New Uke Day (NUD) Joining the WOW club

[thegadgetfish]

This is a direct followup of this thread I posted last week: https://forum.ukuleleunderground.co...alysis-deciding-which-uke-to-buy-next.163570/

@efiscella approached me with a deal I couldn’t resist. Pops was on hiatus for a few months last year, and he built this one as practice before getting back into the swing of things. It came with a few aesthetic blemishes, so I got a really nice discount!

This was actually the one I was originally looking at on the UKESA site because 1. I’m a sucker for shiny things and I LOVE the abalone fretboard markers, and 2. The slotted sound port looks nice. Yes I like the bling.

Initial impressions, which will be pretty skewed since i’ve been solely playing a $50 flight laminate (which I love)-
I actually had no idea what sustain was until I strummed the WOW for the first time. I listened to the sound samples online, but in my opinion it’s completely different experiencing it first hand. The sound is mellow and clear, and just very nice to listen to. I was expecting it to be really loud, but it really doesn’t feel like it. It’s the perfect volume, and I can feel the sound from the port and it’s very neat.

Comfort - I never had my 2 beginners ukulele’s set up because they were under $100, and setup would’ve cost around the same as the ukulele. Every time I watch those “10 mistakes beginners make!” videos, one of the things mentioned is that beginners tend to press too hard. I never understood it, because if I lightened the pressure the notes would sound horrendous. With the WOW, I can get clear chords with just the slightest bit of pressure. I was never able to play the g flat m7 chord in “Being Human” (Steven Universe), but I was able to for the first time on this ukulele! I never realized it could be that easy.

The only thing I’m struggling with is the weight. The body is incredibly light, and I have trouble holding it since it just tilts into my fretting hand. I’m planning to add an end button and a strap because it makes life easier for me.

I’m very excited to keep learning on the WOW. It’s surprisingly forgiving, in that I can still hear my mistakes but it’s less in-your-face than my current ones. The notes sound so sweet that I can’t wait to get good and bring out more of them. Bad news is that this hasn’t cured my UAS, I now want a KoAloha so I can decide which one to tune as a low-G!

Lots of thanks to Ed for coordinating everything, and Pops for building affordable, incredible sounding instruments at his age!! I can see why all the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

 

[Ukelori]

Congrats, its beautiful.

 

[efiscella]

I loved your NUD and am so happy that you are loving your new WOW ukulele from Pops. I especially liked how you referred to it being "easy" to play chords that are difficult on less expensive ukes. It was your comment about the Wow."But it might be too much uke for a beginner?" that caused me to reach out to you. Many beginners don't realize that exactly the opposite is true. With a slightly more expensive but well-built and setup uke, it becomes easier to play. Also, as I stated, many beginners believe their first "expensive" uke will be their last and they want everything to be on that "first and only uke" when in reality, it is only the beginning. The big difference is that as you move up in price and quality, you will have no problem selling and trading the better ukes as you progress in your uke journey. Congratulations and Enjoy!!!!

 

[rhiggie]

Congrats and welcome to the family! And congrats on grabbing a sweet deal in the process! You get all the great sound and playability at a discount while Pops was getting back into his "groove". Many of the early prototypes were kind of along the same lines, the main thing throughout his Wow journey has been a wonderful/powerful sounding uke that plays like a custom uke should!

I took my new Scepter Wow to Uke Jam last night and the Scepter always gets the looks when it comes out of the case but our crowd couldn't believe the volume it had. You will find when you play with a friend, you will have to be cautious to play "softly"! Again, congrats!

 

[don_b]

I am thrilled about all the WOW love hitting the board this spring

 

[SkeeterAB]

When I bought a prototype Wow last fall as my second ukulele it completely blew me away as well. Before that I really did not have much interest in nicer, high end ukuleles, but then I realized what a difference it makes, even for a beginner like me. I am glad you joined the ever expanding Wow owners family

 

[thegadgetfish]

Before that I really did not have much interest in nicer, high end ukuleles, but then I realized what a difference it makes, even for a beginner like me. I am glad you joined the ever expanding Wow owners family

I feel like Pandora’s box has been opened! The world of fancy, high-end ukuleles is at my fingertips. I’m trying so hard to hold back from making Wanted posts in the UU marketplace

Another thing I forgot to add in my NUD post: the edges are so nice and smooth! I can clamp down with my arm and it doesn’t leave red marks. It really is all the little things, you can tell a lot of thought went into creating these.

 

[efiscella]

I know that you would not notice this because it is the only Wow that you have played or seen, however, your bridge is different from all of the others. So, far, in this line, it is one of a kind. Your bridge is two-toned. The brown wood on the ebony bridge is called Macassar ebony and the
Pure black is called gaboon ebony. I think this two-toned bridge adds a touch of class and richness to the overall look, especially in person.

 

[SkeeterAB]

I feel like Pandora’s box has been opened! The world of fancy, high-end ukuleles is at my fingertips. I’m trying so hard to hold back from making Wanted posts in the UU marketplace

Another thing I forgot to add in my NUD post: the edges are so nice and smooth! I can clamp down with my arm and it doesn’t leave red marks. It really is all the little things, you can tell a lot of thought went into creating these.

Yes, I am currently trying to get it all back in the box. I went a bit crazy there for a while. My husband now calls our living room Anita’s uke room.