This is a thin body Enya concert ukulele, with something called a Double AcousticPlus unit inside, which provides onboard effects. Unusually, these effects can be used while playing acoustically, without plugging into an amp (although it can be played with or without these chorus and reverb effects through an amp too). In effect there's a small speaker inside which picks up the vibrations in the uke's body and processes the sound so you can hear them without an amp.

If that wasn't enough to get your head around, this Enya has a body made up of a composite of polycarbonate and carbon fibre and has a soundport on the side and front. That side soundport is particularly useful when using the acoustic effects as it gives you a more direct experience of the reverb and / or chorus in action.

All of this could be regarded as gimmicks if the ukulele itself sounded poor, but the Nova U has a remarkably nice sound. The volume isn't the loudest, but it isn't quiet either. The sound is shimmery and quite mellow, but has some brightness when picked too. You know, it really is better than I expected! It certainly wouldn't be considered a traditional uke sound, but this unique sound is certainly pretty.

The pickup / internal speaker is powered, but there's a usb socket (with cable provided) to allow you to charge this up, rather than use a battery. There's a volume control knob and two controls for the reverb and chorus allowing you to vary the level or either, or both at the same time.

The uke is supplied with a rigid soft case - lightweight but stiff enough to protect it from damage if you're taking it on your travels. Also included in the box (a nice box, if that matters to you!) is a spare set of fluorocarbon strings, a capo and a strap which can be fixed to the strap buttons already on the ukulele.

There's a lot to get to grips with - but actually this is a really good option for a player who wants a rugged travel ukulele, with onboard effects that you don't need an amplifier for. True, these effects aren't as good as you'd get with individual effects pedals, but they're certainly not bad - and to be honest, I have single pedals that cost three times the cost of this whole package so that's understandable!

For a video demo of the Nova U electro, click additional info below.

(There’s also a video of the acoustic version there too, so you can hear more of what the uke sounds like without effects)

For common accessories and customisations (like strap buttons / low G fitting) scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll be able to add these common items to your basket. The nut width of this one is 35mm.