There's a fellow on Facebook who has opened a thread about Outdoor Ukuleles in the For the Love of the Uke Group. He was complaining about the intonation--particularly of the soprano--and his intent wasn't to get his money back, but to "spread the word" about the bad intonation of the Soprano.
So I checked mine. I have a tenor that I bought, and both a generation 1 & 2 soprano, each which was a gift from members of UU. Admittedly, the 1st generation is a collector's item for me more than a player (this was understood when I was sent it), and the 2nd generation has traveled with me a lot.
For the record, the fellow submitted a video of the Outdoor Ukulele Sopranos (both blue) that he was sent (they quickly sent him a replacement when he complained--so good customer service), and on his video recording, intonation at the 12th is a big mess.
And, as you can expect, a whole bunch of people have either jumped in to defend Outdoor Ukulele or to blast them. It seems the Outdoor Ukulele is definitely a love it or leave it ukulele.
On my own Outdoor Ukuleles, harmonics are dead on; there's a bit of sharpness as I play at the 12th fret (which could be me pressing too hard [likely] or old strings [also possible], and I guess I've learned that there is no such thing as a fretted instrument that is perfectly in tune. I included a bit of this on the podcast (both audio and video) that I released today. But I'll say that i have that same experience with just about every other ukulele that I own, even the ones from very famous/respected dealers that include setup.
I just don't know how a molded instrument (polycarbonate at that) can result in different intonation across the same model...the measurements are exactly the same.
I rate the Outdoor Soprano as one of the highest ratings that I've given on my YouTube channel/blog--and I'd hate to recommend it to others to find that it is unplayable due to intonation issues.
Booli used to talk about intonation; it's a shame he's not here very often (I check in every other day or so, and comment even less frequently, so I'm not pointing fingers).
In the other camp, I have been in touch with Enya, and they have been very wonderful to talk to. I've shared my very limited concerns about the Nova--and asked if they have stress tested one. I also asked if they had a defective model, if I could bring it to school and replicate some "accidents." I have had a room full of Mahalo, Caramel, Waterman, and Outdoor Ukuleles. I know how all of them react to being dropped and abused by students. Outdoor Ukuleles were GREAT for schools (they offer schools about a 40% discount in sets of 15 or more) because of the great action, wonderful neck profile, and softer [yet percussive] sound. When you have 60 ukuleles going at once in a classroom...you don't need loud instruments.
I've done a few tests (drops & heat) on the Enya Nova I was sent (the defect is so minor it is ridiculous...Enya's tolerance for blemishes has to be at an industry low (or high?). So far, my only knock on the Enya for a classroom instrument is that it might be too loud!
I'm making some videos and will try to remember to post my full review of the Enya here when it is done (I recently remade reviews of the Outdoor Ukuleles and the Flight TUS 35). I had a review ready, but the crash test ukulele will make an interesting addition to my review...and will likely impact my final score for the ukuleles.
