Vorson T-Style Electric Ukulele: Electric Guitar Sound and Style

Electric ukuleles are undoubtedly distinctive – especially when they come with the shape and style of iconic guitars! The Vorson FTLUK-3, which takes inspiration from the classic Fender Telecaster style, offers a hybrid blend of ukulele and an electric guitar sound that many players will love. Let’s take a closer look and figure out whether this uke stands up to the best electric ukuleles on the market.

Body and Neck

At first glance, some observers might barely even recognize the FTLUK-3 (also known as the T-Style) as a ukulele. With its distinctive Telecaster-shape and sleek black paint, it’s certainly unlike nearly every other ukulele on the market.

Under that finish lies a solid candlenut body and neck, with a maple fretboard and dot inlay markers. The tenor-size body is tuned G-C-E-A like a standard ukulele but offers a bit more depth and projection in comparison to its smaller soprano and concert cousins.

Like a true electric guitar, it also boasts an adjustable truss rod fitted inside the neck. This added feature is necessary, thanks to the T-Style’s steel strings – without a truss rod, the neck would bow or crack under the high tension.

Hardware

Just as it features a truss rod – traditionally an electric guitar feature – the T-Style also comes with some other guitar-like appointments. The bridge is a standard Tele-style guitar bridge, only with four saddles instead of six. Like the real thing, it’s also adjustable, which means you can fine-tune your action and intonation to a greater degree than with standard nylon-string acoustic ukes.

This uke ships with a pair of unbranded single-coil pickups. While they’re more ‘guitar’ than ‘ukulele’ – in that they specialize in a more amplified, electric sound rather than preserving any acoustic tones – they’re fairly low-output. A pair of tele-style knobs control volume and tone, along with a three-way pickup selector switch.

Unfortunately for new players, it’s important to note that this uke will most likely need a setup before it’s truly playable. Initial fit and finish are relatively poor, and many buyers have complained about the stock strings, high action, and an unusable bridge out of the box. While this may be a fun little modding platform, it’s clearly not a high-end instrument, and players need to temper their expectations accordingly.

Sound

Tonally, the T-Style sounds closer to an electric guitar than a traditional acoustic ukulele. With the steel strings and single-coil pickups, it’s easy to see why. Players looking for an amplified version of their standard uke tone should consider other options.

On the other hand, guitarists or ukuleleists who want an electric, amplified tone out of a smaller and more compact instrument will enjoy what’s on offer from this Vorson.

Thanks to the heavy electric color on the sound and thinner, treble-heavy voicing, this uke plays best when intended to emulate an electric guitar. It can’t compete with nylon-string electric and electro-acoustic ukes at delivering amplified acoustic ukulele sound, but then again that’s not exactly what it’s made for.

Overall, the T-Style offers some distinctive tones and could be a fun option for both natural guitar and uke players looking to branch out sonically from their usual instruments. With a potential pickup upgrade, it could even become a gig-worthy option.

Conclusion

Vorson’s T-Style is a fun, unique alternative to a traditional ukulele for players looking for a new and distinctive sound. While it has its drawbacks, for this price point and size, it offers decent quality and great potential for mods and upgrades. Players looking for a new budget instrument may want to check out this uke.