Aiersi Soprano Pineapple Ukulele.

The Martin HPL ukes were known for their printed wood patterns. Are these Aiersi ukes also printed, as some of the comments suggest that the surface appears like natural material? I am fond of open pore finishes so if it looked like that would be major incentive for me.
 
Vide Choir Guy, "It turns out that it is an HPL ukulele"

It's good to have that confirmed. I now own three ukes made from this material, and I am most impressed with the stuff. I genuinely believe this is the future of inexpensive, high volume, factory made ukes. It is thin, stiff, split and crack proof, consistent, attractively finished, and has a convincingly wooden appearance.

I called it split proof. This is based on personal experience. I bought one of these cheap ukes in order to cannibalize it for parts - for a project. It was extremely difficult to break the body apart. I used pruning shears to cut the body into pieces, and it fought me all the way. I cannot imagine an HPL uke developing cracks and splits, even under extremes of temperature and humidity. It is tough stuff.

I recommend any doubters to check one out (not with pruning shears!). This is not a "cheap and nasty" alternative to regular three-ply, laminated wood. I think it is much better.

John Colter

ps. The surface does look like a natural open pore wooden finish. It is most convincing.
 
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I own two Ovation guitars so am definitely not a wood snob. I find these new materials intriguing and if they are good enough to be used on Martin and Gibson instruments then they are more than there's no shame in not promoting them. My curiosity is really about how they take environmental conditions like heat, cold, or moisture. That's why I asked about the rain.
 
Hi Merlin, I've never done anything unusual with my HPL ukes, but one of them has lived in my car for a couple of years and is none the worse for it. My guess is that the HPL material would be impervious to water, and would fare very well indeed in normal extremes of climate. The linings and the braces are regular wooden items, of course, as are the neck and the bridge.

Many of the "budget" ukes coming out of China are made of this stuff. As you might have gathered, I'm quite enthusiastic about it. I wonder how it compares with the HPL that has been used by Martin and other high-end makers. There could be different types or grades.

John Colter
 
Just a side note: a person contacted me to let me know they ordered one of these in June, and it recently arrived (welcome to the world of shipping under COVID-19).

In that batch, there were some significant changes: no more side position markers, a change to 12 frets (from 15) and apparently the use of rosewood for fretboard and bridge (rather than techwood and walnut).

The rest of the ukulele seemed to be built to the same quality as the one I reviewed, and the owner was happy with the sound (with other strings).

The only real "negative" is the removal of side position markers. 12 frets vs. 15 frets is common on many sopranos, and I prefer the uniform look of one material for fretboard and bridge.
 
Did you ever get the Martin strings on this Uke? And if you did, did it make a difference? Just wondering...
 
Hi, Oldtimer - Choirguy did say he had put Martin strings on his Aiersi Pineapple, and it did make a difference. I bought some Martin strings, but they are still in the packet. The replacement Aquilas are still giving good service on mine, they sound great. In fact my pineapple gets played more than any other uke. The high end ukes stay in their cases, but the cheap and (very) cheerful Aiersi lives propped up in my living room, where it is instantly accessible.

I own some seriously nice sopranos but mostly play the cheapest one of all! Go figure...............

John Colter
 
I've been wondering what strings to put on my Aiersi pineapple.

I've heard a comparison and absolutely hate the sound of fluorocarbons and was very surprised by the simple clear nylons (ie: the ernie balls).

I'm torn between the Ernie Balls and some classic Aquila Super Nylguts.
 
The original equipment strings certainly seem to be inferior things. My SU-021P sounds just fine on old-stock Aquila Nylguts. I've never tried Ernie Ball strings. Super Nylguts should be very suitable.

John Colter
 
Today I ordered another Aiersi Pineapple SU-021P (for a friend) direct from China. According to the sales blurb, they are still supplying the fifteen fret version but I won't be disappointed if it turns out to be a twelve fretter.

It will be interesting to compare the latest one with my original, bought about six months ago. All the reports indicate that they are very consistent in quality and sound. I don't expect an HPL instrument to 'open up', but six months of regular playing might have settled mine down a bit and got it used to being a musical instrument. We shall see, in the fullness of time...................

John Colter
 
Today I ordered another Aiersi Pineapple SU-021P (for a friend) direct from China. According to the sales blurb, they are still supplying the fifteen fret version but I won't be disappointed if it turns out to be a twelve fretter.

It will be interesting to compare the latest one with my original, bought about six months ago. All the reports indicate that they are very consistent in quality and sound. I don't expect an HPL instrument to 'open up', but six months of regular playing might have settled mine down a bit and got it used to being a musical instrument. We shall see, in the fullness of time...................

John Colter


I see these one sale for $26 (US), with 15 frets, but then there is an added $16 shipping fee. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001131121008.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.41.6a896973BYeCZF

The extra shipping fee is applied to all US shipments from Aiersi right now (unless you buy on Amazon, which is really the way to go for American buyers at the moment).

I'm waiting for shipping to return to previous prices (e.g. I can order a concert Pineapple Naomi for $28, shipped--and I would if I didn't have enough ukuleles to review for the next two months at the moment).

Now...is this Pineapple worth $42? Yes, it is. But I really wish I had bought 4 at under $25 so that I could give them away.
 
I agree, most heartily! It is definitely worth $42. - a bargain, even. Aliexpress have made a major revision. Previously all prices were quoted in US$ and almost all included the p&p. Now they recognise that I am in the UK and they quote in pounds sterling - very often with p&p as an extra charge.

I've just got the message confirming that the new pineapple has been shipped. Now for the long wait.

John Colter

ps - The SU-021P can be purchased from Alibaba for a unit price of $18.00 - minimum order is 10 units and shipping is $154.33 - total cost $334.33 plus import duty/taxes.
 
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My second Aiersi Pineapple has arrived! Ordered on the 10th - received on the22nd. Sent by airmail, no additional charges. Great, wasn't expecting that! It is a fifteen fretter, like my first one.

The strings are still settling (label says Aquila Supernylgut) but already I can tell that this is another very satisfactory purchase. The string heights are just as I like them; the intonation at the 12th fret is good; the tone, balance and volume are really pleasant; the build quality is very good.

On my first example, I replaced the strings and that made an improvement. On this new one, the O.E. strings seem fine. Played one after the other, both ukes sound excellent. Not exactly the same, but very little different. In a blind test, I can't tell which is which. When the new one has had time to settle, I'll decide which one to keep and the other can go to its new home.

Full marks to Aiersi.

John Colter
 
I decided to order one of these last month on a whim. The shipment from China really takes forever, almost a full month, but bizarrely no import costs incurred at all. The shipment company or AliExpress or Aiersi dealt with that completely. Weird, but I'll take it.

Since the price was something like 30€ I was expecting at least some shoddy workmanship or crappy tuners or high action or sharp fret ends but no, I actually can't find any real flaws with the uke. The tuners work smoothly and seem to be decent quality. Action at the nut could be just a tad lower but it's perfectly playable, and at the 12th fret it's actually perfect for me at 2.5mm. There are no sharp fret ends at all which is just crazy. Honestly, I've seen $1000 high-end ukes with sharp frets but this one has none (although I guess that would be because the fretboard shouldn't have any shrinkage since it's made out of richlite). Even intonation seems to be really good. The sound is obviously not the greatest but it's far from terrible. There's actually some nice sustain on each string and that will probably improve further with a string change to fluorocarbons. The pineapple shape probably helps with resonance and depth of sound as well. This is simply astonishing value. It's crazy to think you can get something of this quality at the same price as those crappy Mahalo sopranos or equivalent.

The only thing I'm confused about is the material of the body. The listing on AliExpress claimed it's HPL but I'm not so sure. The surface of the body looks to me like it's not just a photo print because the surface shimmers in different lighting and has some pores in the grain. I think that at least the outermost veneer is some sort of laminate wood. Interesting to see how stable it is because this will be displayed in my living room instead of tucked up in a case and winter is approaching fast...
 
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