Ono 6-string Bear Claw Spruce/ Makore Baritone

I’ve been wanting to write a review of this amazing 6-string baritone for a while. But, holiday travels and a post-holiday flu, and the start of new semester have delayed me.

I’m the lucky person who got the Ono 6-string bear claw spruce/ Makore baritone with octaves on strings 3 and 4. Couldn’t resist its beautiful sound.

The octaves on strings 3 & 4 are more versatile to me than the Lili’u tuning 6-strings, with octaves on strings 1 & 3. It sounds great strummed or played finger style on any song I have played. The Lili’u tuning seems more of strummer. The SouthCoast strings with octaves on strings 3 & 4 really sound outstanding, and make this baritone so rich, clear, resonant, and with great harmonics.

Of course, the build of this Ono is flawless and gorgeous. It’s a real easy player, too. Hands down, it's the best baritone I have played. Actually, this 6-string baritone is in a class by itself, with its haunting, clear, rich, full tone. This is the 3rd instrument I have that was made by David Ingalls/Ono Ukuleles. Each was built to perfection. But this is the first Ono with a glossy lacquer finish that I have had. The finish is SUPERB !

It’s really well balanced and a different animal from a regular 6-string or 4-string baritone, in a very good way.

Here’s the specs:

• 20" scale
• Makore back and sides
• Master grade Sitka bearclaw spruce top
• Honduras mahogany neck with carbon fiber reinforcement
• Nitrocellulose gloss finish
• Cantilevered 16" Radius ebony fretboard with curly Makore binding
• Ebony bridge
• Ebony bindings
• Monterillo rosette
• Carbon fiber bridge plate
• Unbleached bone nut and saddle
• Waverly Tuners
• Strung with South Coast LHL-WB

Here’s a brief sound sample from me and a couple pictures below.
https://app.box.com/s/deybha1g1xxdqr10aa1h2hlkiz43rzpi

Corey did an amazing demo of it.
https://vimeo.com/244502116

pictures:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmb7ETqz

P1080709 , on Flickr
P1080710 , on Flickr
P1080711 , on Flickr
P1080720 , on Flickr

Gaw! :drool:

This was one of the most talked about instruments at The Hawaii Ukulele Festival (Ukulele Guild of Hawaii show). It's really a stunner of an instrument and the fact that it stands on its own in your incredible collection and experience shouts volumes. Congrats, Hodge!

Wait... let me wipe the drool off my keyboard... That is a beautiful instrument!!! Congrats and enjoy!

Congratulations on an outstanding instrument Hodge. I remember when Corey first did that sound sample, I was gobsmacked. It really is a great sounding ukulele with the looks to match. I must walk away from this thread now before I start having thoughts of 6 string baritones.

Congratulations on a fantastic sounding and looking ukulele. Enjoy!

I always wonder about this kind of instruments. Some tell me it's mainly for strumming. I supposed this is the same idea as 12 strings guitar.
How do you like having the double strings? Is it hard to play?
This one is certainly different from what you have already . For that - you got my seal of approval.
I hope downupdave is itching for one.

Corey is awesome yet misleading at the same time. It sound so sweet. Congratulation.

SoloRule said:

I always wonder about this kind of instruments. Some tell me it's mainly for strumming. I supposed this is the same idea as 12 strings guitar.
How do you like having the double strings? Is it hard to play?
This one is certainly different from what you have already . For that - you got my seal of approval.
I hope downupdave is itching for one.

Corey is awesome yet misleading at the same time. It sound so sweet. Congratulation.

Click to expand...

This string design, octaves on the 3rd and 4th, works great strummed or finger-style. I had a more traditional Lili’u style 6-string design tenor, that was really just a strummer for me. It takes just a little more attention to fret the double strings. But, the outstanding setup makes it comfortable and not hard to do.

Corey’s awesome playing didn’t mislead me on this baritone. It’s a delight to play, strummed or finger style.

It’s stunning !

As much as love the sound of this Ono baritone as a 6-string. It also sounds superb as a 4-string.
https://app.box.com/s/t95zon5xvqh0dl07cuqad0dkr1vhhk19

A cool thing about this instrument is it can be setup as 4-string, or 5-string, or a 6-string.

Sounds really nice! Good one David keep up the awesome work!!

Hodge, I'm glad you brought up the potential for playing in 4 and 5 string configurations. String spacing is an important design element in making an instrument playable when there are octave and/or unison pairs. It would be useful to hear opinions from you and others on the subjects of spacing between the strings of a pair and between the four discrete notes. My approach for 6 string nuts like yours (using DGBE notation for illustration) has been:

1) locate the E slot with its CL (centerline) at .125" from the edge of the nut

2) locate the outer D slot with its CL (centerline) at .125" from the edge of the nut

3) locate the CL of the inner D slot .120" from the CL of the outer D

4) locate the point exactly between the two D slots, measure from that point to the CL of the E slot, and divide by three to get the "note spacing" distance

5) locate the B slot with its CL at the note spacing distance from the CL of the E slot

6) use the note spacing distance to measure from the CL of the B slot to a point that will be exactly between the CLs of the two G slots and locate those CLs .120" apart

Maybe some other builder will find the exact methodology to be helpful. In short, what it means to a player is that pairs are a bit closer to each other than the B and E strings are to each other. This results from the fact that the CLs of the B and E strings and the CLs of each pair are uniformly equidistant. My questions are:

1) do you feel that the distance between the strings of each pair is OK, and

2) does it work to crowd the paired courses a little closer to one another rather than maintaining the spacing that exists between the single strings, and

3) would some other scheme work better to accommodate 4, 5 and 6 string configurations on the same instrument, and

4) am I way overthinking something that really isn't all that critical to a player?

This inquiry doesn't apply to an 8 string because the CL of each of the four pairs will be equidistant from its neighbors and I can't see how to justify a more complex spatial relationship just because some rebel might take out a string or two.

David, what amazed me was how natural the fretting felt with either 4-strings or 6-strings. The pairs in the 6-string configuration felt fine, allowing for either string or both on the pairs to be picked. Spacing was good, balancing closeness for fretting pairs with having enough distance to easily pick just one string of the pairs. And, you kept the nut width a very comfortable 1.45". I wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks! That's good to know. Unless my research skills are sadly deficient, there isn't much information out there to guide builders of plastic strung instruments with double courses. Mandolins, maybe, but they are so different.