handsofstone
Member
Just received this in the mail today!
This is my first uke! I was having way too much fun goofing around on my friend's Lanikai so i decided to get a uke of my own. I am coming from an acoustic guitar so I hope I don't have a lot of trouble learning how to play.
I had this shipped across the continent from Mike over at Uke Republic who was just awesome in answering all my questions. After suggesting a few models, he came back from NAMM with this one and said it would be a great choice. I talked to a couple different stores locally and they weren't much help at all and the selection was somewhat poor (but in all fairness these were really more guitar-centric stores anyways).
First thing that struck me was how light, but well built this felt in my hands. There are no flaws in the finish, and it has a really nice grain from all sides. I can spot a little bit of glue on the inside, but really only if i look hard. I've seen a few reviewers smell their uke, and mine definitely has a good woody smell to it.
The second thing was just how great it sounds! It is so warm and cheerful sounding! It was hard to put her down just to write this out. I tried a handful of entry-level ukes at some stores locally and this sounds (no surprise) way better. The volume is quite good as well for such a tiny thing! My guitar does not seem that much louder but is obviously quite a bit bigger.
Aesthetically, this is a really nice looking Uke. I like the little details like the non-standard headstock shape, the black pinstripe on the back of the neck and the understated (non-bling) abalone rosette.
So far my only negative would be that the matte/satin finish is a major fingerprint magnet. i suppose this is somewhat minor though. I'm also still on the fence about the rubberized tuner buttons. It's not that they are bad, but my experience is rubberized anything tends to wear pretty quick. We'll see.
Again, I'm new to the uke so my apologies for any lack of detail. As i get more familiar with the instrument i may add some more substance later. But I figured there wasn't much out there yet on this uke and it was a good opportunity to give Mike some praise.
Here are a few pics:
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23201055.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23201035.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23200947.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23200743.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23200431.jpg
Update 07/31/2012: I thought i should add a quick note. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with temperature/humidity difference between Vancouver and Atlanta, but after the first couple days i don't seem to be leaving any fingerprints on the uke. So i'm quite happy with that. All in all I could not be happier!
This is my first uke! I was having way too much fun goofing around on my friend's Lanikai so i decided to get a uke of my own. I am coming from an acoustic guitar so I hope I don't have a lot of trouble learning how to play.
I had this shipped across the continent from Mike over at Uke Republic who was just awesome in answering all my questions. After suggesting a few models, he came back from NAMM with this one and said it would be a great choice. I talked to a couple different stores locally and they weren't much help at all and the selection was somewhat poor (but in all fairness these were really more guitar-centric stores anyways).
First thing that struck me was how light, but well built this felt in my hands. There are no flaws in the finish, and it has a really nice grain from all sides. I can spot a little bit of glue on the inside, but really only if i look hard. I've seen a few reviewers smell their uke, and mine definitely has a good woody smell to it.
The second thing was just how great it sounds! It is so warm and cheerful sounding! It was hard to put her down just to write this out. I tried a handful of entry-level ukes at some stores locally and this sounds (no surprise) way better. The volume is quite good as well for such a tiny thing! My guitar does not seem that much louder but is obviously quite a bit bigger.
Aesthetically, this is a really nice looking Uke. I like the little details like the non-standard headstock shape, the black pinstripe on the back of the neck and the understated (non-bling) abalone rosette.
So far my only negative would be that the matte/satin finish is a major fingerprint magnet. i suppose this is somewhat minor though. I'm also still on the fence about the rubberized tuner buttons. It's not that they are bad, but my experience is rubberized anything tends to wear pretty quick. We'll see.
Again, I'm new to the uke so my apologies for any lack of detail. As i get more familiar with the instrument i may add some more substance later. But I figured there wasn't much out there yet on this uke and it was a good opportunity to give Mike some praise.
Here are a few pics:
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23201055.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23201035.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23200947.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23200743.jpg
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg629/tysw/uke/2012-07-23200431.jpg
Update 07/31/2012: I thought i should add a quick note. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with temperature/humidity difference between Vancouver and Atlanta, but after the first couple days i don't seem to be leaving any fingerprints on the uke. So i'm quite happy with that. All in all I could not be happier!
Last edited: