Has anyone played both a Farallon and Clara?

Mivo

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The Blackbird Farallon has been available for a bit, but it's hard to get much information about it. There's a handful of videos, but it's all rather limited.

Do any of you own both, or had the chance to play both of them, and can compare them in terms of sound, volume, and playability? Did/do you prefer one to the other?

Thanks! :)
 
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?120234-NUD-Blackbird-Farallon

Having owned and played both for a while, I think Clara is the best sounding concert I've tried (at any price). My family agrees, and they also find Clara's playability to be excellent.

Farallon is the best sounding and playing tenor I've tried among instruments up to and including its price range. Tenors I've experienced with a more beautiful sound all cost substantially more.

Clara and Farallon have very similar sound and volume. For playability I prefer Farallon, unless I'm traveling when Clara's smaller size is helpful.
 
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I owned a Clara for a while, and I've played the Farallon for an extended period of time at Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto. I liked the tone of the Clara, but found the shape awkward enough to hold that I eventually sold it. The Farallon, on the other hand, was fabulous in all regards. One of the best sounding ukes I've played.
 
I have both Clara and Farallon.
Sound is personal and very subjective however here are my thoughts.
I find the Clara a bit warmer and delicate.
The Farallon is more articulate and defined. My wife also shares my opinion.
Both sound like a quality wood instrument to my ear and they have plenty of volume and projection when needed; more than my other wood ukuleles. I believe it has a lot to do with the Flax/linen based material along with the design experience of Joe and the Blackbird team; and the eco friendly design is a plus.
They are my favorites because of their sound, playability and worry free materials; no issues with temperature or humidity swings so I tend to leave them out of their cases and bring them along during my travels.
 
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Great information and comments from all. I've been considering Farallon also and have felt the same way.....not enough to info and comments. This helps a lot when you can't play before you buy.
 
I played both when I bought my Clara. They both were well made, high quality instruments that sounded great. I just prefer Concert size over tenor so there was really no contest for me.
 
Great information and comments from all. I've been considering Farallon also and have felt the same way.....not enough to info and comments. This helps a lot when you can't play before you buy.

I purchased my Clara and Farallon directly from Blackbird.
With instruments, I usually like to play before I buy however with ukuleles I've found that it's hard to do this when there are so few instruments available locally.
What made me decide to purchase directly from Blackbird was the approval period they offered me.
I first purchased the Clara in 2015 and I believe they gave me a 2 week window to try it out and return it if I was not happy.
Blackbird founder, Joe Luttwak has always been very understanding and easy to work with and I've always found that he will do his level best to make a customer happy. This made trying the Farallon (when it came out earlier in 2016) an easy choice.
 
Uncle Elvis had a Clara at TBUG this year (this past weekend). He said he had tried the Farallon but hadn't liked it at all. The Clara is his favorite uke, says he. He let me play it, it was fantastic, but difficult to hold.
 
I visited the Blackbird factory and met with Joe, the founder of the company. I tested both instruments. The Clara and the Farallon sounded quite similar, but the Farallon had more projection. Joe had the same opinion. So I think it comes down to the size that you prefer, either concert or tenor. I ended up buying the Farallon because I prefer tenors.
 
I have both and they're both highly recommended. I played another person's Clara at a Kimo Hussey class at Arizona State University, and knew it was worth the money right away. It's great. Very loud. Very lightweight. The Farallon is great too. Mine is tuned low G, and it sounds better low G in my opinion. I like the more traditional shape/size. The Clara's only minor quibble is it's kind of slippery/ odd-shaped. I would buy both again if something ever happened to them. Similar to the "what's the optimal number" thread, mine would be these 2 and a Kiwaya/Famous Soprano.
 
I have both and love each. I've not had difficulty holding them, but I do play sitting down which may make a difference.

Here's a song I've just played on my Farallon this morning, if anyone wants a quick listen of one in action. I apologize though-
it has a vocal in it so the instrument can't be heard alone. (Best heard through headphones)


 
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Here's a song I've just played on my Farallon this morning, if anyone wants a quick listen of one in action. I apologize though; it has a vocal in it so the instrument can't be heard alone. (Best heard through headphones)

No need to apologize for your beautiful singing! That was a great performance, thank you for sharing it!

Thanks everyone for posting your impressions and recordings, it's been insightful. I plan to get one of these two down the road. Size-wise I would probably prefer the Carla, but I admit the sound of the Farallon does speak more to me. My partner also prefers the Farallon (but she's got a guitar background, so that is expected), which is an added bonus. Definitely a hard decision, though.
 
I love my Clara, but would really like to try a Farallon as I prefer tenors. Everything I've heard from the Farallon makes me think I would love it too.
 
No need to apologize for your beautiful singing! That was a great performance, thank you for sharing it!

Thanks everyone for posting your impressions and recordings, it's been insightful. I plan to get one of these two down the road. Size-wise I would probably prefer the Carla, but I admit the sound of the Farallon does speak more to me. My partner also prefers the Farallon (but she's got a guitar background, so that is expected), which is an added bonus. Definitely a hard decision, though.

Thank you, Mivo, for your kind thoughts.
 
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