Enya Nova U Carbon Travel Ukulele - REVIEWED

Ok this is way cool and a real game changer for a “plastic” uke. Thanks so much for sharing

No problem. I think all of us are excited about this one. I still can't decide if I want the TransAcoustic or not and this makes the choice even more difficult.
 
I think the pickup looks cool... but...

And this is just a personal opinion... dont shoot me

I love the uke, but think I would only ever get one for outdoor / car / rough and tumble use. Pickups are cool and the transacoustic particlularly so.. but.. I dont see me ever amplifying any plastic uke like that. If I want to record or perform I'd go for a more traditional uke. In that sense I'm glad they DIDN'T send me an electro model as i think it would have confused my personal views.

As I say - that's just me.
 
Just got my Nova Uke in the mail, and been playing around with it here and there this afternoon. I also have a low G tenor Outdoor Ukulele. I like the Nova, but I do still prefer the sound and feel of my Outdoor Ukulele. I feel like my tenor Outdoor in low G and a fuller sound, and definitely prefer the fretboard on the Outdoor Ukulele as well. The fretboard on the Nova (at least the one I received) seems to be grittier/rougher than the outdoor, which is mostly noticeable when doing bends. I prefer the neck profile on the Outdoor Ukulele as well with the wider and flatter back on the neck, which makes it extremely comfortable to move up and down. Overall, for the price, it's hard to beat the Nova, but as an overall, I prefer the Outdoor Ukulele. This is after a very small amount of play on the Nova, but just some things that I noticed shortly after unboxing.
 
I just looked at this thread after following a link to the Enya Carbon in another thread. I'd buy a white one in an instant if it was a tenor (and replace the gold hardware with black). I like the idea of a preamp, but I have a Godin Multiuke when I need to play amplified. The Enya would replace my Fluke walnut tenor (I don't like the shape of the neck, my thumb gets fatigued quickly compared to my other ukes).


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 11 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 35)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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I’m in Canada, wish that free shipping applied to North American. I’d give one a spi. Even though I’m a tenor guy. Looks to be a great travel, take anywhere Uke.

Thanks Dave for chiming it. I can do $69 US$ for Uke them do $59 US$ for shipping, then when it gets to border, get hit with taxes and perhaps a custom fee. Post it you see it on Amazon Canada.

I picked up mine via Amazon Canada recently. $110CAD ($83USD) with a coupon, but free fast shipping and no customs/dutios - probably not as cheap as available in that original promo, but still not bad.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07WHWGD3P/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_1
 
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I just got two more (pink and blue acoustic) for grandkids. I think at $79 it is a very good value.
 
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Anybody else observing one of these being a little dead/dull on the E-string on the first fret? That F -- even if I play it on another string, or the F# and less so the G, sounds/feels a bunch "thuddier" than the surrounding notes.
 
Just FYI, I decided to pick up a second one (this time with the trans-acoustic option). The electrics are clearly broken on this one as it arrived, likely beaten up in shipping. Just picking up the Uke, I could hear the speaker rattling around inside the body (very loudly). No sound or effects from it when it's on.
I contacted Enya about it and will let everybody know how the support is when they get back to me.

EDIT: They are simply shipping me a new one. Immediate response. Can't complain about that for customer service.
 
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Just FYI, I decided to pick up a second one (this time with the trans-acoustic option). The electrics are clearly broken on this one as it arrived, likely beaten up in shipping. Just picking up the Uke, I could hear the speaker rattling around inside the body (very loudly). No sound or effects from it when it's on.
I contacted Enya about it and will let everybody know how the support is when they get back to me.

EDIT: They are simply shipping me a new one. Immediate response. Can't complain about that for customer service.

Sorry to hear about the issue with the new Enya Nova pick up system. Good news about Enya’s excellent customer service. I can confirm the same quick response I got from them about an error on my part when ordering. I really like them as a company and the products they make.

Bazmaz gets a solid point for stating he would not buy one of these with the trans acoustic system for rough and tumble outdoor use. When I ordered a Blackbird Farallon it was without a pick up for the very same reason
 
Just to update, they put the new one in the post that same day and it arrived yesterday in perfect condition. You can't ask for better service than that.
 
Just to update, they put the new one in the post that same day and it arrived yesterday in perfect condition. You can't ask for better service than that.

That’s great to hear. As I said previously Enya seems to be a first class company, excellent products and customer service. Enjoy your new Nova.
 
How does the Enya Nova Ukulele hold up to water? Has anyone ever fully submersed it? I'd be interested in a uke that I can take along paddling without having to worry about it getting wet.
 
I certainly wouldn’t submerge the one with the pickup installed. As for the acoustic model, it has geared tuners with metal, so there’s the risks associated with getting them wet. The rest of the instrument may well be waterproof or water-resistant, since it’s entirely PVC/‘carbon.’
 
How does the Enya Nova Ukulele hold up to water? Has anyone ever fully submersed it? I'd be interested in a uke that I can take along paddling without having to worry about it getting wet.

Since it has open back tuners I wouldn't worry about getting it wet or even submerged at all. About the only precaution I would take is to thoroughly rise off the tuners if they get wet with sea water.
 
I go back to my review where I stated that the purpose of the Enya Nova is different than the Outdoor Ukulele. It is definitely more rugged than a traditional wood (or plywood) ukulele, but the instrument does require a modicum of care, such as being aware that it is painted and not to drop it directly on the bottom strap button.

As long as you're not working with the electronic one (review coming sooner than later on my channel, but not for a week or two), you should be able to take it near water and in water...as long as you don't get anything solid (e.g. seaweed) inside the ukulele...it would just be hard to get it out. And if you take it into salt water, I'd recommend washing down everything with non-salt water afterwards, and drying off the tuners and perhaps even giving them a shot of silicone as a protectant once they were dry again.
 
+1 to both Besley and Choirguy. I wouldn't expect these to be any more durable than most 'plastic' goods. The caution about not getting a direct hit on the bottom button has merit. I removed a screw from a tuner ( to install a D'addario tuner) and with the first half-turn the screw fell out. I nudged each of the remaining seven screws and three were loose enough to pull out...and the plastic to which they were threaded was stuck to the screw threads. It was easy enough to repair (with a sliver of toothpick and some CA glue), but it reminded me that it's plastic and still treat it somewhat gently. ( I'm sure the screws were mechanically inserted and over torqued; with such tiny threads it's not surprising that it could happen. )
 
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I wouldn't get one wet. Not a critisism, i wouldn't get any plastic ukulele I have yet seen wet myself. Metal and water, no matter how much drying off don't mix. But more relevant... i've been playing instruments for nearly 40 years. I have never once woken up and thought 'if only there was a stringed instrument I could play in the pool'... Maybe that's just me being boring..

The Nova to me is a rugged enough (but not totally) fun and cheap instrument and that's it. Not entirely sure I get the building it up to be something that, in reality, a small number of people actually want (ie water resiliance - is that actually a much longed for thing?? Really?)

Sorry to sound negative.. but it's a great plastic ukulele. I'd buy one over and over because they are cheap and sound good. It's not the second coming though...
 
...the electronic one (review coming sooner than later on my channel, but not for a week or two)...
Looking forward to your review of the transacoustic one. Not as a plug-in electric (I’ve got an “indoor” uke for that), but for the possible volume increase (and use of the chorus and reverb) when NOT hooked up to an amp. I’d be getting an Enya Nova for the beach and the park, and I’m not convinced the benefits in those type of settings would be worth the higher price of the transacoustic model. Hope you can test that out for us!
 
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