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Croaky Keith
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My preferred way to play steel strings is with a light pick. too painful not to, for me. 
The Electric Uke Thread
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Jerryc41
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I dunno much about steel strings nor magnetic pickups. Are they a problem with reentrant tuning? Aren't the pickups usually slanted, emphasising the bass of the lowest string, the 4th? And isn't the height usually adjustable only from the ends? Or should it have a pickup with the screwable pole pieces?
And of course, the brigde had better be adjustable. And nut maybe changed.
And of course, the brigde had better be adjustable. And nut maybe changed.
kissing
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No issues with re-entrant (or any tuning) with regards steel strings and magnetic pickups.
Whether you have the pickups slanted, split, adjusted, screwable, etc is all a matter of preference and decisions the manufacturer has made.
Another way of looking at it is, steel string electric ukuleles are basically small electric guitars.
The same concepts and plethora of design options apply.
Yes, but I thought the electric guitar designs were mainly aimed for tunings that run from lowest (4) to highest (1). But like I said, I know little about this.
What has also pointed me in that direction is the fact that I haven't come across any steel string ukulele (nor tenor guitar) that came tuned reentrant. Which is not the case with solid or semi-solid body nylon string ukes.
Maybe the manufacturers think they will more likely be played much like an electric guitar: with a pick, no fingerstyle, campanella nor drone strumming, etc? And the sound will be mofe similar to electric guitar too, without the high notes both beginning and ending the strums.
Wow, so nice! Is the tuning high or low 4th, I can't tell from the picture?
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Croaky Keith
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Nearly all steel string ukes are linear, mainly because they are played more like a guitar than strumming an acoustic uke.
With steel strings, you do really need a pick, unless you have really strong finger nails.
Non steel string ukes usually come fitted re entrant, & are played just like any other uke, their advantages are that they can be played loud through an amp, or played very quietly for night time practice, etc.
With steel strings, you do really need a pick, unless you have really strong finger nails.
Non steel string ukes usually come fitted re entrant, & are played just like any other uke, their advantages are that they can be played loud through an amp, or played very quietly for night time practice, etc.
kissing
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You can request some steel string electric ukes to come re-entrant.
For instance Risa offer string sets in either re-entrant or linear: https://www.ukulele.de/accessories/strings/13/risa-electric-steel-strings?number=STRISAST-S-H4
Or you can easily source 1 string to use as a high-G string (usually a high E electric guitar string).
As for why they tend to come linear, I'm not 100% sure.
Perhaps because steel string electrics are often used to play melodic solos and scales which benefit from having a low-G string. I prefer linear tuning on all my ukes anyway.
There's no issue tuning a steel string electric linear or re-entrant. It's a matter of selecting the right strings, the magnetic pickups will amplify the sound either way. If you're really fussy you can adjust the pickup height so it is balanced for re-entrant, but even if you don't it would hardly be noticeable.
Bottom line is, there are no 'rules'. If you want a steel string electric with re-entrant because it suits you, more power to you.
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kissing
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ripock
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I attest to that. I never have and never will use a plectrum. I don't have anything against them per se, but it just requires a new skill that I'm not willing to devote any time to. I have always picked with my fingertips and not my nails, so steel strings are no issue. I work with my hands a lot and sometimes they get dried out and they split. When that happens strumming is a bit painful. Obviously, fretting steel strings is a little bit taxing on the fingers; I get those little ridges on my fingers after a while, but when that happens I either stop playing or use a slide. Electric stuff is fun. You can play the same old stuff, but with effects like fuzz or delay. I personally don't understand playing with a clean tone. If I want a clean tone, I unplug. I always play with overdrive and some gain, at the very least. That's just me, I suppose
Is anyone using a separate preamp, like LR Baggs Venue, with an electric uke? Uke -> preamp -> power amp?
Benefits I could think of: better tone shaping, built-in tuner, boost stomp, effects loop (if it's missing elsewhere?), sound quality (?), perhaps?
Could it also double as a headphone amp?
Sorry, I'm a total dummy with these, who just bought a Clearwater electric uke and trying to figure everything out!
Benefits I could think of: better tone shaping, built-in tuner, boost stomp, effects loop (if it's missing elsewhere?), sound quality (?), perhaps?
Could it also double as a headphone amp?
Sorry, I'm a total dummy with these, who just bought a Clearwater electric uke and trying to figure everything out!
Jerryc41
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I have two amps - a very small Honey Tone (battery or 120v) and a Fender Frontman 10G that cost $60.
Ok, what different functions they serve for you?
BTW, I dared try the Venue as a headphone amp. I had to crank the volume on the uke and the Venue, and its gain (and the tone controls) southeast. It doesn't clip (there's a meter), but the sound is quite silent. It also comes from the right can only, left is totally silent. I tried with a buch of different headphones, and the result was very similar.
Would it be fair to estimate that there won't be any damage to either of the three (uke, preamp, headphones), but the arrangement is not optimal either? I also have a 25€ micro stack that has a headphone out. Its sound quality is worse, but it's louder (and the gain can create more distortion)...
Arcy
Strummin' in the Rain
Sounds like you plugged headphones into an line out intended to go to an amp rather than to a headphone jack. The line out will be mono and intended to be further amplified. If the Venue has a headphone jack (doesn’t look like it from the manual) then you’ll need a different solution: a different preamp or a headphone amp or an amp with a headphone jack etc. I’d try going from the Venue to your mini stack to headphones before spending money. It’s likely that the weakest part of the mini-stack is the speakers so it may work ok if you bypass those to headphones.
You’re unlikely to cause any damage experimenting so long as you keep things quiet. Don’t pump loud bass through a small guitar speaker.
The Honeytone Jerry mentioned is cheap, small, and super-portable. It’s probably comparable to your micro-stack. It has a distinct sound: if you’re looking for a clean acoustic amp avoid it. If you want growly lo-fi electric it can be a lot of fun. I keep my Vorson (probably the same as your Clearwater except for the label) plugged into my Honeytone.
A bigger amp will sound better, be more flexible, and handle louder volumes. You can’t readily toss ‘em in a backpack or on your belt.
You’re unlikely to cause any damage experimenting so long as you keep things quiet. Don’t pump loud bass through a small guitar speaker.
The Honeytone Jerry mentioned is cheap, small, and super-portable. It’s probably comparable to your micro-stack. It has a distinct sound: if you’re looking for a clean acoustic amp avoid it. If you want growly lo-fi electric it can be a lot of fun. I keep my Vorson (probably the same as your Clearwater except for the label) plugged into my Honeytone.
A bigger amp will sound better, be more flexible, and handle louder volumes. You can’t readily toss ‘em in a backpack or on your belt.
Yeah, I'll probably go for a Vox MV50 that was recommended to me earlier and use it only as a headphone amp as long as I need a bigger speaker that the micro.
I did bypass the micro speaker btw, by plugging the uke in the micro stack and a headphone into its headphone out. I wouldn't describe the sound as complex and enjoyable or interesting - and I am hoping to get such feelings from a better amp.
Does it matter btw, what kind is the plug and adaptor on the headphone cord? Mono, stereo, mic, etc?
I did bypass the micro speaker btw, by plugging the uke in the micro stack and a headphone into its headphone out. I wouldn't describe the sound as complex and enjoyable or interesting - and I am hoping to get such feelings from a better amp.
Does it matter btw, what kind is the plug and adaptor on the headphone cord? Mono, stereo, mic, etc?
Jerryc41
Well-known member
The larger, more powerful Fender puts out a lot more sound, and the sound is better. No surprise there. The Honey Tone is small and very portable. It even has a belt clip, so I could wear it. If I want some amplification, and I want something small and very portable, the Honey Tone is my choice. For more serious in-place amplification, the Fender does the job.
Before I buy anything, I read reviews and comparisons. Comments by owners are good, but evaluations but reviewers are better.
I'm designing a headless electric concert ukulele. But now I'm struggling in choosing double or single pickup version. Right now I'm with a single on the neck. It seems minimalistic and clean.
But would there be a situation that I'll be missing a bridge pickup for different tone? And is a bridge-only pickup have any advantage over the neck-only?
I play mostly in fingerpicking and tapping style.
But would there be a situation that I'll be missing a bridge pickup for different tone? And is a bridge-only pickup have any advantage over the neck-only?
I play mostly in fingerpicking and tapping style.
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I don't know much, but Warren Ellis said in a Youtube-video that a single neck pickup was exactly he intended his pro model Eastwood tenor guitar to be. There have been other version later, though. His pickup is slanted, but probably because of the linear tuning.
OTOH, Bill Frisell said in the Carmine Street Guitars documentary that you can do practically anything with a Telecaster and a _bridge_ pickup (is I remember correctly that it was the bridge pickup).
But anyway, at least they think that less is more. What the disadvantages is there that the other pickups bring, other than the problem of choosing, is beyond my knowledge. Must affect the tone of the timber and the electronics maybe, but I wonder if it's a big deal and if there's more.
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