Sound Smith Ukuleles Anyone???

CYN

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Wondering if anyone has tried Sound Smith ukuleles from Oregon? I was wondering about the sound /quality. Especially interested in their Jazz uke.
 
I like their resonator tenor. It's all laminate. And sounds pretty good for its price. Their tenor banjolele was OK sounding. Both played well.

I'm not familiar with their Jazz uke.

Shannon is terrific to work with. She'll answer your questions and loves feedback. Great outfit.
 
Thanks, I have already seen these links. I am trying to find someone that has actually played them besides the resonator. Just one of their regular ukes. Especially looking for info about sound n the jazz uke which can be seen on you tube with Shannon playing Blackbird by the Beatles. Thanks.
 
This one popped up on my computer screen, billed as an all solid koa tenor, for $367.00 shipped, with 30 day money back guarantee (minus shipping). Of course, they don't specify Hawaiian koa, so I assume it may be something else, at that price?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sound-Smit...hash=item21667fdd9b:m:m-Zq-fPHbocq9nJ9f0dddew

They have a soundclip on their webpage: https://www.soundsmithgear.com/coll...y-concert-ukulele-skc1?variant=29519754887212

They also offer solid cedar/koa concert and tenor ukes.
 
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It isn't obvious looking at the website, but, it must be that the ukuleles are made in Asia.

Made in China and set up in Oregon I believe. I’ve been tempted on the all metal concert one, but don’t know enough about the brand.
 
Thanks, I have already seen these links. I am trying to find someone that has actually played them besides the resonator. Just one of their regular ukes. Especially looking for info about sound n the jazz uke which can be seen on you tube with Shannon playing Blackbird by the Beatles. Thanks.

Drop her an email, or give her a call. She was very responsive to my questions and comments about the resonator and banjo uke. Both before and after the sale.
 
I have played (briefly) a couple of regular Sound Smith concert scale ukuleles. Generally speaking, I found them to be well made, with a good sound. They were a bit quieter than I personally prefer, but then, my hearing is not what it used to be, so YMMV. :)

Jan
 
This one popped up on my computer screen, billed as an all solid koa tenor, for $367.00 shipped, with 30 day money back guarantee (minus shipping). Of course, they don't specify Hawaiian koa, so I assume it may be something else, at that price?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sound-Smit...hash=item21667fdd9b:m:m-Zq-fPHbocq9nJ9f0dddew

They have a soundclip on their webpage: https://www.soundsmithgear.com/coll...y-concert-ukulele-skc1?variant=29519754887212

They also offer solid cedar/koa concert and tenor ukes.

Beautiful! If it's koa, it's Hawaiian. If it's not koa, it's not Hawaiian. On their site, they say the body is layered ebony. That sounds like a nice way of saying "laminate." The sound clip is so good that I'd be tempted to buy based on that alone. But then, I've never heard a company post a bad sound clip.

Close to $400 is a lot to pay for what, to me, is an unknown.
 
This brand does not seem to get a lot of attention here on UU, but it looks like they are running a legitimate family business with quite an interesting variety of unusual models, so I thought I'd give this thread a bump.

Comparing the designs, I get the impression that they are using some of the same Asian factories as Kala/Lanikai, Snail, and perhaps Ohana.
 
I purchased a concert from them a few years ago. Shannon was a delight to work with. I ended up selling it to try a tenor. It was a laminate. Good value for the price as I recall and excellent customer service.
 
I bought the reso because of Baz' review. And because it was back ordered she offered me a nice discount on the tenor banjolele.
I had some comments about the resonator after I bought it. When I opened the case I was almost knocked out by the smell of the drying finish. It took 3 months for it to dissipate. She was most apologetic about it and said I could return it. They had just gotten the shipment in and they sent them right out to the waiting customers. When I told her of the fumes, she contacted her supplier in China after she opened several of the boxes and cases and found the same problem. She said it would be corrected ASAP.

Oh, and I told her I didn't think their strings were Aquila as advertised. Shannon had that resolved immediately as well. Sent me new sets of strings for letting her know.

The company has grown a lot since I bought my ukes from them in 2018.
 
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