amplification
first point I don't yet own a uke with a pick up.
I've now joined a local uke club and I am mostly keeping up.
It depends on strum pattern and what's being sung.
Sometimes concentration only stretches to one or the other. Alongside a block of ''intermediate'' lessons. Again I seem to be holding my own.
Nobody plays amped up , so that's fine.
They club does go out and about to venues to entertain, residential homes, local fetes and such like. When they do I think they generally rely on a microphone set up to amplify the group rather than any individual player.
At what point would you consider a fitted pickup as a need rather than a want. Is there a quality point below which the ukulele wouldn't justify it. Your paying as much for the pickup as you are for the uke. Should you be a lead player or intending to play solo to warrant a set up. Pickup, preamp, amp. This is before any effects other than some simple reverb.
Dave L
A baby step would be to attach a piezio transducer pickup to your soundboard. It doesn't require any drilling or interior wiring to your instrument. You'd still need an amplifier-speaker to process the signal.