Electric Uke

allUkedup

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So for a while I've been toying with the idea of getting a cheap pickup to put on my Mitchell MU100 so I could then hook it up to the kala roundabout ukulele amp.

Currently, my wife and I are down at Disney and whatever money I don't spend down here, is going to buy an electric uke. I figured it would be well worth buying an electric uke than sticking crap on my uke that I currently love.

I eventually want to hook it up to the kala amp and even to my mac and iPad for garageband.

So...with all that useless to you background information....

any suggestions on a pretty nice electric uke? Preferably for less than $100...give or take very very little?

buying my first uke was a little difficult, but I went with the MU100 and couldn't b happier. It's awesome. Just wanted other's opinions on the electric uke market. Haven't really looked into them much.
 
Sorry, but "pretty nice electric uke for under $100" is an oxymoron IMHO. You will be lucky to find one at all under that price, but if there are any, you have come to the right place! I truly wish you luck and will take a look for you.

Best I can find under $100 is a Lanika LU21-CE. Guy at my uke club has one and they sound pretty decent plugged in....ok unplugged.
 
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I think you can get an Oscar Schmidt OU-2E for well under $100, concert size and they sound pretty good plugged in, although a bit muffled to my ears acoustically. I lent mine to my niece and she uses it in her band and quite likes it. The Eleuke Peanuts are just a bit over the $100 mark but are quite nice if you prefer a soprano.
 
the epi's have passive pickups and IMO are not very good, sort of the 'toy-guitar-for-a-guitar-player' thing.
I used to have an Oscar Schmidt elec, active PU with EQ, very nice fretwork, neck, tuners, etc.
 
My feeling on ukes and equipment in general is that if you save diligently, the entry point for a better, playable and enjoyable thing is not that much more than the attractive $100 point that most of us are comfy with. (This is why, btw, electronics cost around $200. This is a known impulsive price point for goodies.)

Two suggestions: MIM around here sells Eleukes. You can get a Eleuke Peanut which is a soprano and it's just around $120 and very good. It won an award when it debuted and Eleukes have an excellent sound for the money. They are highly popular. This is a good knock around plugged in uke.

If you are going the route of adding a pickup, you can spend almost as much on a Mi-Si pickup, which is generally thought to be the best kind, and have it or install it yourself in the uke. There are vids on the web about how to install a pickup. This is what I've garnered about electrifying ukes so far. I wished I'd had a pickup installed at manufacture with my Mainland but I wasn't aware when I bought it that I'd like to amp it. So I got a used Eleuke to play plugged in and I'm actually happier than if I tried to retro fit my better uke. But if I were installing a pickup, I'd have a luthier put in a MiSi for me, as there is a local guy right in town who is a guitar specialist.
 
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Does the eleuke peanut come in concert? If not, would any electric eleuke be ok? It doesn't have to be exact. I could get up to 120-130.
 
I would contact MIM, Uke Republic, MGM or any of the uke sellers active on UU. They probably would be most aware of ukes that meet your needs. I have MiSi pickups in a couple of ukes. I'm very happy with the amplified sound.
 
I just got a peanut from Mim. It only comes in soprano. Very fun to play. I prefer concerts and tenors but I will be using the peanut as a travel uke. I can easily take it as carry-on and it is sturdy.
 
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