ChrisRCovington
Well-known member
Hello again all,
Today I’m gonna review a Brüko No. 1 flat black ukulele. Before I do my review though I wanted to say a few things about this forum, the people on it, and how I got this ukulele. I have been posting on various forums for a long time and on many different subjects. The thing I can say about 99% of forums is that they are populated with some real jerks. I’ve been involved with many flame wars. Ukulele Underground is very different. I have seen some truly wonderful people here and I have yet to see any real flame wars. I’ve seen people from this forum send members ukuleles when they’ve been down on their luck, I’ve seen members give away instruments to children, I’ve read stories of high end Hawaiian makers giving away ukuleles as presents to customers and then there are people here who give away their professional time and advice so freely. This place is awesome. I got this flat black No. 1 in a similar way. Our own PeteyHoudini ordered a Brüko No. 1 not long ago and when he got it it had a bad buzz on the C string. The owner of Brüko, Mr. Pfeiffer, sent him a replacement ukulele and told him to keep the old one. I asked Peter what he was planning to do with it and he offered to send it to me for just the cost of shipping. He easily could have sold it but instead he gave it away and even told me he didn’t feel right about selling it. So thank you Peter for such a nice gesture.
With all that said let’s get on with the review.
Features: 7
This is a brand new ukulele so I guess it was made in 2012 or close to it. All Brüko ukuleles are made in Germany. It has 12 frets. The body and neck are solid maple and they are painted matte black. The body is a flat body soprano. The bridge is a one piece bridge and saddle like the No. 6 (only it is painted black like the rest of the uke). As I mentioned in my review of my No. 6 the bridge reminds me of the Chicago style bridges from the 30’s. The tuners are black buttoned friction tuners. The neck is like all Brüko necks. It has an odd shape but I actually like it a lot. This neck is a little different from the No. 6 neck. On the No.6 the neck and fretboard are one piece of wood. The “fretboard” is raised on the No. 6 and extends onto the body like a normal fretboard. The No. 1 does not have a raised fretboard the frets are set directly into the neck flush with the body like the old Hawaiian ukuleles (think Kumalae). No accessories came with it but that’s ok it doesn’t need much to be cool. I have a bunch of gig bags anyway to take it places. I’ll give it a 7 here. It is a super tight clean build like what you expect from Brüko. It looks super cool. I would have given it an 8 like the No. 6 but I have just a few tiny concerns. First it is matte finished black. It gets finger prints on it pretty easy. The other concern is that the black paint, as good as it is, can rub off on some areas like edges showing the creamy ivory colored maple underneath. Not a huge problem but some people might not like it.
Sound: 9
The sound is really good. This ukulele is just about as loud as any other fully bodied soprano I have or have played and it is a flat body! I think this is due to superior construction and great wood choices. The ukulele is solid maple (and boy does Brüko use some nice maple) giving it that loud, bright sound. It does have that classic plinky Brüko sound. I know that sound is very subjective and while I took a point off for that in my No. 6 review I am giving it back for the No. 1 because it is so loud and clear for such a thin bodied ukulele.
Action, Fit & Finish: 10-2=8
This would normally be a 10 for me but I took two points away here and maybe that isn’t fair since I got this knowing it had a flaw. The action is very good. It is likely a little high for most of the ukulele players that read this forum, but I like my action a little higher than most. So with that I am happy. The intonation is also very good, what I’ve come to expect from Brüko. The build quality is great. German engineering! The reason I took points away is because of the C string buzz. Peter was not exaggerating when he said there is a buzz on that string! When it is played open you can really hear it. My fix for it was to take a very tiny piece of paper and fit it under the string in the nut slot. It has helped a lot but isn’t perfect by any means. The reason it might not be fair to down grade it is because the company made it right by just flat out replacing the instrument and not asking for the flawed one to be returned. I knowingly have a flawed instrument. I have a feeling this is a rare instance and not common for the brand. Am I being too harsh? I hope not. To be honest, an East Asian made ukulele in the same price range I would almost expect some buzz. I took points away for this *one* ukulele but from what I’ve seen and heard of this brand it would have normally been a 10.
Reliability/Durability: 7 (?)
I’m not really sure how to answer this one again. I don’t play live or gig so it is plenty durable enough for me. I’m not really sure how to score this. It is at least as sturdy as any ukulele I have. I don’t think I could use it as a baseball bat though.
Customer Support: 10+1=11
There was a problem with this ukulele. The company replaced it for the original owner and let him keep the problem ukulele (he then gave it to me). Most companies would want you to return the problem item at your own expense and then they’d send you the replacement. Brüko makes great products and they have some really great customer service, too!
Overall Rating: 8-1=7
I've been playing since 2002. I own all of the ukuleles in my signature as well as an old Ovation guitar that never gets played and a few other small instruments. I really just love the ukulele. This ukulele was a gift and a very nice one. If something happened to this ukulele I would consider buying one. I love how loud this ukulele is compared to its size. The all black is very cool looking and I’m sure would appeal to a lot of people who like something that looks a little different. It has a punk/metal/goth look to it. I dig it. My biggest complaint is that it does not have any fret markers. This is an easy fix with a little paint and it isn’t a deal breaker by any means. I did take a point away from this ukulele over all because of the buzz but I feel like that is an isolated event and not representative of the brand. If I had been the original owner I’m sure they would have made it right anyway. I now own two Brüko ukuleles and love them both. They have different tones because of the different woods but both have that Brüko sound to them. My ukulele funds are dried up for a few months but I think I will be ordering a custom ukulele from them when I can. I just can’t get enough Brüko!
Best regards,
Chris
Today I’m gonna review a Brüko No. 1 flat black ukulele. Before I do my review though I wanted to say a few things about this forum, the people on it, and how I got this ukulele. I have been posting on various forums for a long time and on many different subjects. The thing I can say about 99% of forums is that they are populated with some real jerks. I’ve been involved with many flame wars. Ukulele Underground is very different. I have seen some truly wonderful people here and I have yet to see any real flame wars. I’ve seen people from this forum send members ukuleles when they’ve been down on their luck, I’ve seen members give away instruments to children, I’ve read stories of high end Hawaiian makers giving away ukuleles as presents to customers and then there are people here who give away their professional time and advice so freely. This place is awesome. I got this flat black No. 1 in a similar way. Our own PeteyHoudini ordered a Brüko No. 1 not long ago and when he got it it had a bad buzz on the C string. The owner of Brüko, Mr. Pfeiffer, sent him a replacement ukulele and told him to keep the old one. I asked Peter what he was planning to do with it and he offered to send it to me for just the cost of shipping. He easily could have sold it but instead he gave it away and even told me he didn’t feel right about selling it. So thank you Peter for such a nice gesture.
With all that said let’s get on with the review.
Features: 7
This is a brand new ukulele so I guess it was made in 2012 or close to it. All Brüko ukuleles are made in Germany. It has 12 frets. The body and neck are solid maple and they are painted matte black. The body is a flat body soprano. The bridge is a one piece bridge and saddle like the No. 6 (only it is painted black like the rest of the uke). As I mentioned in my review of my No. 6 the bridge reminds me of the Chicago style bridges from the 30’s. The tuners are black buttoned friction tuners. The neck is like all Brüko necks. It has an odd shape but I actually like it a lot. This neck is a little different from the No. 6 neck. On the No.6 the neck and fretboard are one piece of wood. The “fretboard” is raised on the No. 6 and extends onto the body like a normal fretboard. The No. 1 does not have a raised fretboard the frets are set directly into the neck flush with the body like the old Hawaiian ukuleles (think Kumalae). No accessories came with it but that’s ok it doesn’t need much to be cool. I have a bunch of gig bags anyway to take it places. I’ll give it a 7 here. It is a super tight clean build like what you expect from Brüko. It looks super cool. I would have given it an 8 like the No. 6 but I have just a few tiny concerns. First it is matte finished black. It gets finger prints on it pretty easy. The other concern is that the black paint, as good as it is, can rub off on some areas like edges showing the creamy ivory colored maple underneath. Not a huge problem but some people might not like it.
Sound: 9
The sound is really good. This ukulele is just about as loud as any other fully bodied soprano I have or have played and it is a flat body! I think this is due to superior construction and great wood choices. The ukulele is solid maple (and boy does Brüko use some nice maple) giving it that loud, bright sound. It does have that classic plinky Brüko sound. I know that sound is very subjective and while I took a point off for that in my No. 6 review I am giving it back for the No. 1 because it is so loud and clear for such a thin bodied ukulele.
Action, Fit & Finish: 10-2=8
This would normally be a 10 for me but I took two points away here and maybe that isn’t fair since I got this knowing it had a flaw. The action is very good. It is likely a little high for most of the ukulele players that read this forum, but I like my action a little higher than most. So with that I am happy. The intonation is also very good, what I’ve come to expect from Brüko. The build quality is great. German engineering! The reason I took points away is because of the C string buzz. Peter was not exaggerating when he said there is a buzz on that string! When it is played open you can really hear it. My fix for it was to take a very tiny piece of paper and fit it under the string in the nut slot. It has helped a lot but isn’t perfect by any means. The reason it might not be fair to down grade it is because the company made it right by just flat out replacing the instrument and not asking for the flawed one to be returned. I knowingly have a flawed instrument. I have a feeling this is a rare instance and not common for the brand. Am I being too harsh? I hope not. To be honest, an East Asian made ukulele in the same price range I would almost expect some buzz. I took points away for this *one* ukulele but from what I’ve seen and heard of this brand it would have normally been a 10.
Reliability/Durability: 7 (?)
I’m not really sure how to answer this one again. I don’t play live or gig so it is plenty durable enough for me. I’m not really sure how to score this. It is at least as sturdy as any ukulele I have. I don’t think I could use it as a baseball bat though.
Customer Support: 10+1=11
There was a problem with this ukulele. The company replaced it for the original owner and let him keep the problem ukulele (he then gave it to me). Most companies would want you to return the problem item at your own expense and then they’d send you the replacement. Brüko makes great products and they have some really great customer service, too!
Overall Rating: 8-1=7
I've been playing since 2002. I own all of the ukuleles in my signature as well as an old Ovation guitar that never gets played and a few other small instruments. I really just love the ukulele. This ukulele was a gift and a very nice one. If something happened to this ukulele I would consider buying one. I love how loud this ukulele is compared to its size. The all black is very cool looking and I’m sure would appeal to a lot of people who like something that looks a little different. It has a punk/metal/goth look to it. I dig it. My biggest complaint is that it does not have any fret markers. This is an easy fix with a little paint and it isn’t a deal breaker by any means. I did take a point away from this ukulele over all because of the buzz but I feel like that is an isolated event and not representative of the brand. If I had been the original owner I’m sure they would have made it right anyway. I now own two Brüko ukuleles and love them both. They have different tones because of the different woods but both have that Brüko sound to them. My ukulele funds are dried up for a few months but I think I will be ordering a custom ukulele from them when I can. I just can’t get enough Brüko!
Best regards,
Chris
