Jim Hanks
Well-known member
Here it is! I've only had it a few days and still haven't played it that much yet, so here are just a few initial impressions.
As far as I could find, this is the only in-production (i.e. not vintage) "mid priced" uke with a 19" scale, which was a big motivator in getting this uke. I think it is more comfortable than the now-standard 20+" baritone scale. Mele makes one for twice the price, and the Kamaka HF3-L is over 3 times the price, so you can't get better bang-for-the-buck than this.
The fit and finish lives up to its billing. Very "clean" and smooth uke. I guess you'd call it a "satin" finish - not glossy at all. There are a couple of *extremely* slight discolorations in a couple of spots that let you know this is an "organic" hand-made instrument, not something out of a 3D printer (not that there's anything wrong with that ).
Specs:
Scale: 19"
Body: Solid mahogany top/back/sides
Neck/headstock: Maple/rosewood/maple
Tuners: Schaller geared mini-tuners
Fretboard: Rosewood
Bridge/nut: Jacaranda
Saddle: Plastic - compensated!
Pickup: Passive
Strap button: Pickup button and 2nd one on bottom of neck
Strings: Pyramid fluorocarbons
The rosette is a very thin ring of rosewood/maple/rosewood mirroring the neck. (Actually, I think it is plastic, but could easily be passed off as wood.)
I got an Ohana gig bag from Mim that fits very well. I still need to get a humidifier, but I don't think the uke is in immediate danger since I'm in hot-n-humid NC. Also picked up the strap from Sherrin's Treasures.
The tuners are awesome. While the friction tuners on the soprano work, these are just easier to use.
The action is about 3mm, a little higher than the tenor Mim set up for me. It's definitely playable as-is, but I may take it down a little further when I change out the strings. (Really my only peeve I have with the uke as I did ask for lower. Maybe it changed crossing the Atlantic - seriously.)
Regarding the strings, it came with two unwound trebles and two wound bass strings. I'm pretty sure these are the ones. They actually sound pretty good. I will do some sound samples with them before changing so I can remember what they sound like. I would describe the sound as bright, loud, guitar-like. Which is why I'll be swapping them out soon. First up will be a custom Living Water set that I'll try linear Bb or A. More on that later.
A word about dealing with Bruko. Overall, it was a good experience dealing with Bruko, so I would not hesitate to send other players their way. The only word of "caution" I would relate is to stay patient. Several times it was days between emails, but I gather it's because they're too busy building ukes to be tied to the computer. So I can't fault them for that. And looking back it was actually only 11 days from when I first said I definitely wanted it to delivery day (and part of that was also working out the soprano) and then another week of delivery time from Germany to U.S. I guess it just felt longer at the time due to UAS fever.
The other thing I would relate about baritones is that they are only available with a mahogany body. That's fine by me, but if you're looking for something brighter, you'll have to get a tenor. (Or my soprano - it's still for sale!)
Sound samples and videos will be coming later.
Jim
As far as I could find, this is the only in-production (i.e. not vintage) "mid priced" uke with a 19" scale, which was a big motivator in getting this uke. I think it is more comfortable than the now-standard 20+" baritone scale. Mele makes one for twice the price, and the Kamaka HF3-L is over 3 times the price, so you can't get better bang-for-the-buck than this.
The fit and finish lives up to its billing. Very "clean" and smooth uke. I guess you'd call it a "satin" finish - not glossy at all. There are a couple of *extremely* slight discolorations in a couple of spots that let you know this is an "organic" hand-made instrument, not something out of a 3D printer (not that there's anything wrong with that ).
Specs:
Scale: 19"
Body: Solid mahogany top/back/sides
Neck/headstock: Maple/rosewood/maple
Tuners: Schaller geared mini-tuners
Fretboard: Rosewood
Bridge/nut: Jacaranda
Saddle: Plastic - compensated!
Pickup: Passive
Strap button: Pickup button and 2nd one on bottom of neck
Strings: Pyramid fluorocarbons
The rosette is a very thin ring of rosewood/maple/rosewood mirroring the neck. (Actually, I think it is plastic, but could easily be passed off as wood.)
I got an Ohana gig bag from Mim that fits very well. I still need to get a humidifier, but I don't think the uke is in immediate danger since I'm in hot-n-humid NC. Also picked up the strap from Sherrin's Treasures.
The tuners are awesome. While the friction tuners on the soprano work, these are just easier to use.
The action is about 3mm, a little higher than the tenor Mim set up for me. It's definitely playable as-is, but I may take it down a little further when I change out the strings. (Really my only peeve I have with the uke as I did ask for lower. Maybe it changed crossing the Atlantic - seriously.)
Regarding the strings, it came with two unwound trebles and two wound bass strings. I'm pretty sure these are the ones. They actually sound pretty good. I will do some sound samples with them before changing so I can remember what they sound like. I would describe the sound as bright, loud, guitar-like. Which is why I'll be swapping them out soon. First up will be a custom Living Water set that I'll try linear Bb or A. More on that later.
A word about dealing with Bruko. Overall, it was a good experience dealing with Bruko, so I would not hesitate to send other players their way. The only word of "caution" I would relate is to stay patient. Several times it was days between emails, but I gather it's because they're too busy building ukes to be tied to the computer. So I can't fault them for that. And looking back it was actually only 11 days from when I first said I definitely wanted it to delivery day (and part of that was also working out the soprano) and then another week of delivery time from Germany to U.S. I guess it just felt longer at the time due to UAS fever.
The other thing I would relate about baritones is that they are only available with a mahogany body. That's fine by me, but if you're looking for something brighter, you'll have to get a tenor. (Or my soprano - it's still for sale!)
Sound samples and videos will be coming later.
Jim
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