Henriksen Bud amps for sonic excellence

Ever since I started collecting ukuleles I have explored finding the very best acoustic amplification and settled now on Henriksen Bud amps. I originally got the heads up from Gerald Ross in the USA on the Henriksen bud and these are now my go-to amps for all acoustic work. They also sound great with my Collings I35 and for the first time I’m having to review my belief that tube based amps are always the way to go!

I have tried and used all manner of acoustic amps including Marshalls, Acus, Schertler, Fender, and AER among others. The Schertlers are my second choice as they are neutral sounding, but they are extremely heavy and don’t sound as good as the Henriksen Buds. The problem with many acoustic amps is that they colour the sound and even a 2000 quid top flight AER still to my ears is “ok” but not as good as the Bud. 

 

Peter Henriksen is well known for creating great jazz amps and with the Henriksen Bun he has managed to combine an amp that’s 120 watts, terrific sonic output which is also extremely light. This two-channel amp perfectly amplifies the natural sound of the instrument. The single channel Henriksen Blu is even lighter than the Henriksen Bud and is perfect for artists who travel a lot as it can literally be taken as hand luggage. As soon as I plugged into one of these units I was amazed at how much better these units are from everything else and have never looked back. 

I have three Henriksen extension cabs including the new Henriksen Ray cab. The Henriksen Ray is a terrific addition to the collection. This cab creates a much bigger sound and works brilliantly with either the Bud or the Blu. I appreciate that I may be heading into Billy Gibbons territory, but it’s a total joy to play through these units. I’ll be taking the Ray out for the first time this week when we do our debut as “The Caravan of Dreams” at one of the low key gigs ahead of a full album launch May 2019. 

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