External pickup

Martynas

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
174
Reaction score
0
Anyone has External pickup? if yes whats the quality of sound? doesnt it get worse after month or two? which one would you recommend?
 
Just throw a K&K twinspot or Misi in her. My suggestion anyway. I haven't had much luck with externals. Do you plan on gigging with the uke? If so, a pickup is very useful. If not...I would ask why you need a pickup.
 
Yep for uke. Those normal pickups cost a lot so i thought maybe these will be ok
 
Yep for uke. Those normal pickups cost a lot so i thought maybe these will be ok

I know it is for your uke :). Do you plan to perform with it? If so, those cheap stick-ons won't serve you as well, or sound as good as a KK or Misi. If you're wanting it just so you can amplify for your own enjoyment, you may be disappointed in the sound of ANY pickup, as compared to the sound your uke is capable of make all on its own...especially the sweet uke you just purchased. Good luck with your decision!
 
I buy my preamp/pickups directly from China for $15-30 and install them myself. Nine out of ten have been good, one went bad almost immediately and I got a refund.
 
I buy my preamp/pickups directly from China for $15-30 and install them myself. Nine out of ten have been good, one went bad almost immediately and I got a refund.

its hard to install them? do i need special tools? or i just need to know wide of holes i need to drill? are normal drill heads ok for this job?
 
I believe you have just bought a good quality uke, so I would suggest not trying to put in a pick up, (unless you are willing to pay to have it done).

In theory, it is easy, but may not be in practice, & I wouldn't want to risk damaging a quality uke.

Some of the cheap clip on mics may serve you well enough for what you want. I do have a couple of £5 clip ons that work, but they also amplify my hand movements, so you would have to consider that. Otherwise, you could use a microphone close in the the uke, & amplify that way.
 
im not going to do that on my Kanilea! first ill try to do that on my makala 40 dollars uke and if everything is ok i will reinstall that pickup to my Kanilea or other concert size uke
 
If you want something that is high quality AND cheap, get an Artec undersaddle pickup:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Piezo-Pickup-ARTEC-PP404U-for-Ukulele-PREMIUM-QUALITY-/331610291574

I know for a fact that a certain reputable high-end ukulele company charges $99 for these same units, but I won't mention who they are ;)

With this, you will also need an endpin jack like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-SOLDER-STRAP-PIN-ENDPIN-JACK-FOR-GUITAR-chrome-/190644509857?



I have successfully installed this pickup, as I posted here
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?104467-DIY-First-Time-Undersaddle-pickup-project


However, my advice is... don't do this on an expensive ukulele like a Kanilea.
If I was to install this pickup on an expensive uke, I would order the parts and take it to the guitar luthier to install it for me.
He may charge a bit for the installation, but at least the parts are cheap.

Also, if you want a better quality sound, get the luthier to SOLDER the undersaddle to the endpin jack.
The no-solder plug-in option is susceptible to hum.




The BEST option is to get the store selling you the Kanilea to install it for you. If you're going to spend that much money on an ukulele, why ruin it by being cheap with the pickup? You will most definitely ruin your ukulele if you try to install it yourself. Luthiers are trained and have done this sort of thing for years.
 
Last edited:
If you want something that is high quality AND cheap, get an Artec undersaddle pickup:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Piezo-Pickup-ARTEC-PP404U-for-Ukulele-PREMIUM-QUALITY-/331610291574

I know for a fact that a certain reputable high-end ukulele company charges $99 for these same units, but I won't mention who they are ;)

With this, you will also need an endpin jack like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-SOLDER-STRAP-PIN-ENDPIN-JACK-FOR-GUITAR-chrome-/190644509857?



I have successfully installed this pickup, as I posted here
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?104467-DIY-First-Time-Undersaddle-pickup-project


However, my advice is... don't do this on an expensive ukulele like a Kanilea.
If I was to install this pickup on an expensive uke, I would order the parts and take it to the guitar luthier to install it for me.
He may charge a bit for the installation, but at least the parts are cheap.

Also, if you want a better quality sound, get the luthier to SOLDER the undersaddle to the endpin jack.
The no-solder plug-in option is susceptible to hum.




The BEST option is to get the store selling you the Kanilea to install it for you. If you're going to spend that much money on an ukulele, why ruin it by being cheap with the pickup? You will most definitely ruin your ukulele if you try to install it yourself. Luthiers are trained and have done this sort of thing for years.
i bought used Kanilea from ebay so no chance.
i dont even thinking of drilling my Kanilea.
maybe i can get used Martin c1k.
then pratice pickup installation on my Makala and after that reinstall same pickup to my Martin c1k and buy amp. that must be the easiest way. if i will be afraid to do it ill search for luthier who can do it.
 
its hard to install them? do i need special tools? or i just need to know wide of holes i need to drill? are normal drill heads ok for this job?

The first time I did it, I used a regular drill with a high speed cutting bit, then a small sanding drum bit. After that, knowing I would be doing more, I bought a Dremel that came with all the bits necessary. The pickup under the saddle (the white bar sitting in the bridge) is the critical part, to make space under the saddle for the pickup, you have to be sure the cut is smooth and even. I actually have my local Guitar Center repair guy do that, who does a very good job.
 
My dulcimer friends have pickups that stick on the soundboard. They seem very happy with them. If you have dulcimer people in your area, maybe you can ask them what kind they use. I don't know the name of the ones they use here. I wish I could be of more help.
 
I have 2 external KK pickups on both my Kala Travel Ukes. One has 2 pickups, one has one. They come with a 'saddle' that sticks onto your uke & the speaker attachment clicks into the saddle.

It sounds terrific!

However ....... What I found was that the double sided tape is NOT sufficient to hold the amp plug sufficiently & it rocked the 'saddle' backwards & forwards whilst playing, causing it to come off the back of the uke. I had already had tape across all the 'loose wire' ...... so they really need 2 saddles to hold the amp plug securely.

I will be contacting them about this, as what was provided does not do the job for which it was designed! I am using a heap of tape to hold the whole thing on just now .....

Apart from that it sounds terrific!! If they send me 2 more 'saddles' to make sure the amp plug stays attached, I'll be very happy!

cheers

Roberta

A member of my uke group bought the same uke & had an internal pickup & it has totally changed the sound of the uke - no longer bright & chirpy - but quite muffled - so happy I didn't go down that road.
 
Last edited:
Thats why i dont want to drill Kanilea ill probably drill my other uke
 
I've tried an "out of the box solution" I attach a lavaliere type mic on the underside of my strumming hand with a wrist band. Run the cord up my shirt sleeve and to the sending unit at my belt. There is no modification to the ukulele, sound is dependent on the quality of the mic and sending unit, you can switch instruments easily, however you have to pay attention to feed back, so the speaker placement is critical as well as your placement. I don't care for most plug in amplification solutions on a ukulele as the voice seems too harsh but sometimes it is necessary and I like to experiment.
 
I have 2 external KK pickups on both my Kala Travel Ukes. One has 2 pickups, one has one. They come with a 'saddle' that sticks onto your uke & the speaker attachment clicks into the saddle.

It sounds terrific!

However ....... What I found was that the double sided tape is NOT sufficient to hold the amp plug sufficiently & it rocked the 'saddle' backwards & forwards whilst playing, causing it to come off the back of the uke. I had already had tape across all the 'loose wire' ...... so they really need 2 saddles to hold the amp plug securely.

I will be contacting them about this, as what was provided does not do the job for which it was designed! I am using a heap of tape to hold the whole thing on just now .....

Apart from that it sounds terrific!! If they send me 2 more 'saddles' to make sure the amp plug stays attached, I'll be very happy!

cheers

Roberta

A member of my uke group bought the same uke & had an internal pickup & it has totally changed the sound of the uke - no longer bright & chirpy - but quite muffled - so happy I didn't go down that road.


Hi Roberta,

I'm confused. Are you talking about the K&K Aloha Twin pickup?

Your use of the word saddle is very different from the common understanding that the saddle is the white part at the end where the strings attach, and is sitting inside the bridge?

Such as what is shown here:
ukulele-bridge.jpg


Are you referring to the pickup head, i.e., the black round disk that is fixed to the soundboard and actually 'hears' the strings?

such as this:

alohatwin-hr.jpg


Please advise.
 
Came in late to this but as a beginner and I don't have any ideas on pick ups,but for my enjoyment I use the iRig acoustic I think I works great for enhancing the sound...
 
Came in late to this but as a beginner and I don't have any ideas on pick ups,but for my enjoyment I use the iRig acoustic I think I works great for enhancing the sound...

I have one of these too, but it needs to be said that the iRig Acoustic requires either an iOS or Android device, or computer that has a combined mic/headphone TRRS 4-conductor 1/8" (3.5mm) jack to work for both power and audio.

To use with an amp you CANNOT just plug the iRig Acoustic directly into the amp because the amp will not have the function to supply the minimum 1.5 volt DC power required to power the MEMS mic element inside the iRig Acoustic, nevermind the impedance mismatch.

Thus the REQUIREMENT to go THROUGH one of the aforementioned devices, and then OUT from the headphone jack on the iRig Acoustic into your amplifier in MONO, using whatever AUDIO APP or PROGRAM to engage the audio passthru, otherwise the iRig Acoustic will NOT work going into an amp or PA System, UNLESS it can supply what is called 'plug-in power' via the proper wiring of a 4-conductor TRRS 1/8" (3.5mm jack).

There's lots of previous discussion on the iRig Acoustic, see:

1. http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...Mic-Interface-for-iOS&highlight=iRig+Acoustic

2. http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...my-iRig-acoustic-news&highlight=iRig+Acoustic

3. http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...Rig-Acoustic-comparos&highlight=iRig+Acoustic

4. http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...cording-and-shoot-out&highlight=iRig+Acoustic

5. http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...ing-MiSi-Developments&highlight=iRig+Acoustic
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom