OldePhart
Well-known member
It arrived about an hour or so ago. This is the uke I ordered on a whim so I could start getting used to the feel of a 5-string, especially for finger-rolls and such, in anticipation of my BP custom. Also, so I'll have a 5-string that I can strap to the motorcycle and not be too paranoid about it if I have to leave it for a few minutes to pee or what have you.
I'll do a proper review with pics and a vid later but for now a short first impression (well...as much as I ever write anything short...)
Overall it's a bit overpriced but is not bad especially for a factory uke with a laminated top. Volume and tone are acceptable but not even in the same ballpark as my Mainland tenors or the Ohana solid tenors I've played. I probably wouldn't be happy with this uke long if it were going to be my only tenor but for my purposes it will do fine.
I bought it from Amazon.com so I get to see the setup out of the box. This is the second-best setup I've seen on a "factory" uke (excluding ukes from Mainland - I don't include those as "factory setup" because Mike and Tookta set them up before shipping them).
The only string that goes noticeably sharp at the first fret is the low string of the octave-G pair and it only moves one mark on a Snark tuner. It is certainly playable as it comes, though I will touch up the nut slot for that string soon.
Action and intonation up the neck (12th fret) are about average. The strings aren't fully stretched in yet so I'll withhold actually rating the intonation until they settle.
Speaking of strings - it comes with Aquillas with the typical somewhat "brash" sound they're known for. They don't sound bad on this uke but I will probably try something else fairly soon - if nothing else I will want to replace the wound low-G with a Thomastik-Infeld CF30.
The finish was, frankly, below average. There are tool marks on the back binding in the lower bout and the plate on the heel of the neck and a tiny one on the edge of the headstock; not large enough to really make it a second although Mike at Mainland has given me fairly deep discounts for much smaller defects.
The overall finish is not so much "satin" as "mystery." The combination of dark, open-poored wood with a finish that has absolutely no glow leaves it looking almost unfinished. It's not bad mind you - and I'd rather have it the way it is than super glossy from having 1/8" of poly poured on it - but if you're used to finishes that at least "glow" if not shine you might be disappointed.
The built-in tuner is okay but a little less precise than a Snark (that's what happens when you just have three LEDs, flat, "in tune," and sharp).
The pickup is decent and the three-band tone controls are effective. The pickup is quite "thuddy" as is not uncommon with under saddle pickups on ukes but the "thuddy" can be dialed out with the bass control on the preamp. Instead of an endpin jack the uke has a combined battery box and output jack just below where an endpin jack would go. I'd rather have an endpin jack but at least this does leave you room to mount a strap button.
More later,
John
I'll do a proper review with pics and a vid later but for now a short first impression (well...as much as I ever write anything short...)
Overall it's a bit overpriced but is not bad especially for a factory uke with a laminated top. Volume and tone are acceptable but not even in the same ballpark as my Mainland tenors or the Ohana solid tenors I've played. I probably wouldn't be happy with this uke long if it were going to be my only tenor but for my purposes it will do fine.
I bought it from Amazon.com so I get to see the setup out of the box. This is the second-best setup I've seen on a "factory" uke (excluding ukes from Mainland - I don't include those as "factory setup" because Mike and Tookta set them up before shipping them).
The only string that goes noticeably sharp at the first fret is the low string of the octave-G pair and it only moves one mark on a Snark tuner. It is certainly playable as it comes, though I will touch up the nut slot for that string soon.
Action and intonation up the neck (12th fret) are about average. The strings aren't fully stretched in yet so I'll withhold actually rating the intonation until they settle.
Speaking of strings - it comes with Aquillas with the typical somewhat "brash" sound they're known for. They don't sound bad on this uke but I will probably try something else fairly soon - if nothing else I will want to replace the wound low-G with a Thomastik-Infeld CF30.
The finish was, frankly, below average. There are tool marks on the back binding in the lower bout and the plate on the heel of the neck and a tiny one on the edge of the headstock; not large enough to really make it a second although Mike at Mainland has given me fairly deep discounts for much smaller defects.
The overall finish is not so much "satin" as "mystery." The combination of dark, open-poored wood with a finish that has absolutely no glow leaves it looking almost unfinished. It's not bad mind you - and I'd rather have it the way it is than super glossy from having 1/8" of poly poured on it - but if you're used to finishes that at least "glow" if not shine you might be disappointed.
The built-in tuner is okay but a little less precise than a Snark (that's what happens when you just have three LEDs, flat, "in tune," and sharp).
The pickup is decent and the three-band tone controls are effective. The pickup is quite "thuddy" as is not uncommon with under saddle pickups on ukes but the "thuddy" can be dialed out with the bass control on the preamp. Instead of an endpin jack the uke has a combined battery box and output jack just below where an endpin jack would go. I'd rather have an endpin jack but at least this does leave you room to mount a strap button.
More later,
John
I've had two ukuleles arrive in pee poor condition over the past month, but since they were immediately returned, I kept the details to myself....and my wife. Two different popular brands, so I chalked it up stuff slipping past.
