As I posted about in a recent thread, I have been following Anuenue USA since they launched. While I own (and adore) an Anuenue Moonbird concert, I had toyed with buying a UC10 color series concert. I really liked the aesthetics and wanted to check out their lower end line. Sadly, by the time I had decided to do so, Anuenue USA was all out of stock. So I put a pin in that and waited.
Well, they finally got them back in stock, so I ordered a UC10 concert in Quiet Shade (the grey color.) It arrived via USPS later that week (just yesterday as I write this.)
Let's get a couple of things out of the way right up front. This is a sub $200 instrument. It was on sale for ~$160 at the time I purchased it. Anuenue USA charged for shipping, but I would expect nothing less for an order this cheap coming all the way from Hawaii. I believe it was about $38 to get it USPS priority mail. Given the size of the box, and having used USPS priority mail to ship some ukes within the US, this is just fine, honestly. Shipping has value, and shipping isn't cheap, so I was happy to pay for it. Even being an inexpensive instrument (one of Anuenue's cheapest), it still came with a mess of goodies: a nice gig bag (more on that in a bit), a pair of stickers, a cleaning cloth, a tuning peg winder, a capo, a couple of picks, a clip-on chromatic tuner, a thing that I think is a fridge magnet, a sound hole strap, and a Herco humidifier. Now I have a lot of ukuleles, and I probably don't need most of this, but given that this sort of instrument is aimed at a more beginner market, they are pretty nice add-ons. I can't promise they include these with every low-end instrument, but they were in my box...
The instrument itself is extremely well made. I'm not sure it is really 100% flawless, but pretty close. The fit and finish are well above what I would expect for so little money.
The aesthetic won't be for everyone (as many of you know if you watched Baz's recent review of the UC10.) It is a laminate mahogany back and sides with a solid spruce top that has been completely painted a sort of pastel color; grey in this case. This gives it a sort of 1950's vibe to my eye. If I had to use one word to describe the look, it is “cute.” The paint (and the rest of the finish) is very solidly “matte.” If you came expecting the shiny, smooth gloss finish that some lines have, you have come to the wrong place. I like it a lot, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea.
The gig bag is nice, but not amazing. It is pretty well padded, and has a similar 50's sort of vibe. It has an external pocket and backpack straps. It is nicer than some of the low-end gig bags I have seen, but not the stunning Kanile'a sort of gig bag. I am perfectly happy with it for this level of instrument.
Setup direct from Anuenue USA was good, but not Mim-level amazing. It seems a touch high at the 12th, but I haven't had a chance to measure it yet. I might take the saddle down a little bit if I find the time, but it is comfortable enough to play and doesn't seem to have any major intonation problems up the neck, so I may be lazy and just leave it.
The instrument itself is very lightweight and resonant. It practically sings, honestly. It has a bright chime-y tone. I might call it “vibrant”? It has good volume and great sustain. It sounds delightful, and I suspect the tone will develop over time as the solid top opens up a bit.
Simply put, this is the nicest sub-$200 instrument I have. It's fun, it's funky, and I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a good but inexpensive instrument.
Oh, and since someone is sure to ask, yes, I did compare the sound to the Moonbird. The Moonbird wins, hands down; it has a fuller, more robust sound. At the same time, the UC10 still sounds quite good, just different. I prefer the Moonbird, and think it sounds better, but does it, considering the price, does it sound 8-times better? I can't quite answer that question…
Well, they finally got them back in stock, so I ordered a UC10 concert in Quiet Shade (the grey color.) It arrived via USPS later that week (just yesterday as I write this.)
Let's get a couple of things out of the way right up front. This is a sub $200 instrument. It was on sale for ~$160 at the time I purchased it. Anuenue USA charged for shipping, but I would expect nothing less for an order this cheap coming all the way from Hawaii. I believe it was about $38 to get it USPS priority mail. Given the size of the box, and having used USPS priority mail to ship some ukes within the US, this is just fine, honestly. Shipping has value, and shipping isn't cheap, so I was happy to pay for it. Even being an inexpensive instrument (one of Anuenue's cheapest), it still came with a mess of goodies: a nice gig bag (more on that in a bit), a pair of stickers, a cleaning cloth, a tuning peg winder, a capo, a couple of picks, a clip-on chromatic tuner, a thing that I think is a fridge magnet, a sound hole strap, and a Herco humidifier. Now I have a lot of ukuleles, and I probably don't need most of this, but given that this sort of instrument is aimed at a more beginner market, they are pretty nice add-ons. I can't promise they include these with every low-end instrument, but they were in my box...
The instrument itself is extremely well made. I'm not sure it is really 100% flawless, but pretty close. The fit and finish are well above what I would expect for so little money.
The aesthetic won't be for everyone (as many of you know if you watched Baz's recent review of the UC10.) It is a laminate mahogany back and sides with a solid spruce top that has been completely painted a sort of pastel color; grey in this case. This gives it a sort of 1950's vibe to my eye. If I had to use one word to describe the look, it is “cute.” The paint (and the rest of the finish) is very solidly “matte.” If you came expecting the shiny, smooth gloss finish that some lines have, you have come to the wrong place. I like it a lot, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea.
The gig bag is nice, but not amazing. It is pretty well padded, and has a similar 50's sort of vibe. It has an external pocket and backpack straps. It is nicer than some of the low-end gig bags I have seen, but not the stunning Kanile'a sort of gig bag. I am perfectly happy with it for this level of instrument.
Setup direct from Anuenue USA was good, but not Mim-level amazing. It seems a touch high at the 12th, but I haven't had a chance to measure it yet. I might take the saddle down a little bit if I find the time, but it is comfortable enough to play and doesn't seem to have any major intonation problems up the neck, so I may be lazy and just leave it.
The instrument itself is very lightweight and resonant. It practically sings, honestly. It has a bright chime-y tone. I might call it “vibrant”? It has good volume and great sustain. It sounds delightful, and I suspect the tone will develop over time as the solid top opens up a bit.
Simply put, this is the nicest sub-$200 instrument I have. It's fun, it's funky, and I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a good but inexpensive instrument.
Oh, and since someone is sure to ask, yes, I did compare the sound to the Moonbird. The Moonbird wins, hands down; it has a fuller, more robust sound. At the same time, the UC10 still sounds quite good, just different. I prefer the Moonbird, and think it sounds better, but does it, considering the price, does it sound 8-times better? I can't quite answer that question…
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