Question about bruko

Brn1638

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Hi,

I was browsing through the bruko site, and they have a classic soprano and soprano
Does anyone know what the difference are besides the price?

Furthermore they only have a handful of ukes listed on their site, does that mean other then those that are listed you need to have it custom made?

Does anyone have dealt with bruko, can tell me your experience and how much you paid for a custom made?

Thx for your reply
 
The classics are the more basic ukes with limited variation, usually staring mahogany. They are priced low as they are made in bigger volume.

The rest include many more variants, woods, bindings etc.. lower volume production so more expensive.

That’s it really.
 
Also note that their prices include VAT tax, so if you’re in the USA, that’ll be cheaper by 15%(?). Buuut the shipping is pricey (some people order two with the intention of selling the 2nd to cover the shipping)
 
Hello, I have purchased a few sopranos from Bruko. They are all really awesome!!

In my experience, you can get a standard/classic mahogany or maple shipped to the USA for just over the $200 mark. As mentioned those are relatively straight forward. All maple or mahogany soprano, nothing too fancy with woods, but still beautiful from my perspective.

They also sell other sopranos in various woods - walnut, zebra wood, spruce, cedar, flamed maple, etc. Those ended up being around $300-400 shipped to the USA. I have a beautiful walnut soprano with maple neck.

All of them have the standard, 3/4, and thin body option. You can get an arched back too, like my walnut soprano!

I think they are all a “steal” for the amount of uke you get!!
 
Furthermore they only have a handful of ukes listed on their site, does that mean other then those that are listed you need to have it custom made?

Does anyone have dealt with bruko, can tell me your experience and how much you paid for a custom made?

If you get something "made to order" (I wouldn't call it "custom"), it shouldn't be any more than what's on the site. Of course, the wood selection and features can affect the price.

When I got my baritone, there were none on the site, but they had two in progress and I got to choose a neck wood and to get a pickup. (The body could be any wood as long as it was mahogany. :p ) I would describe it as an overall good experience, though the communication was a little difficult with language differences and time zone differences.

(some people order two with the intention of selling the 2nd to cover the shipping)
That's exactly what I did. I got a standard soprano with my bari, split the shipping in half and added my shipping, and was still less for my buyer than getting from a U.S. dealer.
 
They really are beautiful, well constructed ukes. I've had a couple of the No. 6 model, one newer, and an older one from the 50's. Both were very nice. IMO, they work better for fingerstyle, and since they didn't fit my strumming style, I sent them to new homes. To me, they were janglier than most other sop brands. In hindsight, I wish I had tried tuning them up to D tuning/
This one is for sale at Uke Republic here in the US. I love the look of these.

No. 6.jpg
 
I think there is some confusion here with the word 'custom'. To the best of my knowledge, Bruko don't take custom orders - as I say the difference in pricing is really down to core basic mass produced models, and others that are made in smaller quantities (that offer different woods and decor).

Either way, ALL Bruko ukes are terrific value.
 
They do custom to a point but I wouldn’t call it custom as most of the building methods and wood combos are combos they already offer. I ordered a soprano #6 a while back that had the new style bridge / saddle before they were really even offering them on the #6. I think they may be a bit more open to customs than ppl might assume. I inquired once about an all maple tenor.. They were going to make me one but it was a bit more than I wanted to spend at the time. Communication has always been pretty good in my experience other than being on different schedules.
 
They really are beautiful, well constructed ukes. I've had a couple of the No. 6 model, one newer, and an older one from the 50's. Both were very nice. IMO, they work better for fingerstyle, and since they didn't fit my strumming style, I sent them to new homes. To me, they were janglier than most other sop brands.

That’s an interesting reflection of my own experience. I bought one second-hand off of eBay (a standard No 5) and thought it to be simply excellent build quality. I had to lower the saddle area on mine and file the nut slots too, it was already fitted with what I believed to be Worth Browns. I’m not sure that I should have done (so much to like about it) but I sold it on as, at the time, it wasn’t a match to me and my playing style. A little too bright and jangly for me but no doubt perfect for others, I like tall frets too and the Bruko ones seemed standard height. The string spacing was good, a little wider than normal which was perfect for me. On reflection (as prompted by Ukecaster’s post) I wish I’d considered keeping it and then using it for finger picking only. I think that that might have worked well for me, but really I like my instruments to be good for both my finger picking and my strumming.

If another Bruko crossed my path at the right price (unlikely ‘cause they’re already a bargain) then I’d probably buy it, sort the nut and saddle, and try some other strings on it - I have experimenting with nylon strings in my mind and for fingerpicking I don’t mind a loss in volume.

Over some time I’ve emailed Bruko with a couple of questions and they have been brilliant at responding, all in all I think that their good name is well deserved.
 
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I have a Brueko 2 maple soprano bought here in UU Marketplace with the older bridge/saddle.

I had to try various strings before I found the set that works best. Worth Browns, martins, & Living Waters were just "okay". I considered selling it, then tried D'Adarrio Titanium, which has what I was looking for in the feel and sound. I am glad I kept trying strings on it.
 
I had seen some videos of Baz reviewing the Bruko and I really wanted to get one. A Bruko maple soprano was posted on the market place recently and it will arrive soon! i am so excited to try it out
 
15F9B76A-AA48-437C-9AEF-78CE7A8AA354.jpg. These are my Brükos: a zebra wood flat soprano with a rounded back and a #6. I purchased the zebrano while visiting the Brüko plant (something every uke player visiting Germany should do) and ordered the #6 after returning home. Although it took more than a month for the #6 to arrive in NJ, even with shipping from Europe, it was less expensive than ordering from Uke Republic (where they were out of stock at the time anyway). They’re both excellent instruments.
 
The more expensive models also have a (highly) arched back whereas the classic models don't really have much of an arch if at all. Without having played the more expensive models, I assume that they produce quite a bit more volume. Indeed, compared to my more expensive sopranos, the model 6 Brüko does sound noticeably quieter, although I wouldn't classify it as quiet in general.

Even with my more expensive and fancier ukes, I don't intend to sell the Brüko. It is just so comfortable, well built, fun to play, and above all, incredible value for money. I never hesitate to recommend them.
 
Does anyone know how long it takes for Mr pfeiffer to reply your email? I know he's a one man show but I have emailed him on Feb 22 and have yet to receive his reply.
 
Does anyone know how long it takes for Mr pfeiffer to reply your email? I know he's a one man show but I have emailed him on Feb 22 and have yet to receive his reply.

It’s a few years ago that I was in contact with him but my email received a same day reply. Perhaps you might like to check the address that you posted to and if it’s correct then resend, occasionally even internet post gets lost.

There’s an email address at the bottom of this page and clicking on it should open a blank email for you: https://brueko-ukulelen.smoolis.com/screen/page/tippstricks

It maybe that their office has been closed for holidays, or he could just have more work on than can be managed ... they are very popular Ukuleles.
 
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I think there are slightly more than 2 people working there (Herr Pfeiffer, his wife, and perhaps a son or daughter?) but I suspect only one of them feels comfortable handling emails in English.

It might be worthwhile running your original email through Google translate and send them something in German, no matter if it is a bit less than perfect
 
I think there are slightly more than 2 people working there (Herr Pfeiffer, his wife, and perhaps a son or daughter?) but I suspect only one of them feels comfortable handling emails in English.

It might be worthwhile running your original email through Google translate and send them something in German, no matter if it is a bit less than perfect
Ooh, I don't know about that suggestion. Online translation can still be very dodgy. I conducted a fairly recent transaction with a Ukrainian flute maker where it was obvious we were talking through translators, and let's just say some of the responses were "interesting" :eek:

It's been a few years for me too, but my experience is that emails took quite a bit longer than expected. Over a week was not uncommon. Maybe it's changed since then.
 
Ooh, I don't know about that suggestion. Online translation can still be very dodgy. I conducted a fairly recent transaction with a Ukrainian flute maker where it was obvious we were talking through translators, and let's just say some of the responses were "interesting" :eek:

It's been a few years for me too, but my experience is that emails took quite a bit longer than expected. Over a week was not uncommon. Maybe it's changed since then.


Haha, yes, good point.... :D

OP, if you feel comfortable doing so, feel free to send the translated message to me first; my German is not flawless, but it's quite good (I've mostly used it in ukulele-related conversations the last few years) and I can probably spot any potentially 'interesting' mistakes ;)


But yes, sometimes it takes them a while to reply - and very occasionally an email just slips through the cracks, and a follow-up email (in either language) can get things going again
 
I picked up a spruce/jacaranda Longneck with a bowled back and a Brazilian rosewood fretboard at the workshop a little over five years ago. PM me if you are interested, mainly play tenor these days.
 
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