Applause UA-20 Ukulele

Satin finish top, thin gloss finish on the neck (and fingerboard(!)) Molded plastic bowl-type body. Piezo pickup built into the bridge, passive tone/volume controls, 1/4" output jack. Geared tuners. This soprano uke has about everything you'd expect from an acoustic-electric ukulele built in China with Ovation design.

The sound of the uke is pretty open, resonant, and lively. Different brands of strings have a profound effect on the sound though-- that is to say, the instrument's design and construction don't seem nearly as influential over the tone as do strings. This is actually a good thing since you can try many different brands of strings to find a tone you're happy with-- rather than try many different brands of ukulele.

The factory setup was fair. Intonation was terrible in the lowest four fret postitions until I took a nut-file to the string slots and dropped them to about 1/16" over the first fret when open. That meant lowering the slots by almost 3/32" (!) from where they were set at the factory. With less deflection at the nut, the intonation improved dramatically. The fingerboad seems to have been sprayed with the same thin coat of semi-gloss that the neck and peghead received. Frets are not incredibly level and the neck itself has a bit of a forward bow (more like a kink) but playability is not affected at all by this. Some of the wiring inside the body had a tendency to rattle and buzz (acoustically) when playing open strings, but a quick trip inside the bowl (by removing the vol/tone control plate) and a cable-tie fixed that annoyance. For $150, I expected little, easy-to-remedy issues like these. Now with all of the filing, zip-tying, etc. done, it plays and sounds pretty good.

The overall design (plastic bowl, substantial neck, geared tuners) lends itself well to rough handling as well as temperature and humidity extremes. Also, the instrument probably wieghs less than 2 pounds, so even if you drop it, there isn't too much energy in the impact with the floor, so it's unlikely that substantial damage would occurr.

Never used customer support for this product.

You want to play the ukulele? Look at something much cheaper to start with. You need to be able to plug-in for recording or amplification? This may be a good foray into the electric world. You don't like adjusting, fussing, or tweaking either your instrument or your playing style? Then this isn't your dream uke.

I have the Electric version which is a plus! you get to plug it into an amp and add effects if you like? goes very nice with a good delay or chorus :)

it only has a volume and tone control but they are quailty :) and if u want an eq? just add one in your effects chain

I give it 10 because its not every day you see an electric uke and this is great! this is a great plus that makes it very wirth checking out

The sound is very warm and clear, plugged or un-plugged.
When connected to an amp, the tone control is good, u have a nice range of bright/warm levels depending what you like but I must say, its full of quailty

I really like the uke, if you are looking for a different sound and want to take time out from that 6 string we all love :) this is worth getting, I have no regrets

gets a 10 for having a top notch sound and being abit different with its electric option :)

I find it easy to play, you pick up on it fast! chords are very nice to get use to, its small and cute with a very nice finish, as far as i know there are 2 versions, a black and one that has some red colouring added, I have the black finish

it looks like a mini Ovation acustic guitar :) has alot of style, so if u want to get something thats not so traditional looking, u must check out a pic of one of these

Its light, and it seems to be built very well, everything is solid, including the tuners! very stable

I feel it will last a long time unless u want to do a Who performance? it deserves a good home, I highly recommend you get a gig bag or hardcase for it, just thinking? get a hardcase if u gig with it

I love it, ive been looking for something different for awhile and I was over the moon to find out you can get them electric, its worth the extra money to have this option, remember u can add effects if u like? :) Ive tried it with a Picture Wah, sounds good

this product deserves a 10 for standing out from the rest for its cool looks/finish and having a great sound for both the plugged/unplugged player

I have the the UAE-20 which has the electronics. Made in Korea. Nice little vol and tone premap. For a uke this tings rocks. Cool black transparent finish, Adamas epaulets, pickup. Very cool, wish it had a solid top

Sounds excellent, I can only compare it to the $20 Carlo Robelli beater I bought my daughter. The Applause sounds great, but I can't compare it to the koa larrivees of the world. The plugged in sound is very true. This is a great little package for the cash. Great for playing on the front porch or on stage.

Perfect, for Korea. Great craftsmanship.

Seems excellent, like all Ovation products.

Ovation is great.

This a soprano UKE with the multi soundhole body style
Solid spruce top
17 FRETS
geared tunners
No Electronics
Five year warranty
Purchased wth a gig bag($19.99)
The gig bag is padded with back pack style straps & outside pocket

I play a little of every thing mainly on a acoustic guitar so this little guy will fit right in
the sound is bright and loud ready to cut through the mix
it has a very rich folky sound to it but I will have to get better strings (martin)
But to be fare this is my frist uke so I have nothing to base this off of so I give it an 8

The action & finish is perfect
The head stock is the ovation/applause style which is cool
and it has geared tunners which is a nice touch

This uke feels and looks very fragile I use it in my home studio but you probaly get away with playing out you would just have to take extra care of it
With the right care though it looks like it will last a long time plus it has a five year warranty
Never gig without a back up don't learn the hard way

Five year warranty
No web site

I've been playing guitar for five years and have a alveraz acoustic, frender acoustic & Fender Standard strat and do alot of recording in my studio. I was looking for a differnt sound and this fills that void. It's a cool little uke, even my wife who didn't want me to buy it loves it and is learning some chords.
If it were lost or stolen I would buy the same model but with electronics