The Ortega RUET-EB is made of striking ebony, which gives the appearance a very individual touch and provides a powerful sound. Since the top is solid, every note unfolds very quickly and transparently, so that the concert ukulele is ideally suited for both picking and strumming. At the same time, the flat neck in combination with a light cutaway promises an extremely comfortable grip in all frets. In addition, the direct mechanism without transmission allows a precise tuning of the 4 nylon strings, which thanks to a perfectly matched Hardware intonate cleanly. In order to amplify the acoustic sound, an in-house pickup system is built into the instrument. Visually, the ukulele is rounded off by extensive inlay work and a wafer-thin high-gloss finish. The scope of delivery includes a robust bag.

Construction and woods

The medium sized concert construction provides a very well balanced sound, so that the ukulele can be used in many different ways. The solid ebony top and the laminated ebony body enrich the frequencies with a pleasant, warm note. Furthermore, the body is equipped with a light Cutaway which allows an optimized access to the high frets. Furthermore, the mahogany neck is very easy to grip thanks to its flat profile. The fingerboard and bridge are made of walnut.

Hardware and design

To ensure that all 18 frets sound clean, the saddle and the 36 mm nut are precisely aligned. The strings have a scale length of 380 mm and can be tuned precisely with the help of matte black GraphTech Ratio tuners. To emphasize the striking grain of the tonewoods used, the body is framed with a filigree wood binding, which harmonizes perfectly with the soundhole rosette. Fine abalone applications are worked into the rosette. The fretboard is decorated with a large tree-of-life inlay made of abalone, which extends from the 1st to the 18th fret.

Electronics

The built-in Ortega MagusFly pickup transmits the acoustic sound unaltered and directly to the respective amplifier. Meanwhile, the control unit is elegantly hidden in the sound hole and has a volume and a tone control. The active system is powered by a rechargeable battery, so there's no need for annoying battery changes.