Outdoor Nickel Tenor Ukulele - REVIEW

bazmaz

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Comparison video: The Outdoor has a warmth the Enya lacks. The Enya really sounds like a plastic uke. Much less richness to the sound. I own an Enya and like it, but the difference between the two is striking.
 
I thought that too - exactly the same. For me the Outdoor is richer, rounder and has loads more sustain. What's interesting are the comments on the comparison video - clear margin in favour of the sound of the Enya!
 
Great to hear them both side by side! I agree with Hendulele that the Outdoor is a lot warmer and fuller. The Enya Nova however has much better clarity, which is great for some styles as well. So, for fingerpicking I might prefer the thinner and cleaner sound of the Nova. However, I could not only have a Nova. It needs a warm companion. For me that is a solid mahogany VTAB FS T25 bought from Steve Kyle, who also offered a discount when I mentioned Gotaukulele!
 
Barry,
On the comparison video, Enya VS Outdoor, they both seem to have nearly all mid-range output. I don't hear the lows or the highs, nothing much is coming out of the A string on either. I was expecting a lot more higher end out of both!

I do like both though; great idea!
 
Great to hear them both side by side! I agree with Hendulele that the Outdoor is a lot warmer and fuller. The Enya Nova however has much better clarity, which is great for some styles as well. So, for fingerpicking I might prefer the thinner and cleaner sound of the Nova. However, I could not only have a Nova. It needs a warm companion. For me that is a solid mahogany VTAB FS T25 bought from Steve Kyle, who also offered a discount when I mentioned Gotaukulele!

He's a nice chap is Steve!
 
I'd love to see/hear you review the soprano
 
Thanks for the review and comparison videos! I know which of the two I like the sound of as well. I keep putting the Outdoor Uke on my to buy list and then taking it off. We do a lot of cabin, camping, canoeing type activities and winter outdoors stuff as well. I don't want to beat up my Magic Fluke too much so maybe I should get and Outdoor Tenor......wish they had a Concert.....might have bought one of those by now....some ukes things to think about...
 
Nice review, as always.

Sorry to hear about the tuner change. I really like the older style that is on my Outdoor tenor.

I have both the Outdoor and the Enya Nova U. I like the Enya,and I am glad I have it. It definitely has a cool vibe. But, I like the Outdoor more than the Enya. It just feels better to play.
 

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The Outdoor uke is the clear winner in sound, it blows the Enya into the weeds.
But the Enya is soooo classy looking!
I Know a lady who bought an Outdoor 2 years ago and I haven't seen her play anything else since.
2 of my friends bought Enyas, and I played my resonator with one of them, what a beautiful sound they both made!

I really enjoyed the comparison.
 
I started a response to the video comparison (on YouTube) and then stopped. I don't know where to best make a comment.

I own both, I like both, have reviewed both, and have compared both.

What it comes down to is that while they are made of similar materials, the instruments are as different as a Kamaka and a KoAloha--and even that isn't a good comparison.

Barry, if you ever get a chance, take the Outdoor Tenor to a community strumming event. I have done so, and it just gets lost in the crowd.

But it IS the best instrument to play that I've ever used...the neck is superb on the soprano and tenor.

I did see one rather loud post some time ago from a person on Facebook who bought the soprano and blasted it for poor intonation--so I'd be interested to see what you had to say about that, if you ever get a soprano to check out. Another person complained about bad action. I'm at a loss with that.

I ended up buying 60 Outdoor Sopranos and 10 Tenors for a school that I opened last year (I'm no longer there, and I'm back with the initial Caramels that I purchased before). I bought every one with strap buttons, and each and every one was set up the same, which is what you would hope.

Personally, I own a Tenor, Soprano, and one of the first generation Sopranos (the Sopranos were actually gifts from members here on UU).

As for the Enya, I'm a concert player first and foremost (I own every scale), and I'm very happy with the playability of it. The nut is smaller than you would expect, and string spacing tighter than you would expect, but it's very playable. I don't know if that is the radius...but it works. It isn't as nice to play as the Outdoor, but it isn't that far behind.

What I can tell you is that the Enya punches through in a group, more so than the Outdoor. Maybe it's the curved back or the side sound port. I also like the clarity of the sound of the Enya, whereas the Outdoor seems to have more of the mid-low sound (I'm running Aquila Sugar strings on mine). But I completely understand that my preference to the sound the Enya is personal.

Most importantly, the two instruments have different purposes. The Enya is less rugged and dependent on a coating, which doesn't look so nice when one breaks (I was sent a "defective" Enya to intentionally break at school). The Outdoor is truly rugged, with only tuners to worry about.

I wholeheartedly agree with the side marker issue (also true on the Enya), I'm not bothered by the tuners, and the price doesn't bother me knowing how much it costs to make products in the USA. I'm not sure where Outdoor gets their tuners, but the bodies are all molded here in the US, and that's going to cost significantly more than doing so in China.

I have asked about a potential concert model and was told that it would cost $100,000 to get a working mold for a concert. That's a lot of ukuleles to sell before you make a profit!

The other thing that I would let people know is that some dealers are carrying these in the US (it's rare, but it happens) and that if you are a school ordering 15 or more ukuleles, they'll give you a discount that works out to be about 40% on the order. They were very nice to work with, and also were able to ship some models strung left-handed on request.

As for Enya, they have a new relationship with a music education vendor here in the USA (they aren't on their website) called Peripole where schools and teachers will be able to purchase Enyas at a slight discount--something hard to beat in the world of Amazon and direct sales from a budget vendor. I do some work with Peripole from time to time (speaking about ukuleles at music education conventions) and I'm quite happy to be able to recommend Enya Ukuleles through them, as both companies are good companies.

I'm watching Enya's responses to customers with issues...and their customer service is simply top notch. And every Enya I have owned or played has been pretty nice.

I know the Outdoors are significantly more expensive...but $155 for a pretty indestructible ukulele that is a joy to play isn't really outrageous. It's really the $90 Enya Nova that is outrageously priced.

As for schools, and the lack of any climate control in those buildings, the three ukuleles I can recommend right now are the Flight TUSL-35 (the new long neck), the Enya Nova, and the Outdoor Ukulele. I feel pretty secure in those recommendations. They will all handle interior climate changes with very little consequences...as well as rough handling from students.
 
@bazmaz -- I have a rather generic question. It's an honest question -- not a challenge or an invitation to debate. So, please... no offense intended.

To wit: you scored the sound of this ukulele as 9 out of 10. What exactly is "10"? The best tenor (whether of wood or plastic or whatever) that you have ever heard or played? Or a theoretically "perfect" plastic tenor? Or... what?
 
Comparison video: The Outdoor has a warmth the Enya lacks. The Enya really sounds like a plastic uke. Much less richness to the sound. I own an Enya and like it, but the difference between the two is striking.

Same here. It’s actually really noticeable (and I didn’t think it would be)!
Outdoor Uke Tenor that I had was great - low action, easy to chord/barre. And made in the USA (which should still count for something). Yet another one that I kind of regret in selling.

I should mention that I much preferred the thicker seeming neck on the tenor. Yes it’s a little thick (maybe too thick) but I find that helps with chords / barres. The soprano feels less sturdy.

I’d get another Tenor, especially for travel/ road trips. What color though!! The bottle brown and ghost white are both fantastic
 
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Barry, if you ever get a chance, take the Outdoor Tenor to a community strumming event. I have done so, and it just gets lost in the crowd.


What I can tell you is that the Enya punches through in a group, more so than the Outdoor. Maybe it's the curved back or the side sound port. I also like the clarity of the sound of the Enya, whereas the Outdoor seems to have more of the mid-low sound (I'm running Aquila Sugar strings on mine). But I completely understand that my preference to the sound the Enya is personal.

You know... I've had a couple of people tell me that the Outdoor will get lost in a group. I'm surprised as I thought it was really loud. In fact, setting up the video I did some level checks on my microphone / audio interface and the Outdoor was peaking significantly more than the Enya. I can't believe they have changed the design though... Odd.
 
@bazmaz -- I have a rather generic question. It's an honest question -- not a challenge or an invitation to debate. So, please... no offense intended.

To wit: you scored the sound of this ukulele as 9 out of 10. What exactly is "10"? The best tenor (whether of wood or plastic or whatever) that you have ever heard or played? Or a theoretically "perfect" plastic tenor? Or... what?

The elusive ukulele - (that will never be found!).
 
I just listened to your youtube video comparison. Enya has in my opinion more brights and lack the low, as if plastics never have enough.
Outdoor is more mellow, but not bad. Just a plastic uke. The difference in sound could be also because the size of the ukes.

Thank you for the video Barry :)
 
I just listened to your youtube video comparison. Enya has in my opinion more brights and lack the low, as if plastics never have enough.
Outdoor is more mellow, but not bad. Just a plastic uke. The difference in sound could be also because the size of the ukes.

Thank you for the video Barry :)

My pleasure!
 
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