Tenor acoustic-electric recommendations.

rps

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Hello all, I’ve been thinking about getting a tenor scale acoustic-electric and was looking for some recommendations. I’ve been going over the web and have seen many brands but our national music stores do not carry.

Now I am interested in the Godin MultiUke, but at $1300 can it is expensive. That said I am looking for quality but would not be adverse to saving some money.

I also do not buy used. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated...thanks.
Rp
 
I bought a used Multiuke here in the Marketplace for $400, one of the best purchases I ever made, it's pretty much perfect. You can't go wrong buying one, even at $1300. and I've seen used ones on Reverb and eBay for about $700. I also have a Kala KAATP-CTG-CE, solid cedar top, preamp/pickup, cutaway, recommended by Mim, my go to gig uke.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
Are you looking for an acoustic-electric with a built-in active pickup and the controls built into the side? Or are you open to an acoustic tenor with the pickup added to it?

The Godin is a great electric uke, but it is not an acoustic.

Everyone I know who has bought an aNueNue Moon Bird tenor with an aNueNue Air pickup loves the instrument as both an acoustic and an electric. The pickup uses a piezo and a microphone to get the sound. Both are adjustable to get the best sound for the venue.

I quite like my Martin T1 IZ acoustic with a Baggs 5.0 active pickup.
But I also really like my Pono RTC(S)-PC with a Pono passive pickup.

You can hunt for an acoustic that you really like. And then add a pickup to it. Or you can buy one that has the electronics built in at the factory. Both approaches work.
 
The Kala cedar top is a great sounding uke in its own right, so one fitted with a pick up will give you what you want, & not too expensive.
 
Looking for a very nice tenor, an exceptional buy? Check out the Donner Deal tenor with electrics. Got one and if someone stole it, I would get a replacement. Not as great a tone as some, but a good one nevertheless
 
I also have a Kala KAATP-CTG-CE, solid cedar top, preamp/pickup, cutaway, recommended by Mim, my go to gig uke.

I also have a Kala tenor uke with preamp/pickup and it does fine.
 
Apart from the Godin and (I suppose) the solid Pono and Ko'olau - i would rarely if ever recommend a pre installed electro setup. The pickups they use are fitted to a budget and add a lot of unnecessary wiring, batteries and the like that you just don't need. And that includes all the obvious names.

I know of very very few professionals who plug in on stage that use the pre-installed systems. The usual pro way to go (and this isn't 'pro only' - anyone can do this - it's what I do) - is to find an acoustic tenor you like the sound of, and then fit (or have fitted) a reasonable simple passive pickup strip to it. Single pickup, single wire, single socket. Clean tone that you shape off the uke without adding a load of wires and batteries.

In short - pretty much ANY acoustic you like can be electrified. Most uke specialist dealers will do it for you too.
 
The Godin is not an acoustic electric, it is a semi hollow body. I use to own one and it is quiet when played unplugged. If you want an acoustic tenor ukulele that you can plug in to an amplifier fhen buy any tenor that you like and have a pick up installed. Budget about $150 for a LR Baggs 5.0 or MISI installed.
 
The Godin is not an acoustic electric, it is a semi hollow body.

Yeah, I know that. It’s still one of the only pre installed pickup systems I’d happily recommend. Any pre install in a Kala etc - nah - cheap junk.
 
Yeah, I know that. It’s still one of the only pre installed pickup systems I’d happily recommend. Any pre install in a Kala etc - nah - cheap junk.

I wasnt responding to your comment I was responding to the OP.

Don't get me wrong the Godin has the best stock pick up system going. I love the amplified sound, much better then anything out there
 
You'll have to fight Godin on that terminology. They call the multiuke an "electro-acoustic".

As far as I can tell, if you ask five people to define electric vs. electric-acoustic you'll get six different answers. I'll go with "electric" for magnetic pickups and "electric-acoustic" for piezos or mini-microphones. And an ice cream. I think I'll go get an ice cream.
 
You'll have to fight Godin on that terminology. They call the multiuke an "electro-acoustic".

As far as I can tell, if you ask five people to define electric vs. electric-acoustic you'll get six different answers. I'll go with "electric" for magnetic pickups and "electric-acoustic" for piezos or mini-microphones. And an ice cream. I think I'll go get an ice cream.

Although where does that leave solid body ukes with piezo pickups, like the Magic Fluke SB. They make no acoustic sound whatsoever, purely electric. They can't be electric acoustics. I think the better way to classify is that electrics come in two main varieties - mag pickups and piezo.
 
Thanx to all for your input and helpful information. I think I am leaning towards the Godin....I have always loved their instruments....additionally, and please don’t laugh at this...but they are Canadian and I feel that when price and quality compare I should buy Canadian.....that an direct access to service and support.
 
Although where does that leave solid body ukes with piezo pickups
Call it a "solid body uke with a piezo" if the details important (in a review or asking for recommendations). Or call it "acoustic/electric" or "electric". Either is correct from a certain point of view. Just no point in telling others their point of view is wrong.

I have a solid-body guitar with a piezo pickup. It's marketed as an acoustic/electric, and plugged in it sounds more acoustic than electric.

Ask four people and you'll get five different definitions.

--Rob

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less." --Through the Looking Glass

 
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Not saying the point of view is 'wrong' -Just saying it's why think forcing naming conventions can't ever work. How can you have a naming system that calls a non acoustic solid body 'acoustic' when it isn't?

You get electrics. The electrics are either acoustic or solid. Whether acoustic or solid you can get them with steel (mag pickups) or nylon / fluoro (piezo pickups). I'm not convinced the naming convention needs any further categories.
 
Just to come around to the "acoustic" point of this again. If you plan to play this a lot when unplugged you will not be overly impressed. It is on the quiet side with next to no projection, resonance or sustain. If you plan to play mostly plugged in this is a wonderful instrument. If you want to do both equally then go buy an acoustic hollow bodied ukulele and have a pick up installed.
 
When I bought my used Godin, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how loud it is after reading so much about it being quiet and specifically for an amp.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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