Nud

gitarzan

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New ukulele day here, again.

My Bruce Wei Tenor uke arrived, sooner than expected. They said it would be here before 5/22, since it showed up today, I guess that's accurate.

First, an interesting tidbit. The uke was sent with a declared value of $20. So we now what they cost to make.

Anyway, It's a beautiful uke. the sound coming out of it is sweet and the volume is quite acceptable.

Finish is very nice, but for the crooked rosette. :mad: Otherwise, it beautiful and tasteful. I had thought many of Bruce Wei's eBay offerings to be a little gaudy, but this one caught my eye.

1.front.JPG


2.back.JPG


More images at http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gitarzan/Music/BruceWei/

It needs the saddle to be whittled down. Action is high at smaller frets. Fretwork is OK, no visible flaws but for the rosette issue. I didn't even notice the rosette problem until after I clicked buy. Oh well, I'll call it "character".

The wood work is stunning. It came with Aquila Nylgut strings, I'm still trying to get them stretched out.

6.rosette.JPG


Again, It's sounds lovely, when the strings are in tune, I've played a couple hours worth on it and it does sounds nice. Solid Maple top and sides, mahogany neck and bridge. Bone saddle and nut. Beautiful rosette, if not askew. The soundhole is not off center, it was photographed at an angle. Plus, just enough inlay to look nice.

Let's see how it holds up in the Ohio weather.
 
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congrats for your new uke!!!! It looks good!!!! For wahtever reason, I always thought that the finish would not be that good...it,s good to see that you seem to find well finished.


Enjoy your uke and good strumming!!!


https://soundcloud.com/baouke/star-filante-by-caro-bao
 
Congrats on your new BW tenor...it looks quite nice....so glad it sounds nice ...Have fun and enjoy...Happy strummings..
 
I have followed folks who have bought Wei's guitars for about 5 years. The vast majority had cracks and warping within 3-4 months. My take then was that the instruments were either built from green wood stock or built in very high humidity conditions (65-70% average) or both. If green wood is the issue, the outlook is poor. If the instrument was built in a high humidity setting and then brought to a location with say 20-25% less humidity, then wood movement is very likely. In that case, I would seek to control the humidity for the onstrument to get as close as possible to the build humidity level.

I truely hope you have none of these issues. It looks very nice.
 
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Happy NUD! Looks lovely

Hope you don't have any other plans this weekend
 
I have followed folks who have bought Wei's guitars for about 5 years. The vast majority had cracks and warping within 3-4 months. My take then was that the instruments were either built from green wood stock or built in very high humidity conditions (65-70% average) or both. If green wood is the issue, the outlook is poor. If the instrument was built in a high humidity setting and then brought to a location with say 20-25% less humidity, then wood movement is very likely. In that case, I would seek to control the humidity for the onstrument to get as close as possible to the build humidity level.

I truely hope you have none of these issues. It looks very nice.

I was aware of the cracking issues. If it does, I'll convert it into a planter.
 
I have followed folks who have bought Wei's guitars for about 5 years. The vast majority had cracks and warping within 3-4 months. My take then was that the instruments were either built from green wood stock or built in very high humidity conditions (65-70% average) or both. If green wood is the issue, the outlook is poor. If the instrument was built in a high humidity setting and then brought to a location with say 20-25% less humidity, then wood movement is very likely. In that case, I would seek to control the humidity for the onstrument to get as close as possible to the build humidity level.

I truely hope you have none of these issues. It looks very nice.

Aren't Bruce Wei's made in Vietnam? Because that would make them built at a very high humidity. I would say you are okay for the summer, since Ohio is humid as hell, but the winter might take its toll on the new uke.
 
Looks great. I too like them less ornate than Wei's usual offerings. I can't make out what's crooked about the rosette.
 
OK, now that that is out of the way,:D I am assuming that you are raising the humidity level in Hawaii because so many ukes are built there. I think the difference, however is that most, if not all, quality builders in Hawaii build in humidity controlled environments.

I recall a photo from some years back that showed Wei instruments being built in an open air setting. Don't know if that is still the case.
 
Congrats! I think they put $20 value so that you don't have to pay custom duty.

Maybe your expectations are too high considering the price you paid for the uke. There's many comments about his ukes on UU so I'm sure you knew the quality going in.
 
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