NUD: Blackbird Farallon Tenor Ukelele

Hi Everyone:

Today I received my Farallon today. Not too many dealers have them in stock because they are just starting to roll off the production line. Big shout out to LA Guitar Sales for a smooth transaction.

Here are my impressions. My point of reference is the only other uke that I own, which is a Kala Tenor ATP_CTG-CE, which although is not a high end uke but, as others have attested on this forum, not too shabby either. Sound-wise, it is fuller, louder, and has more clarity on the high end.

Other pleasant surprises are: it has a strap button near where the neck meets the body (which comes standard with the model with the pick-up). The Misi pick-up is a breeze to use. Just charge it for 1 minute and you get about 6 hours of playing time. It has two knobs near the sound hole for volume control and tone control. It comes with an excellent quality padded gig bag, made by Reunion Blues (all you guitar players know what I am talking about). The headstock has an opening which helps amplify the sound because the neck is hollow.

I am a happy camper. Please see the pictures I have attached.

Luke

Congrats! They do sound fantastic, don't they? Enjoy!

Congrats on the new baby!

I wonder if the strap button on the bass side of the upper bout is reinforced inside, i.e. going into a small cube of wood, or with some wide-diameter fender washers, otherwse if it's just screwing into the eKoa, I'd worry about it pulling out eventually.

Also if it has a Mi-Si pickup in it, on the Mi-Si web site if you dload the PDF file for the instructions, it says the first 2-3 times you charge the super-capacitor (which acts like a battery) you want to charge it for 2 mins instead of just one minute, and then after that you only need to charge for 1 minute.

In my own use of the Mi-Si pickup on a few different instruments now for the past 3 yrs, I am getting about 16 hours use from a single 60-second charge, but that use is spread out over either a few days or even sometimes a few weeks.

You will know when to charge when the sound level is lower than normal, and also when you get a sort of crunchy sound when you pluck or strum, sort of a mild tube distortion, then you just plug in the charger for a minute and yer all set...

Hope this helps...

Thanks Eddie and Booli. And thanks for the tip on charging. I didn't know that.

I took a peek inside the sound hole to see if the strap button was reinforced. It was difficult to see but it didn't appear to be reinforced. The Ekoa material is pretty strong.

lfoo6952 said:

Thanks Eddie and Booli. And thanks for the tip on charging. I didn't know that.

I took a peek inside the sound hole to see if the strap button was reinforced. It was difficult to see but it didn't appear to be reinforced. The Ekoa material is pretty strong.

Click to expand...

I've not handled one of the eKoa ukes yet from Blackbird so being unsure of it's 'shear' strength for holding threads from a metal screw goes with the territory

I usually tie that end of my strap to the headstock, just behind the nut and before the tuners for strings 1 and 4. I find it is more comfortable for me and also prevents 'neck dive' if the headstock is heavier. YMMV.

Also, here is the Mi-Si product page, and likely you have the Acoustic Trio for Ukulele:

http://mi-si.com/products/

and here is a direct link to their PDF file for the owner's manual (which will prompt you to dload a PDF):

http://mi-si.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/mi-si_trio_uke_manual.pdf

I'm not sure of the exact pickup that Blackbird puts in from Mi-Si, but pretty sure it is that one above ^.

I'm pretty familiar with the Mi-Si so if you have questions, I'm happy to try and help, and since I cannot get one of these now, I hope you dont mind if I live vicariously through YOUR experience with it, which I'd guess would be very positive as these have been getting great reviews all around...

Thanks again Booli. I appreciate your help. Having a blast with it!

lfoo6952 said:

Thanks again Booli. I appreciate your help. Having a blast with it!

Click to expand...

Anytime brother!

Glad you are enjoying it. :music:

I'm a big fan of Blackbird Guitars and Joe Luttwak. It's nice to see that folks are buying these, so they will maybe still be making them by the time I am ready to get one. I am more a fan of the BTU Carbon Fiber model with the RMC pickups, but I usually like ukes that are 'different' and the BTU is probably as different you can get if you don't want one of those crazy-looking Treelohippee things. But the Farallon is a more traditional shape and folks have been begging Blackbird to make an eKoa tenor after the Clara was such a huge hit. It's also good to see that Blackbird is listening to the public and responding. I like that they are such a forward-thinking company.

hey, congrats and enjoy!

Congratulations. Any sound samples. I'm looking specifically for high g sound samples. Everything on line is low G. Looks to be a great ukulele. I like the videos I have heard. Just want to hear a good high g sample before I buy. Enjoy your ukulele.

Hi M3Ukulele:

Mine came with a low G, so I can't provide any samples of high G. Fortunately I prefer the low G. I am wondering if the low G is more popular and that is why mine came with one. Their website states you can order either a low or high G.

Have you come across any Clara's with a high G? I can tell you that the Clara and Farallon are quite similar in sound, except that the Farallon has more projection, being that it has a larger body. If you like the Clara, you'll love the Farallon.

Luke

M3Ukulele said:

Congratulations. Any sound samples. I'm looking specifically for high g sound samples. Everything on line is low G. Looks to be a great ukulele. I like the videos I have heard. Just want to hear a good high g sample before I buy. Enjoy your ukulele.

Click to expand...

If you do a search on this site you will find that "Emma Q' provided a high g sound sample of her new Farallon a couple months ago

Last weekend I found a couple of these at Gryphon in Palo Alto. I liked the loudness and the balanced feel.