VTAB MV-TS2401 Concert Review

bazmaz

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My pleasure - genuinely surprised me this one. They rarely do!!
 
This seems almost too good to be true at that price especially with all of the features and the solid spruce top...
:drool:

I hope they make it into worldwide distribution, as these could really give some other brands a run for the money if of consistent build quality and tone.

Baz, thanks so much for another great review. :)
 
The almost too good to be true element worried me too. I hope they keep the QC at this level. Saying that - I have been contacted by a few stores today who have been in touch with them to try to set up dealerships - they have all, independently of each other, spoken really highly of how professional VTAB are being (despite me saying its a chinese brand (and they ARE made in China) - the company is based in the USA). Apparently being very good to deal with.

Watch this space. Of course, being in a dealer means they will cost a bit more - but you pay extra for the ability to see and touch them before buying and not having them shipped from China.

Either way - great instrument I thought. Genuinely surprised me.
 
I've seen those Kmise ukes all over Amazon, eBay, Dealextreme, Aliexpress, et al.

Honestly, in the USA, if you can spend a few $ more, you can get a uke that is guaranteed playable out of the box by buying from a shop that does a setup and inspection before shipping the instrument to you (like HMS, MIM or Uke Republic).

Otherwise (and putting in context to lots of other reviews that Baz has done), you are rolling the dice that:

a) the instrument was not made poorly with the frets spaced wrong, or the bridge in the wrong place

b) the fit and finish is at least not harmful to the player (razor sharp fret ends)

c) coming from an Asian climate, over a week+ time to get to you, the chance of damage do to poor handling by the courier, OR damage from a big delta in the climate from where it was made when compared to where you live can effect the wood itself in several bad ways

If you like spending hours doing setups on $30 ukes, that is your choice, and I admit that I did that twice.

However, I realized that my time and energy is worth more than 'saving' $20-$80 for a uke that is guaranteed playable out of the box coming from a ukulele-specific vendor who has hands on with the instrument and will stand behind it and prepare it for use BEFORE sending it out to you.

Baz has always given good reviews, and his guidance has definitely benefited me in my UAS journey. :)

Forgot and added that I see you are in Australia, the vendors I mentioned above all ship worldwide.
 
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I reviewed a Kmise a few months ago. It was pretty awful unfortunately. This VTAB surprised me as it seemed several levels above what I normally see at this price
 
I'm not marketing them? I have no connection with VTAB. I just write reviews?
 
HI Dean,

There's no conflict here. I am reading a bit of controversy brewing in your comments, but maybe that's just me, and if I am reading you wrong, I apologize, as I intend no harm.

If anything I have said has offended you, please understand also that this was not my intent, as I have no interest to condescend to anyone and if so, I also apologize....

I personally have been setting up my own guitars for 30+ before coming to the ukulele, and in the beginning when I started with the ukulele 4 yrs ago, went through the typical searching for the el cheapo bargains, and have done a full setup on MANY sub-$100 ukes, which in the end, just were not worth it to me when the availability of better sounding and better-playing (out of the box) ukes were available from reputable dealers to the USA. Dealers that did a setup, OR ukes made that need no setup, such as those from The Magic Fluke Company.

Sorry you have troubles getting instruments imported into Australia, but the CITES restrictions are there to prevent over-harvesting of wood, and damage to the planet when certain wood species are in danger of becoming extinct. Thanks fully there are LOTS of other great choices now besides mahogany, rosewood, spruce and cedar that you can get fine instruments made from.

I am glad you are happy with your Kmise and lots of folks here on UU like to dive deep into the low-end of the price range, and nobody is faulting them for doing so. There are ukes for every budget and playing level.

The difference to me is how much time I'd rather spend PLAYING instead of using hand tools to repair an essentially defective or unplayable instrument as it comes out of the box, and I'm not saying that they are ALL bad, and in fact that is what Baz's review here shows in that this VTAB uke is in fact very nice for the money, hence it being a bit of a surprise given it's origins and the reputation of similar ukes.

To be clear, Baz is a highly respected member here on UU and runs his web site without profit nor ANY compensation from the makers of the instruments he reviews, nor compensation from any vendors, and even a few instruments he has bought himself, but most of them are sent to him on loan, as he has said many times in his videos.

His mission here is to share information and educate, not to market and sell, and not to profit from mentioning one brand over another.

If you have questions about his affiliations or absence of the same, it may be best to contact him directly.

Mahalo brother Dean....:music:
 
Dean - the policy on not taking uke 'gifts' is my decision, not the brands. It's so the promise of a gift doesn't steer the review and skew it. Most go back. On occasion brands then get in touch and say that it might not be cost effective for them to ship them back around the globe and tell me to keep them. With those, one of three things happen

1. They get donated to charity (usually charity raffles at ukulele events in UK)
2. They get donated to local school
3. They get sold on, and the money used to get more instruments for review, and then those get donated to charity.

To be honest - I only have so much space at home so one way or the other I need to get them out of the house, but it's mainly about impartiality.
 
...and the odd one gets incinerated!
 
That was a special case. A very, very sad case... Could never have seen that go into the hands of anyone
 
I just ordered one (the VTAB TS2401 Concert Ukulele). At the going price ($115 shipped), I figured it's not much of a risk. I don't really need another ukulele, but...:rolleyes:
 
MY VTAB TS 2401 Concert just arrived this morning. Wow...it's definitely punching way above its weight class. Beautiful finish (the only thing I could find is a faint scuff mark on the headstock just above the nut), structurally perfect, and great sound. The action is just a tiny bit high and I might eventually sand down the bridge a little, but it doesn't really bother me. I'll be changing out the Aquila strings for some flurocarbons (probably Martins), just because I'm not a fab of Aquilas. The only other thing I can find that's not perfect is the glossy finish on the neck doesn't slide quite as well as a matte finish. I may take a little 0000 steel wool and dull it up a little. For $115 shipped, this is an awesome bargain.
IMG_4666.jpg
 
I think they are terrific for the money. There's been a massive number of new brands hitting shelves in the last 1-2 years. Some are better than others, but the VTAB's I looked at are the first I really said 'wow' about. Plus they are also getting into stores so they are not doing the whole 'Amazon only' route that so many are playing games with.
 
I think they are terrific for the money. There's been a massive number of new brands hitting shelves in the last 1-2 years. Some are better than others, but the VTAB's I looked at are the first I really said 'wow' about. Plus they are also getting into stores so they are not doing the whole 'Amazon only' route that so many are playing games with.

Today I've contacted VTAB directly by email, asking for pricing. And the price was $185.95 for TS-C40 which is same MV-TS2401 if I understand corectly. I'm looking to buy my first uke after watching your review. And now I'm a little bit lost. And ukeshop sells them for £90. How come?
 
They are not the same. The TS-C40 is solid acacia top. The TS2401 is now called the TS-C15 and is a spruce top. I think the list of the TS-C15 is more like $130 (so about £90). Maybe the C40 is more because of the wood difference
 
Yeah, I've figured out that now. TS-C15 has Black Walnut Fretboard & Bridge and TS-C10 has Rosewood Fretboard & Bridge. The rest is the same.
I've been given this link by contact person from VTAB
https://meivie.com/collections/2017...er-and-logo-carrying-case?variant=44214750418
So it's $115 plus $5 off for first order plus free shipping over $100.
I have a question though. Spruce is considered as softwood. How it holds all bumps and scratches?
 
It is soft -that’s why spruce tops are usually glossed to protect them
 
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