Journey Instruments Solid Sitka Travel Ukulele – UC490CE

[Stoneyrun]

I've bought 4 of these over the past 6 months and every one has been very nice. The included "patented" gig bag is worth the cost of the entire thing at the moment due to a double 50% off on the big river site. That's $142.99 uke for $35.71. It sold out quickly last time. Probably because some people buy more than one. I realize it's not the works of art I see in this forum. But, honestly, it's well made, it sounds good, and the 38mm nut and wide neck make it comfortable to play. I'm not selling mine as I give them away to family and friends. But thought there might be someone who wants a travel uke or one or two for their kids for a ridiculous bargain. It includes a rainfly for the gig bag, a pickup and a second strap button can be found deep in the gig bags main pocket.

 

[TerryM]

I've bought 4 of these over the past 6 months and every one has been very nice. The included "patented" gig bag is worth the cost of the entire thing at the moment due to a double 50% off on the big river site. That's $142.99 uke for $35.71. It sold out quickly last time. Probably because some people buy more than one. I realize it's not the works of art I see in this forum. But, honestly, it's well made, it sounds good, and the 38mm nut and wide neck make it comfortable to play. I'm not selling mine as I give them away to family and friends. But thought there might be someone who wants a travel uke or one or two for their kids for a ridiculous bargain. It includes a rainfly for the gig bag, a pickup and a second strap button can be found deep in the gig bags main pocket.
View attachment 147818

How did you get double 50% off? I only get it once = $71.25.

 

[Stoneyrun]

How did you get double 50% off? I only get it once = $71.25.

tick the coupon checkbox then it applies at checkout.

 

[TerryM]

tick the coupon checkbox then it applies at checkout.

Ticking the coupon check box gets you one 50% discount off $142.50. In my cart it's $71.25.

 

[Stoneyrun]

Ticking the coupon check box gets you one 50% discount off $142.50. In my cart it's $71.25.

you won't see it til u checkout. but you can still cancel it after that step before you complete the purchase.

 

[eileenlowden]

you won't see it til u checkout. but you can still cancel it after that step before you complete the purchase.

I think you have to be a PRIME member to get the double 50%.

 

[Stoneyrun]

I'm not a prime member and have bought several of these for $35.71. If you missed out this time they may return with this deal again in a month or two. You won't see the $35.71 price until clicking "proceed to checkout". There's only one left now.

 

[merlin666]

Says all out of stock.

 

[Renaissance-Man]

Thank you @Stoneyrun for passing along this nice deal. Good on you.
It was a bit confusing and frustrating for some of us to figure out where and how to purchase one of these ukuleles. Initially not knowing where to look, I finally found it on Amazon (you know, the big river site), and for this time around it was indeed a Prime benefit to get the first 50% reduction. I did manage to order one at the double 50% off price. Actually, my wife did it for me. Delivery is on Friday.

Edit at 7am, Tuesday 1/31:
It's still available at the steep discount. The trick is to see all available sellers. Then buy from the one that says join prime to buy at $71, then apply the coupon.

 

[TerryM]

I'm not a prime member and have bought several of these for $35.71. If you missed out this time they may return with this deal again in a month or two. You won't see the $35.71 price until clicking "proceed to checkout". There's only one left now.

I'm not a Prime member either. They are probably still a good deal, given the well thought out bag, but I can only produce a single 50% discount. Here are shots of my checkout pages for a spruce/ebony and solid mahogany. The only step remaining was clicking the "Purchase" button.

 

[Stoneyrun]

They sold out fairly quickly of the double 50% off.

 

[Stoneyrun]

I'm not a Prime member either. They are probably still a good deal, given the well thought out bag, but I can only produce a single 50% discount. Here are shots of my checkout pages for a spruce/ebony and solid mahogany. The only step remaining was clicking the "Purchase" button.

I misspoke earlier when I said I was not a prime member. I am(according to my bank statement/still don't know how I got signed up) and the 2nd 50% off is for prime members only apparently. On the plus side, the deal is active again.

 

[Renaissance-Man]

So, last week I bought one of these ukuleles, and I also suggested it to a few friends. Mine arrived yesterday, and it's not what I expected. I contacted the company selling them on Amazon.com, Journey Instruments, about the issues I have with their ukulele. I'll let you know if anything gets resolved. I should have never recommended a ukulele that I didn't try/own to anyone. I was only going on price alone. Mine will be deposited in the Kohl's return dumpster by the end of the week.

I just took delivery of your Sitka Concert Ukulele from Amazon, yesterday February 5. There are several manufacturing issues with this ukulele that need to be addressed. You say in your bio, you have an employee on-site at your China factory. Fire him.

This ukulele has very low volume.
The saddle fits loosely/sloppy in the bridge slot, and it's leaning/tilted noticably forward. (I've attached two pictures) That alone can account for a significant loss of volume.

The C and E tuners bind badly.
It appears they drilled the peg holes at a angle other than perpendicular to the peg head, causing the peg posts to be pressed up against the peghole ferrules, resulting in the problem. It won't be long before the brass tuner gears are destroyed by trying to tune against the frozen pegs.

There is a fret marker at the 14th fret, but it should be at the 15th fret. This is a ridiculous flaw. Didn't anyone at Journey try playing these ukes? Ever? Any fret markers past the 12th fret should mirror the marker positions of the first 12 frets. This would be like placing a fret marker at the 2nd fret! Again, in your bio, you claim Journey was founded by a guitar player. Ridiculous.

There are also a few sloppy cosmetic flaws on the ukulele I received. I can live with that, but it reflects poorly on Journey.

What can I do?
I can buy an appropriate saddle blank, and file it to proper dimensions to fit the bridge slot. I'm making the assumption that the bridge slot is milled true.

I can sacrifice the strings by cutting them off, since unwinding the C and E is not an option. Then, I can remove the C and E tuners to find a workable solution. Worst-case, I can buy and install new tuners.

The fret maker is a real issue for me. I routinely play above the 12th fret. There's no way getting around this blunder.

What can you do?
Are you in the musical instrument business, or the novelty ukulele business? I expect to hear back from you. Please don't send me a marketing apology. I have a real ukulele, and I need a real solution.

 

[merlin666]

Thanks for the update. I tried to check these out on Amazon but never had any available.

 

[Stoneyrun]

That's awful. Sorry you got a bad uke. I've had no problems from the 4(soon to be 5) Journey ukes I've purchased.

 

[Spicysteve]

Appreciate the update. Mine is slated to arrive on Friday.
We will see how the QC is. 🤞

 

[TerryM]

I was more interested in the bag, as I think they have sensible features I don't find in others. But I measured all my ukes and found them consistently an inch longer than the bags. At least the description does warn you to measure.

 

[Renaissance-Man]

I heard back from Journey Instruments at 1am this morning, from China, via an email reply from the factory manager. Yes, that's the guy I said they should fire. I'm not going to reproduce his email here, to respect his privacy. He said I most likely have an early production ukulele. He thinks the saddle/bridge issue is due to a lack of hydration. There were four desiccant packets inside the ukulele bag. It's a plausible explanation, and I accept it. He acknowledged the 14th fret-marker issue, but danced around it's correctness. He said it will be addressed in the next production run. He suggested I return the ukulele to Amazon for a refund, which is what I already decided upon. His office and cellphone numbers, and his mailing address were provided. I'm satisfied with his reply.

Update:
I just took a closer look at the bridge, and I now see it has developed a crack in the valley between the g and C strings (zoom in on the picture). This supports Journey's suspicion of poor hydration.

 

[Spicysteve]

I heard back from Journey Instruments at 1am this morning, from China, via an email reply from the factory manager. Yes, that's the guy I said they should fire. I'm not going to reproduce his email here, to respect his privacy. He said I most likely have an early production ukulele. He thinks the saddle/bridge issue is due to a lack of hydration. There were four desiccant packets inside the ukulele bag. It's a plausible explanation, and I accept it. He acknowledged the 14th fret-marker issue, but danced around it's correctness. He said it will be addressed in the next production run. He suggested I return the ukulele to Amazon for a refund, which is what I already decided upon. His office and cellphone numbers, and his mailing address were provided. I'm satisfied with his reply.

Update:
I just took a closer look at the bridge, and I now see it has developed a crack in the valley between the g and C strings (zoom in on the picture). This supports Journey's suspicion of poor hydration.
View attachment 148127

I really appreciate your time in reaching out to Journey Instruments. Curious to see what kind of condition mine is in when it arrives. If it is not up to acceptable standards it will go back to Amazon. I can happily deal with some sharp frets, action adjustments or minimal things but yours unacceptable.

I heard back from Journey Instruments at 1am this morning, from China, via an email reply from the factory manager. Yes, that's the guy I said they should fire. I'm not going to reproduce his email here, to respect his privacy. He said I most likely have an early production ukulele. He thinks the saddle/bridge issue is due to a lack of hydration. There were four desiccant packets inside the ukulele bag. It's a plausible explanation, and I accept it. He acknowledged the 14th fret-marker issue, but danced around it's correctness. He said it will be addressed in the next production run. He suggested I return the ukulele to Amazon for a refund, which is what I already decided upon. His office and cellphone numbers, and his mailing address were provided. I'm satisfied with his reply.

Update:
I just took a closer look at the bridge, and I now see it has developed a crack in the valley between the g and C strings (zoom in on the picture). This supports Journey's suspicion of poor hydration.
View attachment 148127

So appreciate the update. Disappointed that yours is unacceptable. Yet to be seen if mine will be passable.
I can mitigate and deal with sharp frets, an action that needs adjustment or maybe some tuner fiddling but beyond that issues like you have will have me returning it. Let's hope they live up to their hoopla and promises of decent Instruments.
Again, thank you so much for reaching out to them and sharing your experiences.

 

[Stoneyrun]

Received my 5th one of these Journey ukes yesterday. Seems to be made well. Fit and finish looks tidy inside and out. I really like the sound. Sustain seems to go on forever. Definitely has character. Love the arched back. Tuners are all smooth. Already staying in tune. Installed the 2nd strap button today. The 2nd button ships in a tiny ziplok bag in the main front pocket along with the rainfly. This one has my favorite grain pattern on the back. I also like that it has a pickup. The gig bag alone is worth the $35.71 purchase price. I might not give this one away.