Waiting for Synergy

Anyone else out there waiting for a Synergy ukulele. I ordered an Ekoa tenor 6 weeks ago and haven’t heard a word from them. I’ve tried on multiple attempts to get in touch but haven’t heard back. I was told 4-6 weeks so should be ready soon I hope. Anyway if anyone has any information that would be great. I’m patient but would just like to know what’s going on. Thanks everyone!

According to their website, they're having delays due to covid. It can certainly take its toll on a smaller business where one person often performs critical roles that keep product moving. Hopefully you hear from them soon.

Yes, it is a long wait, but it's worth it. The uke is beautifully made, and it sounds great. No complaints. Usually, they reply to comments made here. It took quite a while to get to me after UPS received it on Jan 6. It was at least two weeks before I received it. I heard the UPS truck, and then I saw a large box at the door.

One thing a friend and I thought was unusual is that there is no brand or model anywhere on the uke. I got a concert, and he got a tenor with a pickup.

EDIT: I ordered an Antica Ukuleleria Sacco from Italy in July. It had a January build date, and I received it in the beginning of February. Sometimes, you just have to wait.

Thanks for the responses! Yea I’m patient so not worried about it too much. Just trying to get an idea of what to expect. Nice to hear you like it. Strange about no name. I hear you on length of time to get a ukulele. I ordered a Moonbird from Hong Kong right when the pandemic really hit last March. The uke shipped the next day after purchase but I didn’t get it for almost 4 months. You have wonder where it sits all that time. Crazy times!

Yeah, I ordered my Baritone from them at the beginning of the year, but I'm expecting a wait. We are living in a pandemic and I'd rather wait than think my instrument made somebody get ill. Then let's face it, shipping is going to be a while too.

It's all good.

Received an email update that Synergy is back at work. Mine ordered end of Nov will ship next week.

Cheers.

casualmusic said:

Received an email update that Synergy is back at work. Mine ordered end of Nov will ship next week.

Cheers.

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Nice. A friend and I found that shipping can take weeks, so be patient. I have a concert with no pickup. Very nice.

I'm waiting for the Flight Pathfinder Blue to come back to the states. The manufacturer told me May, but the store I'll be getting it from said it could be June or July. I was checking out a Vorson, but the store has no idea when they will be in and they have been waiting since Christmas. Seems like a lot of these instruments are not available. :iwant:

Got a shipment tracking number. Hmmm. Will it arrive for April 1st?

Hey Guys, I got my Synergy full CF Concert late last year... after a long wait, maybe a week past
the advertised 4-6 weeks

I'm mostly interested in all your comments about the sound of your ukes. Why? Well, mine seems
to be somewhat muted. Also, I found the neck to be overbuilt in terms of thickness.

I'm sure I can get used to the thick neck, but the muted volume/sound concerns me a little. It's
OK for personal playing but I would probably find it difficult to lead a song circle.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing from you owners

keep uke'in',

I originally purchased two sopranos, 1 carbon fiber and 1 ekoa. I posted my thoughts and was contacted by the company offering to rebuild my instruments. The guys at Synergy are very nice guys, and after our conversation, we decided to instead go with a carbon fiber tenor and ekoa soprano. I got the tenor a little while ago, and have posted my thoughts on it compared to the other carbon fiber ukes on the market. The tenor looked great, other than the sound hole being noticeably off center. The sound of the tenor and both the original sopranos seemed muted. I have also mentioned the necks feeling very big, especially on the sopranos.

I've since just recently received the replacement ekoa soprano, and for the most part I'm impressed so far. The finish has a few dimples, but it looks 10x better than the first one they sent. The sunburst is now front and back, the neck seems like it feels a little better, and the sound hole isn't choppy and unfinished like the first one was. The sound is noticably louder and nicer than the first batch. The only thing bothering me right now is a buzz on the c string, but I'm hoping that may fade as the strings settle. I was hoping to find a great travel uke, so we'll see.

Worst part has been communication. I've never before expected two items to be shipped together, not received one, reached out, received tracking info, waited over a week to see the package ship, get cancelation notice of delivery, reach out, get a response stating that a part is delayed in delivery, get a new tracking number, wait almost two weeks, reach out, receive same tracking number, wait a couple more days, then it ships. Again, nice guys, and did rebuild the instruments which was nice, even when they don't offer refunds on customs, and I added nicer tuners. But overall the experience would have been much better with a little more communication and a little better basic QC when they launched. The last of my 4 instruments is the only one that I may keep, and I do like it.

Uncle Rod Higuchi said:

Hey Guys, I got my Synergy full CF Concert late last year... after a long wait, maybe a week past
the advertised 4-6 weeks

I'm mostly interested in all your comments about the sound of your ukes. Why? Well, mine seems
to be somewhat muted. Also, I found the neck to be overbuilt in terms of thickness.

I'm sure I can get used to the thick neck, but the muted volume/sound concerns me a little. It's
OK for personal playing but I would probably find it difficult to lead a song circle.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing from you owners

keep uke'in',

Click to expand...

Some of my ukes are louder, and some aren't. I figure that's their personality. When I began playing my Synergy, I didn't notice reduced sound, although it is not my loudest uke. As long as I can hear it, and it sounds nice, I'm happy. Overall, I'm pleased with my Synergy. I don't even notice neck thickness or shape.

casualmusic said:

Got a shipment tracking number. Hmmm. Will it arrive for April 1st?

Click to expand...

Be patient. : )

Thanks, good to hear that the neck might have been adjusted a bit.
I would think the eKoa (either hybrid or full eKoa) would sound better
thank a simple full CF soundboard. I hope so

were I to purchase another Synergy ukulele I would most likely select
a longneck eKoa Hybrid Soprano... were they available My second
choice would be a Concert eKoa Hybrid Concert.

I also find a slight buzz on the A string of my full CF Concert and so far
my fiddling has not solved the issue... yet

keep uke'in',

I do have to say that I am less than pleased with their communications. I ordered my instrument right before the beginning of the year. I asked them ONCE for a status, and I didnt get a response for a few days. They said it would be shipping at the end of the week. Two weeks later, I got an email about shipping (the tracking says Shipping Label Created). THAT was three weeks ago, and the shipping status for UPS still states Shipping Label Created. No information that it's actually been shipped. Two days ago, I asked them about it. Still waiting on an answer.

Honestly, even if its the best instrument I've ever seen, that's a pretty lackluster amount of customer service. We are talking about several hundred dollars here, and for that, I'd expect some sort of response. If you buy from them, you may want to keep this in mind.

ashkettle said:

I do have to say that I am less than pleased with their communications. I ordered my instrument right before the beginning of the year. I asked them ONCE for a status, and I didnt get a response for a few days. They said it would be shipping at the end of the week. Two weeks later, I got an email about shipping (the tracking says Shipping Label Created). THAT was three weeks ago, and the shipping status for UPS still states Shipping Label Created. No information that it's actually been shipped. Two days ago, I asked them about it. Still waiting on an answer.

Honestly, even if its the best instrument I've ever seen, that's a pretty lackluster amount of customer service. We are talking about several hundred dollars here, and for that, I'd expect some sort of response. If you buy from them, you may want to keep this in mind.

Click to expand...

Myself and others have run into that "Shipping label created" situation, and I think it's not so much their fault as the Canada/USA situation. I like my Synergy concert, and the price was reasonable. Anyone who orders will have to realize that there will be a long wait - at every step of the journey.

Jerryc41 said:

Myself and others have run into that "Shipping label created" situation, and I think it's not so much their fault as the Canada/USA situation. I like my Synergy concert, and the price was reasonable. Anyone who orders will have to realize that there will be a long wait - at every step of the journey.

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Delays are understandable; silence, less so, especially if a customer has already been billed.
In the absence of active tracking information, responsive communication can sustain trust and good feelings-- both of which often are important with higher-dollar discretionary purchases-- and cover a multitude of mishaps, self-inflicted or outside of one's control.

~ S.

Just to update, it did come today. Of course, it came with another shipping label created update, so there must have been a snafu somewhere.
The instrument itself is beautiful. Slight buzzing on the E string, but like others, I'll see what happens when the strings settle. It's really only noticed when I play hard, which I seldom do, so not really something I'm overly concerned with at the moment.
Like others said, it's not the loudest instrument i have (Blackbird wins that category hands down), but I think the tone is wonderful.

I'm not disappointed with the purchase. Hopefully they will solve the communications issues they seem to have.