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YOU ARE HERE • HOME > UKULELE > AMPLIFYING YOUR UKULELE > PICKUPS AND PREAMPS > INDEX
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Amplifiers
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Amplifying Ukuleles & Guitars - Pickups & Preamp Systems
I use a L. R. Baggs Para Acoustic Preamp and a L R. Baggs Element with my Ko'olau CS Contemporary Tenor.
A few manufactures have pickups installed on their productions models. Most custom builder's have a preference for the system to use on their ukulele but can install whatever system you would like.
The preamp & pickup system on my Ko'olau is passive, I use a L. R. Baggs Para Acoustic Preamp.
For an amplifier I use a custom Reazer's Edge cabinet and Acoustic Image Clarus amplifier head.
Roland Micro Seres of Battery powered amps are a great choice for portable amplification.. I have a Micro Cube which is really great for small settings. Gerald Ross uses a selection of the Roland Micro Series of amps as a main part of of performance setup.
Here is a great thread and review on UkuleleUnderground on portable amps for busking and performing with ukulele.
Contents
- B-Band Ltd.
- Dean Markley
- Duncan Turner Acoustic Research
- Fishman Transducers
- K Sound Systems, Inc.
- L. R. Baggs
- Mi-Si Design Electronics, INC.
- Pick-up the World
- Schatten Design
- Shadow Electronics
- Tech 21
My Personal Recommendations
- L. R. Baggs
The L. R. Baggs Element is great for the ukulele and acoustic guitars. I have this installed in my Ko'olau CS Tenor and use it in conjuction with the Para Acoustic DI from L. R. Baggs
- Mi-Si Design Electronics, INC.
A revolutionary battery free active system
Active vs. Passive System
ACTIVE pickups have a circuit that needs battery power. Passive pickups need no additional power.
PASSIVE pickups send a low power, week signal and sound very bright. Passive systems need an external preamp. Active pickups have this preamp built into the circuit. At a minimum an active systems will have a volume and maybe tone or EQ controls. Passive systems might have a volume and tone control on the instrument but typically do not.
A passive approach gives you the flexability of using a wide variety of external options for a preamp. The tone controls on your amp, P.A. and any outboard gear will typically perform better then the onboard preamp. Plus, as better solutions become available you are not locking into the onboard preamp.
An external preamp converts a “passive” system to an “active” system and greatly enhances tone and volume.
A Soundboard Transducer is a pickup that sticks to the top of the instrument using tape or suction cups. Either on the inside or the outside of the instrument.
An Under Saddle Transducer (UST) pickup is placed under the saddle in the bridge slot between the saddle and the bridge. It is a thin ribbon like element that picks up the string vibrations. A small wire connects the pickup to the end pin jack. This can be used with an active or passive system.
B-Band Ltd
Konttisentie 8 B
FI-40800 VAAJAKOSKI
FINLAND
B-Band, Inc:
Phone: (512) 266-3820
Fax: (512) 266-7203
B-Band Ltd:
Phone: +358-14-332-9050
Fax: +358-14-332-9001
B-Band GmbH:
Phone: +49-(0)89-990-176-41
Fax: +49-(0)89-990-176-42
USA
B-Band, Inc.
10909 Vanowen Street, Suite 300
N. Hollywood, CA 91605 USA
Phone (main): (818) 508-9412
Phone (sales): (818) 508-6685
Fax: (818) 508-9413
Email: sales@b-bandusa.com
Links
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - B-Band is original. When outdated piezo crystal technologies have been mutated in countless ways, and extra hardware expanded to make the acoustic instrument to sound "more real", B-Band Ltd has concentrated its efforts in a different direction. B-Band Ltd has developed an unique and innovative transducer material, and manufacturing technology that produces a pickup that more efficiently replicates the natural sound of any instrument.
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Duncan Turner Acoustic Research
5427 Hollister Ave
Santa Barbara CA 93111-2345
tel 805.964.9610 fax 805.964.9749
Links
Harmony-Central user reviews: D-TAR
Info
(from their site) -
D-TAR (de-tar): 1: n The logical union of the world's leading pickup builder and the world's foremost authority on acoustic instrument amplification. 2: n The new company whose motto is: "with respect to acoustic tone"
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Links
- www.fishman.com
- www.fishmanaura.com
Fishman Aura - Fishman Aura Acoustic Blender Aura isn’t a pickup, yet it picks up where pickups leave off. Aura is not a microphone, yet it makes you sound like you’re playing into a great mic in a great room. And Aura is not modeling. It is Acoustic Sound Imaging™—a quantum leap for acoustic amplification—and only Fishman has it.
- SoloAmp
Designed for the singer/songwriter, SoloAmp provides exceptional sound quality and coverage in a wide variety of venues. 220Watts of clean, lightweight power drives a line array of six custom high-excursion speakers and a soft dome tweeter. This unique combination delivers incredibly full sound, ultra-wide dispersion, and deeper sonic penetration than the common speaker cabinet. Better yet, the enhanced bass response of the custom-designed speakers means there's no need for a subwoofer!
Info
( from listing's site ) - For over 25 years, the Fishman name has been synonymous with technical innovation in acoustic amplification. Fishman pickups and preamps, toneshaping products and amplifiers are the essential tools acoustic musicians, performers and sound technicians rely on to accurately amplify the natural tones of acoustic instruments.
Shoreline Music has a great selection of the top brands of pickup, preamps, cables and loads of great information for making an informed decision.
Visit their site: Shoreline Music
Designed specifically for the size, shape and sound of the ukulele. FishmanÕs Kula Ukulele Onboard Preamp System offers an industry leading feature set including 3 bands of EQ and a built-in digital chromatic tuner. top
L. R. Baggs
483 N. Frontage Rd.
Nipomo, California 93444
Phone (805) 929-3545
Fax (805) 929-2043
↑ Listing's Web Site Thumbnail Image
Links
Shoreline Music has a great
selection of the top brands of pickup and preamps and loads of great information for
making an informed decision.
Visit their site: Shoreline Music
NEW - The L.R. Baggs FIVE.O ukulele system is small, light-weight, and best of all, specifically tuned to track the uke’s natural dynamics and its unmistakably unique voice.
Info
We started this in a loft in downtown Los Angeles, California, with a hope and a dream, and no business sense whatsoever. The first L.R. Baggs product was our LB6 Series Pickup. We would like to thank Leo Kottke for his early support. Stores would call us and say, "Leo Kottke said he was using your pickup." We could literally track his touring route as the stores would order in his wake. Early endorsers were Steven Sheehan of the Judds, James Taylor and Kathy Mattea. These endorsers gave us the encouragement and support that sustained us when we had more enthusiasm than business sense. They spread the word and gradually our business grew.
We've come a long way from those old "mom-and-pop days." Every year we have designed new and exciting products. We have endeavored to use our God given talents to offer the cutting edge in guitar amplification. We hope that we have created products that will encourage, motivate and inspire you, our customer. We would like to take this opportunity to say, "Thank You." We hope that we have been able to enhance your musical talents in some way and we very much appreciate all of you who have chosen L.R. Baggs.
The Para Acoustic D.I.
is a studio-quality direct box,
featuring a five-band equalizer with tunable notch and midrange controls,
adjustable gain and phase inversion. Our proprietary Quasi-Passive EQ
circuitry is totally transparent and allows control over voicing without
sacrificing tone -- a big advance over conventional equalizers. In short, the
Para D.I. Is engineered to bring out the best in any pickup. top
Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc.
178 Crescent Road
Needham, MA 02494
office / fax: 617.795.2146
cell: 617.943.0414
fax: 617.795.2146
Links
Battery-Free Technology for Acoustic Amplification
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc. (pronounced “My-Sigh”) was founded in April 2004 by an experienced team of engineers with a passion and a drive to make music technology better - for both artists and music lovers. Although new to the marketplace, Mi-Si’s engineers bring an arsenal of expertise and more than 25 years experience in the amplification field, developing exciting and revolutionary electronics specifically designed for acoustic amplification.
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Links
Harmony-Central user reviews: Pickup_The_World
Shoreline Music has a great selection of the top brands of pickup and preamps and loads of great information for making an informed decision.
Visit their site: Shoreline Music
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Links
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - Tech 21 was formed by a guitarist possessing the unusual combination of a trained ear and electronics expertise. In 1989, B. Andrew Barta incorporated Tech 21 and made his unique invention commercially available to players and studios around the world. His highly-acclaimed SansAmpTM pioneered Tube Amplifier Emulation in professional applications for recording direct and performing live, and created an entirely new category of signal processing.While there have since been many entries into this niche, SansAmp continues to maintain its reputation as the industry standard.
This floor version of our RPM rackmount provides the same detailed tone shaping possibilities for any signal source. It is particularly useful with acoustic, electric and bass guitars, and upright bass, either direct to a mixing console or with an instrument amplifier. The Para Driver DI gives your instrument a natural warmth and presence, as if miking it through a tube pre-amp. The SansAmp circuitry eliminates the harsh, unnatural harmonics of piezo pickups, while the Drive control offers some tasteful edge -- just a little or over-the-top. top
Hard Copy Book: $14.95
PDF Download: $4.95
A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I
Volume I of The Advanced Guide to Chord Progressions for Ukulele features the principles of voice leading applied to chord progressions. These principles are explained using chords from volume I of The Advanced Guide to Ukulele Chords. Chapters with common major and minor full diatonic, partial diatonic and chromatic chord progressions are also included to further explore voice leading.
Before individual chords become the background of songs, they must be put into orders called chord progressions. This book organizes progressions according to string family, position, voice leading and chord magnetism. The Advanced Guitar to Chord Progressions for Ukulele is an excellent preparation for the art of melody and chord on ukulele.
If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Series is your answer.
Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords. The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Series provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
Thanks for visiting and checking out the site!
Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Thanks, Curt
INDEX.PHP | Updated: Wednesday, 21st March, 2012 @ 11:09pm