The Pashmeister
Well-known member
Hi there
Back in 2014 Gotaukulele reviewd the Iuke Pineapple shaped piccolo ukulele.
I've just brought back a standard-shape Iuke from China so I'm adding my review to shaow how things may (or may not) have progressed.
I was in the market for something a bit different, so when I saw this in a musical instrument shop in China for 330 RMB (about £36) I couldn't resist it.
It's a double-bout shape uke measuring about 17" long with an attractive sunburst finish. The top is solid cedar, the back and sides are laminate and it has a satin feel to it. It's nicely balanced and obviously very light to hold.
Unlike the 2014 Iuke this has a through-body bridge style - how small do your fingers need to be to change the strings on this bad boy?
There are neck markers at the 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th frets and these (unlike the 2014 Iuke) are repeated on the side.
The friction pegs are the same, with cardboard washers - I'll probably replace these at some point. The headstock is very cute and has the Iuke logo etched into it.
There is a sticker inside showing that the Iuke has been produced in association with Aquila.
The strings made by Aquila come in 2 different types. The 94U (as used on the 2014 Iuke) are designed to be tuned gCEA, but one octave higher that a standard uke. The 95u (as installed on this one) are tuned gCEA, but at the same octave as a standard uke. Sounds like a winner - not so!
The nut grooves appear to have been made to fit the thinner 94u strings, so the 95u strings sit on top of the grooves rather than in them. This means that the intonation is terrible - I presume this is magnified by the short scale length. I will be taking my nut files to these very soon which hopefully should remedy this issue.
This is a real shame, because the sound is actually quite nice - obviously a lot quieter than a soprano uke, but for solo/practise play it would be fine. The neck is quite narrow, but I'm a 52 year old man with quite large fingers and it's not too bad.
Another weird thing is that the body is asymmetrical. the bigger bout is bigger at the bottom from the top - it's not a problem, but why?
Please see photos attached. One photo shows the size comparison with a standard soprano. I'll update this review when I've filed the nut grooves and let you know if it's any better.
Back in 2014 Gotaukulele reviewd the Iuke Pineapple shaped piccolo ukulele.
I've just brought back a standard-shape Iuke from China so I'm adding my review to shaow how things may (or may not) have progressed.
I was in the market for something a bit different, so when I saw this in a musical instrument shop in China for 330 RMB (about £36) I couldn't resist it.
It's a double-bout shape uke measuring about 17" long with an attractive sunburst finish. The top is solid cedar, the back and sides are laminate and it has a satin feel to it. It's nicely balanced and obviously very light to hold.
Unlike the 2014 Iuke this has a through-body bridge style - how small do your fingers need to be to change the strings on this bad boy?
There are neck markers at the 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th frets and these (unlike the 2014 Iuke) are repeated on the side.
The friction pegs are the same, with cardboard washers - I'll probably replace these at some point. The headstock is very cute and has the Iuke logo etched into it.
There is a sticker inside showing that the Iuke has been produced in association with Aquila.
The strings made by Aquila come in 2 different types. The 94U (as used on the 2014 Iuke) are designed to be tuned gCEA, but one octave higher that a standard uke. The 95u (as installed on this one) are tuned gCEA, but at the same octave as a standard uke. Sounds like a winner - not so!
The nut grooves appear to have been made to fit the thinner 94u strings, so the 95u strings sit on top of the grooves rather than in them. This means that the intonation is terrible - I presume this is magnified by the short scale length. I will be taking my nut files to these very soon which hopefully should remedy this issue.
This is a real shame, because the sound is actually quite nice - obviously a lot quieter than a soprano uke, but for solo/practise play it would be fine. The neck is quite narrow, but I'm a 52 year old man with quite large fingers and it's not too bad.
Another weird thing is that the body is asymmetrical. the bigger bout is bigger at the bottom from the top - it's not a problem, but why?
Please see photos attached. One photo shows the size comparison with a standard soprano. I'll update this review when I've filed the nut grooves and let you know if it's any better.