Bushman sound, different brand?

ukulelearp

ukulelearp

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Hi

At my local guitar shop I was playing with the ukuleles they had in stock. Brands include Kala, Ohana, Kiwaya, Cole Clark, Martin, and Bushman. Out of the ones I played I easily like the sound of the bushman concert the best. It just sounded "right". I've heard terrible things about their customer service though, from the store owner included. I'd like to know which brand makes ukuleles closest to that sound? I tried other solid mahoganys and they didn't quite sound the same. Any opinions would help.
 
Here we go - I sound like a broken record, but

Mainland!
 
My guess is that the Mainlands will meet your need.
Unfortunately, I do not own one, and have never played a Bushman.
I'm sure other members will expand on this.
 
Hands down go with a Mainland.
 
If you played a Bushman at the store and you liked it, why don't you buy it???

The main issue people seem to have with Bushman is their slow shipment and lack of communication when they place an order. If you already have the uke then it's not an issue.
 
SailQwest said:
If you played a Bushman at the store and you liked it, why don't you buy it???

The main issue people seem to have with Bushman is their slow shipment and lack of communication when they place an order. If you already have the uke then it's not an issue.
Click to expand...

Also if anything happens to your uke, the customer service trying to get it repaired may not be the best from what I've seen in the forums.
 
If it's a used Bushman with a used instrument price, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it since it has the sound you're looking for.

If it's a new Bushman with a new uke price, I would have a healthy degree of skepticism. Part of what you pay for with the cost of a new instrument is the warranty, and some of the stories on this board would imply reasonable doubt about Bushman's ability to honor the warranty. Chances are that if it sounds good now it will always sound good. But you can't rule out the possibility, however remote, that a brace didn't get enough glue and the joint fails three months down the road, or a crack has developed that can't be seen yet, or whatever.

Is it worth the risk? Maybe! The chances are better than good that it's a great uke.

Lots of folks who have Bushmans really like them a lot, including SailQwest up there.
 
RevWill said:
Here we go - I sound like a broken record, but

Mainland!
Click to expand...

You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again... You can say that again...
 
RevWill said:
If it's a used Bushman with a used instrument price, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it since it has the sound you're looking for.

If it's a new Bushman with a new uke price, I would have a healthy degree of skepticism. But you can't rule out the possibility, however remote, that a brace didn't get enough glue and the joint fails three months down the road, or a crack has developed that can't be seen yet, or whatever.
Click to expand...

That's my problem. I wouldn't mind so much used, but it's new and I'd like some degree of insurance that I'm covered. Correction: it was actually a cedar top. But I still loved the sound.
 
I know the thread seems to be pushing in one particular direction here, but if you do really like the uke and it is new and you're getting it from a decent store you could also ask them about your warranty worries and see what their policy is regarding the instruments they sell. They might be able to take care of potential problems in house.

The other thing to consider is that you're not required to go directly back to Bushman should there be an issue, if it's something fairly minor you could just have it done locally out of pocket even if it is under warranty just to avoid the hassle entirely.

There's also nothing to indicate that you will have a problem with the instrument itself. As I recall it, most of the issues people have been having with Bushman seem to be in customer service from them, but not really problems with the instruments themselves. You may be worrying a bit needlessly about a thing that may not happen. Which is not to say that it isn't something to consider, but it really doesn't seem to be the source of people's dissatisfaction with the company.
 
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There is absolutely no point in getting another ukulele that sounds just "similar" to the one that really turned you on. Grab it, love it, no regrets!
 
Mainland. Great sound: loud, bright, full sustain. Plus there's Mike, who's an active member of this forum, and who listens to customer requests and comments.
 
Keep looking.... until you find a Mainland.


Even the store owner recommends not buying the bushman? That is one honest dealer!

Unless you want to get to know John Hall WAY better than you ever thought you would need to...keep looking...
 
If it is set up well, grab it. It wouldn't hurt to ask store owner for some kind of warranty but that shouldn't stop you. Get a good case and take care of it. I have a Bushman, love the uke. The worst part was trying to get my order filled. I would rather buy a uke I've had my hands on rather than blindly through a catalog or internet.
 
The basic instrument design and construction offered by Mainland, Ohana and Bushman seem very similar. Many of us believe they are sourced from the same actual manufacturing facilities.

If you like the Bushman, then an Ohana or a Mainland of the same size made from the same woods should be very similar. Both have good reps for quality and service. If it were me I would probably lean more in those directions.

But that said, if you can actually examine the Bushman for flaws and give it a good hands-on test drive, well... if it were me and I loved the uke, heck I'd buy it. You may never need to worry about aftersales care; and even if an issue did arise, not all Bushman customers have found the service lacking.
 
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