melensdad
Well-known member
Posted this review for Barry Maz's Got a Ukulele FB page but thought I'd share it here, with some modifications now that I've had somewhat more time to play with this instrument.
This aNueNue ukulele is an Easter gift to me from my wife. She knows I love mango and this is a very unusual mango as most of the mango instruments we see here in the US are made of spalted mango.
This is a pale blond colored mango with a satin finish; I find it rather striking in its understatement, looking rather classy. Its pale blond color with contrasting dark rosewood edge binding sets this apart in the looks category and could be loved by some but also disliked by others. From a distance you could mistake this for a spruce topped instrument but up close the mango grain is unmistakable. The sound hole is edged in black wood and not part of the rosette, which is a multi-striped black/rosewood/white/abalone/white/rosewood/black rosette. Chocolate brown rosewood edge binding, bridge, a small mango heel plate, and an abalone logo in the headstock complete the ornamentation. This is not a flashy uke but the subtle details are well done.
The mango tone wood is all solid with book matched pieces forming the top, bottom and sides. The side pieces joined at the base with a decorative rosewood stripe at the joint. The sides exhibit a rather nice flaming that becomes apparent in the light; there is minimal flaming in the top or back. The two piece top joint is nearly invisible to the eye but the grain pattern of the book matching hint at its location, this same joinery skill is exhibited with the two piece book matched bottom. The mahogany neck is a 3 piece affair and one of the joints is not well hidden as the grain doesn’t match, making the joint apparent. I wouldn’t call this a flaw as the joinery is not flawed, its just a noticeable joint due to the grain.
In 2010 aNueNue introduced their “Custom” series as their top-of-the-range ukuleles. The custom series was available in Mahogany, Mango and Koa. Mahogany being priced somewhat below the Mango or Koa models. 2014 was the last year these models were shown in the catalog. Currently the “Custom” series instruments are available by special order. If you live in the US you are well advised to befriend an international traveller as I can find no US distributor/retailer.
The “Bird” series, introduced in 2015, replaced the “Custom” series as top-of-the-range in the product line up. Anyone who follows Barry's reviews knows that he was pretty much blown away by the aNueNue Moon Bird ukulele and previously had also rated an African Mahogany aNueNue very highly. I would suspect that Barry might also give this ‘Custom Maui Mango III’ tenor a very high rating for its build and sound quality.
One striking thing to me is the light weight of this tenor. I’ll admit to not being well versed on tenor weights but this one just feels so light in the hand and so beautifully balanced. Grabbing my kitchen scale I set this on the scale and it registered 557 grams (19.6 ounces). My concert Magic Fluke (with K&K Big Island Spot pickup) at a nearly identical weight of 552 grams (19.5oz), the concert size Tiny Tenor (with K&K Aloha Twin pickup) weighed 2 ounces less at 502 grams (17.7 oz), while my concert Lanikai Mango (Fishman pre-amp/pickup) is a whopping 711 grams (25.1oz). An old catalog from aNueNue claims they developed a light weight building process. Not sure what that is or how they accomplished it but it appears that they were successful in upholding that claim.
It has a traditional double bout shape and the back is nicely arched, but not overly so. The bracing is sitka spruce. The finish is flawless, inside and out. The exterior is coated in a thin nitro-cellulose lacquer that allows the wood graining and pores to be exposed, in the most subtle way. There is no gloss to this finish, rather it is a nice satin finish on the body of the instrument with a smooth dull finish on the neck which allows the hand to easily slide up/down the neck. If you are looking for a shiny ukulele that will reflect the light then you will be sadly disappointed but if you want something subtle that feels like real wood under your finger tips then this is something you will enjoy. Inside the build is neatly done with no hint of a glue smell and no signs of any glue, the kerfing is notched.
I gather that the bracing is of some special design by their Japanese luthier? Not really sure how it is different but references to it indicate the design of the bracing is somehow different. What I know is that this top rings pure and clear with a wonderfully long sustain. So whatever the bracing is, however it is, it seems to work as the strings sing out nice and long. And by ringing out long, I mean you can pluck a string and almost count to 10 before it stops. This has very nice projection, possibly due to the slight arch in the back and the somewhat large sound hole. It also has a greater sustain than anything else I’ve tried and you can feel lots of body vibration into your chest as you play this ukulele.
Strings are black fluorocarbon Orcas from Japan. Clarity of sound across the entire range of the strings has a nice balance of warmth, with brightness singing out in the higher notes; this is not a ‘plunky’ sound but rather a clear ring at the high notes with each sounding out distinctly. Overall I’d say the tone is generally warm, indicative of mango instruments. The strings are attached to a traditionally shaped bridge with a tie bar and holds a compensated buffalo bone saddle.
Tuners are 14:1 open gear Grover brand 9NB STA-Tite ukulele tuners which top a comfortably thin half-round neck profile. The tuner buttons are ivory colored plastic, not too large, oval in shape. Fingerboard is rosewood that is of very even color overall. There are 18 total frets, 14 to the body and the frets are slightly flattened on the top. The ends of the frets are nicely contoured so as not to be sharp, and the sides are dressed in a strip of matching rosewood with a joint that is invisible to the eye. There are single abalone fret markers on the face of the fingerboard at the 5, 7, 10 and 12 positions with corresponding white dot side markers. The fingerboard is capped off with a 35mm buffalo bone nut at the base of the unique aNueNue mango faced headstock that is inlayed with an abalone Hawaiian “rainbow man” logo. The “rainbow man” logo adopted by aNueNue is based on a famous Hawaiian petroglyph, its inlay into the headstock is perfectly executed.
The instrument does not come with a hard case, which is disappointing considering aNueNue introduced one of the finest hard cases in 2015 with the Bird series. You will get a thickly padded gig bag if you buy a “Custom” series instrument, which you will likely discard into a forgotten corner and replace with a quality hard case and a humidifier to maintain the integrity of the instrument. I’ll admit before I discard the aNueNue padded gig bag that this is a nice gig bag, but a new hard case is already on order! Anyone want a gig bag?
aNueNue seems to be virtually unknown in the US and appears to be a Japanese luthier who teamed with a Taiwanese Ukulele company to produce several ranges from novelty to superb quality ukuleles and guitars. Their higher range products, they seem to be astounding. As for this particular ukulele, simply put, this aNueNue Custom Maui Mango III Tenor is so far above my skill level that it is absurd that it should be in my possession; I’m grateful to have it!
So now after playing with it for a month I'm still in love. It sits next to my Tiny Tenor in a stand so when I sit in my chair I can pick between two fine ukuleles. I honestly have to say I like the tone of the TT better than the tone I get from the aNueNue. The TT is wearing some D'Addario fluorocarbon strings, they sound rich and warm, but I don't like the feel. So while I like the sounds from the Tiny Tenor its unclear to me if those sounds come from the strings or the instrument. On the other hand the ORCA strings on the aNueNue are brighter sounding, with far less of the richness I get from the TT, but the playability and action is perfect with the ORCA strings on the aNueNue. I'm probably going to try a few others over time. But I'm loving the ORCA strings, even if they don't give me the richness of the D'Addarios.
I love how light the aNueNue is in the hand. I have a strap on it because I have rheumatoid arthritis. But this thing is a featherweight. It is not a boomer that projects out loud sounds. Its more suited to intimate serenades as it will not overpower.
This aNueNue ukulele is an Easter gift to me from my wife. She knows I love mango and this is a very unusual mango as most of the mango instruments we see here in the US are made of spalted mango.
This is a pale blond colored mango with a satin finish; I find it rather striking in its understatement, looking rather classy. Its pale blond color with contrasting dark rosewood edge binding sets this apart in the looks category and could be loved by some but also disliked by others. From a distance you could mistake this for a spruce topped instrument but up close the mango grain is unmistakable. The sound hole is edged in black wood and not part of the rosette, which is a multi-striped black/rosewood/white/abalone/white/rosewood/black rosette. Chocolate brown rosewood edge binding, bridge, a small mango heel plate, and an abalone logo in the headstock complete the ornamentation. This is not a flashy uke but the subtle details are well done.
The mango tone wood is all solid with book matched pieces forming the top, bottom and sides. The side pieces joined at the base with a decorative rosewood stripe at the joint. The sides exhibit a rather nice flaming that becomes apparent in the light; there is minimal flaming in the top or back. The two piece top joint is nearly invisible to the eye but the grain pattern of the book matching hint at its location, this same joinery skill is exhibited with the two piece book matched bottom. The mahogany neck is a 3 piece affair and one of the joints is not well hidden as the grain doesn’t match, making the joint apparent. I wouldn’t call this a flaw as the joinery is not flawed, its just a noticeable joint due to the grain.
In 2010 aNueNue introduced their “Custom” series as their top-of-the-range ukuleles. The custom series was available in Mahogany, Mango and Koa. Mahogany being priced somewhat below the Mango or Koa models. 2014 was the last year these models were shown in the catalog. Currently the “Custom” series instruments are available by special order. If you live in the US you are well advised to befriend an international traveller as I can find no US distributor/retailer.
The “Bird” series, introduced in 2015, replaced the “Custom” series as top-of-the-range in the product line up. Anyone who follows Barry's reviews knows that he was pretty much blown away by the aNueNue Moon Bird ukulele and previously had also rated an African Mahogany aNueNue very highly. I would suspect that Barry might also give this ‘Custom Maui Mango III’ tenor a very high rating for its build and sound quality.
One striking thing to me is the light weight of this tenor. I’ll admit to not being well versed on tenor weights but this one just feels so light in the hand and so beautifully balanced. Grabbing my kitchen scale I set this on the scale and it registered 557 grams (19.6 ounces). My concert Magic Fluke (with K&K Big Island Spot pickup) at a nearly identical weight of 552 grams (19.5oz), the concert size Tiny Tenor (with K&K Aloha Twin pickup) weighed 2 ounces less at 502 grams (17.7 oz), while my concert Lanikai Mango (Fishman pre-amp/pickup) is a whopping 711 grams (25.1oz). An old catalog from aNueNue claims they developed a light weight building process. Not sure what that is or how they accomplished it but it appears that they were successful in upholding that claim.
It has a traditional double bout shape and the back is nicely arched, but not overly so. The bracing is sitka spruce. The finish is flawless, inside and out. The exterior is coated in a thin nitro-cellulose lacquer that allows the wood graining and pores to be exposed, in the most subtle way. There is no gloss to this finish, rather it is a nice satin finish on the body of the instrument with a smooth dull finish on the neck which allows the hand to easily slide up/down the neck. If you are looking for a shiny ukulele that will reflect the light then you will be sadly disappointed but if you want something subtle that feels like real wood under your finger tips then this is something you will enjoy. Inside the build is neatly done with no hint of a glue smell and no signs of any glue, the kerfing is notched.
I gather that the bracing is of some special design by their Japanese luthier? Not really sure how it is different but references to it indicate the design of the bracing is somehow different. What I know is that this top rings pure and clear with a wonderfully long sustain. So whatever the bracing is, however it is, it seems to work as the strings sing out nice and long. And by ringing out long, I mean you can pluck a string and almost count to 10 before it stops. This has very nice projection, possibly due to the slight arch in the back and the somewhat large sound hole. It also has a greater sustain than anything else I’ve tried and you can feel lots of body vibration into your chest as you play this ukulele.
Strings are black fluorocarbon Orcas from Japan. Clarity of sound across the entire range of the strings has a nice balance of warmth, with brightness singing out in the higher notes; this is not a ‘plunky’ sound but rather a clear ring at the high notes with each sounding out distinctly. Overall I’d say the tone is generally warm, indicative of mango instruments. The strings are attached to a traditionally shaped bridge with a tie bar and holds a compensated buffalo bone saddle.
Tuners are 14:1 open gear Grover brand 9NB STA-Tite ukulele tuners which top a comfortably thin half-round neck profile. The tuner buttons are ivory colored plastic, not too large, oval in shape. Fingerboard is rosewood that is of very even color overall. There are 18 total frets, 14 to the body and the frets are slightly flattened on the top. The ends of the frets are nicely contoured so as not to be sharp, and the sides are dressed in a strip of matching rosewood with a joint that is invisible to the eye. There are single abalone fret markers on the face of the fingerboard at the 5, 7, 10 and 12 positions with corresponding white dot side markers. The fingerboard is capped off with a 35mm buffalo bone nut at the base of the unique aNueNue mango faced headstock that is inlayed with an abalone Hawaiian “rainbow man” logo. The “rainbow man” logo adopted by aNueNue is based on a famous Hawaiian petroglyph, its inlay into the headstock is perfectly executed.
The instrument does not come with a hard case, which is disappointing considering aNueNue introduced one of the finest hard cases in 2015 with the Bird series. You will get a thickly padded gig bag if you buy a “Custom” series instrument, which you will likely discard into a forgotten corner and replace with a quality hard case and a humidifier to maintain the integrity of the instrument. I’ll admit before I discard the aNueNue padded gig bag that this is a nice gig bag, but a new hard case is already on order! Anyone want a gig bag?
aNueNue seems to be virtually unknown in the US and appears to be a Japanese luthier who teamed with a Taiwanese Ukulele company to produce several ranges from novelty to superb quality ukuleles and guitars. Their higher range products, they seem to be astounding. As for this particular ukulele, simply put, this aNueNue Custom Maui Mango III Tenor is so far above my skill level that it is absurd that it should be in my possession; I’m grateful to have it!
So now after playing with it for a month I'm still in love. It sits next to my Tiny Tenor in a stand so when I sit in my chair I can pick between two fine ukuleles. I honestly have to say I like the tone of the TT better than the tone I get from the aNueNue. The TT is wearing some D'Addario fluorocarbon strings, they sound rich and warm, but I don't like the feel. So while I like the sounds from the Tiny Tenor its unclear to me if those sounds come from the strings or the instrument. On the other hand the ORCA strings on the aNueNue are brighter sounding, with far less of the richness I get from the TT, but the playability and action is perfect with the ORCA strings on the aNueNue. I'm probably going to try a few others over time. But I'm loving the ORCA strings, even if they don't give me the richness of the D'Addarios.
I love how light the aNueNue is in the hand. I have a strap on it because I have rheumatoid arthritis. But this thing is a featherweight. It is not a boomer that projects out loud sounds. Its more suited to intimate serenades as it will not overpower.
