car/garage/outside Uke

diasuke

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Hello all,

I'd like a Uke to keep in the car/garage/outdoors...

Obviously durability, ability to withstand Maryland temperatures, durability (I've got four little kids) are big issues.

However, as a musician I want two other things out of this uke...I want for it to stay in tune and be comfortable to play.

The waterman is a no go due to intonation/tuning issues
The Outdoor Uke is a little more expensive (and I don't need it to withstand THOSE kind of temps)
Is the Enya Carbon Fiber my choice?

I currently have a few cigar box ukes but I am afraid of the temperatures getting to those frets and perhaps warping the necks in the car....

So, in terms of playability, which is better Enya or Outdoor? I'm willing to pay more for good playability.

Am I on the right track or have I missed something else?
 
The Waterman style ukadelic soprano is in my car, the Enya Nova U concert is in my truck, and the Outdoor Tenor is in my little travel trailer. The Outdoor Tenor sounds the best to me, and the shape of the neck is wonderful compared to the Waterman and the Enya. I am normally a soprano person, btw.
 
Does size matter? If you must have a concert, the enya is your only choice. If soprano or tenor or you are flexible, I say the outdoor. I play concert...but my choice was an outdoor soprano (finding one used for $70 made the decision easy). I had a concert nova (and flight tus and m40 flea) and each had some limitation that left me wanting something else.
 
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I don't know if they're durable enough, and they're a bit more expensive, but Martin has HPL models in both soprano and concert size. I think they sound much better than most plastic or carbon fiber ukes.
 
Does size matter? If you must have a concert, the enya is your only choice. If soprano or tenor or you are flexible, I say the outdoor. I play concert...but my choice was an outdoor soprano (finding one used for $70 made the decision easy). I had a concert nova (and flight tus and m40 flea) and each had some limitation that left me wanting something else.

That’s just the feedback I needed. I think an outdoor soprano might be the ticket
 
I keep my Magic Fluke Flea in the car in all conditions. Always stable, no issues....
 
This is the uke that lives in my car. I bought it direct from China via AliExpress. It cost less than US$30; its body is made from High Pressure Laminate; it plays well; it sounds very respectable; it's as tough as an old boot; I won't weep if it gets damaged. It is pretty generic. There are lots of brands just like it.

The weather here in the UK is not too extreme. The main thing that can go wrong is the high temperature that can build up in a parked car during the summer months. It doesn't affect this uke itself, but it can destroy the strings!
HPL body, soprano.jpg
 
This is the uke that lives in my car. I bought it direct from China via AliExpress. It cost less than US$30; its body is made from High Pressure Laminate; it plays well; it sounds very respectable; it's as tough as an old boot; I won't weep if it gets damaged. It is pretty generic. There are lots of brands just like it.

The weather here in the UK is not too extreme. The main thing that can go wrong is the high temperature that can build up in a parked car during the summer months. It doesn't affect this uke itself, but it can destroy the strings!
View attachment 134136

Quite a smart little uke! Having traveled to the UK I certainly understand that the temps aren’t quite that extreme. Here in the Mid-Atlantic it can get very cold and very hot. My main concern would be the the glue on the braces and the frets lifting, that’s why I’m looking for a mostly composite uke.
 
That’s just the feedback I needed. I think an outdoor soprano might be the ticket

I got one of these for my wife. I really like that it is made in the USA and I think that the green color looks great. I also like that the neck profile is flat on the back rather than curved.

Having said all that, I got to see a Flight TUS soprano after buying the Outdoor and I thought the Flight sounded better at about half the cost. But I would still go with the OU, personally.
 
I got one of these for my wife. I really like that it is made in the USA and I think that the green color looks great. I also like that the neck profile is flat on the back rather than curved.

Having said all that, I got to see a Flight TUS soprano after buying the Outdoor and I thought the Flight sounded better at about half the cost. But I would still go with the OU, personally.


I pretty much agree with all that, flight vs. outdoor my take, ymmv:
-flight is heavy, my soprano weighed more that my solid and laminate concert ukuleles
-much better tuners on the outdoor, rebuildable if grit gets in the gears
-no strap buttons on the outdoor (I don't use a strap), flight had one (maybe two) and was installed very crooked
-can't remember if flight had side markers, outdoor does not, but easily added
-a fret marker on my flight had fallen out, frets felt small with inadvertent pulloffs possible (someone else mentioned this in forums)
-nut widths are slightly different but minimally so, with wider spacing at the bridge on the flight
-still might want to use a bag with the flight (bag that comes with is merely a dust cover), my outdoor goes case-free always, a true beater
-flight wins on cost, but I got my outdoor used and not much more than the cost of the flight
-sound probably favors the flight, but when/where used just having something to play is more important, I got rid of my first outdoor because it seemed kinda quiet
-imo the outdoor has the better neck profile and texture and a more plain look that I prefer. if they only made a concert...
 
Ok. So which one will I play more an outdoor uke or a flea?
 
If you are talking about a uke in a car, bear in mind that while the instrument may resist the temperatures, the strings might not.

I think a plywood uke is best for a car. IMO the only ukes that really suffer in hot cars are old things made with hide glue. I had a Harmony which completely unglued itself in transit once. It literally fell to bits. The only time I have ever had uke strings snap was after retuning them when the uke had been really hot and gone out of tune.

A cheap uke that plays in tune and has OK action is fine, but if it dies you just get another. I bet you could get one for 1/10 of the price of either of these other ones you're looking at.

I know there is prestige, but really I don't believe the Flea or Outdoor uke are particularly nice sounding. I would much rather have a nice wooden uke in a hard case.
 
Well, I settled that. Today I bought a Flight travel uke AND a Aklot Bamboo Cutaway Tenor.
 
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