I've been toying with getting an solid body electric uke. Based on their construction & sophistication, I'm starting to think they are way-over-priced, with the few steel string versions being the most crazy.
As a player of a steel string ukulele (Risa), I'm going to have to disagree here.
There are cheap electric guitars - yes. But there are also expensive electric guitars.
These expensive electric guitars cost a lot for a reason. You're paying a premium for the parts, worksmanship and design.
The currently available steel-string electric uke makers (eg: Risa) just happen to make instruments that match the quality level of the higher-end electric guitars.
My Risa Les Paul with its ultra-low action and handmade humbuckers took a lot more engineering and work than a lot of my friends' electric guitars, and I see that quality difference day by day playing along with them.
They're a small German company that focuses on quality than quantity. Their ukes are very easily in a higher quality level than similarly priced electric guitars.
As of yet, there is no ukulele brand yet that has the sort of "standard" quality level of steel string electric ukes. Eleuke has started topics showing interest in steel strings, so I wish them all the best in filling that gap. A cheaper line of steel strings would certainly make it more accessible to more uke players. At the moment, investing in a steel string electric is a huge leap, since it costs a lot. I took that leap of faith, and could not be happier
As for guitars and ukes.
I'm not really seeing the dilemma here. There are cheap guitars that are good quality. There are cheap ukes that are good quality.
There are expensive ukes of exceptional quality. There are expensive guitars of exceptional quality.
Compared to older days, it seems that the standard of inexpensive instruments (such as from China) is increasing.
An affordable Kala or Ohana in the $100-500 range is a perfectly playable instrument. You can perform with it and sound brilliant.
I personally like the affordable ukes in that price range, as they let me be carefree with the maintenance and focus on the music. I don't think I'd be comfortable with a premium all-solid uke that's over $1000.
How are good quality ukes expensive compared to guitars?