New Opio Acacia Tenor -- Questions

dxn2

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Hi All. Just received a new Opio Tenor. It didn't arrive as flawless as I expected. There is a "pen tip" sized indentation between the upper and lower bout. It doesn't look as if the finish is penetrated. Im inclined to just forget about it but figured I'd reach out to the collective wisdom here to see if I'm dismissing it too quickly.

Another question. Would anyone have a concern on buying a new Uke and seeing it's production date was from September of 2016. I have no logical reason for concern but for me this was a high end purchase and just want to be smart and cover my bases. Thanks for any input.

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I read back through your other posts and see you bought it from HMS. If you are not happy contact them and they will do whatever is neccassary to make you happy.

Here are two trains of thought for you to consider. Early on in my uke playing I bought an expensive tenor and I found a few manufactures defects or issues. I was upset because I thought it should be flawless, contacted the seller and they offered to replace it. The problem was it sounded great, played fantastic and other then the cosmetic issues I was in love with it. I kept it and learned a valuable lesson. Sound and playability trumps cosmetics for me everyday.

If you are a perfectionist and that mark bothers the living daylights out of you then it will continue to do so and you will never be happy with it. Only you can make that distinction. As far as it being made in 2016 that would not be a concern, these aren't loaves of bread, they won't go bad. That was just a joke:p
 
Me personally, I might be a little bit upset on first finding/seeing a very minor blemish, but if it plays well, I'll shrug it off, & get on with life.

I have bought a couple of ukes that arrived with small marks, even one that clearly had been a shop demo, but it was set up so well, if I returned it, I may have got something not so good, so I just think, eventually, it will get marked when I use it, & I bought it to play, not to look at. :)

Year of manufacture is a difficult one, yes, I would expect this years model, or maybe the previous year, if not too many get sold, but on the other hand, not being straight out of the workshop, the woods will have settled in together, so again if it plays well, that would be the deciding factor.
 
Thanks for the response Dave. Just looking for a sanity check, I've decided to keep it. The hassle of shipping and waiting for another isn't worth the effort. Like most things I own I bought it to use it (not to look at it). I plan on learning and playing the heck out of her. I figure that before long she'll have a few marks on her anyway.

Thanks again for chiming in.

Don
 
Thanks Keith. Going with "shrug it off" . The year and a half on the shelf bothered me a little (but for reasons I can't seem to put my finger on). I'm a new player. I have a habit ( as shown with the the guitar I never really learned how to play) of being a little too involved about the instrument instead of learning to play the instrument. I bought and sold 3 different guitars before I could play a couple of songs. That is not going to happen in this case. Better for me to just keep it and move forward with learning and playing.

Thanks,

Don
 
Smart move. The best thing I ever did was get a few dings and marks on the uke I had mentioned. Then it was a player and I even took it camping with me. Play it into a pile of sawdust was the best advice I ever got. Builders love to see there instruments heavily used......that is what they are made for.

Enjoy making music, that Koaloha will give you much joy
 
"Play it into a pile of sawdust..." GREAT advice, Dave.

dxn2, congratulations on your Opio. I've heard they sound fabulous.
 
I agree with all the advice given here. I can totally relate to looking for imperfections on an object of this price range (and that an older date may look like it was a bit of a slow seller). But I came to realize that even with instruments that cost a lot more than the Opio, there will almost always be some minor flaw, how ever small. These are handmade objects, and there will always be a small toolmark or a drop of glue or a bit of a rough spot if you look at it close enough. For myself, there will always be a tiny bit of buyer's remorse in such cases, but that goes away quickly when I play and like what I hear and feel. If those remorses are going to bother you too much, then return it.
 
Final decision is to keep it even I look at it every time I take the Uke out of the case (like I expect it to magically vanish). Doesn't really bother me that much. I am new to the Ukulele, yesterday day when practising there was a brief period when I made something that almost sounded like music. The Opio sounded incredible. She's not going anywhere. Just have to get myself to a post to retreat that on a regular basis.
 
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