Have only been playing - no make that practicing - for a few months now so not at all well rounded on ukes. Only have my Pono tenor to compare this to. I picked the laminated Famous up due to concerns here in No. Central WA St. about humidity and solid ukes, and I wanted to be able to leave one out all the time to practice with. 17% RH just now and can drop to 14% during the winter heating season.
Anyway, this FS-5G is very nice. Finish is a nicely done gloss with no blemishes anywhere, but makes it kind of hard to hold in position without a strap. Decals are well applied and straight. Don't know what the factory strings are but they play very well. This thing is LOUD! And it has good resonance for such a little thing - I can even feel this on the back side when playing. Fit and finish is excellent, inside and out, with no flaws of any kind visible. No glue strings or blobs inside, not even any "smears or slides" of adhesive. No waves or dimples in any of the woodwork. Frets are very well set with no sharp edges or buzzing, and nut and bridge are set up just right. Very, very easy to play.
Now, just an FYI. I bought this thru Amazon, seller is n-Lion in Japan. It was advertised with a gigbag, a strap, and a pitch pipe. I paid extra for expedited shipping. Well, it arrived late anyway. I complained thru Amazon and the full expedited shipping charges were refunded by n-Lion within two days. Nice! No questions asked. But still haven't heard anything about the missing bag and other items.
Anyway, this FS-5G is very nice. Finish is a nicely done gloss with no blemishes anywhere, but makes it kind of hard to hold in position without a strap. Decals are well applied and straight. Don't know what the factory strings are but they play very well. This thing is LOUD! And it has good resonance for such a little thing - I can even feel this on the back side when playing. Fit and finish is excellent, inside and out, with no flaws of any kind visible. No glue strings or blobs inside, not even any "smears or slides" of adhesive. No waves or dimples in any of the woodwork. Frets are very well set with no sharp edges or buzzing, and nut and bridge are set up just right. Very, very easy to play.
Now, just an FYI. I bought this thru Amazon, seller is n-Lion in Japan. It was advertised with a gigbag, a strap, and a pitch pipe. I paid extra for expedited shipping. Well, it arrived late anyway. I complained thru Amazon and the full expedited shipping charges were refunded by n-Lion within two days. Nice! No questions asked. But still haven't heard anything about the missing bag and other items.
