Help! on the horns of a dilemma

Uncle Sheepy

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Ok guys,
This is the problem...
Just received a Bruko no6 from Thomann (German company, im in the UK).
A really lovely soprano in many ways, extremely well built, all solid woods, really nice.
Thing is the sound is just not doing it for me at all, it's all a bit thin.
I know sopranos are not really big in the sustain/darker tone area but....:(
I have heard that these ukes are better with different strings on them but to be honest I am preferring the sound of the starter Lanika Kohala with crappy GHS black strings I bought for my Dad to be honest (and that worries me).
I actually have some Worth medium browns coming but if I swap them over and still dont like it I wont be able to send the little sod back!
Any advice would be appreciated at this point.
Im thinking of going in this direction to be honest
http://www.southernukulelestore.co.uk/Product/61/Kala-KA-SMHS-All-Solid-Mahogany-Soprano-Ukulele.
Help me out in my hour of need:p
Cheers
Uncle Sheepy
 
If you're considering sticking with the Brueko, start playing it A LOT. Depending on the type of wood and style of construction, a new, solid ukulele can take hours, days, weeks, or even months to "open up" its best tonal qualities. I thought my Kamaka sounded good when I brought it home; after a few weeks of playing everyday, it seemed like I had a new, still better-sounding ukulele. The most noticeable changes were improved volume and clarity for the outer strings and increased sustain for both notes and chords.

That being said, if the sound does absolutely nothing for you, this could simply be a mismatch. If that's the case, return the Brueko if possible, then try the Kala.
 
This is UU Post #27 re: the Brueko No. 6. It's solid mahogany, has a great reputation, and unless it has a structural problem, you should be able to get it to sound great. I wouldn't trade it in for a laminate Kala. There are guidelines on line and quite probably on UU to check the set up and it quite possibly needs new strings. Worse case, needs a little setup. See the old post below:

"A Brueko No.6 should belong to every ukulele household. They are well-made, reliable as rocks and they sound veeery ukey. Especially the sound of the No. 6 improves a lot whith age. My No. 6 is now 9 years old, lives in my car and sounds terrific.

As for the custom tenor, you should definitely go for it. I had Brueko make me a custom flat soprano with a moor oak body and an oak neck and it is one of my favorite ukes. Their custom works are very reasonably priced and they make sure, that every detail you define is taken care of. And: They are superfast! "
 
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Aloha Uncle Sheepy,
Drop the tuning a half or full step for a richer and warmer sound...you have a digital clip on chromatic tuner???
F#-35, B-35, D# -40, G# -45 Use this as a guide line only, may be different for your soprano scale..Hope it works
Good Luck..MM Stan
 
Strings can make a huge difference on almost any uke. Check with the mfr, but generally changing strings should not void the warranty. (If it did, every stringed instrument I've ever owned went out of warranty within six weeks because I rarely leave strings on longer than that unless it's a closet queen.)

John
 
Well chaps,
I am on the point of getting the thing back out of its packing, putting the worths on tomorrow and playing the sh*t out of it.....
It's only a hundred quid after all!
 
No,
I have sat for quite some time now (with a few beers) and just played the little beast and it is in fact warming up (even with the very very poor strings).
The sound is becoming 'warm', more rounded even in a very short while.
I have been watching some you tube stuff and to be honest the closest sound I have heard is some of the newish Martins and I suppose that's definitely a good thing. It even looks similar with it's stripped down old school looks.
The thing that really amazes me is the accuracy of the intonation, it's fantastic
I will stick with this even if it's just for the eccentricity value.
Get some Worths on tomorrow and play on I think, many thanks for your reassurance fellas.
Sweet dreams
Uncle Sheepy..
 
I have sat for quite some time now (with a few beers) and just played the little beast and it is in fact warming up (even with the very very poor strings).
The sound is becoming 'warm', more rounded even in a very short while.
Hehe, maybe it's the beer goggles talking? But I know for an absolute fact that my ukes always sound better and I always play better after a little imbibing. :p

You didn't say what strings the Bruko came with. Do you know? I read one review that said their Bruko came with Pyramid strings (which I'm not familiar with) but they are apparently a German company so that makes sense.

This thread also came up in a google search, seems there are some who don't really care for Pyramids.

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?22018-Pyramid-Strings

Strings are always a personal preference. I like Worths over Aquilas but there are many here who feel the other way around.
 
I´m glad to hear you and the No.6 grew accustomed to each other :D. I own several Bruekos and played a lot of models at their factory and at meetings with other ukers in germany. Regarding the No. 6 it is not likely that it will "mellow out" with age. It will also not develop significantly more sustain or a darker tone. It is built with the intention to produce a percussive sound with lots of presence in the mid-range and refined trebles. With age and constant playing the No. 6, this signature sound will get even more emphasize on the mid-range. When it comes to strings I keep switching between the Worth BM and aquilas. I feel that the aquilas give me some more volume and more treble, while the Worth BM give me some more mid range and better control. Either way, both string sets are a definite better choice than the standard pyramid fluorcarbons.
 
Well, basically I will stick the Worth BM's on tonight and see what happens.
I know what you mean about the mid range been good and thats what seemed to get warmed up last night with a bit of thrashing about on it! it's a good quality I think (in a uke). And the trebles are indeed refined and absolutely spot on in tune even on the high G up the neck which is good.
Sheepy
 
Well, a quick update.
I tried, god knows I tried, to get on with the Breuko but i just could not warm to the beast.
A brilliant instrument but the sound was just a bit a bit lacking somehow.
Anyway I bought the Kala KA-SMHS and it suitas me better.
Far more complex sound, loud but with a fair bit of depth also. The build quality/finishing in not quite on par with the incredibly immaculate construction of the Breuko, but hey, i'm very happy.
All is well!
Sheepy
 
Well, a quick update.
I tried, god knows I tried, to get on with the Breuko but i just could not warm to the beast.
A brilliant instrument but the sound was just a bit a bit lacking somehow.
Anyway I bought the Kala KA-SMHS and it suitas me better.
Far more complex sound, loud but with a fair bit of depth also. The build quality/finishing in not quite on par with the incredibly immaculate construction of the Breuko, but hey, i'm very happy.
All is well!
Sheepy

My opinion on any instrument is that you should never try and force yourself to like one if you don't, regardless of how good the specs or construction is. Ukuelele's will open up after a few weeks/months, but were not talking night and day here. Start with one where you like the sound and playability then, if it opens up you will only like it more. You made the right choice.
 
I had a Lanikai 8-string acoustic/electric that was like that for me. I should have loved it - the intonation and setup were the best I've seen on a factory instrument (uke OR guitar). The amplified tone rocked. Acoustically, it just didn't do a thing for me.

John
 
Probably a bit late to this now, but I had a Brueko no6 once. Didn't do it for me either, and I played it alot. It never really opened up and continued to sound a bit 'toyish' . They look great, but if you are after a uke that sounds a bit chunkier, don't hold your breath.
 
Connections with instruments are as unpredictable as connections with people. If a connection isn't there, it can't be forced. Moving on is the natural thing to do. I'm sure the Brueko will find the right home eventually.

Great to hear the Kala is suiting you. Congratulations, and happy strumming!
 
Yes, it suits me fine I think.
On a slightly different tangent I had some worth brown mediums kicking about that I was going to put on the Breuko, i bought a lanaki for my dad with horrible black strings on it that sounded horrific. So..I put the worths on it and was quite frankly astounded at the difference, the sound is massive!
The Kala has Aquillas as standard but I think I will swap them over to the Worths on the Kala also. To me the Aquillas seem to 'choke' the sound of the soprano (or this one). It's a subtle difference but it will be interesting to experiment and to me the Worths feel effortless to play.
Cheers
Sheepy
 
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