Asmus Solid Acacia Plus Tenor Review
I just received my new Asmus solid acacia plus tenor uke today and I thought I would share my thoughts. First, I am a beginner uke player and in no way associated with Asmus or any other uke company. I've owned guitars for 30 years but could never get them to work, so I bought my first uke about a month ago and now the Asmus is already the 5th uke I've added to my collection. (You could say I got the uke bug!) I also have a KPK solid acacia soprano, a Lanikai CK-C, an Oscar Schmidt OU2 concert, and I already gave away a vintage Kay soprano to my nephew. (I also have a Kala soprano on order, but it has not arrived yet.) These are the only ukes I've played, so my comments will be comparisons to them.
These are photos of the actual uke I received today from Asmus, and my KPK and Lanikai for comparison. I must say my first impressions were very good. Someone mentioned that the Asmus might be made in the same factory as the KPK, which upon examination of both seems very possible. They have a similar solid feel, they use identical gold-plated tuners, they both have a good warm sound with nice sustain. I noticed little details, like the shape of the heel of the neck, which is identical in both Asmus and KPK, but very different on my other ukes, which might indicate the same manufacturer. The action on the Asmus is nice and low and very easy compared to my Lanikai CK-C which I think is set too high, yet there is no fret buzz. The Asmus differs from the KPK in that it has white "nubone?" bridge and nut, whereas the KPK has rosewood nut and bridge.
The Asmus came in a cardboard box with a label on one end that says, "Made in China." Inside it was zipped in a fairly good gig bag, which they call "deluxe". (At least it came with a gig bag.)
I feel that it is every bit the quality of the KPK, which I think is a very well made and nice sounding instrument. I haven't played any of the really high-end ukes to compare it too, but I definitely think the KPK and Asmus are good values and I may have to trade my Lanikai concert for either a KPK or Asmus solid acacia uke.
The only negative thing I noticed when I played the Asmus was the volume. I'm not sure if it is just the lower sound of the tenor compared to the soprano and concert, but it seems quieter when played comparably to my others. Maybe that's just my inexperienced ear. My final opinion is this: try the Asmus. I don't think you will regret the purchase.