ukuDaily
Well-known member
Disclaimer: I don't work for or represent Republic in any way.
So, there has been a lot of discussion as of late, including a thread started by me, about cheap and/or durable ukes that have wide string spacing like many of the customs and "K" brands. For about six months, I have been watching Republic's non-resonator ukes come and go, mostly go unsold. It appears that Republic has been having a hard time getting rid of them so they are liquidating them at fire-sale prices. Originally, they were going for more than $200, but I was a bit concerned about build quality so I never went for it.
When the price finally came down to $119, I thought I would take a chance. The manufacturer is only about 75 miles away, so if I decided to take advantage of the 3 day return policy, shipping would be cheap.
Well, when it arrived I was pretty happy. The build quality is really nice, better than the Mainland I bought new and on par with the few Kalas I have had. I am going to have to file the nut a bit to make room for the thicker strings, but that is pretty expected. One other strictly cosmetic issue is that some of the ABS purfling has yellowed in spots.
Based on the pictures on the auction, there were two things I expected to be bad. The black Hilo strings were very plinky, but that was easily fixed with a set of D'Addario Pro-Arte' clear nylons. The other less than great feature was the off brand open geared tuners. They are kinda lame, but I think a little lube of some sort on the gears will improve them tremendously.
Now the part that I was very thrilled about. As I was playing, I noticed that there seemed to be a bit more room on the fret board. I pulled out my ruler and measured the nut, string spacing at the nut and string spacing at the saddle and compared it to my Kanile'a koa concert and here is what I found.
Kanile'a
Nut Width - 37mm
String spacing at nut (G-A) - 29mm
String spacing at saddle - 45mm
Neck Width at 14th fret - 47.5mm
Usable saddle width - 57mm
Republic
Nut Width - 38mm
String spacing at nut (G-A) - 28mm
String spacing at saddle - 42.5mm
Neck Width at 14th fret - 48mm
Usable saddle width - 72mm
The reason I measured the neck width at the 14th fret and the usable saddle width is because is because if I change from bridge slots to bridge pins, I should easily be able to set the spacing to match my Kanile'a spot on.
Ok, now for a few specs and pictures.
Top: Solid Englemann Spruce
Back: Laminated Zebrawood
Side: Laminated Zebrawood
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard&Bridge: Rosewood
Body Purfling: ABS
Top Purfling: Abalone
Fretboard Inlay Dot: Green Abalone Inlay
Finish: High Gloss
Tuners: Chrome with pearloid button
Sound hole rosette: Abalone Inlay
Included Hardshell Case!
I will upload some images in the next post.
So, there has been a lot of discussion as of late, including a thread started by me, about cheap and/or durable ukes that have wide string spacing like many of the customs and "K" brands. For about six months, I have been watching Republic's non-resonator ukes come and go, mostly go unsold. It appears that Republic has been having a hard time getting rid of them so they are liquidating them at fire-sale prices. Originally, they were going for more than $200, but I was a bit concerned about build quality so I never went for it.
When the price finally came down to $119, I thought I would take a chance. The manufacturer is only about 75 miles away, so if I decided to take advantage of the 3 day return policy, shipping would be cheap.
Well, when it arrived I was pretty happy. The build quality is really nice, better than the Mainland I bought new and on par with the few Kalas I have had. I am going to have to file the nut a bit to make room for the thicker strings, but that is pretty expected. One other strictly cosmetic issue is that some of the ABS purfling has yellowed in spots.
Based on the pictures on the auction, there were two things I expected to be bad. The black Hilo strings were very plinky, but that was easily fixed with a set of D'Addario Pro-Arte' clear nylons. The other less than great feature was the off brand open geared tuners. They are kinda lame, but I think a little lube of some sort on the gears will improve them tremendously.
Now the part that I was very thrilled about. As I was playing, I noticed that there seemed to be a bit more room on the fret board. I pulled out my ruler and measured the nut, string spacing at the nut and string spacing at the saddle and compared it to my Kanile'a koa concert and here is what I found.
Kanile'a
Nut Width - 37mm
String spacing at nut (G-A) - 29mm
String spacing at saddle - 45mm
Neck Width at 14th fret - 47.5mm
Usable saddle width - 57mm
Republic
Nut Width - 38mm
String spacing at nut (G-A) - 28mm
String spacing at saddle - 42.5mm
Neck Width at 14th fret - 48mm
Usable saddle width - 72mm
The reason I measured the neck width at the 14th fret and the usable saddle width is because is because if I change from bridge slots to bridge pins, I should easily be able to set the spacing to match my Kanile'a spot on.
Ok, now for a few specs and pictures.
Top: Solid Englemann Spruce
Back: Laminated Zebrawood
Side: Laminated Zebrawood
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard&Bridge: Rosewood
Body Purfling: ABS
Top Purfling: Abalone
Fretboard Inlay Dot: Green Abalone Inlay
Finish: High Gloss
Tuners: Chrome with pearloid button
Sound hole rosette: Abalone Inlay
Included Hardshell Case!
I will upload some images in the next post.