Is it just me, or is anybody else out there jonesin' for a reso uke? 
This past weekend I had the opportunity to test drive two fine resonator ukuleles. A concert mahogany National Reso-phonic and a Mya-Moe tenor in koa. Yum, yum! I played both ukes for a while, back and forth. FWIW, here's my mini-review.
Both ukes had National's new, reformulated biscuit cones (made from a new alloy that is receiving great reviews on the resonator guitar websites). They both also had coverplates made by National, I believe. The Mya-Moe tenor was obviously larger than the National concert.
I was expecting to like the Mya-Moe better, as I tend to prefer tenors. It had a radiused fretboard, a compensated saddle, and an arched back and some lovely binding. The Mya-Moe was nice (especially in the looks department--the koa was gorgeous) but it lacked the note clarity and separation, volume, and dynamic range of the National. It had D'adderio J71 strings, which I hadn't tried before, but I wasn't a huge fan. The action was a bit too high for me as well. From what I've read online, Mya-Moe is a relatively new player in the custom handcrafted resonator uke business, and from the one example I played I would expect their work to only get better in the future. They have some great wood choices on their website and offer a lot of impressive custom specs and options. Everything was headed in the right direction on the one I played, but it just wasn't "there" yet, so to speak, at least not in my subjective opinion. As a friend of mine likes to say, what distinguishes a great builder is knowing how to do not just one thing, but many things (he claims the number is at least 15!) very well and putting them all together flawlessly.
The National, on the other hand, had just about everything going for it. It had tortoise binding and a nice mahogany stain, a flat fretboard, was strung with what appeared to be Worth browns, and its setup, action, playability, and tone were outstanding. From this one example, I'd say that the National guys really have the setup and construction completely dialed in.
Prior to playing the National, I thought I had my UAS under control, but now that's all changed. Anyone know if National will do a custom nut width? I like 1.5 inches, not the 1 and 3/8ths that comes standard on the National ukes.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to test drive two fine resonator ukuleles. A concert mahogany National Reso-phonic and a Mya-Moe tenor in koa. Yum, yum! I played both ukes for a while, back and forth. FWIW, here's my mini-review.
Both ukes had National's new, reformulated biscuit cones (made from a new alloy that is receiving great reviews on the resonator guitar websites). They both also had coverplates made by National, I believe. The Mya-Moe tenor was obviously larger than the National concert.
I was expecting to like the Mya-Moe better, as I tend to prefer tenors. It had a radiused fretboard, a compensated saddle, and an arched back and some lovely binding. The Mya-Moe was nice (especially in the looks department--the koa was gorgeous) but it lacked the note clarity and separation, volume, and dynamic range of the National. It had D'adderio J71 strings, which I hadn't tried before, but I wasn't a huge fan. The action was a bit too high for me as well. From what I've read online, Mya-Moe is a relatively new player in the custom handcrafted resonator uke business, and from the one example I played I would expect their work to only get better in the future. They have some great wood choices on their website and offer a lot of impressive custom specs and options. Everything was headed in the right direction on the one I played, but it just wasn't "there" yet, so to speak, at least not in my subjective opinion. As a friend of mine likes to say, what distinguishes a great builder is knowing how to do not just one thing, but many things (he claims the number is at least 15!) very well and putting them all together flawlessly.
The National, on the other hand, had just about everything going for it. It had tortoise binding and a nice mahogany stain, a flat fretboard, was strung with what appeared to be Worth browns, and its setup, action, playability, and tone were outstanding. From this one example, I'd say that the National guys really have the setup and construction completely dialed in.
Prior to playing the National, I thought I had my UAS under control, but now that's all changed. Anyone know if National will do a custom nut width? I like 1.5 inches, not the 1 and 3/8ths that comes standard on the National ukes.
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