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rsmillbern

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I have been wanting to try a little nicer ukulele and, after a bit of deliberation, ordered this Romero Creations Koa tenor (replica).

This is my first online purchase of an instrument, I am a believer in trying, but given the situation now...

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That looks fabulous! It's so great to be expecting a beautiful instrument like that. The anticipation itself is such a rush. Oh oh, I'm getting into UAS territory here, better slow down! About ordering online, I've been doing that for years. I haven't been living in areas with many brick and mortar Uke stores. The typical Guitar World or family music shop just doesn't keep nice Ukes in stock. I did get to Uke Republic's shop in Atlanta, I've been in Gryphon in Palo Alto, CA, and a number of shops in Hawaii. Sure, it's fun to try them out, and browse a nice collection of Ukes for sale. But, there's so much available online. I've gotten many really nice instruments ordering online, and only a few mediocre ones. I've never gotten a bad one, or one I had to send back. And, believe me, I'd send a bad one back in a heartbeat. One thing I can't tolerate is a bad instrument. If you stick to the dedicated Uke sites online, I think you'll be OK. They personally check out the instruments, and do setups, before shipping them out. If something is wrong, they'll catch it.

I think you're going to be just fine, and really love that new Romero!
 
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That looks fabulous! It's so great to be expecting a beautiful instrument like that. The anticipation itself is such a rush. Oh oh, I'm getting into UAS territory here, better slow down! About ordering online, I've been doing that for years. I haven't been living in areas with many brick and mortar Uke stores. The typical Guitar World or family music shop just doesn't keep nice Ukes in stock. I did get to Uke Republic's shop in Atlanta, I've been in Gryphon in Palo Alto, CA, and a number of shops in Hawaii. Sure, it's fun to try them out, and brows a nice collection of Ukes for sale. But, there's so much available online. I've gotten many really nice instruments ordering online, and only a few mediocre ones. I've never gotten a bad one, or one I had to send back. And, believe me, I'd send a bad one back in a heartbeat. One thing I can't tolerate is a bad instrument. If you stick to the dedicated Uke sites online, I think you'll be OK. They personally check out the instruments, and do setups, before shipping them out. If something is wrong, they'll catch it.

I think you're going to be just fine, and really love that new Romero!

Exactly!
There are no close ukulele oriented shops for me, even without the lockdown, and I am fairly new to ukulele. My "regular" guitar shop has a couple Maestros from time to time, but he mostly focuses on high end acoustic guitars, banjos and mandolins.

I ordered from a shop in Berlin, a bit too far for a day trip for me and I am very satisfied with the transaction. It has build some confidence with me.
Best part was that the delivery date was for tomorrow, and it showed up today! Only hard part was looking at the unopened box for a few hours while wrapping up conf calls :)
 
What is it a replica of?

It is a replica of the custom, individually made ukuleles Pepe Romero Jr makes in his workshop. The Signature Romero Tenor (formerly known as The Replica) is a production replica of his custom tenor ‘ukulele. It is a replica, not an exact copy of the custom ukulele.

Ie: a factory made "replica" of his expensive custom ukuleles.
 
All the Replicas and Grand Tenors I've seen are 12-fret to body instruments, which gets the bridge positioned lower on the body, in what some call the sweet spot.

There is a lot of debate about this in the guitar world between some people. I have a couple 12 fret guitars that I love and a few 14 fret guitars that are just as good. They have a different "feel", to me. I don't have enough serous time with the ukulele to really tell the difference, 12 vs 14, but I can imagine it is there in some of the same ways.
 
Congratulations!
Yes, Romero Creations ukes are not built the status quo. They sure sound good.
 
Congrats! Romero Creations makes really nice ukes. I think my next uke will be one of theirs. The hard part is deciding which one. I do like these Replicas!
 
Of course, I love my Romero Tiny Tenor, but regardless, I do think that designating one of your own products as a "replica" of one of your other products, is a bit over the top. Sort of like an author quoting himself.
 
Just to chime in, Pepe Romero Jr. makes handmade, tenor-scale ukuleles, I believe in San Diego, that go for about $2-3K. Maybe more for custom orders which have about a year wait. My understanding is that he’s an actual luthier (not just a craftsman/artisan), and he makes different models, but it’s this tenor design that is produced in factories in Vietnam and was given the “replica” designation. I think the replica name has been a turn-off to some, so it’s been redesignated as his “signature” tenor.

I think the easiest way to distinguish between the replicas and the ones handmade by Pepe Romero himself is the abalone rosette and purfling—the factory made have abalone, whereas the custom ones usually do not. The custom ones also typically lack any logo on the headstock and have a french polish finish as opposed to the gloss finish on the factory models. Basically, the replicas look a little more blingy.
 
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