NUD: Oscar Schmidt OU5T

cpmusic

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Actually, yesterday was NUD, but what the heck.

I bought Kurt's (kmccullum) Oscar Schmidt OU5T, and I'm very pleasantly surprised. I know it's not a solid wood uke, but I wouldn't have guessed from its tone, which is clear, sweet, and lively, with a low end that's robust but not overpowering. The strings are thinner than I'd expect on a tenor -- Kurt advises that he used D'Addario classicals he sized and purchased separately -- but I don't know if I'll find a better match for this uke.

I bought this uke primarily to experiment with different tunings rather than re-tuning my Pono MGT back and forth, but after playing the OU5T for a few hours, I'm conflicted. I haven't yet found the "right" strings for the MGT, so I'm thinking I'll try the same or similar D'Addarios on that uke before doing anything else.

As PhilUSAFRet noted on the Marketplace thread, this is a beautiful uke, with highly figured veneer and abalone purfling. I'm surprised by the choice of Grover Mini Rotomatics because they strike me as being too heavy for even a tenor uke, but despite a relatively light weight, the uke doesn't feel top-heavy, and the Grovers work perfectly.

I had no decent (i.e., logical) excuse to buy another uke and had to engage in some rationalization, but I'm glad I did. My thanks to Kurt for a smooth and easy transaction.

I don't have any pictures yet, but here's the Marketplace thread: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?120176-Oscar-Schmidt-OU5T
 
Congratulations and happy strummings, throw on some aquilas and it will help the volume plenty
 
I almost got rid of my OU5 concert until I put Aquila nylgut strings on it. Fremont blacks would probably work well also. The uke can handle them without being overly bright. I keep meaning to sell or trade it, but haven't been able to let it go yet.
 
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Congrats on a sweet uke! An OU5 Concert was my first uke, and it plays and sounds really good. I may sell it one of these days, but only because of having too many ukes. :cool:
 
Congrats, what a fine looking uke. I really love the way the bookmatched back pieces are. I had a tenor OS once, if it had been a concert, I might have kept it......
 
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