maddogsauce
Well-known member
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!!
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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