Anyone purchase one of these yet?
I got two this week, along with two zebra wood tenors, and two zebra wood baritones. The tenors and baritones are being added to my school "fleet" (flock? family? horde?) to replace more expensive instruments that did not hold up well, and in regards to the tenors, I'll refer you to Baz's always excellent reviews, and Choirguy's equally thought-out and relevant responses. They're different tools for different occasions, and there's times when taking the chance on a known inconsistency can be worth it, but you should go in with eyes open. Baz is a great eye-opener.
Back on topic, I took a chance on two bass ukes from them because I teach 6th-8th, and have created a "fretted orchestra" that incorporates uke, guitar, and bass. (Brag moment...they just got to play for Craig Robinson of "The Office" fame, including accompanying him singing "Billie Jean"!) The problem is, often the bass player is, well, not a full size bass player, yet some local teachers push them to play much larger bass guitars than they can reasonably play with a consistent rhythm. At first, I thought one of them just didn't have a good sense of rhythm until they forgot their bass for rehearsal and borrowed my Kala U-Bass.
Suddenly, they could play with consistent rhythm.
Way too much backstory, I know, but that's what brought me to taking a risk on two $165 Caramel Bass Ukuleles.
They're pretty...the finish quality on these two are great, the acoustic and electric sound is awesome...and the intonation is a half step off at the twelfth fret. <face palm>
Oy. Looking into it more, but I think this is well beyond any setup that can be done. I've emailed the company, but looking at their warranty policy, I think I'd have to pay shipping back. Might be just worth yanking the frets and going fretless...
As I said, I went in eyes open, even after wonderful experiences with the zebra wood Sopranino and butterfly soprano. The Rosewwod tenor was okay, but good enough for the price.
If you're looking at one of these, be aware!
**************
Music Teacher, geek, ukulele, guitar poser
Enabling my UAS through classroom instruction since 2011
ukuleleforteachers.com
I got two this week, along with two zebra wood tenors, and two zebra wood baritones. The tenors and baritones are being added to my school "fleet" (flock? family? horde?) to replace more expensive instruments that did not hold up well, and in regards to the tenors, I'll refer you to Baz's always excellent reviews, and Choirguy's equally thought-out and relevant responses. They're different tools for different occasions, and there's times when taking the chance on a known inconsistency can be worth it, but you should go in with eyes open. Baz is a great eye-opener.
Back on topic, I took a chance on two bass ukes from them because I teach 6th-8th, and have created a "fretted orchestra" that incorporates uke, guitar, and bass. (Brag moment...they just got to play for Craig Robinson of "The Office" fame, including accompanying him singing "Billie Jean"!) The problem is, often the bass player is, well, not a full size bass player, yet some local teachers push them to play much larger bass guitars than they can reasonably play with a consistent rhythm. At first, I thought one of them just didn't have a good sense of rhythm until they forgot their bass for rehearsal and borrowed my Kala U-Bass.
Suddenly, they could play with consistent rhythm.
Way too much backstory, I know, but that's what brought me to taking a risk on two $165 Caramel Bass Ukuleles.
They're pretty...the finish quality on these two are great, the acoustic and electric sound is awesome...and the intonation is a half step off at the twelfth fret. <face palm>
Oy. Looking into it more, but I think this is well beyond any setup that can be done. I've emailed the company, but looking at their warranty policy, I think I'd have to pay shipping back. Might be just worth yanking the frets and going fretless...
As I said, I went in eyes open, even after wonderful experiences with the zebra wood Sopranino and butterfly soprano. The Rosewwod tenor was okay, but good enough for the price.
If you're looking at one of these, be aware!
**************
Music Teacher, geek, ukulele, guitar poser
Enabling my UAS through classroom instruction since 2011
ukuleleforteachers.com
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