Looking for an electric steel-string ukulele

anthonyarc10

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Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and in the market for an electric ukulele. I am not looking for an acoustic-electric, but a true metal-string instrument. Basically like a mini electric guitar with four strings (lol). I am not an expert and definitely don't have the time or experience to build anything myself. I have seen some that have looked great, such as the risa les paul electric, but at $500ish it is simply too expensive for my budget. Like I said I am a beginner, not an enthusiast- but I do appreciate quality and don't want to cheap out. I'd like to stay under $300, and for someone who can enjoy a $150 electric guitar, I feel like double the price should grant me a uke that would fit my standards (which I assume should be much lower than an experienced player/enthusiast). Like I said previously, I am a huge fan of the les paul design and would lean toward that if possible. There is one here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptmXryifTD4&feature=youtu.be&t=1m00s

That is a custom uke that I can't find being sold anywhere, but if I could get something like that in my price range that'd be a dream. Sorry for the length of the post but I realize what I'm asking is very specific/difficult and I want to be sure to cover everything.


TL;DR:
-fully electric metal-string uke
-under $300 (the lower the better)
-Les Paul preferred
 
You can do a search in the forum, there have been a number of posts about steel string electrics. Or do a Google search for a Vorzon ukulele.
 
A Vorson Flame Maple or Quilted Maple ukulele has the shape you are looking for in a tenor size. They run about $136. Swap out the single coil pickups for some humbucker pickups for about $120. This will improve the sound. You are still under your $300 budget. Spend just a little more to replace the jack and potentiometers for better units.

Next, save up for a slapback delay pedal.
 
The problem is compared to electric guitar, your pricing ratio does not really hold up...and more than ever here, the phrase:

"Buy cheap, buy twice"
will be in full effect.


I bought one of the Vorson ukes via https://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-VOR-FLPUK2-LIST, and was terribly disappointed, as were many other on UU that also did the same, despite a few folks getting a good one, so it seems that quality control and manufacturing deficits vary widely with this brand, so you are rolling the dice here that you could get a nice one, or a totally unplayable slab of wood that might have had great potential, but fails in all regards.

OTOH, there is a very nice used RISA kidney-bean shaped instrument for sale here on the Marketplace, that will be a much more well-made instrument out of the box, and really is the only brand of steel-string ukes that has been getting consistent reviews:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?128380-Selling-RISA-Soprano

also you can find the other RISA steel string ukes, which includes a Les Paul style here (RISA does NOT have a different web site other than this one AFAICT):

https://www.ukulele.de/shop4/en/en-...367fc71bfa0f1&mnf=1&sorting=price&next_page=2

also, to see prices in $USD you can scroll to the bottom and change the currency from EURO which is the default.

Hope this helps! :)
 
I have the Vorson (in Europe sold under the Name Clearwater) and I like it for what it is. Finish on mine is fine. Intonation is an easy fix, with screws to adjust the height and length. The electronics suffice for what I need, playing through a cheap amp with heavy distortion. Nevertheless, I think if you're really serious about it, then go the extra mile for the Risa, which will be of much better quality and a closer copy of the real LP.
 
I was about to suggest Clearwater too, though I don't actually have one, they seem to be liked by those who have them. :)

Edit: I've just remembered, Mahalo make (or made) a 'Surfboard' steel string electric.
 
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Booli, he named his budget, and his expectations.
While a Risa is outside of his budget, Mim's Ukes now carries them.

YouTube of a Vorson with humbucker pickups.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VlA0s6fpnf0

FYI:

With the Vorson (or any instrument that has 2 single-coil pickups), you can get the same function as a humbucker by simple removing and rotating one of the pickups 180 degrees and then re-installing it (only involves 2 screws).

By doing so, this inverts the phase of the pickup, and thus provides the hum-cancelling effect if you put the 3-way switch in the middle position (which combines the output of both pickups).
 
Cool tip. Thanks.
The two pickup don't have to be immediately adjacent to one another for this to work?
 
That's an interesting bit of info, Booli, will have to try & remember it. :)

Thanks Keith :)

Cool tip. Thanks.
The two pickup don't have to be immediately adjacent to one another for this to work?

No, not necessarily. It's really just simple physics in that the electrical signal is a simple sine wave, and by rotating the second pickup, you are altering the phase of the wave of the rotated pickup to be 180 degrees out of phase with the other pickup, and when the signal is combined in maybe only 8" of wires where they terminate together at the volume/tone potentiometers and are combined there, and the output of both pickups is summed into these controls and then sent combined to the output jack.

One may think that the alternately-phased pickups need to be almost touching, but this is not always needed, and any difference in the signal with reversing one pickup as I've detailed here is going to be minimal and likely only seen with an oscilloscope as a maybe a 1-5% drop in amplitude (output gain or volume) which can easily be compensated for by your amplifier or pedals or recording interface.

A similar kind of thing can be seen if you wire up a pair of stereo speakers to an amplifier and one of the pair is intentionally wired out of phase to the other, i.e., instead of connecting the plus to the plus and the minus to the minus on each speaker, one of them you can connect the plus to the minus and vice-versa and at the SAME volume setting as the proper connection (keep the volume setting lower though to prevent speaker damage) you will notice a slightly lower sound output level. Some folks cannot hear the difference and need to be shown on a decibel meter, but it exists because the sound waves (sine waves) of equal frequencies and equal amplitude that are out of phase will cancel out and sum to zero, and thus there is less sound energy perceived by the listener.

Again, do not pump the volume up too loud, because doing this inverse wiring will cause the magnet in the voice coil that drives the speaker cone to move opposite to the other and the higher volume will cause the cone to extrude (vibrate) TOWARDS the magnet instead of away, and if loud enough the speaker cone can get separated from the voice coil part and then the speaker element will need to be repaired or replaced.

Do this at your own risk if you want to test it, but keep the volume set low enough that someone standing 10 ft away can still hear you talking in a normal speaking voice, otherwise it is too loud and will kill the speaker.
 
Not a uke, but may be something you might like.
I am selling this, with all funds being donated to Darwins Burgers & Blues in Sandy Springs GA. A great place to play and listen to live music.

This is a J Bovier EMC 4 an excellent electric mandolin. G, D, A, E. Plugged into a tube amp, it roars with pedals as a guitar would, and it can play smooth jazz tones if you please. The action can be easily adjusted and the tuning pegs are well made, allowing it to stay in tune while being played. included is a gig bag and set of extra strings. Excellent condition and seldom and lightly played.
$400 plus shipping costs.

Specs:
• Body shape similar to “Vintage”
• Tortoise pick-guard
• 3-way switch, Tone, & Volume controls
• Output jack mounted on pick-guard
• Maple, Radiused Fretboard
• .080″ Frets
• Dual “JB-53″ Custom Pickups = (+/-) 6K each
• Chrome Bridge & Saddles
• Chrome Control Knobs
• Chrome Strap Buttons
• Chrome Neck Plate
• Solid Basswood Body
• Solid Maple Neck
• Bolt-On Neck
• Slender headstock shape
• Maple Headstock Face
• Black “JBovier” script logo
• (1) Volume Control = 500K
• (1) Tone Control = 500K
• 4-to-a-side tuners

• Bone Nut = 28mm (4-string)
• Wilkinson “J-805″ Tuners
• 3-way Switch = Neck PU, Both PUs (hum cancelling), or Bridge PU
• 2 Finish Colors = “Vintage Cream” (shown) & “Classic Sunburst”
• Custom, Premium, thickly padded gig-bags with “JBovier” logo included

 
So you are a guitar player looking for a tiny guitar then. I myself have had a want for a mini version of my old axe heck I even started building up parts for it a few years ago. It is still only a want. Since then I must have bought around 20 ukuleles. Enjoying the slight differences of each instrument and experimenting with different tuning.

Play only ukulele strings a few years start tweaking your sound files for a hotter piezo pickup and going back to a magnetic pickup well the instrument sounds dull and your fingers hurt. If I now built the mini axe it would likely not be steel stringed. I experienced this when I bought my used soprano Konablaster. Plugged it into my RP360 and had to reload some guitar presets to get anything normal sounding out of it. The signal is just dead compared to a piezo.

Long way round to the Blue Star Guitar Co. but we got there! http://bluestarguitarcompany.com/ukuleles/1811901

While their standard body style is a canned ham they do state "The Deluxe versions of all can be designed to any size ukulele or guitar shapes, and as single or double cutaway models." They even have a couple pictures of a LP design they have done, while it is not as carved as the custom one you showed it is a quality instrument just the same. As these are deluxe models they are string through body with adjustable intonation as well but likely over your comfort range in price.

Ive seen a few used sopranos in the canned ham shape around $120ish if you wait and look. The Konablaster is every bit as quality an instrument as a Risa and its made is the U.S.A. if that matters.

~AL
 
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