Looking for an electric and/or electro-acoustic uke: help!

Hi there,
as stated in the topic title, I need help.
I want to buy my first 'serious' ukulele.
I am a newbie to the ukulele world, so I am no expert as regards specs and such and that is why I need your help
So, I have been playing, since October, a pineapple soprano, that costed me 17€; it does its job and I will never cease to be amazed by the fact that it actually sounds pretty ok. I also sometimes play a borrowed Cordoba Protege U1, concert size, not particularly fond of it tbh.

I am not planning to have solo gigs or such. I play in a guitar group, and it sometimes might be cool to amplify my uke, for some songs in particular, or for solos. The electric uke headphone jack is because I would like o to be able to practice also in the middle of the night.

After the way-too-long premise, here are my thoughts on my future purchase(s), there are two options:

1) solid-body electric uke. Soprano or concert. I would like a uke that looks like rock and roll, and that has a headphone jack.
Candidates: Harley Benton ElUke-50C NT (111€- Thomann), Rocktile silent ukulele (87,41€ - Amazon), Stagg Lp style eluke (160€-Amazon), Harley Benton Dc ukulele CH (50€ Thomann, no headphone jack)

2) electro-acoustic ukulele, I was mainly considering concerts or even better tenors (I have long fingers.) Candidates: Kala jazz archtop (tried it for a couple of minutes and seemed cool,) Fender T bucket, was also checking some Lunas...

These are only a few options, any suggestion would be lovely and extremely welcome. Even telling me that the ukes listed on this message suck would be helpful xD Just bear in mind that I live in Europe, so lots of cool US shops and brands are somehow unavailable here. Money-wise, at the moment I would draw a line at 350€ (which already seems almost too much for my current budget)

Honestly the ones that I like the most, as of now, are the Stagg Lp and the Kala jazz archtop (as far as the latter is concerned, what's the difference in the various models, a part from the colour?)

I will spend a week in London at the end of May, if anybody knows some cool shops there gimme a shout please.

Thanks in advance to anyone who will decide to give a piece of advice to a newly acquired ukulele enthusiast

I'd suggest looking at a Kala or Ohana electro acoustic.

The Southern Ukulele Store is good for purchasing from, I've bought several from them, (they do a good set up as standard)
http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/

Another online store in the U.K. is Omega Music, again I've bought from them, & they've been good.
http://www.omegamusic.co.uk/collections/ukuleles


There is a place called Dukes of Uke in London.
https://www.dukeofuke.co.uk/
(They seem a bit expensive though.)

Edit: You can buy a mini amp for plugging headphones in, & can quieten a uke by weaving a bit of cardboard between the strings by the bridge, for night time practice.

http://worldofukes.co.uk is a new vendor who also includes free setups and free EU shipping via courier. I bought my newest uke from there and couldn't be happier. SUS that Keith mentioned above is great also, I bought from them too in the past. Both wil answer emails and questions.

I wouldn't buy from Thomann unless you can setup/fix issues with new ukes. They have great prices, but they are just a retailer and don't look at what they ship out. I feel that a proper setup is as important as the uke itself, so choosing where to buy it is as important as the model.

I have no experience with any of the ukes you listed, but do recall reading that the archtop was rather quiet acoustically. That may not matter or even be welcome.

Mivo said:

http://worldofukes.co.uk is a new vendor who also includes free setups and free EU shipping via courier. I bought my newest uke from there and couldn't be happier. SUS that Keith mentioned above is great also, I bought from them too in the past. Both wil answer emails and questions.

I wouldn't buy from Thomann unless you can setup/fix issues with new ukes. They have great prices, but they are just a retailer and don't look at what they ship out. I feel that a proper setup is as important as the uke itself, so choosing where to buy it is as important as the model.

I have no experience with any of the ukes you listed, but do recall reading that the archtop was rather quiet acoustically. That may not matter or even be welcome.

Click to expand...

Godin's MultiUke might interest you. I'd contact these folks where to see/buy one
in London:

Godin Direct UK
440 Distribution
Tel: 01132 589599
Email: info@440distribution.com
Web: www.440distribution.com

-- Gary