording interface or practice with your headphones.

Pros

  • Solid build
  • Great overall sound
  • One of the best amps for the price
  • A lot of versatility due to ISF feature

Cons

  • The package does not include the power adaptor

Summary

Blackstar FLY 3 delivers great sound that will be hard to compete with.  If you are looking for a portable and reliable device that has everything one could ask for, then you should definitely try this one out!

3.  Fender Mini ’65 Twin Amp


From the black control plate and miniature knobs to the silver grille cloth, the Fender Mini ’65 Twin Amp replicates the classic look of the full-size Twin amp. Plug in and tap into Fender tone at a fraction of the size, wherever your next destination may be. Despite the fact that this is a guitar amp, Fender mini63 Twin amp is a pretty good amplifier for the ukulele as well.

• 1 Watt single channel amplifier
• Two 3″ speakers
• Gain, volume and tone controls
• 9V battery or DC-powered
• Headphones out

 

Pros

  • Solid build
  • Clean sound
  • Great amp for the price
  • two speakers and a kick-back stand

Cons

  • a little “tinny” sound but still pretty musical for its size

Summary

Fender Mini ’65 Twin Amp delivers Fender tone and looks in an ultra-portable package.

4. Orange Crush Mini 3-Watt Micro Amp – Orange


The Orange Crush Mini is the ultimate portable solution. This mighty 3-watt amp is powered by a standard 9-volt pedal power supply or 9-volt battery. So whether you’re working late, warming up backstage, or jamming at home, Simple Gain (drive), Shape (EQ), and Volume controls grow the familiar Yorkshire jangle to a raucous ruckus in seconds. And the iconic orange vinyl and woven grille are sure to warm the hearts of Orange lovers everywhere. An onboard tuner, 1/8″ music input, and headphone output also makes the Crush Mini a formidable practice tool as well.

  • 9V Battery-powered Guitar Combo Amplifier with 1/8″ Aux Input
  • 8-ohm Speaker Output – Orange
  • 1/8″ Headphone Output
  • Solid-state
  • 1-channel

Pros

  • Versatile, simple controls
  • In-built tuner
  • Cool design and clean sound
  • Speaker output & aux in

Cons

  • sound a little “tinny” when the volume is up high

Summary

Whether warming up backstage on the road or in your bedroom, the Crush Mini is always the perfect companion.

5.  NUX Mighty Lite BT


NUX Mighty Lite BT Mini Portable Modeling Guitar Amplifier with Bluetooth is a new standard for mini-class amplifiers. It’s a lightweight and small all-in-one portable guitar amplifier that you can use in any room at your home. You can power it with a battery or via a USB connection. It features 3 channels, built-in digital reverb, and delay, NUX user-friendly interface design. It also offers an Auxiliary line-in and Bluetooth connection for jamming along to your own music. You can improve your jamming skills along with built-in drums and a metronome as well.

Pros

  • Bluetooth App for selecting from 4 different delay and reverb types
  • Drum Machine
  • Decent reverb and delay
  • Sounds pretty solid
  • Bluetooth speaker functionality

Cons

  • It lacks much volume, and the tiny speaker can cause a boxy sound

Summary

With its Bluetooth connectivity and companion app, the NUX Mighty Lite BT  stands out among the mini amps and certainly delivers more than we’d expect.

6.  Kala AMP-TWD-5U Mini tweed 5W Amplifier


The Kala Tweed ukulele amplifier is specifically designed for ukuleles. Kala is a well-known brand for making high-quality ukuleles, and this ukulele amp follows this trend. The Kala Tweed amplifier is portable but still puts out a great sound. At 5 pounds including the two 9-volt batteries, it’s fairly light compared to other amps and would easily fit in a backpack.

With 5 watts of power, It’s great for adding volume in a jam, or if your uke is just not loud enough. The tone itself is quite nice, and generally faithful to the original acoustic sound of the uke. There’s a bit of distortion if you crank the volume up and keep the gain down, but not too much even at the highest volume. It has a single treble tone control.

Pros

  • Portable
  • Puts out a great sound

Cons

  • Slight distortion at high volume
  • Not too loud


7.  DANELECTRO DH-1

ukulele amplifier


Danelectro‘s DH-1 Hodad is a 9V battery-powered mini combo amp for guitar packing classic ’60s tone that’s small enough to fit in your accessory bag or suitcase.  It is ideal for practicing on the go, warming up before your gig, or jamming at your party. This mini amplifier has twin speakers, a cool echo effect, and vintage tremolo with adjustable speed for surprising power and tone you’ll love-and the cool ’60s styling makes for a great retro look.

This little monster includes a pair of 2″ speakers and is equipped with a variety of features such as adjustable Volume, Gain, and Tone controls, as well as built-in echo, and a vintage tremolo effect with adjustable speed. Both effects are activated by push-button switches.

For late-night practice, insert your headphones into the headphone jack and strum. Whenever you need to save your battery power,  plug in an optional AC power adaptor, such as the DA-1 (sold separately).

Pros

  • Simple controls
  • Onboard Echo effect
  • Cool retro-style design and clean sound
  • Clean sound

Cons

  • The power supply is available separately

Summary

While the volume isn’t as loud as the Danelectro Honey Tone, the tremolo and echo effects make the Hodad the perfect amp for anyone looking to capture the sound of the fifties and sixties.

 

WHAT UKULELE ACCESSORIES DO I NEED?

RATE THIS ARTICLE
Sending
User Review
4.93 (14 votes)

Pin It on Pinterest