My Electro Concert had no Electronics!...

rock_and_roll_camera

Well-known member
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
226
Reaction score
1
Location
Newport, South Wales... UK
So those of you who hav been following my previous threads will know all the trouble I've had over the last two weeks with my elctro concert uke. Well today I finally picked up my Kala KA-CE, which is a replacement for the busted Lanikai LU21-CE I bought. Only now though has it become clear why the Lanikai was bust. My initial problem with it was buzz all down the fret board, but then it emerged that the electronics were not working so I had in effect an over priced acoustic. Well alot of you here offered advice, alot saying that it was most likely the lead that connects the P/U to the controls. Well I looked inside the uke and saw nothing, and I got my hand in there too and felt nothing. So now I've got the Kala I can see what you were all talking about, I can plainly see the control unit and circuitry insode the uke, along with a suprising amount of wiring and that all important small jack connection. This was not present in the Lanikai and this I know for a fact. In the Kala the controls are up on the shoulder and all the electronics are clearly visible from the soundhole. On the Lanikai the electronics were in the waste, just above the soundhole and so alot closer to it and none of this electronic wizzardry was visible. So basically I was sold a ukulele without any electronics in it. I didn't pick up on it because I've never seen an elcro-uke before and I really didn't expect there to be all that much to the electronics but how the guys in the shop missed it I don't know!?

Anyway, in the Lanikai's place, which was discounted by £10 anyway, I got the Kala KA-CE with two sets of Aquillas worth £7.50 each for free, plus I'm getting a £30 case for £20 but I've got to pick that up on Friday. Sound like a good deal? It's been alot of stress but I don't think it's a bad trade... I wanted a proper hard-shell case though but all I can get hold of is the expanded foam semi-rigid case but it'll do I think?

I'm just a bit sad because it was the Lanikai I fell in love with and although they're pretty much the same instrument I loved the Lanikai logo on the headstock more than the Kala logo... but thats not important I guess!?...

So anyway, the lesson I've learned is:

NEVER GO TO THAT SHOP AGAIN (AFTER I'VE PICKED MY CASE UP) & ALWAYS CHECK WHEN YOU BUY A UKE THAT ALL THE PARTS ARE THERE!
 
too long; didn't read

Actually I did... sort of. Too ADD for me, or maybe I'm too ADD for it.
 
Last edited:
... I wanted a proper hard-shell case though but all I can get hold of is the expanded foam semi-rigid case but it'll do I think?QUOTE]

Dude these cases are seriously good! I can't see you needing anything tougher unless your uke got run over by a truck! They are solid, well insulated, light weight for travelling, hang easily from the bottom of a rack sack using the straps and look sleek and low profile. I can't see any benifits from having a fully hard case in fact I can see many benefits of this over a hard case.

Good news about the uke it can now be something to forget about, and hey this is your first semi-acoustic uke so in a year or so you will have finely tuned exactly what you want out of your next semi-acoustic and know exactly what you want in looks, design, feel and sound if you choose to upgrade.
 
i'm still a little confused about the Lanikai though.

Did it actually have a hole for you to plug a cable into?

If so, it could have been that the Lanikai is a Passive electric.
The Kala KA-CE is an Active electric, meaning it has built-in pre-amp, takes batteries and more wires.
A Passive just has a wire connecting the undersaddle pickup and the output jack.

Depending on the quality of the passive pickup, they may either need higher amplification in a guitar amp, or external pre-amps to boost the signal.
 
Ofcourse the Lanikai had a jack for a cable... look up the Lanikai LU-21CE... It is exactly the same uke as the Kala KA CE, except made from Nato instead of Mahogany. Same electronics and everything...
 
Top Bottom