Liking my Outdoor Ukulele - want another

I find it hard to believe moving a saddle forward a few milimeters will ruin intonation. Does every ukulele have the same saddle distance? I like to tinker and this mod is not permanent. If the experiment fails, loosen strings and pull out the saddle. I will record some sound samples.
If you would like to see how saddles can be compensated and the very small increments that affect intonation, take a look here. http://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/compensation.htm You can run compensation calculations for guitar, mandolin and uke.
 
Just a few minutes ago ordered a green soprano. I wasn't going to let myself get another uke until April, but $95 is painless. This will be my car uke.
Ordered it with 2 strap buttons.

Looking forward to your thoughts and review!!
 
I'm seriously contemplating getting one of these OU's. My thinking is that at this price point it is either this polycarbonate or laminate woods. While I agree there are some very nice sounding laminate instruments, I don't know if that is the case at this price point. I did watch some reviews of baz's for the some inexpensive laminate instruments that he quite liked, but I'm thinking they are far and in between? Your thoughts on the OU vs. laminate?

Next would come setup. I'm thinking that the OU, being a molded instrument, should be quite consistence in terms of setup and fit and finish. Action should be good, intonation should be relatively close, and fit and finish... well, it's a solid molded piece. Laminate instruments at this price point most likely will need setup work done to them here and there, bridges might be slightly off angle, neck angles might be off, etc. It just seems like the OU would win in this matter, and would be tough as heck. Wouldn't have to worry if you accidentally sat on it (yeah... don't ask).

Next would be tone. I have played and own laminate instruments but I never played a plastic instrument. Now, I have played plastic flutes (pvc and delrin) and find they can be very nice in tone. Comparing a plastic ukulele to a laminate ukulele, I have no idea. And, I know this is a different comparison than flutes as the tone is generated in a different way. With stringed instruments, we rely on vibrations of the instruments top to generate a desirable tone. How well are the OU compared to Magic Fluke ukuleles? Again, not a fair comparison as the MF still uses a wood top, do they not?

Just looking for some more insight and user preferences. Thanks!
 
I think the general consensus is that the Outdoor Ukulele serves it's purpose. Having an ukulele you can leave in the car, take anywhere, and not worry about breaking or damaging due to fluctuation in humidity and temperature. It certainly sounds playable when I watch youtube videos. My goal is to have one for camping and leaving laying around a house with small children. I am tired of having to hang or place my ukuleles out of kids reach, and tired of supervising when they want to play.

As for my modification/saddle experiment; I still feel it is a harmless experiment, worth a try to overcome a plastic crappy sound. I am not an expert, and appreciate the articles on scale and intonation. Looking at guitars with varying angled saddles, and compensated saddles varying to some degree by maker, indicates to me there is a bit of play from instrument to instrument. While a saddle/bridge calculator sets a baseline for saddle placement and scale, I don't see a general rule/calculator being able to accommodate all designs, materials, and instrument builds. Saddle material is important in filtering tone. Different saddles permit/filter different tones to be transmitted to the soundboard. I know the Outdoor Ukulele was built for durability and not absolute best tone possible. Perhaps a change in saddle material will dramatically change the tone. I think there is always room to tinker, even with a plastic molded solid ukulele.
 
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bsfloyd:
I know you already have some of my thoughts on these...but...

As for the OU compared to laminates part of your post goes:
It depends. Just in general terms, in my own personal experience, I find laminate instruments to sound warmer than the OU for sure...if that's your thing. There are some good deals in that price range with laminates IF you get them from a dealer who inspects and at least does a standard kind of setup on the instrument. That way you're assured you don't get one with structural problems, other build problems, etc. Elderly Instruments is my go to place, but people speak very highly of HMS, Mim's ukes and uke-fan too in those regards.
I don't know of any uke, in any price range, that is going to beat the OU as far as durability goes.
I'll stick to liking the OU instruments better than the Magic Fluke instrument...For me, I like the sound better as well as the feel and them being even more durable than the Flukes. I've tried multiple times and just can't get the sound of the Fluke or Flea instruments to work for me. It seems to break up and distort in a way that isn't great for me...there's just something in the sound that isn't pleasant to me. I'm sure many would disagree and go the other way...It's just personal preference. I don't think one is better than the other...just different. Of course the price of the OU is a lot less.
Oh and yes, Magic Fluke is a laminate wood top (a good thin one) unless you pay more for one of the solid tops.
 
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Thanks for the replies and sharing experiences, Heavy2600 and jer!! Much appreciated.
 
Outdoor Tenor arrived. Sounds fantastic! I am so glad I bought one. Time to play!
 
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I picked mine up from the post office last night. I really like it! Love the green. I'm so enamoured with it, I brought it to work today, and showed everyone in the office. My coworker that plays was also impressed, and she almost didn't give it back to me.
 
Do you people just realize how dangerous these Outdoor Ukes can be? They're made from polycarbonate, which means there is going to be some unreacted bisphenol A (BHA) floating around. And since the FDA has revoked the authorization to use polycarbonate for baby bottles, it will clearly NOT be safe to store any liquids inside these ukes.

You've been warned! ; )
 
It's very good to hear players are really liking these!! I really have to jump on board...
 
Do you people just realize how dangerous these Outdoor Ukes can be? They're made from polycarbonate, which means there is going to be some unreacted bisphenol A (BHA) floating around. And since the FDA has revoked the authorization to use polycarbonate for baby bottles, it will clearly NOT be safe to store any liquids inside these ukes.

You've been warned! ; )

I'll stop drinking bourbon from mine...as soon as it runs out...maybe next week.:)
 
Do you people just realize how dangerous these Outdoor Ukes can be? They're made from polycarbonate, which means there is going to be some unreacted bisphenol A (BHA) floating around. And since the FDA has revoked the authorization to use polycarbonate for baby bottles, it will clearly NOT be safe to store any liquids inside these ukes.

You've been warned! ; )

Does that mean they don't ship to the state of California? Or do with required warning label? "This Ukulele is known to cause cancer by the State of CA".
 
Does that mean they don't ship to the state of California? Or do with required warning label? "This Ukulele is known to cause cancer by the State of CA".

I have a birthday coming up. Chances are, I'll get some birthday cash. I really want something for beach vacations and outdoors in general. The question is soprano or tenor. I usually prefer concert and only have that size.
 
My green soprano showed up today;). It sat outside in the cold New England afternoon for awhile, and when I got home I didn't wait for it to warm up, I tuned it and gave it a whirl. I've never played a soprano before, so that feels a little odd, but I can't believe it sounds as good as it does for $95. I'm very happy with it at this point.
 
My green soprano showed up today;). It sat outside in the cold New England afternoon for awhile, and when I got home I didn't wait for it to warm up, I tuned it and gave it a whirl. I've never played a soprano before, so that feels a little odd, but I can't believe it sounds as good as it does for $95. I'm very happy with it at this point.

Very nice to hear! Enjoy that little emerald gem :)
 
So who here backpacks with theirs? I would plan to a lot, and that's why I'm torn on soprano or tenor. I'm usually a concert guy. I saw on model 2 that they moved the tuners down a bit, giving the hands a bit more room. I just haven't decided yet.
 
How do you feel on your concert scales?
Loads of room for your fingers - get a soprano.
A bit tight - likely better off with a tenor, but......it is bigger to transport. :)
 
I wouldn't say I have loads of room, since I started first on guitar, but I think I will be okay once I get used to it. I'm only five foot eight, so I'm not a huge guy with huge hands. I'll probably try the soprano first. It's not a huge amount of money, and knowing me, if I like it I'll get the tenor later on anyway, haha.

Has anybody bought the backpack from the site, out does anyone care to say what they use when backpacking? I have a camera backpack that holds two tripods, so I'm thinking one spot can hold a uke if needed.
 
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