Freshman FU1S Soprano?

UkuleleDragon

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Hi everyone. I am still on the lookout for a new soprano ukulele and have decided to up my budget to £200. I had a chat with the owner of my local music store the other day who recommended the Freshman FU1S which he priced around £159.

A ukulele I've been considering over the last week or so is the Tanglewood Cove Creek TU8 soprano which is priced around £99.

Has anyone owned/played either of these ukuleles? If so how did you find it? If you have played both, which was the better one for you?

Thanks!

~Sarah
 
Hi!

I'm not saying anything bad about either of those ukuleles, but you might be better off buying from an ukulele store. Mainstream music stores tend to have higher prices and less knowledge about ukuleles. If you're in UK, you might want to check out the websites of Southern Ukulele Store or Omega Music (both of them have active discount codes for online purchases).

Obviously it's better to try the instrument before buying it, but with discount codes and free shipping it might be cheaper to buy the same ukulele from one of those stores. Especially since online purchases have a return period. Also, those stores probably have a lot of models your current music store doesn't have.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more help in answering your actual question! :)
 
I don't know either of those brands, but I wish you good luck in your search.
 
I've had great success with contacting both Omega and SUS directly and asking what they'd recommend for my budget and preferences. Great service from both shops and solid advice each time. I think both are on this forum, actually. Sometimes they have ex-display items on offer so you can get a better uke for a lower price too. As they're both bricks and mortar shops the best deals don't always make it to their websites.

I've never played a Freshman uke but I had a Freshman acoustic guitar for a few years that was really nicely made.
 
Thanks for your help everyone. If anyone has suggestions of other good brands for soprano ukuleles I'd be grateful to hear them :)
 
Sorry for bumping the post again but I kinda need some help on this question as I'll need the new ukulele next month. :)
 
I think you've already had a pretty good answer. Either contact or visit a uke specialist, explain what you want out of a uke and try and pick the one that suits you most. If your local store has the two ukes in question, play them both and see what suits you best. I've played a few Tanglewoods and liked them, never heard of Freshman. But at that price point it's really all about how you feel about them when you play them.

Where in the UK are you? For £154 you can get a solid mahogany Kala soprano at Omega, I reckon that's a pretty good deal, but you'd have to play it to see if you get on with it.
 
Sorry for bumping the post again but I kinda need some help on this question as I'll need the new ukulele next month. :)

As others have said. You will find with ukes that they vary a lot even if you try 2 of the same model . I once went into a shop and had a go on a £100 tanglewood and it sounded great. Went back to my local store and got him to order one and it was terrible actually unplayable. The advise I would give is give either Omega or SUS a ring tell them your budget then you will get a decent one.
 
Assuming you're UK based, Eagle Music of Huddersfield are also worth a look. They have a good range, including Ohana and Mainland. They advertise setup on their instruments too. I've not bought a uke from them but I have bought other instruments and have found them very good to deal with.
 
Sorry if I seemed ungrateful for the previous answers I was given. I am planning to head back to my local store to properly try out the Freshman (didn't get the chance last time) and I will have a look at Omega though I'm a bit worried about buying online. What I meant when I bumped the post was to see if anyone else had experience of either brand and what they thought. Thanks for all of you suggestions as I do appreciate them and I apologise again if I seem ungrateful.

~Sarah
 
I bought my first uke from the local music shop, they had very limited options and I came away with a concert sized Laka with a solid mahogany top. It has a nice sound, but the intonation is pretty terrible as you go up the neck (which didn't bother me at the time, it was months before I ventured past the fifth fret). Every new uke I've bought since has been an online/over the phone purchase from Omega, Southern Ukulele Store or Eagle Music. My experience with them has been entirely positive, they are all excellent and will offer very good and honest advice over the phone. Admittedly it's not the same as being able to try an instrument out in person, but unless you have a shop nearby with a wide selection it's definitely worth considering.
(PS You can get a solid mahogany Mainland soprano from Eagle Music for £169, you don't have to look very far on this forum to see how highly Mainland's ukes are rated :) )
 
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In general, you are nearly always better off getting a properly set up uke from a highly reputable uke store, even if it is mail order, than from your average local music store that does not specialize in ukes or do proper setups.
 
I bought my first uke from the local music shop, they had very limited options and I came away with a concert sized Laka with a solid mahogany top. It has a nice sound, but the intonation is pretty terrible as you go up the neck (which didn't bother me at the time, it was months before I ventured past the fifth fret). Every new uke I've bought since has been an online/over the phone purchase from Omega, Southern Ukulele Store or Eagle Music. My experience with them has been entirely positive, they are all excellent and will offer very good and honest advice over the phone. Admittedly it's not the same as being able to try an instrument out in person, but unless you have a shop nearby with a wide selection it's definitely worth considering.
(PS You can get a solid mahogany Mainland soprano from Eagle Music for £169, you don't have to look very far on this forum to see how highly Mainland's ukes are rated :) )

This.

My local music store has a a lot of ukes in stock and I've never bought one of them. Tried plenty, never been happy with them. Omega and SUS have had repeat, online business from me (I've bought mandolin-related things from Eagle) and they've not let me down yet. Trust us!
 
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