Affordable Carbon Fibre uke found

I had a friend who had a chance to play them and liked it. We have ordered some for our store but they will be a little different. One style will be tenor neck concert body with metal frets and geared tuners and will be the carbon fiber top with composite body. The other will be the same but with an all carbon fiber body. We expect these in sometime in April.
 
Had a chance to meet the guy and play the ukes a little a few weeks ago in Bangkok. The event was so noisy, it was hard to hear the ukulele well, but they seemed good, not notable buzzing or other isues, very clean appearance. The soprano seemed loudest, but that may have had different strings on it, I don't remember off hand. The frets are plastic, but Mike McQuen told me that he can do metal frets as well.
 
The blackbirds actually have a decent sound! I think it is partially due to the hollow neck giving room for more sound propagation.
 
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I got a chance to play it in Bangkok and.... well. ... my impression was it sounded muted. I am usually freakish about buying ukes but perhaps my tastes have gone too flouncy. I did try a cheap P uke (made in Thailand) on the same day and I was willing to purchase them (yes, as in multiples) to help start a uke club where I live; so, the buying reflex is still there - just not for this uke.

If they make metal frets, I might be interested in making a freak wound string uke; but, unfortunately, my ears are getting more intonation sensitive. SO again, I'm a little shy on want here.
 
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I got a chance to play it in Bangkok and.... well. ... my impression was it sounded muted.
Which model did he bring to the uke fest? He now has 3 models with Soprano, Concert & Tenor scales, but I'm not sure what he had ready to demo a couple of weeks ago. I'm guessing the Concert (the uke in the middle):

Karadoo-all-model.jpg


If they make metal frets, I might be interested in making a freak wound string uke; but, unfortunately, my ears are getting more intonation sensitive.
I'm pretty sure that is an option. But, as you point out, that then introduces possible intonation issues.
 
It doesn't sound too bad (as much as can be told from a video with pretty severe background noise, anyway). That shape looks really uncomfortable, though - kind of like a "potato bug" mandolin. I.e. the bulging belly goes the wrong way and conflicts with my own bulging belly... LOL

John
 
I've been teetering on the edge of ordering a Karadoo for several weeks. My main reason for hesitating is that it is a first generation instrument, barely past the prototype stage. Blackbird had been building carbon fiber guitars for years when they built their first uke and even those were not as good as subsequent generations. At least that's the impression I got from comments made by MGM and a few others who played each version the past few NAMMs.

I suspect this happens with most ukes (or any product). The 2nd gen Kamoa ukes were a marked improvement over the 1st gen ukes. First gen KPKs had various issues. It's not so much that the 1st gen is bad. It's that the 2nd gen. gets significantly better.

I guess I'm just not an early adopter. But I know some of you out there are. :)
 
Did i read wrong? Metal frets = more intonation issues compared to plastic?
 
Did i read wrong? Metal frets = more intonation issues compared to plastic?

I was talking with wound strings and It was fear of intonation issues not actual loss of intonation.

I played the concert.

I must state that perhaps I compared it to my Santa Cruz and Collings sound and that is where it came up short. It may sound fine otherwise.
 
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