applause acoustic-electric soprano. is it good?

grubblybubbly

grubblybubbly

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2010
Messages
187
Reaction score
0
Location
vancouver
i am looking for a good uke, and i went to my local musci store, and out of a small selection, this caught my eye:

561536.jpg


it's the applause UAE20 acoustic-electric soprano. it's a spruce top, plastic body, multiple sound holes.

does anyone have one of these? are they worth the price? etc...

thanks.;)
 
I USED to have one. For only a few months. It's really quiet, but well made and sounds very nice plugged in. If you're planning to play it acoustically though, it's not too impressive.
 
do you mean it's just quiet, or it sounds not as good accoustically? i don't need it to be loud, but i would play it accoustically often.
 
Well it sounds okay acoustically, but something with at least a solid top would sound a lot better. It's my understanding that the thin-body ovation/applause instruments are meant to be primarily plugged in. But I had it for literally a week, my friend let me borrow it.
 
Last edited:
i tried it out at the store and it sounded pretty good (to me). is it worth it for the pickup, or do you think it would be better for me to get a solid would uke with a nicer sound that doesn't have a pickup?
 
For the money, you can most likely get something better. It depends on your price range. Try sticking too more standard brands that specialize in making ukuleles.

Contact MGM or visit his store :

stores.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room
 
grubblybubbly said:
i tried it out at the store and it sounded pretty good (to me). is it worth it for the pickup, or do you think it would be better for me to get a solid would uke with a nicer sound that doesn't have a pickup?
Click to expand...

I'd say it depends on how you're going to use it. I've never run into the need for a pickup, but I'm hoping to have one installed soon. If you're planning to play with friends or perform, you'll probably find the pickup useful. Otherwise I'd say to go for solid wood. It's all about what you're looking for.
 
That uke is mainly for using plugged in.
The acoustic sound is not very practical for performing acoustically. It's just loud enough for you to practice by yourself quietly.

For that amount of money, you can get a very good Kala acoustic-electric from musicguymic.
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Musicguymics-Room
Even Kala's laminate acoustic electrics, like the KA-CE or KA-TE sound rather impressive acoustically, and they're quite affordable.
And it gets even better if you pay more for a solid top or all-solid.

I was thinking of keeping this to myself, but I saw a new 2010 model acoustic-electric Eleuke at Musicguymic last night for a very sweet price.
I was going to sleep over it... but it was no longer there when I checked this morning (who bought it!!? :( )
I hope he stocks more :D
 
Last edited:
I read quite a bit about this Applause uke. My (late) dad used to play a redburst Adamas, which the top of this uke is fashioned after, and so it carries some sentimental weight for me. From what I've read, if you plan to perform or plug it in, it sounds just great. Ovation electronics are known to be very good. But like the previous poster said, it is supposed to be only okay acoustically. I say all this having not played it myself. But I anticipate owning one someday. If you played it and liked it in person, why not go for it? Of course, you can get a Kala or more "traditional" uke from MGM for a similar or better price. If this design speaks to you, I wouldn't ignore it!

Cheers!
 
A lot of people perform on stage with the Applause ukes. They are great "plugged" and mediocre acoustically. They do improve when they "open up". Ric can tell you about that. I have loaned mine to a friend.
 
Last edited:
I've had two. The first (older) made in Korea model was very nice, and the acoustic volume was fine.
The tone was very nice on that one.
Plugged in, you have to EQ carefully to avoid a percussive click and nail noise on the strings.

The second was made in China. It sounded very quiet acoustically, and the nut action was too high.

As to the comment above about having at least a solid top - they do. Solid spruce for the soprano models.
I think it's the tenors (except for a few specials) that have the laminated tops.
 
yeah.. maybe i should go for something more "accoustic". any suggestions? something with a pickup, but also nice-sounding would be nice:).

thanks for the comments
 
This Applause was my first ukulele. I have a Korean model and the top is solid. My Applause tenor is a mahogany laminate. With Aquila Nylgut strings the soprano sounds decent, has decent volume or can be played quietly if you prefer. I rarely plug mine in. It's a great travel uke, built quite ruggedly. Do a youtube search for Applause, some folks have coaxed some amazing sounds from these little ukes. Many folks who have sold theirs regret doing so. Personally, I will give up my UAE-20 when they pry my cold dead fingers from around it.
 
44fanatic said:
This Applause was my first ukulele. I have a Korean model and the top is solid. My Applause tenor is a mahogany laminate. With Aquila Nylgut strings the soprano sounds decent, has decent volume or can be played quietly if you prefer. I rarely plug mine in. It's a great travel uke, built quite ruggedly. Do a youtube search for Applause, some folks have coaxed some amazing sounds from these little ukes. Many folks who have sold theirs regret doing so. Personally, I will give up my UAE-20 when they pry my cold dead fingers from around it.
Click to expand...

i'll see if the one at my local store was made in korea or china...
 
I own two, a stained black and a cherryburst. They both came with spongy strings. I replaced them with Aquila Nylgut reentrant concert strings. They both opened up after about 6 months of playing - meaning the volume and richness of tone improved. My black one's about 2 1/2 years old now and really sings! Acoustic or electric they are hard to beat. Played amplified, few other ukes can compare. The Adamas holes project the acoustic sound outside the strings, instead of underneath them. This increases the gain before feedback, which is helpfull in large venues where the annoying feedback levels of most other acoustic/electric ukuleles don't allow them to project the sound above the ambient noise levels of the ausience and other surrounding noise levels. Ric
 
I love mine it's got better with age
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

eculuke
Rare Soprano Applause/Ovation acoustic electric
Replies
10
Views
1K
eculuke
eculuke
M
Applause UAE148 Acoustic-Electric Tenor Ukulele
Replies
0
Views
281
mhoward48
M
cigarfan
  • Locked
Ovation Applause UAE148 Acoustic-Electric Tenor Ukulele (Natural)
Replies
12
Views
2K
cigarfan
cigarfan
trizzle333
Applause Acoustic-Electric Tenor Ukulele question
Replies
9
Views
1K
Ted4
Ted4
N
Applause UAE148 Acoustic-Electric Tenor Ukulele
Replies
8
Views
5K
harpdog
harpdog
Top Bottom