Fidra Ukuleles from Scotland - Any players in here ?

Ukador

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Hello guys !

A while ago I stumbled across a Ukulele Luthier from Scotland. His name is Simon Overton and his Ukuleles are named after an Island in the Firth of Forth.

Fidra

www.fidraukulele.co.uk

Today I had to buy his Redwood/Koa concert Ukulele after being in contact with him for several months :D

fidraconcert.jpg

I can't wait to receive that beauty.

I am wondering if there are any Fidra Ukulele owners in here that want to share their opinion about their instrument.
 
I like those Celtic bridge pins

If my cartoon watching days taught me anything, that means it's indestructible.



P.S.

Super jealous!

I love that it doesn't have a huge tacky logo anywhere.
 
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I've seen his ukes before (on the internet). They look well built and aesthetically very pleasing. I would be very interested in a report on how yours sounds when you get it.
 
Beautiful uke; I have often thought about a Koa and Redwood combination as I like redwood tops on guitars and ukuleles.

I must say I really love the Celtic Knot style rosette and bridge pin carvings.

Just out of curiosity, where are you located? Does the builder ship internationally?
 
Beautiful work. Two of those listed in his "for sale" section are padauk top back and sides. That's one of my favorite woods. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the sound and quality once you receive it! Thanks for telling us about Simon's ukes.
Randy
 
Just out of curiosity, where are you located? Does the builder ship internationally?

I live in Germany so he does ship at least within the EU but I am quite sure that he does also ship worldwide.

The only reason why I had to wait so long until ordering one of his instruments is because he doesn't build concert sized Ukuleles as often as a Soprano or a Tenor.
 
What a nice looking uke for the money. Can't wait to read your review and hear a sound bite.
 
I received the Uke today and will post a review soon.

So far I can say that it is beautifully and well made, has living water strings on it, came well packed, has quite a low string action without any deadspots on any of the 18 frets and can easily compete with my former 1000+€ Kamaka HF2 concert ;)

Just to let you know: Simon posted today that he has two new Soprano sized Ukuleles for sale --> http://www.fidraukulele.co.uk/for-sale/4551129981
 
Yesterday I recorded a little bit. I hope the quality is decent as I am experimenting quite a lot with my recording equipment at the moment :)

 
Ooo! Like the sound of that. Nice playing. May have to consider redwood for my next build.
 
Great UKE....i've discovered this Brand only few days ago...
They sounds great and looks beautiful!
 
Simon built me a new concert ukulele fully made of mahogany with some ebony elements, my own headstock style and an inlayed "D".

The sound and the building quality is just amazing. Sorry you Koa lovers out there but theres nothing that can beat the sound of a well made mahogany instrument and the best thing is that the sound will evolve over the next few years :D It is loud and super warm / deep at the same time.

It has a hand rubbed oil finish, came with a very good ukulele case, has pretty good no-name friction tuners and 18 frets. I had some problems with a buzzing string right after I received it but all is working now.

mahogany4.jpgmahogany3.jpgmahogany1.jpgmahogany2.jpg
 
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Oh my, what a gorgeous instrument! I assume you still love it, two years down the track?

There are none for sale on his site at the moment - do you mind me asking what price range yours was?

I really fancy the idea of a Celtic ukulele.......
 
Oh my, what a gorgeous instrument! I assume you still love it, two years down the track?

There are none for sale on his site at the moment - do you mind me asking what price range yours was?

I really fancy the idea of a Celtic ukulele.......

Unfortunately I sold my first Fidra Ukulele and the current owner doesn't want to sell it back to me. If I remember correctly I paid around 700€ for it.

I won't do this fault with my Fidra all mahogany concert sized Ukulele. The price for this custom made Uke was around 900€ incl. shipping and a hardcase.

I bought Gotoh UPT's and will upgrade my Fidra soon. I am still very happy with it even though the C string started to buzz in the last few months. The binding has a crack because I treated this solid wood instrument very bad and had it on my wall all the time even though the humiditiy level was quite low.


If you are interested in a custom made Fidra you should contact Simon Overton by mail. He is a very nice guy and easy to do business with. He builds quite a lot at the moment as far as I know which means that you can expect a waiting time of at least 3-4 months.
 
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Thanks, I have been in touch. Currently working out exactly what I want. Pricing is very reasonable. Simon is now taking orders for build slots in May.

Thanks for putting me on to his products!
 
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