a good pick up is in the $150-175 range. In my experience the pick ups in the Kalas / lanikai leave a lot to be desired. better to get the uke you want and install one yourself. you may gett lucky and find a good used one with a decent pick up though, happy hunting.
Not necessarily strumsilly if you know where to shop.
This pickup unit is $6.80
www.ebay.com/itm/331610291574
But it is sometimes sold under famous brandnames for $99.
I do agree that the generic active pickups that come stock on Kalas, Lanikai, Luna and other inexpensive A/E instruments are disappointing.
I have owned many of them.
However, I have found that the problem is more to do with the bad quality undersaddle unit they use, while the onboard active preamp is actually usable.
The solution?
Buy one of those undersaddles, remove the existing undersaddle piezo from the ukulele, and replace it with the purchased Artec unit.
It will convert the cheap A/E ukulele into one that can rival the more expensive pickup systems that cost $100-200.
The replacing procedure is usually quite simple...
-loosen strings
-remove saddle
-unscrew screws of onboard preamp
-unplug existing piezo and remove from under the saddle by pulling it out
-install new undersaddle - the plug is universal between the Artec and the generic "Belcat" style onboard preamps.
If you're unlucky, the Artec undersaddle piezo may not immediately fit into the ukulele, in which case some minor woodworking may be needed (mostly filing with a needle file).
All these ukulele companies have to do is realise that the bad undersaddle units that they use ruin the whole instrument.
They are never balanced nor have a great tone, which kinda defeats the purpose of paying for an A/E.
A simple solution as replacing the undersaddle to a more reliable one like the inexpensive Artec makes such a huge difference.
But I suppose when it comes to mass-production, they must save a lot of money to opt for the lower quality piezos.