Quiet ukuleles

Mog

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Hello, I posted a while ago about 'environmentally friendly' ukes. I recieved some fantastic advice, thanks everyone, but unfortunately I could not find anything of a reasonable price (under £500) in the UK as I needed to either have one made or buy vintage. However I still need a uke (UAS is obviously stronger than my principles)

So my second slightly unusual request....

Can anyone recommend a uke which isnt too loud? I know this is not the usual requirement but I live in a very small flat and dont want to annoy the neighbours when playing at home. Ive seen that solid body electric ukes are available but they are so ugly I cant bring myself to buy one. I currently have the cheapest of the Mahalo, which is about fine volume wise for me but the intonation is appalling, but I understand the better the quality the uke the louder the sound.....
 
This is one of the few times I'd recommend the ukulele I'm using, a mitchell mu-100 or mu 70 is made out of all heavily laminated koa and has a very mellow and quiet sound. Of course you could always just try to play more quietly =p
 
Pono has a reputation for making mostly high-quality ukes with good intonation, but the biggest complaint about them is how quiet they are for solid wood. This might actually be an advantage for you.
 
If you want to be able to practice quietly with one of your existing instruments, plugging the sound hole will go a long way. There are flexible polyethylene plugs available in a number of standard sizes, one of which will probably snap right in. (See attached photo.) About US$10 will get you a whole sack of 'em. I'd get them from McMaster-Carr in the US, but they don't export and I don't know what to suggest for the UK.

Of course, if you have a case of UAS and want to buy a new instrument, I'd say you probably won't get any quieter than a solid-body electric.

--Mark
 

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Hello, I posted a while ago about 'environmentally friendly' ukes. I recieved some fantastic advice, thanks everyone, but unfortunately I could not find anything of a reasonable price (under £500) in the UK as I needed to either have one made or buy vintage. However I still need a uke (UAS is obviously stronger than my principles)

So my second slightly unusual request....

Can anyone recommend a uke which isnt too loud? I know this is not the usual requirement but I live in a very small flat and dont want to annoy the neighbours when playing at home. Ive seen that solid body electric ukes are available but they are so ugly I cant bring myself to buy one. I currently have the cheapest of the Mahalo, which is about fine volume wise for me but the intonation is appalling, but I understand the better the quality the uke the louder the sound.....

Hey I'm saving up for a uke with the same features. So far I'm leaning towards the eleuke which is electric and can be plugged direct into headphones and has virtually no noise. Another UK member called ukerazy has one and she recommends them.

Check out their site here:

http://www.eleuke.com/

P.S. they cost £139 including delivery on eBay.
 
I have a BugsGear EleUke, and it is practically silent when not plugged in. You can just hear it yourself as you play. You can use earphones (they plug in directly - no amp needed), and you are in a world of your own.:music: I too live in a flat, and find it ideal.

Alternatively, just get a regular uke, and shove a sock in it.

Ukantor.
 
Pono has a reputation for making mostly high-quality ukes with good intonation, but the biggest complaint about them is how quiet they are for solid wood. This might actually be an advantage for you.

Yeah, the koa Pono I've got is kind of overbuilt that way. The intonation is decent, but it has very little physical resonance or volume. (it does have a pickup though.) Not great for me, but maybe the droid you're looking for...
 
Recommend the Ponos. I got a mango 8 string tenor that is quieter than my concert.
 
If check out some of the YouTube videos of the Pete Howlett Uklectics. They are electric, but gorgeous and have a nice unplugged sound as well. They are high end, so I'm not 100% of your budget, but I would check them out.
 
Thank you so much for your comments. I did'nt know that is possible to mute a ukulele or that there are solid body ones available which are'nt really ugly.
 
Risa also makes a very nice electric uke, based in Germany.

As for the Eleuke....there's a nice used one up for bid on eBay at the moment....
 
Alternatively, just get a regular uke, and shove a sock in it.
A lot of classical guitarists suggest placing a sock or rolled up washcloth under the strings right at the bridge. If you want something a little more stylish looking, you could cut a piece of sponge.

But unless you're wailing away and hitting chords really hard, I can't imagine that the normal volume of uke playing would be any more disruptive than having the tv on.
 
Quiet Uke

Funny you should ask about a quieter uke, because that is just what I have. My primary uke is a Koaloha concert which I love to play, but it is loud and not ideal for all occasions.

My softer sounding uke is a Kala KA-KC koa concert. It is ideal for practicing because it plays very softly and still has a good tone. It came with Aquila strings which are soft but kinda scratchy sounding, so I put on D'Addario's which are great. I can practice with it alot and not bother anyone around me. Also, it cost only half as much as my expensive uke, so I don't worry about wear and tear when I take it outdoors to play. Happy strumming!
 
Ukantor is dead on with his advice. I also live in a flat (we call em apartments in the colonies) and I purchased an eleuke specifically so I could still practice and not have to beef with the neighbors. To my surprise, the thing turned out to have the best intonation and playability of any of my ukes. It's a joy to strum, and it's virtually silent to anyone not within 10 feet of you. I recommend eleuke as the best practice uke available. I actually amd starting to dislike performing with my Pono cause it's not built as well as my eleuke!
 
Sorry. I'm having a hard time relating. I, too, live in a flat, but would still want the liveliest ukulele possible. One can always strum a loud uke more softly, but what does one do with a quiet uke when one wants to be heard?

I've played for years, and have only heard kind comments from neighbors. If I'm about to record a vid with singing and am going to wail (20 times until I get it right) I just just close the window.
 
I have the same problem.
I live in an apartment and my upstairs neighbor (if you have seen any of my references to her on my YouTube vids) is an insane asylum escapee.

I have heard conflicting reviews on Eleukes but haven't heard any bad things about the Kala solid body ukes.

Playing quiet is something I am forced to do (late nights) since I keep odd hours.

What I need to do is get a small shed from Home Depot, soundproof it and then I can play as loud as I want...I'd just have an interesting conversation piece sitting in my living room. :p
 
There is another advantage of playing a "silent" uke. When practising, I am much less inhibited about what I will attempt to play. Knowing that I'm not getting on anybody's nerves frees me to try some very odd things, and sometimes they work - or lead to some kind of new insight. Also, we sometimes have to repeat a passage or phrase, over and over. My dear wife is very tolerant, but there ARE limits to what she can take!

Ukantor.
 
Have you tried ear plug? :D Seriously, I have a oscar schmidt OU13 and OU5 I use for camping when it is real quiet. They are beautiful ukes but not very loud. Work great when I don't want to wake folks up.
 
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