zorf said:Amplifiing acoustic instruments is a subject for a huge thread in itself, but here's a couple of uke links that include pickup info. I've been unhappy with my piezo that i stuck on my uke. Buy a uke with a built in. Ukes are cheap.
Or, if you are playing with a loud band, go solid body with a bridge transducer. It will actually sound MORE acoustic without resonence spikes from the body plus no feedback. Acoustic instruments that have low volume and sound boxy with tops that don't vibrate much, often sound great amplified.
http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/uke-yak/
and my favorite:
http://www.ukuleleworld.com/
zorf said:You didn't mention what context you were amping your uke for.
For recording, even a $100 mic is way better of course than a piezo.
For live, a mic is tough. For gain before feedback, piezo.
Problem with piezos: quack and general unnatural sound. If you can get
a hotter signal before your preamp, you get less impedance buffering and phasing issues.
I prefer the pickup close to the bridge for this application. Putting piezos
farther from the bridge increases handling noise. My tech 21 acoustic di helps a little too.
Again, even though it sounds counter-intuitive, a solid body with a bridge
piezo can sound more natural in an amplified setting. Or, second choice, buy a uke with
a built in pickup and preamp. These tend to be a little heavier because of the battery, and have a little less acoustic volume. A little reverb helps too.
Ukes are really pretty cheap compared to guitars. You can have one for
playing acoustically and recording, and one for playing amplified.
My favorite uke cost $40 brand new!
zorf said:Hi Kasey,
Let's start over.
Tell us a bit about what kind of music you are or would like to play on the uke, what other instruments are/would be involved, and describe the types/ sizes of venues you are likely to play in.
zorf said:Hi Kasey,
Let's start over.
Tell us a bit about what kind of music you are or would like to play on the uke, what other instruments are/would be involved, and describe the types/ sizes of venues you are likely to play in.