Carbon Fiber Ukuleles

maddogsauce

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I have had the pleasure of owning a few different carbon fiber ukuleles, and have one that should be on it's way very soon, so I thought I'd share some thoughts and see if anyone else had opinions on the carbon fiber ukes they've owned/played. All that I have owned up to this point have been tenors. I currently have one by Sydow in Hawaii, Sumi Maru in Japan, just received a Klos all carbon today, and previously owned a Blackbird BTU (this however had a 19" scale and the ghost pickups, so not standard tenor). I'll give a brief description of each, and I also attached a few photos to show the size difference between the Sumi Maru and the Klos.

Sydow - This uke is the only thinbody uke of the bunch, but also the heaviest. He used a rosewood fretboard as well, so it's the only one that's not 100% composite. Unplugged, this uke is very very bright, but still has a pretty tone. Plugged in, the LR Baggs pickup gives it a great sound. I like the design that he uses for his "bridgeless" string thru bridge. The soundboard is actually raised where a traditional bridge would normally be, and it looks great. This also has gold wire woven into the carbon fiber giving it a unique and sleek look. I will say that the fretboard with it's gold jumbo frets is arguably the most comfortable to play.

Sumi Maru - This uke is the largest of the bunch, but also the lightest weight. I really enjoy playing this uke with it's comfortable 38mm nut width. I am happy I went on a limb and found this builder online, because it really is a joy to play. I would say the sound is brighter than the Klos, but not so bright as the Sydow. It seems like it has extra layers of sound giving it a very pretty and unique voice. I'm not sure if I got a deal on mine due to it being the one he had available, but the pricing was right in line with a new Klos full carbon. I also like that this builder will do some custom work and use different carbon fiber sheets for different parts of the uke for multiple patterns.

Klos - just got this one today, so may not have given it enough time yet, plus I just put new Living Water strings on it to match the others and get a true comparison. This one does have the side port as well, that said, it's LOUD! Not sure if it's louder to an audience, but absolutely to the player. Definitely the loudest full carbon fiber uke I've played yet. From a style standpoint, I really don't care for the tiny headstock, but that's alright. I'm less a fan of the 35mm nut width. I'm a big guy with big hands, and going from the Sumi Maru to this is pretty difficult. The sound is nice, clean, and balanced, but I feel that the Sumi Maru just had something extra. I find it interesting how much heavier it is compared to the larger Sumi Maru, considering they're both full acoustic. That said, it feels like a tank, sounds good, and will still make a good party fire uke.

Blackbird- It wouldn't be fair to fully compare this to the others. I'm not sure if it's the extended 19" scale mine had, or the ghost pickups, but acoustically it just sounded dead, even with fresh strings. I've owned both a farallon and a Clara and know that Blackbird makes amazing instruments, but the BTU i had just didn't do it for me. Cosmetically it was appealing, it was comfortable and fairly lightweight, even with the synth hookups. I would like to try a standard acoustic BTU tenor one day to hear what it should have sounded like.

I will soon have an Emerald Harp ukulele with a beautiful quilted maple laminate on top and I can't wait to play it and compare it. I also have a Synergy soprano ordered as well, and I'm looking forward to using it for my travel uke. More updates to eventually come!

Hopefully someone finds this information useful. Please feel free to share your thoughts & opinions on any carbon fiber models you have experienced! Thanks!!
 

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Interesting observations. The comparison in size between the Klos and Sumi Maru is amazing, as the Sumi looks huge! I would love to see and get to play one of those, but at the prices I've seen (~ $2200 at https://www.dolphin-gt.co.jp/estore/products/detail/4390 ) I don't feel like "going out on a limb" as you did.

I played a standard BTU years ago and quite liked it, but did not have much uke experience back then to make a comparison. Certainly well made.

I now own a Klos "hydrib" model with a wood neck and it is pretty much my go to instrument around the house, and it is now (after a set up) hands down the easiest playing uke I have seen. I also have a full carbon Klos on order that I am eagerly awaiting, though mine will have the sound port on the upper bout. It will be interesting to compare the volume of the two.

I have owned several carbon fiber guitars over the years too. One is a Composite Acoustics GX that is incredible heavy (> 5 lbs), but that weight is all in the back and sides, as the top is quite resonate with a very woody sound. So the weight of composite instruments does seem to vary all over the map. I once saw a photo of someone demonstrating the strength of a CA GX guitar by jumping on the back and it didn't leave a scratch - much like the folks at Klos driving over the body of one of their ukes. Of course the top is always the most fragile part, but still it's nice to know that you aren't likely to damage anything when (like me) you occasionally hit the side on a doorway.

Another carbon fiber guitar I have owned was an Emerald X7 from many years ago. So I will be interested to see what you think of your Emerald Harp Uke. I asked Alistair (the owner at Emerald) years ago to make a plain tenor uke, without the harp, but nothing yet. Maybe all the interest in carbon fiber ukes will get Alistair to reconsider and make one, but he seems to be as busy as he can be keeping up with guitar orders.
 

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The Sumi Maru is pretty huge for a tenor, but I really enjoy it. I wouldn't have gone on a limb at that price either, mine was a little under $1000 before shipping, but also included a hard gator case. That said, the one you posted looks a little more updated, mine may have been priced to move as available inventory. The one you posted has a pickup, multiple sound holes including the brand name near the bottom, what appears to be a black sunburst finish of some sort, etc... if you' contact the builder directly, you'll probably get a better price depending on options.

I also recently reached out to Emerald to see if they might be able to make a 6 string guitalele using the Amicus mold, but they're not doing anymore custom orders at the moment.

I'm curious to hear what you think of the volume on the new Klos compared to the old one, because mine seems loud. I bought mine lightly used at a discount, but if I had bought new, I also would have moved the sound hole, this placement seems odd.
 
I had a Klos and didn't like its sound very much (for my personal taste, of course). I found it too bright and mono dimensional. I am interested in a Synergy ukulele, they are all carbon fiber instruments and are made in Canada. What is nice is that they make different sizes and they are quite affordable (around US $ 460.00 for a concert). Is there any forum member who owns one and can comment on it ?
https://www.synergyinstruments.com/
 
I'm not sure if anyone has one of their test ukes, but I placed the first order when their website launched, and I'm expecting it to be a little while before I receive mine. I ordered two sopranos, one carbon fiber and one ekoa, hoping to find the best travel uke.
 
Great thread! I’m very interested in a CF or Ekoa tenor. Currently site are set on Farallon tenor used.......when they come up. Now that Synergy is in my backyard ( so to speak, I live in Canada) I’m waiting to hear sound sample comparing CF, CF/ Ekoa and full Ekoa. Price on Synergy is great and it’s Canadian.

It would be nice to assemble a bu ch of sound samples and comparisons.

The Sumi Maru body looks great. Both size and shape and I assume that is why your getting volume and tone. I’m curious about weight. It’s the lightest!

Hopping this thread keeps going with more post. I will post my decision when I get one.
 
I too am curious to follow this thread.
I had the privilege of testing one of the Synergy prototypes some months ago and though the uke still had a few rough edges, so to speak, it definitely showed potential.
I have since purchased a Klos tenor and have been thrilled with not only its sound and quality build but the no worry aspect of taking it on trips, that was when trips were still a thing, eh?!
 
Unfortunately I have to wait a bit longer for the Emerald. The communication was off, the color was wrong, and somehow they thought there were two people buying it? Lol... I'm told that my new ETA is another few weeks on the build. Ordered it originally in May, so I'm getting antsy!
 
Might have bought that other Sumi Maru, and I absolutely love it!! Not sure if it's the finish, the sound holes, or something different, but it sounds different that the other Sumi Maru, but they're both amazing instruments!! My Klos full carbon is "limited edition #3", and apparently they made a couple changes before the production run, so that's back at Klos for now having some modifications done for future comparison. My Emerald is almost done finally!! It's been a long wait, but it's looking gorgeous in the latest photos I received, can't wait to mess around with it!!!
 

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