Caramel CC102A Concert Ukulele - REVIEW

Mivo said:
Have you shown us anything, Dooke? I have seen more from Baz to back up his opinion than I have seen from you that backs up your continued attempts to discredit the review.
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What would you like to see, Mivo?
 
Mivo said:
Have you shown us anything, Dooke? I have seen more from Baz to back up his opinion than I have seen from you that backs up your continued attempts to discredit the review.
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Here you go. This is me. Not a review. Just a comparison.

 
I give up - yet another review of a cheap ukulele that creates nothing but people who bought them questioning every detail...(even when the review clearly pointed out that others may differ - it's just a review of the one I have...)

Mine is dipping - I don't lie about things (why would I?). It costs £30.. I can't and won't spend more time on this one, it's not worth it. It's like the Les Paul review all over again...

The dipping top is NOT my biggest gripe - it also sounds terrible..
 
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What people keep missing in argument here (Socrates' fallacy of irrelevant conclusion) is that baz is not arguing the fallaway is a defect in production, as everyone is quickly fallaciously trying to point out. But that perhaps caramel's technique in manufacture for it, produced something flawed in his specific uke.
People usually start missing the point in arguments whenever they have their hearts dead set on something. In this case, Caramels.
 
bazmaz said:
I give up - yet another review of a cheap ukulele that creates nothing but people who bought them questioning every detail...(even when the review clearly pointed out that others may differ - it's just a review of the one I have...)

Mine is dipping - I don't lie about things (why would I?). It costs £30.. I can't and won't spend more time on this one, it's not worth it. It's like the Les Paul review all over again...

The dipping top is NOT my biggest gripe - it also sounds terrible..
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Time will tell...again.
 
This man is using the same uke as I have in the video clip above. CT405 Solid Mahogany. Sounds quite nice.

 
Debussychopin said:
What people keep missing in argument here (Socrates' fallacy of irrelevant conclusion) is that baz is not arguing the fallaway is a defect in production, as everyone is quickly fallaciously trying to point out. But that perhaps caramel's technique in manufacture for it, produced something flawed in his specific uke.
People usually start missing the point in arguments whenever they have their hearts dead set on something. In this case, Caramels.
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I meant Aristotle excuse me
 
This whole thread is a bit of a shame - Barry regularly reviews budget instruments to help beginners avoid potential pitfalls. It would seem that Caramels are likely hit and miss (as many ukes are at this price point) - Barry has said buyer beware as a result. It's a reasonable conclusion. If you have a good one, great. If you get a bad one and it puts you off playing, not so great. If you have a good one it doesn't remove the possibility that some of them are duds, so perhaps a little relaxation and understanding could go a long way here. :cheers:
 
Pirate Jim said:
This whole thread is a bit of a shame - Barry regularly reviews budget instruments to help beginners avoid potential pitfalls. It would seem that Caramels are likely hit and miss (as many ukes are at this price point) - Barry has said buyer beware as a result. It's a reasonable conclusion. If you have a good one, great. If you get a bad one and it puts you off playing, not so great. If you have a good one it doesn't remove the possibility that some of them are duds, so perhaps a little relaxation and understanding could go a long way here. :cheers:
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I find this to be the case with any instrument at ANY price point. I have a 400 dollar guitar I think is junk. Many people have this same guitar and give it good reviews.

Differing view points should be encouraged, not discouraged. It is why I seek opinions from forums. I have also reached a reasonable conclusion that should be considered.

What would be a shame is if we treated each other with disrespect and let things get personal. I didn't see that happen here.
 
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Debussychopin said:
What people keep missing in argument here (Socrates' fallacy of irrelevant conclusion) is that baz is not arguing the fallaway is a defect in production, as everyone is quickly fallaciously trying to point out. But that perhaps caramel's technique in manufacture for it, produced something flawed in his specific uke.
People usually start missing the point in arguments whenever they have their hearts dead set on something. In this case, . . Caramels.
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The key word is "perhaps". And it is possible that in this particular uke there may be something going on. We have seen no proof of this but bazmaz holds this opinion. I have disclosed that my personal experience shows the same dip in both of my ukes. I don't think it is a fatal flaw. I believe it to be intentional. Varying opinions. No harm, no foul.

Choirguy said:
Okay, again in full disclosure we have 50 Caramels for our school program. I don't like looking like an idiot for buying them, or for recommending them to others.

Today I looked at our Caramels (randomly choosing 4 of them), as well as 4 other entry level ukuleles: Kala Ukadelic, Makala Dolphin, Makala CE, and a Mainland Concert.

First, all the Caramels have a taper in the fretboard as runs on the body. This makes me think this is intentional. Even on our oldest Caramel Caramel, the sound board is flat and true, and you can see the bend on the fretboard. The fretboard runs on top of the soundboard, not through it, so I don't think it is structural.

Second, in regards to the Caramels...their interior construction is at least as clean as the Makalas and Ukadelics. I would add that my Makala MK CE looks much more sloppy on the inside.

Third...I didn't test all 40, but the most recent Caramel was playing in tune at the 5th Fret, whereas so was the Mainland. The other Caramels, the Ukadelic, the Dolphin, and Makala CE were all sharp. None of that last group were professionally set up, although action was adjusted on the Ukadelic and Makala CE. This leads me to believe that in the lower priced category of instruments, intonation is an issue. Maybe ALL manufacturers can do a better job...

Finally...the Zebrawood doesn't sound as good as any of the other instruments, and that probably isn't a surprise. The MK-CE is very "boomy" as are the Dolphin and Ukadelic. That is probably a trade off for the low cost of Zebrawood; it would be interesting to test a Caramel made of laminate mahogany.

So...I don't feel like an idiot for supporting these for schools or beginners on the fence. It is a great institutional ukulele and a good instrument...no worse in intonation than anything else in the price range (I am so tempted to buy a $65 Donner and compare). But again...jumping from a $37 Caramel to a $65 Makala C is nearly a $900 difference for 30 ukuleles. Does the Caramel play that much less poorly than the MK-C for a $900 investment? I'd argue no...but you may differ with me.

With all of this, Barry has my total respect and trust...I'd buy him a pint if we ever have the opportunity.
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This is a pretty important post in this thread. Nobody here has more experience with Caramel ukes than this man.

Another point about intonation. Ukes have been notorious for intonation issues forever. Tempered instruments don't play in perfect tune.

Mivo said:
Have you shown us anything, Dooke? I have seen more from Baz to back up his opinion than I have seen from you that backs up your continued attempts to discredit the review.
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That's all I got.
 
Dooke said:
Another point about intonation. Ukes have been notorious for intonation issues forever. Tempered instruments don't play in perfect tune.
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Their octaves can and should.
 
Pirate Jim said:
This whole thread is a bit of a shame - Barry regularly reviews budget instruments to help beginners avoid potential pitfalls. It would seem that Caramels are likely hit and miss (as many ukes are at this price point) - Barry has said buyer beware as a result. It's a reasonable conclusion. If you have a good one, great. If you get a bad one and it puts you off playing, not so great. If you have a good one it doesn't remove the possibility that some of them are duds, so perhaps a little relaxation and understanding could go a long way here. :cheers:
Click to expand...

Plus in BOTH the written review AND in the video I make that point!
 
Dooke - I don't personally give a damn if someone has played 50, 100, or 5,000 of these. The one I have in MY possession sounds terrible to MY ears.

What am I supposed to write? That I think it sounds terrible, but I am clearly mistaken as someone else thought 50 sounded good?
 
Just a final comment until this thread descends into the outright ridiculous like the Les Paul one did... and DESPITE me saying so in both the written review AND the video...

This is just one guys review of one particular instrument

If you have one and like it - great... I'm pleased.

Maybe I just got a bad one - fair enough..

I am not trying to challenge your own perception if you have one and like it.

ALL the reviews are about are MY opinions of the single one I have to hand. Seriously - don't worry about them. No amount of challenging me on them is going to change the fact that I PERSONALLY dont like the sound.
 
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