Review Details

Pono Tenor Electric Acacia Satin (TE 9545)

Product Rating:

Product Review (submitted on April 13, 2014):

We have been looking for an electric solid body ukulele mainly for two reasons:

1. To practice quietly at night

2. To complement our acoustic ukulele playing with some screaming rock riffs now and then

As we have always adored the Ko'olau CE-1, we were excited to hear that Pono now produces a much cheaper version very similar to it.

As with our other Pono, the TE is built and set up very well. Like the more expensive models, it has a radius fretboard. The slim body makes it really comfortable to play. It is a bit heavier than an acoustic tenor ukulele, but still no problem to hold. Nevertheless, the strap buttons provided come in handy.

Due to its chambered body, it is louder than one would expect unplugged. When being amplified, it produces a nice clean sound. At a high gain level, it can really scream as well. Yet, it sounds different from an electric guitar, as distortion fades away rather quickly. After all, steel strings and magnetic pickups do work quite differently than nylon strings and the passive undersaddle pickup of this uke. Anyway, using an amp and some effects, you can produce tons of interesting sounds with it.

Last but not least, this ukulele looks really cool. Like a small electric guitar carved out of a single piece of wood. And with a satin finish, it feels that way too. The case it comes with is very stylish as well.

All in all, this ukulele is a great addition to any collection!