Riptide by Boulder Creek - EUT-2N

Deach sent me his Riptide uke and after a few days playing, I'm still hesitant about it. I haven't fully warmed up to it, but then I don't dislike it either. Lukewarm would be the best description so far. I am taking it to work to play whenever it's quiet, and give me a chance to appreciate it more. Here are my first impressions:

It's loud, it's bright, and it has a certain panache in its looks. It looks a little like an archtop. People who see it in the store seem to like it. The side port really makes it easy to hear myself playing.

Comparing it one-against-one with other ukes, it has a very distinct voice (and like I said, louder than most) and you can clearly hear every string. That being said, the bass G (it was tuned low G) is very noticeable, even a bit boomy. The sideport magnifies it for the player, but that projects forward, too.

Had I been the designer, I would have made the side port a little smaller and the front hole a bit larger.There are low tones that just don't fit through the front, but can be heard in the side. Nice as it is to hear myself, I think what the audience hears will count more.

Sustain, however, is modest and the decay time is short compared to others (the Mainland has the longest sustain I've heard). It's a little shorter (to my old ears) sustain than my Kala cedar or Pono mango. This adds to the sense that every string stands out because with less sustain, they don't blend as much. Not bad, just different.

The top has only two braces, which seems to suggest a thick topboard to hold up against the stresses, thus possibly thicker than others use. There's no indication I can see of sculpting on the inside, so it's just a flat surface. Again, had I been the designer, I would have opted for a thinner top and more bracing. By my understanding, a somewhat thinner top would produce more sustain.

When I put my fingers into the side port, I can feel the rough edge inside. It appears a small piece of laminate broke away from the side when the port was being cut. Not a big deal since it isn't visible, but it reflects less than perfect quality control. There are no outstanding flaws on the exterior. Overall it's as well made as Kala, Mainland or Ohana.

The electronics are okay. Active, rather than passive. Sounds fine through an amp. The tuner is useful, especially since it seems to slip out of tune easily - but that may be just because the stings are still breaking in. You need to balance the output tone a bit with your equalizer because it tends to be boomy on the lower strings when amplified. Overall, I can't hear a big difference between the Riptide electronics and the Kala electronics. It seems to be less prone to feedback than most of my other ukes, probably because of the large, solid surface.

The cable port is on the lower side, and it's closed with a small nut so it's almost flush with the wood. I recommend getting an extruded button-style nut for it so you can put a strap on it. Otherwise you'll have to screw a strap button into the end block if you want a strap. That lower jack will also change how you play when you sit if it's plugged in - at least for me it seems to be located at exactly the point when I balance a uke on my thigh when seated.

Neck is wider than Kala - similar to the Mainland. Smooth enough, too. Fret edges are okay, and strings are a reasonable distance from the edges so they can't get easily pulled off when bending. Uke is light too (will weight today and report back), which is unexpected since the solid top implies a heavier instrument.

The intonation seems good, but the string height is a hair higher at the 12th and upper frets than I'd like. The saddle is already so low I doubt it can be lowered to compensate. There's a slight buzz on the G sting at the1st and 2nd fret too, not really noticeable when strumming, but I can hear it through the side port when picking. That may be just the neck adjusting to the local environment (it's dry winter here).

I'll add more after I've had more time with it to get to know it better.​