Ukulele Gear: Pickups

Pickups

Passive, Active, Electric – Just what does all that have to do with getting my ukulele louder?

5 August 2026

Curt's Personal Pickup Recommendations

  • Pono The Pono Passive — A great passive pick that allows you to set EQ flat and reproduces a uke's natural sound. The same element that Martin Guitars has used since 1968.
  • MiSi — An active, battery-free preamp. Uses the L.R. Baggs ukulele pickup. All you have to do is power up for 60 seconds using the Mi-Si Power Charger, providing you with up to 16 hours of performance time.
  • L. R. Baggs — The L. R. Baggs Element is great for the ukulele and acoustic guitars. I have this installed in one of my Ko'olau CS Tenors ( the newer in training uke ).
  • Fishman Transducers, Inc. — Great Amps, Pedals, PA, and Pickups.
  • K & K Sound Systems, Inc. — K & K soundboard transducers are a good alternative to the under the saddle pickups.

I (Curt) don't have any experience with installing or using aNueNue Air Air pickups.

Pickup Comparisons from the Ukulele Site

  1. aNueNue Air Air (2:56) (11:00) – A dual mic and and under-saddle system.
  2. MISI Trio (4:20) (13:00) (16:20) – An active under-saddle element.
  3. K & K Big Island Spot (7:50) (18:20) – A passive under the soundboard transducer.
  4. Pono Passive (6:15) (23:00) – An passive under-saddle element. (Curt: My favorite passive pickup)
  5. LR Baggs Five-0 (9:10) (14:30) – An active under-saddle element.

Ukulele Recommendations

These are LearningUkulele.com and Learning Ukulele with Curt first choices for ukulele pickups. I've (Curt) personally have installed these in customer's ukulele at Funky Frets Music Store

Pono

Pono

"Pono" instruments are professionally designed and handcrafted by the "Ko'olau Guitar and `Ukulele Company" and on the Island of Java, with final adjustments and set-up on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

L. R. Baggs

L. R. Baggs

We started this in a loft in downtown Los Angeles, California, with a hope and a dream, and no business sense whatsoever. The first L.R. Baggs product was our LB6 Series Pickup. We would like to thank Leo Kottke for his early support. Stores would call us and say, "Leo Kottke said he was using your pickup." We could literally track his touring route as the stores would order in his wake. Early endorsers were Steven Sheehan of the Judds, James Taylor and Kathy Mattea. These endorsers gave us the encouragement and support that sustained us when we had more enthusiasm than business sense. They spread the word and gradually our business grew.

Fishman Transducers, Inc.

Fishman Transducers, Inc.

Fishman is dedicated to helping acoustic musicians achieve the truest sound possible whenever they plug in. Our ongoing commitment and wide range of innovative products has helped our company grow to become the industry standard for acoustic amplification.

Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc.

Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc.

Mi-Si was founded in 2004 by experienced team of engineers with the passion and the drive to make music technology better – for both artists and music lovers. With more than 50 years of combined experience, Mi-Si brings unceasing innovation to the field of acoustic amplification, making music better and authentic.

K & K Sound Systems, Inc.

K & K Sound Systems, Inc.

Our mission is to establish K&K as the premier manufacturer of the highest quality acoustic amplification products in the world while maintaining the highest respect and service to our customers, employees, and community.

All K&K products are designed and manufactured in house, enabling us to quickly react to customer and market needs. Specific requests for customized products are easily met for musicians, dealers, and manufacturers. Our products are proudly Made in Oregon, USA. We encourage our customers to shop local and we strive to do the same.

Popular Acoustic Ukulele Pickups

Aero Instrument Pickups

Aero Instrument Pickups

AERO Instrument designs and manufactures all its products. We are not an importer. We focus on artful design and high quality workmanship. We listen to our customers, and to the best of our ability, advise and educate them.

aNueNue Ukuleles

aNueNue Ukuleles

Aloha! The aNueNue ukulele is not just another ukulele company. We are about life, music, and play. aNueNue means rainbow in Hawaiian. Pronounced as “"Ahh nu way nu way," we are a multi-national operation with ukulele enthusiasts from Hawaii, Canada, Japan and Taiwan.

Bartlett Audio

Bartlett Audio

Bartlett Audio was formed in 2009 to design and build high-quality microphones at a fair price, and to offer excellent customer support direct from the designer. In 2012 Bartlett Microphones became Bartlett Audio, featuring new mic circuits for even better performance.

B-Band Ltd

B-Band Ltd

B-Band is a manufacturer of high quality pickup systems for acoustic guitars, double basses and drums. All B-Band pickups use our proprietary patented electric film technology instead of common piezo materials. Piezo pickups tend to impart a sound of their own, often described as "quacky" or "plastic", B-Band transducers act in much the same way a condenser microphone does. This results in excellent reproduction of your acoustic instrument's unique voice."Hear the Truth".

Dean Markley

Dean Markley

Established in 1972, Dean Markley USA is recognized as an innovator and leader in the world of musical instrument strings.

Duncan Turner Acoustic Research (D-TAR)

Duncan Turner Acoustic Research (D-TAR)

What makes D-TAR different from other onboard systems? The D-TAR Multi-Source combines the Wave-Length piezoelectric under-saddle pickup with a miniature condenser microphone that is nestled in a special absorptive visco-elastic polymer shock mount for optimal isolation.

Fishman Transducers, Inc.

Fishman Transducers, Inc.

Fishman is dedicated to helping acoustic musicians achieve the truest sound possible whenever they plug in. Our ongoing commitment and wide range of innovative products has helped our company grow to become the industry standard for acoustic amplification.

K & K Sound Systems, Inc.

K & K Sound Systems, Inc.

Our mission is to establish K&K as the premier manufacturer of the highest quality acoustic amplification products in the world while maintaining the highest respect and service to our customers, employees, and community.

All K&K products are designed and manufactured in house, enabling us to quickly react to customer and market needs. Specific requests for customized products are easily met for musicians, dealers, and manufacturers. Our products are proudly Made in Oregon, USA. We encourage our customers to shop local and we strive to do the same.

KNA Pickups

KNA Pickups

KNA Pickups has a full range of pickup solutions, we offer several designs to assure players get the best sound possible for their application. Our piezo, magnetic, passive, and active pickups offer natural sound reproduction tailored specifically for the tonal and dynamic range of each instrument.

Ko`olau Guitar and Ukulele Company

Ko`olau Guitar and Ukulele Company

"Ko'olau Guitars and 'Ukuleles" are professional quality, hand crafted instruments. The shop is located in Kaneohe, on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, approximately fifteen minutes from Honolulu, at the foot of the the beautiful Ko'olau Mountains.

L. R. Baggs

L. R. Baggs

We started this in a loft in downtown Los Angeles, California, with a hope and a dream, and no business sense whatsoever. The first L.R. Baggs product was our LB6 Series Pickup. We would like to thank Leo Kottke for his early support. Stores would call us and say, "Leo Kottke said he was using your pickup." We could literally track his touring route as the stores would order in his wake. Early endorsers were Steven Sheehan of the Judds, James Taylor and Kathy Mattea. These endorsers gave us the encouragement and support that sustained us when we had more enthusiasm than business sense. They spread the word and gradually our business grew.

Meyers Pickups

Meyers Pickups

Myers Pickups allows your passion to be heard by picking up the natural tone and sound of your instrument. This easily removable pickup will capture your expression without leaving a mark on your instrument. Our most popular models are the "Gooseneck" and "Feather" pickups. The smallest, all-in-one, multi-instrument, preamp pickups on the market today!

So versatile that it can be used with almost any instrument! Easily attaches and detaches from your instrument using the various methods

Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc.

Mi-Si Electronics Design, Inc.

Mi-Si was founded in 2004 by experienced team of engineers with the passion and the drive to make music technology better – for both artists and music lovers. With more than 50 years of combined experience, Mi-Si brings unceasing innovation to the field of acoustic amplification, making music better and authentic.

Pono

Pono

"Pono" instruments are professionally designed and handcrafted by the "Ko'olau Guitar and `Ukulele Company" and on the Island of Java, with final adjustments and set-up on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Pick Up The World

Pick Up The World

Pick-up the World is dedicated to reducing our environmental impact and to this end, PUTW’s pickups are now built using 100% non-polluting, renewable energy. Additionally, all of PUTW’s pickup packaging is made from United States small farm grown / Non GMO quick composting plant based materials.

Schatten Design

Schatten Design

Schatten Design’s continuing quest to build the finest pickups, preamps, and related accessories in the world has produced some truly fine new products. Newly introduced at the 2010 Los Angeles NAMM show was a series of innovative pickups for Uprighnt Bass and for Steel String Acoustics. Also introduced was a new endpin jack preamp, The Player Preamp. **The Dualie** for Ukulele Dual Element Acoustic Soundboard Pickup
Shadow Electronics

Shadow Electronics

Shadow Electronics stands for high quality and absolutely reliable pickup systems - and this since 1971. Shadow was founded by Joe Marinic in 1971 and is one of the most experienced companies in the musical instrument business. Up to the present, musical enthusiasm and recognized electronic knowledge are the interlocking columns of the success of Shadow. We cooperate not only with world known top-musicians but we also have a team of highly qualified engineers and partners on staff.

Popular Electric Ukulele Pickups

These use the same principles as electric guitar pickups but one for four strings and require steel strings as the pick are magnetic.

Aero Instrument Pickups

Aero Instrument Pickups

AERO Instrument designs and manufactures all its products. We are not an importer. We focus on artful design and high quality workmanship. We listen to our customers, and to the best of our ability, advise and educate them.