Big Island BI-M-CTS

It's been some time since I posted here, but I have definitely caught the ukulele bug. A week ago I picked up a new old stock Big Island BI-M-CTS Concert Khaya Traditional. I paid for it with store trade that I had earned for playing at a local bookstore/resale shop!

Before I review this, I should tell you that I tend to be very cynical about outsourced instrument manufacturing. I play guitar and other fretted instruments, and every other instrument I have has been made in the USA or Canada. I hope the folks making these in Vietnam are being treated well and paid fairly. Because they are doing a great job! This is the first imported instrument I have been excited about in a long, long time.

I'll use the Ko'olau in my signature for comparison. The night I got the Big Island uke, I sat on my couch for hours just playing them, comparing them, turning them over, etc.., And I've played them both a lot this week. I used the Big Island at a gig today.

Features (8)

It's a pretty basic mahogany concert ukulele. I give it an (8) simply because I like basic instruments. I suppose it could have fancier mahogany and higher end tuners. I shouldn't give away a (10) for free. Details are here: http://www.bigislandukulele.com/products/discontinued/index.html

Sound (8)

It sounds great. It's bright in a pleasing way, and it is louder than my Ko'olau. I wrote a love song for my wife on the Ko'olau. She says it sounds better on the Big Island. I think the Ko'olau has a depth lacking in the Big Island. The Ko'olau can sound almost like a classical guitar. It has that kind of tonal complexity. But these are apples and oranges in some respects, and I can see myself enjoying the mahogany over the koa for some tunes. To my ears, the Big Island actually sounds more like a concert ukulele might be expected to sound. An (8) is my estimate of what a basic pro instrument sounds like. It's not a Holy Grail, but this makes real music.

Action, Fit & Finish (10)

This is the category that blows me away! This thing is pretty much flawless. It intonates accurately up the neck. The tuners work well and it stays in tune. I see a lot of sloppy imported guitars in my geeky quest to get my hands on a lot of instruments. This is put together every bit as well as my Ko'olau. It has a very smooth, glossy finish, and I might not like a finish like this on my guitars. But on this uke - especially on the neck where it makes it easy to move up and down the neck - it works well.

Reliability/Durability (?)

I'm not sure how to comment on this. It looks like it's put together the way it should be. Only time will tell. I'll play the beans out of it and report back in a couple decades.

Customer Support (?)

I haven't had to deal with them. NOS means no warranty I would guess. But I was happy to see they have a section describing discontinued models on their website. I wish more manufacturers did that.

Overall Rating (9)

I am a professional musician and have been playing guitar for three decades. I only picked up the ukulele earlier this year. I still demand a professional quality instrument. As I said, I'm a bit snooty about imported instruments. Even so, I'm excited about this instrument. It is different enough from my Ko'olau that I think I can justify keeping it. If there is a koa vs. mahogany war (and it appears there is!) I think I'll just skip it. I've got one of each - kind of like having a Les Paul and a telecaster. They're just different beasts, and I am very happy to have found a very inexpensive mahogany ukulele that puts a smile on my face.

I realize this instrument has been discontinued. I'd bet there are still some NOS instruments like this one out there. Hopefully Big Island's new models are built with the same care and skill because this is very impressive.

If there is any interest in this thread, I may try to record a few simple examples that show how my two ukuleles compare tonally.

Thanks!

Glad to see someone else that apreciates the quality that goes into these. I have the concert traditional Honu. I suspect if you played around with strings ,Freemont black lines or worth BMs you might even be more impressed with the sound. Fit n finish was already a 10 as it is on most BI ukes.
Only complaint I had was the action was a bit high when new $35 bucks at the shop and its perfect. Its my every day uke. I have a tenor on the way bought here, also a traditional, I love the uncluttered look and the finish and grain on these ukes just stands alone and grabs your attention. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

Hey Poppy,

Congrats on the new tenor! A couple days before I picked up the concert I just missed a chance to score a tenor with a Fishman pup in it. Literally, I walked into the store on my way to get it and watched a teenager pick it up, fall in love, and convince his mom to put the thing on hold. Good for him! It's a nicer instrument than any guitar I ever had my hands on as a teenager. So I ended up with the concert that showed up a few days later, and I'm as happy as a clam!

I have noticed that the Ko'olau has better tone higher up the neck. The BI gets a little more difficult to pull tone out of as you climb into the higher register. I'm getting to know this thing though, and I still like it a lot!

Well the tenor arrived and I put on the worth BM's to me a much different sound than the aquilla's, more mellow and clear. Think I like the freemont blacklines better but these are ok. As much as I like this uke I may like the concert better. Lord choices choices lol. The worths are settling and getting mo better.

The strings on my Ko'olau are D'addario and are due for a change. The strings on the BI are probably old as it was an NOS instrument. I don;t know what they are. I always play D'addario on my guitars. What might you recommend for these ukes? The Ko'olau has a darker tone on its own. I kind of like that and don't intend to try brightening it up.

Thanks! Congrats on the tenor.

poppy said:

Well the tenor arrived and I put on the worth BM's to me a much different sound than the aquilla's, more mellow and clear. Think I like the freemont blacklines better but these are ok. As much as I like this uke I may like the concert better. Lord choices choices lol. The worths are settling and getting mo better.

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It was strung with Worth Clears, not Aquilla's... at least, that's what I remember. I hated the Aquilla's.

Melissa82 said:

It was strung with Worth Clears, not Aquilla's... at least, that's what I remember. I hated the Aquilla's.

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Whew thanks melissa you saved me from admitting that the "aquillas" really didnt sound bad lol. I did want to switch to low G. Pehaps thats why I didnt get the dramatic change I expected that I have gotten on every set I swapped out. Been playing the new uke every day. The action and intonation are perfect and for me thats rare. Its a larger body than my other tenors, It is too large for my OS hard case, I thought pehaps that would be a better case than the uke crazy for my humidifiers but its a bit too snug. So don't buy an OS case for the Honu. I actually like the uke crazy its the same one I have for the ka-s I bought. My OU6 fits it fine lol Charlie try the Freemont blackline, mediums, low G I had them on the mainland mahogany I had and and they sounded "darker" or as I prefer more mellow. Course that was a change from aquillas to others. I currently run a mix of worth BM's and a freemont s on my OU6 and its the best sounding set so far ,the worth low G isnt quite as floppy as the freemonts but I like the BM c e a better lol. They seem to react better to the amp in this config although they are quieter on this particular uke ,but if your amped who cares "grin". The only other set I would liike to try are from southcoastukes but I still cant figure out what the ones I would like to try are lol. At the rate I mess with strings I shoulda loaded up during elderlys sale but thought I had plenty EH WRONG lol. Again Melissa I am loving this uke and I may have cured my uas. Less some day I hit the lotto and I can buy one of the mermaid ukes. but on my retirement income not likely.

I'm glad you like, it was hard parting with it but I knew that someone else would get better use out of it.

Thanks for the string recommendation. I like the Ko'olau with a high G, so maybe I'll string the Big Island with a low G for variety's sake. Though I tend to like the high G arrangement. It sounds more "ukulele" to me, and if I want a low G I can just capo my old Martin nylon string guitar. I'll have to experiment a bit. But that's part of the fun!

You are correct on the more traditional sound and high g for sure. But you might like the worth clears in that case they come in different sizes and tensions. Don't have a classical 6 string ,fact is its how I ended up with a Uke lol. I was shopping for a classical with a smaller neck. Old hands and a bit of a pain. ,my takanime and my fender tele haven't been out of the closet for a few years. Mostly i sit in my room and play old country stuff or 40's /50's singing to myself lol. So low G works well for chording and the florocarbon strings are much softer on my fingers.