The UEW12EJ is an UEW series acoustic/ electric ukulele model introduced by Ibanez in 2019. It was made in China as a spot model which is sold exclusively by retailer Shimamura in Japan.
The UEW12EJ features a concert style EW body with a soft Florentine cutaway and a laminated flamed maple top with blue binding on flamed maple back and sides with an open pore finish. The round soundhole has a maple rosette. It has an okoume neck with a 19-fret purpleheart fingerboard with maple dot position markers. Components include an ivory plastic saddle in a purpleheart bridge, a plastic nut and chrome Grover open gear tuning machines. Electronics consist of an Ibanez under saddle pickup feeding an Ibanez AEQ2U preamp with onboard tuner powered by a pair of 2032 coin cells, and a ¼" endpin output jack.
The UEW12E is a similar regular production model which is identical aside from its finish. Several similar models have been produced with different body materials: UEW15E (flamed mahogany), UEW14E (ovangkol), UEW13MEE (Macassar ebony), UEW13E (bocote) and UEW12ACE (acacia). The UEW5E is a related model with a mahogany or sapele body, an abalone rosette and Ibanez tuners.