So, I saw this in the Costco the other day. I had been happy with my Kala KA-S but I sorta wanted a bigger sound and had a little trouble fitting my fingers on the fretboard at times since I'm learning. So I picked one of these up (vs. an Oscar Schmidt OU5 from Amazon) for $99 at Costco after mulling it over for a few days.
Out of about 5 or 6 I looked at from the whole pallet of them, this one had the most interesting wood grain. It's not as dramatic as some of the glossy ukes I've seen, but this is a satin finish. A SOFT satin finish. But, it turns out this one had the hardest laminate and finish out of all the ones I looked at. I noticed a dent on the back of one where the finish was scratched off. I checked a few with my nail on the back edge and with only mild pressure, made a subtle dent and noticed the clear satin finish beginning to chip off. The pressure I used wouldn't even dent my skin! The one I bought didn't have the same problem, it seemed harder. The other ones all had a straightish grain to them as well and maybe that wood wasn't finished the same as this one. The inlays look okay and make it look nicer than most other ukes in this price range.
The action on this one was really low relative to the ones I looked at too. I measured it to be about a little less that 1mm at the 1st fret and about 3mm at the 12th. The corners of the nut and saddle were sharp so I had to sand them down. The frets were smooth, but not really finished that well. The ends were beveled, but the bevels edges were little sharp and not burnished. The ends did not stick out however so it doesn't bother me THAT much but I can tell the difference from the KA-S.
Construction is okay. The split down the middle on the top does not match perfectly with the split on the bottom. But the split on the back lines up with the split on the bottom. The kerfing is segmented and not solid. The whole thing smells of wood glue. The braces aren't sanded on the edges. There is minimal excess glue that can be seen through the sound hole. The finish on the neck is not quite as smooth at the satin finish on my Kala KA-S. The finish is really dull overall for a satin finish. Some spots of the top and back seem to have no finish at all but it's hard to tell. The abalone inlay consists of little rectangles laid in like bricks. A glossy finish or even a better satin finish would make the grain and the inlays look much better. It also has what I learned is an arched back body design.
It came with GHS strings. I didn't really even get to stretch them out before I changed them to Martin M600 fluorocarbons. It sounded so much better and brighter right away. The tuners are pretty nice compared to the ones on the Kala KA-S. I had to tighten the end-screw on one of them because it was a little loose. While re-stringing, I polished the frets with a dremel and some polish, now they are mirror finished. Some of them aren't set 100% of the way into the fretboard at ends or are a tiny bit warped (very tiny amounts and doesn't cause buzz or any intonation problems I far as I can tell). I also took off the saddle and there were a couple thin plastic spacers underneath. I wanted to set the action lower at the 12th fret so I took out the thinner one which was about 0.75mm and now the action at the 12th fret is about 2.75mm. I also noted that the saddle is compensated. The middle strings are set backward, and the outer two are actually set forward. I had to adjust the compensation on the A string to move it back a little as it was playing a bit sharp at the 12th fret. Now the intonation is good for all four strings. The sustain is better than my KA-S, but not super good once you get to the 12th fret.
The intonation is pretty good. Slightly better than my KA-S. Not 100% spot on, but close.
The sound is nice compared to the KA-S which is loud and harsh. The KK-C is more mellow, a tad louder, and sweeter sounding.
Overall, I like it after I set it up a little. I'm wondering if I should still try out the Oscar Schmidt OU5 from Amazon. However, I noticed the neck isn't as long on that one and it has less frets (the 12th fret is where the neck ends, like my KA-S). I'm also weary of a glossy neck. But in the pictures, the OU5 looks like it has a MUCH nicer finish even though the grain isn't is interesting. Hmm...
Out of about 5 or 6 I looked at from the whole pallet of them, this one had the most interesting wood grain. It's not as dramatic as some of the glossy ukes I've seen, but this is a satin finish. A SOFT satin finish. But, it turns out this one had the hardest laminate and finish out of all the ones I looked at. I noticed a dent on the back of one where the finish was scratched off. I checked a few with my nail on the back edge and with only mild pressure, made a subtle dent and noticed the clear satin finish beginning to chip off. The pressure I used wouldn't even dent my skin! The one I bought didn't have the same problem, it seemed harder. The other ones all had a straightish grain to them as well and maybe that wood wasn't finished the same as this one. The inlays look okay and make it look nicer than most other ukes in this price range.
The action on this one was really low relative to the ones I looked at too. I measured it to be about a little less that 1mm at the 1st fret and about 3mm at the 12th. The corners of the nut and saddle were sharp so I had to sand them down. The frets were smooth, but not really finished that well. The ends were beveled, but the bevels edges were little sharp and not burnished. The ends did not stick out however so it doesn't bother me THAT much but I can tell the difference from the KA-S.
Construction is okay. The split down the middle on the top does not match perfectly with the split on the bottom. But the split on the back lines up with the split on the bottom. The kerfing is segmented and not solid. The whole thing smells of wood glue. The braces aren't sanded on the edges. There is minimal excess glue that can be seen through the sound hole. The finish on the neck is not quite as smooth at the satin finish on my Kala KA-S. The finish is really dull overall for a satin finish. Some spots of the top and back seem to have no finish at all but it's hard to tell. The abalone inlay consists of little rectangles laid in like bricks. A glossy finish or even a better satin finish would make the grain and the inlays look much better. It also has what I learned is an arched back body design.
It came with GHS strings. I didn't really even get to stretch them out before I changed them to Martin M600 fluorocarbons. It sounded so much better and brighter right away. The tuners are pretty nice compared to the ones on the Kala KA-S. I had to tighten the end-screw on one of them because it was a little loose. While re-stringing, I polished the frets with a dremel and some polish, now they are mirror finished. Some of them aren't set 100% of the way into the fretboard at ends or are a tiny bit warped (very tiny amounts and doesn't cause buzz or any intonation problems I far as I can tell). I also took off the saddle and there were a couple thin plastic spacers underneath. I wanted to set the action lower at the 12th fret so I took out the thinner one which was about 0.75mm and now the action at the 12th fret is about 2.75mm. I also noted that the saddle is compensated. The middle strings are set backward, and the outer two are actually set forward. I had to adjust the compensation on the A string to move it back a little as it was playing a bit sharp at the 12th fret. Now the intonation is good for all four strings. The sustain is better than my KA-S, but not super good once you get to the 12th fret.
The intonation is pretty good. Slightly better than my KA-S. Not 100% spot on, but close.
The sound is nice compared to the KA-S which is loud and harsh. The KK-C is more mellow, a tad louder, and sweeter sounding.
Overall, I like it after I set it up a little. I'm wondering if I should still try out the Oscar Schmidt OU5 from Amazon. However, I noticed the neck isn't as long on that one and it has less frets (the 12th fret is where the neck ends, like my KA-S). I'm also weary of a glossy neck. But in the pictures, the OU5 looks like it has a MUCH nicer finish even though the grain isn't is interesting. Hmm...
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