Ukulele Eddie
Well-known member
I'd be curious what you think of the Aquila Reds. They sound fantastic to me on the Clara. And Joe told me that several people at Blackbird commented the same when they heard one strung with Reds.
Blackbird Clara Roadtrip
- Thread starter jluttwak
- Start date
I'd be curious what you think of the Aquila Reds. They sound fantastic to me on the Clara. And Joe told me that several people at Blackbird commented the same when they heard one strung with Reds.
The road trip model was sent back to Blackbird to be restrung and checked out. It's now back on the road, but we're off schedule by several weeks. Sorry for the delay.
Doc_J
Well-known member
Last email update 8/27 indicates it should be in Kentucky, and soon to be in Illinois. Although the schedule has some error.
Heading to New Jersey soon and currently a bit ahead of schedule according to the new schedule. Did you receive the updated schedule from about three weeks ago? If not, please contact me and I will send to you. Thank You.
WestPhillyUke
Well-known member
Is it too late to get on board? Or is it making any stops near Philadelphia, PA? I would really love to check it out!
John
John
Doc_J
Well-known member
The Road Trip Clara will be leaving Atlanta and heading to New Mexico tomorrow!
SailQwest
Well-known member
It should be interesting.
I'm very disappointed about the low G. I have absolutely no interest in playing a low G ukulele.
Last edited:
No worries Kim. Slap a high G on it and enjoy. Just put the low G back on before you send it on. I keep mine strung high G.
SailQwest
Well-known member
I've been told that we're not supposed to change the strings. I'm very unhappy about that.
Well then come over and play mine.
I play low G for my lessons with Sarah but prefer high G. When I demoed a Clara they had it low G and the balance was great. But I haven't found the right strings for that.
bborzell
Well-known member
I guess I mixed up my Clara threads and posted a sound clip an initial impression of the Road Trip Clara in the Review forum.
Here is the sound clip
https://soundcloud.com/bborzell/blackbird-clara-sound-test
Here is the sound clip
https://soundcloud.com/bborzell/blackbird-clara-sound-test
bborzell
Well-known member
At the risk of being labeled a cross poster...
Trying to keep the integrity of the Road Trip comments thread so I copied this from the "Review" forum where I previously posted it. Sorry for my confusion.
Initial impressions after an hour or so of playing...
Not sure if my sound clip does the Clara justice. I decided to do a quick Garageband thing on my iPad and then realized that I had never opened Garageband on the iPad. Had to search to find a "clean" or acoustic amp model and was not satisfied that my choice was an accurate representation of the Clara's tone.
As for the instrument itself, I am very impressed on several counts. The basic sound production, with the combination of the composite layup and the hollow neck is brilliantly executed. In addition, the use of the Ekoa material clearly tames the carbon fiber tone that I have always perceived as a bit on the brittle side. The neck plays very friendly up to about the 10th fret where the real estate starts getting crowded for my large glove sized hands. Chords in that region that I can easily play on my tenors require a bit of a slow down and more deliberate finger placement. Obviously, this is a function of scale length vs. the tenors, but it does affect my overall playing experience.
Currently, the tone is more than acceptable and the volume is quite more than adequate. In fact, the volume is considerable bordering on the phrase usually reserved for loud mandolins; "this thing is a cannon". I don't know which strings came to me on the Clara, but the low G boominess that some have mentioned, while present to some degree, is not as much as an issue as I had begun to think it might be. I am thinking on cutting down my last set of Living Waters (low G) it order to experiment a bit with reducing the low G presence a bit more. At the moment, the "lower case" boom is only noticible with single notes and I can control that easily by concentrating on my thumb attack. Still, I am of the opinion that the right low G string will render the boom comments moot. Might have to sacrifice the tenor Living Waters to find out, though.
There is also an overall relaxing sense that accompanies playing this instrument. I don't know how many homes this thing has visited, but my guess is that despite the care exercised by those who came before me, a wood instrument having made this journey would show signs of wear, bumps or bruises. The Clara looks like it is brand spanking new. I really like the comfort of knowing that this thing is not likely to lose some of its esthetic appeal due to a collision caused by a galloping cat.
When I played a Clara for a few minutes during the last Reno Uke festival, I was somewhat mildly interested primarily because it was not of the scale length that I prefer. I still harbor some of that thought, but if it became clear to me that Blackbird had decided to keep this the Ekoa design limited to the Concert scale, I might well decide that the convenience and portability of the current size is OK with me. In my heart, I would still like to see an Ekoa tenor, though.
Overall, this uke is a clear winner.
Trying to keep the integrity of the Road Trip comments thread so I copied this from the "Review" forum where I previously posted it. Sorry for my confusion.
Initial impressions after an hour or so of playing...
Not sure if my sound clip does the Clara justice. I decided to do a quick Garageband thing on my iPad and then realized that I had never opened Garageband on the iPad. Had to search to find a "clean" or acoustic amp model and was not satisfied that my choice was an accurate representation of the Clara's tone.
As for the instrument itself, I am very impressed on several counts. The basic sound production, with the combination of the composite layup and the hollow neck is brilliantly executed. In addition, the use of the Ekoa material clearly tames the carbon fiber tone that I have always perceived as a bit on the brittle side. The neck plays very friendly up to about the 10th fret where the real estate starts getting crowded for my large glove sized hands. Chords in that region that I can easily play on my tenors require a bit of a slow down and more deliberate finger placement. Obviously, this is a function of scale length vs. the tenors, but it does affect my overall playing experience.
Currently, the tone is more than acceptable and the volume is quite more than adequate. In fact, the volume is considerable bordering on the phrase usually reserved for loud mandolins; "this thing is a cannon". I don't know which strings came to me on the Clara, but the low G boominess that some have mentioned, while present to some degree, is not as much as an issue as I had begun to think it might be. I am thinking on cutting down my last set of Living Waters (low G) it order to experiment a bit with reducing the low G presence a bit more. At the moment, the "lower case" boom is only noticible with single notes and I can control that easily by concentrating on my thumb attack. Still, I am of the opinion that the right low G string will render the boom comments moot. Might have to sacrifice the tenor Living Waters to find out, though.
There is also an overall relaxing sense that accompanies playing this instrument. I don't know how many homes this thing has visited, but my guess is that despite the care exercised by those who came before me, a wood instrument having made this journey would show signs of wear, bumps or bruises. The Clara looks like it is brand spanking new. I really like the comfort of knowing that this thing is not likely to lose some of its esthetic appeal due to a collision caused by a galloping cat.
When I played a Clara for a few minutes during the last Reno Uke festival, I was somewhat mildly interested primarily because it was not of the scale length that I prefer. I still harbor some of that thought, but if it became clear to me that Blackbird had decided to keep this the Ekoa design limited to the Concert scale, I might well decide that the convenience and portability of the current size is OK with me. In my heart, I would still like to see an Ekoa tenor, though.
Overall, this uke is a clear winner.
Similar threads
No longer available
Blackbird Clara Satin Sunburst
