Category: Playing in a band

In recent times I have turned my attention to the issue of how best to amplify acoustic instruments and ukuleles in particular. I have an extensive background in amplifying electric guitars and a really excellent collection of rack equipment and combos that would be the envy of most recording studios, but little awareness of acoustic amplification! With electric guitar amplification I have found that great tubes, preamps and speakers are the key to a great sound.

In past times I picked up an Alpha AER amp and still have an old Marshall acoustic amp. Both of these do a decent enough job but I am always on the hunt for the best possible sound and often this means investing in higher end gear. Such investments usually mean a higher ticket price but experience has taught me that not only do you get a better sound, but you also equipment tends to last much longer as well. It’s also useful to find amps that have a lot of headroom, so they can be used in a variety of live situations. Unfortunately often the more powerful the amp, the heavier it tends to be, but that’s literally the price you pay. In past times I blogged about the excellent Schertler Unico amps and I just purchased a Schertler Yellow single preamp for recording and live use. As with all Schertler products this is made to the highest specification and to date I am once again really impressed with what I am hearing. The preamp can be used as a direct recording device for studio work as well as a front end pre amp for the AER combo. The AER Alpha amp is a perfectly respectable workman like unit for playing. However by using the Schertler pre amp in the front end the sound is massively improved and the EQ options are greatly increased. It’s clear that Schertler focus on using quality components and everyone who has heard the Unico amps comments on how great they sound.