Electric Ukulele Reviews: Know more about these types of Ukuleles that give you the best of both the worlds – acoustic as well as electric. Read reviews of the best ones that are used for practicing & for gigging.
Best Electric Ukuleles
Cordoba 24T-CE Acoustic Electric Tenor Ukulele
Cordoba ukuleles are completely handmade and combine traditional Portuguese ornamentation with exotic woods – solid mahogany top and mahogany back and sides. You can trust Cordoba electronics to produce the best sound.
It’s a bit more expensive than the others, but the quality is top-notch (it’s Leonard Cohen’s choice too).
Luna Mahogany Series Tattoo Concert Acoustic-Electric Ukulele
LUNA concert UKULELE comes with a PREAMP and GIGBAG. It has a warm & lively tone and sounds great when using the built-in electronic pickup. It stays in tune very well.
Looking for a value guitar? This is the one. Features beautiful sound, tremendous value.
Kala Teak Tri-Top Concert Ukulele
Looking for a budget electric ukulele? The Kala MK-TE Concert Ukulele is a nice option. Everyone knows about the Kala brand (or Makala as they are sometimes known).
For the money, it may not look fancy, and may not come across as the best – but it does the job for most players.
Electric Ukulele Amps
You will need a ukulele amplifier for your electric uke; you can use any standard guitar amplifier as well. You can use these amps for quiet-time, by using a set of headphones.
- HoneyTone Mini Amp: : retro looks, small and portable
- Buy on Amazon
Electric Ukulele: Buying Guide
Why Use Electric One?
One of the reasons that this instrument is so popular is its comparatively small size which makes it so easy to carry it around wherever you go.
However, these are also used for live performances, and that is why the electric version also exists.
The normal acoustic ukulele, though fun to play, doesn’t generate enough volume for an audience. So if you’re going to perform with it, you may need some sort of amplification.
Though there are other ways to amplify the ukulele sound, an increasingly popular option is to buy an electric ukulele.
Like most musical instruments, even ukuleles are now available in electric variants. An electric ukulele is till a 4-string instrument but comes with a pickup that can be plugged into an amplifier (speakers) for a louder volume, and also a heavier rock/metal sound (you have that option).
Features / Specs
Here are some useful features of electric ukuleles:
- Electric ukuleles can be hollow bodied and solid bodied
- Available with two different types of pickup: active and passive
- Solid bodied (without sound hole) look similar to an electric guitar
- Acoustic electric ukulele, sounds like a regular ukulele but amplifies the sound.
- Active pickups come with fancy knobs for volume and tone, and can be heard using headphones
- Newer models allow you to plug your MP3 player into the uke and play along
How Do Electric Ukuleles Work?
Like electric guitars, electric ukuleles have components that capture the vibration of the strings, convert it into an electric signal, which is then passed on to the amplifier. You can read here for a more detailed explanation of the electronic components.
These ukes come with few knobs or sliders (on ukes with active pickup) to help control the volume and adjust levels. Electric ukuleles require a 9V battery are a bit heavier because of the added electronics.
Ukes with passive pickups simply route the sound to the amp; they have no ability to do pre-amplification adjustments, and don’t require any batteries.
Ways to Amplify the Sound
But what if you don’t want to buy another electric version, and want to use the one that you have?
In that case you have a few options:
- Use a standard microphone to amplify the sound
- Use a transducer pickup that sticks to the outside of the ukulele and picks up the sounds
However, if you don’t want to use any of the above methods, and are probably buying your first instrument, the electric ukulele can be a good option.
The good thing is that, if not plugged in, the electric one can still play like an acoustic one.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Leave a Reply