Ukulele Related News from NAMM 2020

As every year, some new brands are trying to enter the ukulele market with a booth at NAMM, some more original than others who just bulk order from China with their name slapped on the headstock. Here are a couple new ones that I've spotted so far:

Orangewood guitars with a lineup of five different ukulele models:

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I believe Orangewood had already hit up (ie paid) the usual YouTube influencers to say nice things about them... which tells me all I need to know about the brand.
 
Looks like the trend of decorated ukulele bodies is continuing. Or maybe even gathering more headway.

Thanks Rakelele for doing this. It's always interesting, even though I sometimes ask "why?". Why would they do that?
 
Just to be cheeky, i think Sigma will be releasing a copy of the GS Mini guitar. Love to know if it is any good. The GS mini is a wonderful instrument but way out of my price range even second hand so looking for a good copy

As above, wouldnt suprise me if made on same line as taylor gs mini but with different stamp

Edit - this post was originally a comment that different brands could have different Quality control in the same factory but realised i was talking from ignorance:)
There are several GS Mini copies out already from the likes of Washburn, Enya, Dean, etc. etc. Baz has a review on the Enya Em-X1. I have one too and it's pretty nice. It's about the size of the GS Mini but the sound is more like the Martin LXK2 "little Martin" made of HPL. The GS Mini is higher quality with a better sound if you ask most...but that is to be expected considering the price gap.
Maybe the Washburn version isn't out yet..not sure....M.F. has it for pre-order:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/gui...coustic-guitar?rNtt=washburn acoustic&index=8
I'd like to get my hands on one of those to try.
I don't think any of the copies I know of have solid tops though.. So if someone does a solid top it'd be closer at least...
I've owned the spruce and mahogany version of Minis and both were really nice. Perhaps just save up until you can get one of those if it's what you really want.

Also, in case you're not aware, Taylor owns their own factory in Mexico for their guitars. So nothing else is going to be coming out of there.
 
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The Sigma ukes are certainly comparable to the Mexican made Martin ukes. In fact, indistinguishable also! Stands to certain reason as the Sigma models are all built using Martin build plans I believe

I have a Sigma 000 guitar it is very good but the Martin equivalent is slightly better ,when Martin sold sigma they must of sold the rights to copy them because mine looks identical to the Martin .
 
I just ordered an Aklot bamboo tenor uke from China via eBay for $65 that looks exactly like the Kala, which convinces me that Kala has done what most all uke distributors do, take what the Chinese manufacturers offer and have their name put on. When I go to NAMM, it's the most common way business is done with Chinese manufacturers.

I wonder if the traditional term "solid" can be applied to bamboo, it's always pieced together side-by-side since a single piece is not very wide, and is it deep enough not to need some kind of backing?

I would love to hear what you think of it when you get it. I'm curious what kind of a tonewood bamboo would make.
 
Not much to excite me in these posts. Looks like the same old deja vu all over again. But its still only Tuesday in California and the show opens on Thursday. It would be great to get to the show and see all the stuff in the flesh.

I am not really interested in finding out that the Chinese factories have signed up another merchandising company. Even bamboo is old hat, its been in use for centuries, Blind Freddy can tell the difference between a laminated top and a solid top when the wood is laminated in strips instead of thin sheets (ply). The relevance of NAMM is diminishing every year to me, obviously its an important part of the job for sales departments so it will keep going through the motions year after year.

Didn't Rebel ukuleles make a big splash at NAAM last year? I'm interested to see if they, or Romero, or KoAloha have anything interesting this year.

There are definitely makers like Kamaka that I like, but I'm not expecting lots of innovation from. And brands that I'm not as excited about, like Kala or Kanile'a (sorry!) regardless of what they bring.

And it's good to see companies like Enya, who seem to be trying to deliver as much quality as they can at very low prices. Might not be my cup of tea, but I like that they're making an already accessible instrument like the ukulele even more accessible.

But I'm mostly interested in the middle to upper-middle "tier" ukuleles. Sort of that gap between Martin's Mexican and Pennsylvanian ukuleles. Rebels, Romeros, and KoAlohas being my favorite innovators. I would love it if some already established ukulele makers like Martin or Breedlove or Gretsch built some decent ukuleles at about where Pono or Rebel sits.
 
Well I think that the finished product on the KoAloha Silver looks absolutely stunning:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7UuznXH0EM/?igshid=1rv4sd3ql31rg

No word yet on availability or pricing. I look forward to hearing about those with equal parts excitement and dread.

I like the looks of those. Like the dark fretboard & headstock. I know many won't like the tuners, but I never liked their friction tuners and always had them replaced with Gotoh UPTs. I'm fine with "rabbit ear" tuners.
 
I wish the show had a day open for the general public. On another note I'm looking forward to watching the podcasts from HMS about this year's NAMM
 
The Koaloha Silvers do indeed look nice, though you'd expect them too. They are hardly groundbreaking either.

What disappointed me about NAMM 2019 was apart from only one or two exceptions (like The Rebel launching), everything else seemed to me nothing more than updates to existing models and the like. Changing the back woods is also hardly groundbreaking.

Hopeful that 2020 will be different, but I suspect not. Just more of the endless number of 'new' Chinese rebadge companies and the usual brands doing the usual stuff.

Sorry to sound grumpy, but I've not seen much real innovation in the ukulele world for some time. Maybe there is no room left for more innovation?
 
IDK, the new KoAlohas look decent enough but with that headstock faceplate they look like Kanile'as. Not that Kanile'a has a monopoly on black headstocks but still...

Also, geared tuners on a soprano... just no.
 
Yeah, I think that is deceptive at best. But it's also pretty obvious. Anybody buying "solid bamboo" should know what they're getting. I'm not saying it can't make a well playing and sounding uke, but nobody should be fooled into thinking "solid bamboo" means remotely the same thing as "solid koa" (or mahogany or spruce or mango, etc.)

It's odd how gluing front to back is laminated, even if you used the same wood (occasionally done), but gluing side to side is solid. I guess if you drill a hole through it you only go through one solid layer. :rolleyes:
 
It's odd how gluing front to back is laminated, even if you used the same wood (occasionally done), but gluing side to side is solid. I guess if you drill a hole through it you only go through one solid layer. :rolleyes:

"Laminated" means that there is a core of softwood with veneers of some decorative wood, and specs only describe the decorations but not the core wood. So the bamboo would be "solid" if it does not have decorative veneers, regardless of how many individual pieces it is composed. Many high-end ukes now also have (bookmatched) tops and backs that are laterally glued together.

Of course anyone with scientific training would consider a solid anything that is not liquid or gaseous ... :eek:
 
The Koaloha Silvers do indeed look nice, though you'd expect them too. They are hardly groundbreaking either.

Sorry to sound grumpy, but I've not seen much real innovation in the ukulele world for some time. Maybe there is no room left for more innovation?

I don't know, I think Antica Ukuleleria by Marco Todeschini is incredibly innovative. (Think UFO and his light colored tenor with a bright color scoop and rosette.)
And Pete at Bonanza Ukulele is quite innovative.

But yeah, putting a spruce soundboard on your ukes or slapping an ebony headstock faceplate on is hardly earth shattering. Though when Kanile'a released their first high-end tenors with ebony face plates I thought that was pretty radical looking. It was adopted by most everybody now. And not just for the premium stuff any more.
 
I don't know, I think Antica Ukuleleria by Marco Todeschini is incredibly innovative. (Think UFO and his light colored tenor with a bright color scoop and rosette.)
And Pete at Bonanza Ukulele is quite innovative.

I like both those makers and have reviewed multiple examples from each of them (and have more coming!) - But they are very small contributors and not really in the market that would appear at NAMM. Was talking more of the Kala / Ohana type brands
 
It is a trade show. One of the major drivers is for retailers to order stock for the year from the wholesalers. That is always going to be boring to regular punters.

The "innovations" are part of a sales and marketing program to attract the retailers to the wholesalers. They are not aimed at UU members. We are just innocent bystanders.

I'm not a punter as such, i'm a writer and reviewer and try to comment on / keep on top of the ukulele market - just commenting that the last year was pretty dull for anything really 'new' on the market. I had a marketing email middle of 2019 from one of the big ukulele stores over here with a subject line that proclaimed something along the lines of 'killer new lines from brands xyz... when I opened the mail, it was existing models with new trims or somesuch.

(Re the saddle point - a uke with a high or low saddle can be adjusted. A shop can only dial it in to a reasonable 'safe' level unless you specify the action you want. )
 
Looking forward to videos by HMS and Aldrine and the guys doing their things. Regardless of what is new, you still get and idea of what is coming and comments from people in the know. I like this thread and others , keeps me informed. I’m not sure what new can possibly be coming. Planetary tuners or better geared tuning pegs. New carbon ukes or new models from Blackbird? Always interesting to monitor.
 
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