Ray Miller's JAZZ UKE --- 18" Scale Tenor

I have had a few inquiries about the ukulele I am playing.  It is a custom job by an amateur luthier.   I worked with a guy in Omaha who was designing a 'jazz ukulele.'  I helped on some of the details for the ultimate design for over three years.  The basic instrument was built using his forms, but all the setup, pickup installation, fretting, added itms, and finish was accomplished by me.  It is the best uke I have ever owned.  I am constantly reworking the instrument to improve the tonal qualities, the neck and the finish.  With regard to the tonal qualities, I have re-braced the top using lighter bracing, which helped the volume and sustain immensely. 

Most of the inquiries received are centering around the mic pickup system I am using.  See the information in another section regarding the Schertler mandolin pickup I have implemented recently.  I now have two pickups and switch between the two depending on the venue and the signal reproduction desired.

Date: June, 2004) Pictures below show the mic setup, which is awkward at best.  However, the results are phenomenal due to the quality of the miniature mics and their placement.  The mics are mounted with a gentle pressure fit into the "F-holes" -- the mic on the left is directed into the uke while the one on the right is directed toward the strings.  Of course, the mics are also picking up vibrations because of the way they are mounted, which adds to the overall replication of the tonal qualities of the instrument.  The mics are 1/2" in length and 1/4" in diameter.  Their frequency response is from less than 40Hz to 15,000Hz.  They are powered by a separate 9v power supply through a bass rolloff filter into a preamp.  For more information on these top-of-the-line binaural microphones, go to Core Sound on this link, Core Sound — Core Sound Binaural microphone set.  I have been using the original ($219 pair) mics for more than 10-years and have yet to be disappointed.  They are fantastic, but not cheap; they are priced at $260 now.  Core also has a low cost pair (shown on the right)) which I have installed into my uke, saving the high sensitivity pair for recording sessions, jams, and venue sets.

Above, the pictures of my uke are showing the pre-installation (left side) vs. post-installation (right side) of my current stealth mic pair.  Note that his is only a temporary installation.  When the new mics arrive, they will be installed properly; i.e., mics installed with wiring to an end-pin jack.  I am turning end-pin jacks from exotic woods and will have a 1/8" coupler installed in the end-pins.  This will allow the mics to be removed when desired for other uses, plus allowing an instrument cable to be plugged in.  (The alligator clips shown in the picture above from Core Sound are removeable and not used in any way here.) 

UPDATE  (6/6/2005):  I have installed a pair of Core's Low Cost Binaurals.  These were about $85 for the pair.  They are working out beautifully.  For the price, you cannot find a nicer pair of mics anywhere.  They are pictured above.  Be sure to read the narrative within the picture.  Of course, the battery box and the  cables were not necessary for the second set of mics due to them already being available from the high end mics from Core.

The next pictures are of the uke with proper installation of the pair of Core mics.  The endpin is turned from Cocobola with a stereo in-line mini adapter installed through the center of the endpin.  This means that the pair of mics are wired to a stereo mini plug which plugs into the inline adapter INSIDE the uke.  The rest of the Core setup is plugged to the outside of the endpin.  This allows the mics to be removed at any time without rewiring or disturbing the uke in any way.

     Fig. 1:  The uke with strap attached to endpin                             Fig. 2:  Endpin removed showing mic plug inserted