Bruce Wei ukuleles

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stophie11

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So I couldn't help myself I had to bid on my first Bruce Wei just for the fun of it, an all solid Acacia 8 Hole bridge beautiful abalone engraving on the fret board I bid like 60 bucks the shipping is high but, what the hell right? The second one was a beautiful all sold wood acacia soprano cheap and it was used, I bought it cheap and didn't have the shipping charge...so done deal. The concert happened on ebay much like the tenor cool looking 000 kinda design again all solid acacia.
Here's my review those ukuleles are beautiful instruments, and the workmanship on them is excellent. they are well made good looking ukes that just all sound like crap, they are the deadest and most quite things I have ever played, which is such a bummer...I think it's the wood i don't know like its fresh or something who knows, but they have no tone to them. if you are looking for a good looking all solid wood uke but don't care20151227_192823_resized.jpg20151227_192908_resized.jpg about the sound They're a hell of a deal, and heck maybe in 15 years they might sound great
 
Sorry to hear that.

They would make excellent wall hangings.

I bet some of the UUers might extra ideas for them.
 
I am sorry to hear you spent your good money on "crap" sounding ukuleles. As you found out there is more to musical instruments than nice looks.

I have heard of one other member setting them aside for a long period of time and they did sound better. Just make sure you humidify them or they will crack. Thanks for being so open and letting others know about your experience.
 
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I bought one of Bruce Wei Arts eBay mandoleles a couple years ago and was very disappointed, it looked like it was built as a student test project, but it sounded decent, not great, but OK. I contacted him a couple months later to see about making a custom mandolele to my specs and found out that at that time many of the ukes sold from his eBay store are built by other builders in the area who he allows to use his store. I think of late he stopped doing that. The two mandoleles came out very well and sound good, the custom gypsy jazz is built very well, maybe too well, the solid flame maple top is rather thick and it does not have the projection and sustain I was hoping for, even after over a year.
 
kohanmike said:
I bought one of Bruce Wei Arts eBay mandoleles a couple years ago and was very disappointed, it looked like it was built as a student test project, but it sounded decent, not great, but OK. I contacted him a couple months later to see about making a custom mandolele to my specs and found out that at that time many of the ukes sold from his eBay store are built by other builders in the area who he allows to use his store. I think of late he stopped doing that. The two mandoleles came out very well and sound good, the custom gypsy jazz is built very well, maybe too well, the solid flame maple top is rather thick and it does not have the projection and sustain I was hoping for, even after over a year.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences and information.

It reinforces my decision to stick with reputable brands and online retailers.
 
As a note to anyone looking for more information on these: There are several reviews here on UU and other places that read quite similar to the one above. Many mention dead sound, some report cracking over time. Every once in a while, however, someone seems to like the one they've got.
 
I am pretty active on Mandolin Café and Bruce Wei, Antonio Tsai and others of this ilk have gotten similar reviews on mandolin family instruments. Essentially, from what I understand these are middlemen in Taiwan who contract building to Vietnamese woodworking shops. Lots of fancy looks and inlays. You would think by now that they would get the message and refine their techniques, age their woods properly, etc. I guess you get what you pay for, unfortunately.
 
bellgamin said:
I bought a B.Wei baritone. Dead as a bug splotch on the windshield. However -- it's useful for hitting fungos to the outfield.
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Nice image. From a price point, they are so tempting ... perhaps someone can use them as a trophy for a Seasons ... the winner is shipped the Uke to sign it and then pass it on to the next winner.
 
how does he have 100% positive feedback? Very puzzling--I've heard some good things, but lots of mixed reviews
 
I've got a Bruce Wei ukulele... When you add in the shipping costs I have found them to be on par with or better than other ukuleles in that price range... When you win a ukulele for $6 and pay $60 for shipping you probably will be disappointed if you want to compare it to a Pono or higher quality ukulele. If you compare your "one of a kind" hand built ukulele to any mass manufactured ukulele in the price range I think you are likely to be happy.
 
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I bought one and it was an unrepairable piece of junk! Don't waste your money!!!!
 
Stevelele said:
how does he have 100% positive feedback? Very puzzling--I've heard some good things, but lots of mixed reviews
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I don't know if this answers that question or not, but I think people are quick with the feedback on e-bay, and quick to review things on Amazon, before they actually get a chance to really check them out.
 
I bought a soprano BW uke a few years ago, it was built like a tank, you could play baseball with it, it looked absolutely stunning and it was dead tonally, the tuners wouldn't hold a tune no matter how I tightened them, they still slipped, needless to say I quickly sold it on for about what I paid for, it was a lucky escape and an important lesson learned......... you know the lesson folks so I won't repeat it
 
I've actually removed my YouTube review of Brucewei ukulele's because it was a few years old and not representative of what is being sold now..

So what's my view now? Well first thing first. The strings they usually come with are crap. Change the strings straight away. That usually improves things straight away. I bought a baritone a little over a year ago. Its a nice instrument. Better finishing and details than they used to be. The baritone will continue to develop as a great instrument. A few months ago I bought a tenor. The strings are crap and the bridge was glued on with insufficient saddle compensation. I'm a little bit annoyed but even this instrument may come good with time and a little work.

Anthony
 
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Rllink said:
I don't know if this answers that question or not, but I think people are quick with the feedback on e-bay, and quick to review things on Amazon, before they actually get a chance to really check them out.
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Well if they are like me they got great customer service and an ukulele worth more than what I paid for it. I have had mine for over a year and it has served me the way I intended it to. It did have one minor finish flaw but met the approval of a couple wood working friends. It is the Ukulele I took to visit family for Christmas and spent a week a low humidity house with no problems. (I did keep it next to the humidifier which read between 27 and 36% all week)

I have a friend who has bought about 60 ukuleles from him, he finds them all to be about the same quality but did have a small issue on two of those on the first fret. (It was easily fixed) other than that he said he's never had a problem with them. (60 is not an over estimate... we counted)
 
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Don't be so quick to jump on the negative pile...I bought one of the WEI Harp Ukuleles...iafter a few weeks, it had developed some dishing in the top, so Bruce refunded over 50% of the purchase price.

Some of the best sounding ukes I've ever played have had some dishing in the top. That usually means that it is a light and lively build...at least in my experience.

This uke sounds great and the build quality on this one is excellent. The uke has stabilized, even under the added pressure of the sub-bass strings.

I am very careful to humidify as to let the wood slowly settle into the local San Diego climate.
 
I've been asked to review a Bruce Wei probably more than most other brands, but I have kept well away.

I say that to point out that i have NOT played one myself, but I do know a fair few people I trust implicitly who DID buy one.

The pattern to me, taking the views of those people and other general discussions seems clear to me. And that is this.

There are some good Bruce Wei instruments that get through - some people who are really happy with what they got. But also there are far too many horror stories and disappointments for me to want to get involved - the reason is simple - perhaps I get a good one and review it as such - I will then be met by endless mail saying I was wrong from people who hate theirs. Or I get a bad one and review it as such and get endless mail from people telling me they love them.

So for me it seems a bit like Russian Roulette on the quality control front - and frankly, I don't want to play that game with an instrument being shipped halfway around the world...
 
I am new to Ukulele's and purchased a Bruce Wei as my second Ukulele. I bid, and won one of those $0.99 starting bid items. The funny thing is...it was a relist of one which had been listed at $129 plus shipping which did not sell.

I have not been around to follow how his items on his store might have changed over the years, but it looks like some(if not all) are listed at the "retail price" and if they do not sell after a couple of listings, they are then set to bid.

I purchased an Acacia/Spruce solid with the Hawaiian islands soundholes.

It came well packaged, and the included gig bag is quite nice.

To my ear, I like it better than my Oscar Schmidt OU2T. I have coworkers who are actual musicians(guitar and ukulele) and they like its playability and voice.

I figure that for $111 delivered(with a padded Gig Bag) even if its neck bows in a year, or it develops small cracks, it is a beautiful art piece. With that "logic" I am ecstatic with my purchase, and hope of course that none of these catastrophic events happen.

I might take it to Jake S' concert in a few months and have him sign it.
 
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