Ukulele Review: Clearwater Roundback Single-Cutaway Electro-Acoustic Baritone

This is the first uke I have ever bought online, 'sight unseen.' It's meant a few surprises along the way, that I thought some of you might find interesting/useful:

Well, since I made this video, I've come into some more information. People who know more about these things than me tell me that the scale length means that I must have a bought a tenor guitar, not a ukulele.

Well if that's the case, it's the surprise that keeps on surprising then isn't? While I'm not denying anything anyone is saying to the contrary, as you can see, I definitely ordered a baritone ukulele, with matching case (and the case fits perfectly). Moreover, so far as I can see, Really Useful/Snazzy Ukuleles/Clearwater don't make a tenor guitar - and this one's definitely strung GCEA one octave below standard (as confirmed in the telephone conversation I had with the vendor).




Admittedly though, having been back to the Really Useful website, I do read this:

Approx dimensions (inches): Overall length 31.5″ – Scale length 19.5″ – Body length 15″ – Body width 11.5″ – Max bowl depth 3.25″

The 'instrument' sent to me measures: Overall length 34″ – Scale length 23″ – Body length 18″ – Body width (lower bout) 11.5″ – Max bowl depth 3.25″

In the initial absence of a measuring tape, you can see how a fellow could be led into believing that the item filling his order for a baritone ukulele, was indeed a baritone ukulele.

Hi Redpaul,

Thanks for sharing and posting this video review.

I had seen this same instrument about 6 months ago (but NEW) on eBay for sale by RUMC, and almost bought it. They currently list a B-Stock mode on their web site for $129 GBP. However, the shipping cost to the USA from their shop was near $56 USD which put me off it at the time (especially for a complete unknown item from across the pond). They were very responsive to email questions, and very kind and polite in their replies, which gives me the impression that these are nice folks that work there.

This instrument (as well as the tenor, concert and soprano scales) which is/are branded as 'Clearwater' seem to be identical to the Ohana Roundback ukes, which are no longer listed on the Ohana web site other than the concert scale model. Maybe they are all made in the same Chinese factory?

Sorry you had issues with yours, but glad you got it sorted right away. Your experience confirms my suspicions and that I was wise to hold off on buying one. I'm not afraid of doing a setup myself, but don't have lots of free time as of late, and I'd rather be playing than messing with dressing and levelling frets.

Good luck with the instrument.

-Booli

Booli said:

Hi Redpaul,

Thanks for sharing and posting this video review.

I had seen this same instrument about 6 months ago (but NEW) on eBay for sale by RUMC, and almost bought it. They currently list a B-Stock mode on their web site for $129 GBP. However, the shipping cost to the USA from their shop was near $56 USD which put me off it at the time (especially for a complete unknown item from across the pond). They were very responsive to email questions, and very kind and polite in their replies, which gives me the impression that these are nice folks that work there.

This instrument (as well as the tenor, concert and soprano scales) which is/are branded as 'Clearwater' seem to be identical to the Ohana Roundback ukes, which are no longer listed on the Ohana web site other than the concert scale model. Maybe they are all made in the same Chinese factory?

Sorry you had issues with yours, but glad you got it sorted right away. Your experience confirms my suspicions and that I was wise to hold off on buying one. I'm not afraid of doing a setup myself, but don't have lots of free time as of late, and I'd rather be playing than messing with dressing and levelling frets.

Good luck with the instrument.

-Booli

Click to expand...

Hi Booli - and thanks for your good wishes. Interesting connection to Ohana, which might explain some of the story I'm about to tell.

I contacted the vendor this morning. I'm happy to confirm your impressions of the outfit. I spoke to Ray; lovely chap - with a Geordie accent than broader than Jimmy Nail's! He told me that RUMC's a family-run business, and that their primary concern was that their customers were happy: if I wasn't happy with the purchase, I could return it 'nae bovva'

Once we'd established that I wasn't complaining, just asking ( ), the first question he asked me was, "Is it high-gloss or satin?" "Satin" says I. "Aha!" says he. Here's his story:

It is a ukulele. It's built to their original specs too. At some point in the past, their Chinese suppliers decided on their own initiative to change the scale length etc down to 19.5". "We thought the biggah ones suunded so much bettah", so the manufacturers were asked to revert to the original specs. The 19.5" scale length baris are from this middle batch and have a high-gloss finish (apparently there's no binding on the neck either). The new, satin-finish batch, such as I have, are simply back at the scale length they were always supposed to be, 23". RUMC didn't realise they hadn't updated the specs quoted on their website. So, it's a long-scale bari.

I did tell Ray he needed to change those strings. Apparently that part of the description hasn't been updated either. I'll be changing mine tomorrow.

Their B-stock is also new stock btw. As to the price, they seem to have two discounts for their B-stock: 30% or 50%. Whichever discount's offered depends on their assessment of the blemishes, I guess.

I can understand how you certainly wouldn't want one of yours to be going back & forth across the pond in order for it to be fettled properly, but I imagine you could ask for it to be set-up before it leaves their warehouse. As I said in my review, maybe they stop worrying about quality control once it's offered as B-stock, especially at a 50% discount. But if you were paying full-price, it would be a perfectly reasonable request to make.