bnolsen
Well-known member
how do you like your new kpk ? is that a good value for under 200usd?
Ukuleles from Vietnam on Ebay?
- Thread starter SquireM
- Start date
how do you like your new kpk ? is that a good value for under 200usd?
anthonyg
Well-known member
Keep reminding yourself that sound and ease of play come first, especially for a beginner, and looks come farther down the list (after durability, ease of tuning, persistence of tuning, even smell ...) I recommend the Applause line for entry. The AU10 is just over $100. I have a UA20 that literally hangs on the wall of my office for easy grabbing, I let the kids play it without worrying about lasting damage and play it to them when they're in the tub without worry about splashing. Good sound, easy to play, nice hardware. Easy. Though if you have $200 burning a hole in your pocket you can get something pretty fine in the marketplace here...
Inksplosive AL
Well-known member
Bummer two weeks into my Bruce Wei Tenor and I notice what I think is a crack starting against the grain on the back. I photo shoot it and in giving her a once over I notice the crack starting straight down the top under the bridge.
Guess I lost the lotto. With all the rain here in CT the last two weeks I doubt humidity was much of an issue. Sad thing is I would try another one as someone said it is a handmade instrument good and bad.
~AL
Guess I lost the lotto. With all the rain here in CT the last two weeks I doubt humidity was much of an issue. Sad thing is I would try another one as someone said it is a handmade instrument good and bad.
~AL
ukemunga
Well-known member
I think it's on par with Mainland and I don't really have a large frame of reference. I love the tone of the acacia and I'm very comfortable with the feel of it.
Not particularly into bling so went with the basic concert model. I think it looks very traditional and more high-end that is is $wise. I think they're a good value great-sounding reasonably priced uke.
anthonyg
Well-known member
Sorry to hear. Crack against the grain? What do you mean here? Cracking across the grain would be VERY difficult.
EDIT: Its probably been book matched. Bookmatching the top is common. Maybe its a bit obvious where often its done so well that its hard to notice.
Anthony
BlackBearUkes
Well-known member
Cracks that show up with the cross grain are usually there before the uke is assembled and only appear after the finish is on. The only way to repair that kind of crack is to glue a support patch on the inside to keep it from opening up any further. As for the long crack on the top, it can be glued back together while the crack is fresh. Don't wait too long or the crack will start to collect dirt. Only time will tell if the top plate continues to crack in other places, if the wood wants to move (dry out) it will do so, no matter how much you try to keep moisture in it. IMO, these import ukes are always a crap shoot.
Inksplosive AL
Well-known member
Thanks for the replies I started a thread (with pictures) on this under reviews, maybe I need to ask a mod to move it to uke support or start another thread there on the repair.?.?.?
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...uce-Wei-is-taking-a-wee&p=1434706#post1434706
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com...uce-Wei-is-taking-a-wee&p=1434706#post1434706
gbeckwith
Member
I just wanted to add my two cents to this. We have three ukes, and a very old banjo uke. The ukes are a Lanakai concert, and two tenors, a finish it yourself rosewood and spruce uke from taisamlu, and a finished maple uke with floral inlay and MOP binding from inlaidartist, so that's quite a gamut.
The Asian ukes are still not even a month old in the States.
My impression is that the Lanakai is probably the worst sounding, followed by the inlaid maple. The rosewood finish it yourself is very resonant and sounds the best and has the best projection. The one issue with it is that the top was cracked to the left of the sound hole before it was strung, and when the string tension was put on it. I found that it was due to a brace being broken. I repaired the break, and the crack, and it's fine, very stable now. Sounds great.
Regardless, I mentioned it to taisamlu, sent photos, and he is sending me another one. Of course I did have to pay for shipping, However, my thought is that I know I can do a much better job on this, a second time, having experienced doing it once. It was a fun project, and it does sound very nice.
As far as the inlaidartist uke, I did know full well that maple wasn't really a good tone wood so I didn't expect much from it. It does sound and play very well, just not as full bodied as the kit uke. The neck and frets were finished to a satisfactory condition, similar to the Lanakai. It came well packed in a wooden crate, and came with a gig bag, so that was nice. Looks nice and my daughter likes that as well.
Anyway, so far, I am not so turned off by the Asian ukes, but will report back after some time. All three were not very expensive. The inlaid one was the most at $175, but the Lanakai and Taisamlu were under $100 each.
If you have any interest in working on a ukelele, I would say the tenor kit from Tai is an interesting project. You need to do some minor sanding, the finish work, and some fret work.
The best part is that out of four in the house, the one we built is the one that my daughter likes the best.
The Asian ukes are still not even a month old in the States.
My impression is that the Lanakai is probably the worst sounding, followed by the inlaid maple. The rosewood finish it yourself is very resonant and sounds the best and has the best projection. The one issue with it is that the top was cracked to the left of the sound hole before it was strung, and when the string tension was put on it. I found that it was due to a brace being broken. I repaired the break, and the crack, and it's fine, very stable now. Sounds great.
Regardless, I mentioned it to taisamlu, sent photos, and he is sending me another one. Of course I did have to pay for shipping, However, my thought is that I know I can do a much better job on this, a second time, having experienced doing it once. It was a fun project, and it does sound very nice.
As far as the inlaidartist uke, I did know full well that maple wasn't really a good tone wood so I didn't expect much from it. It does sound and play very well, just not as full bodied as the kit uke. The neck and frets were finished to a satisfactory condition, similar to the Lanakai. It came well packed in a wooden crate, and came with a gig bag, so that was nice. Looks nice and my daughter likes that as well.
Anyway, so far, I am not so turned off by the Asian ukes, but will report back after some time. All three were not very expensive. The inlaid one was the most at $175, but the Lanakai and Taisamlu were under $100 each.
If you have any interest in working on a ukelele, I would say the tenor kit from Tai is an interesting project. You need to do some minor sanding, the finish work, and some fret work.
The best part is that out of four in the house, the one we built is the one that my daughter likes the best.
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Inksplosive AL
Well-known member
My Uke from inlaidartist (Antonio Tsai) has inlaid dragon designs and was such an odd shape (to me) that I had to have it.
The center line on top had some fill under the finish so I wasn't expecting much after seeing this. The inlay work also uses a lot of fill that really shows bad. The depth of the grain of the wood is beautiful on the back and sides. The description for my sale was wrong so I don't really know what wood its made of.
So...
Where the top is glued down the center under the bridge the finish has cracked. I got in there with a small mirror and light and its fully braced under the crack. Straight up the middle. I noticed yesterday the back center rib has cracked open slightly, also seems to be fully braced straight up the center of the back. Makes me wonder if the bracing caused the cracking.
I don't see anything yet that will harm the instruments playability at all. Its a great 5 footer, from 5 feet away it looks awesome. Up close it reminds me of my mothers old 50's 60's Chinese jewelry/music box. You can see why its not a very high dollar instrument. I paid just a hair over $200 with shipping. I was charged an extra $10 for insurance and while first a bit miffed I couldn't complain. It arrived well packed in a wooden box marked as fragile with this end up clearly defined and delivered to my home in under 7 days.
Yet I'm looking again at Bruce Wei ukuleles tonight...
Is there a right way to stabilize wood from a jungle or are we destined to be slaves to humidifiers forever?
The center line on top had some fill under the finish so I wasn't expecting much after seeing this. The inlay work also uses a lot of fill that really shows bad. The depth of the grain of the wood is beautiful on the back and sides. The description for my sale was wrong so I don't really know what wood its made of.
So...
Where the top is glued down the center under the bridge the finish has cracked. I got in there with a small mirror and light and its fully braced under the crack. Straight up the middle. I noticed yesterday the back center rib has cracked open slightly, also seems to be fully braced straight up the center of the back. Makes me wonder if the bracing caused the cracking.
I don't see anything yet that will harm the instruments playability at all. Its a great 5 footer, from 5 feet away it looks awesome. Up close it reminds me of my mothers old 50's 60's Chinese jewelry/music box. You can see why its not a very high dollar instrument. I paid just a hair over $200 with shipping. I was charged an extra $10 for insurance and while first a bit miffed I couldn't complain. It arrived well packed in a wooden box marked as fragile with this end up clearly defined and delivered to my home in under 7 days.
Yet I'm looking again at Bruce Wei ukuleles tonight...
Is there a right way to stabilize wood from a jungle or are we destined to be slaves to humidifiers forever?
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So you got a very unique instrument there. I think that's kinda the point with Antonio Tsai. My daughter loved the maple uke with the floral inlay. It's pretty. The fill doesn't detract much from it. and she's happy with it. It's got an electric guitar type gloss poly finish on it (which I do not prefer, personally), and is quite playable. It's not a tone monster, but sounds nice. It's not the worst, not the best. We are new to ukes, but have had stringed instruments forever, so based on that reference, if it holds together, the combination of looks, price, and playability (so far) make it a fair purchase. Shipping was very quick, and it arrived sfely.
As for the use of humidifiers, it depends. My opinion is that the more use of solid woods, whether from SE Asia or the USA, the greater the chances of the wood developing issues. If you want something that is pretty much impervious to humidity, then get a laminated wood instrument.
But there are no absolutes. I own two Gibson acoustics, and a mid 1960's Gibson hollow body electric. I do keep Oasis humidifiers with them in the winter now. One is a 1978 or 1979 Gibson acoustic that was always treated well, but never humidified until a couple years ago. It sat in the case for 10 years. It's fine, and plays as you'd expect. No issues with the wood or the finish. It's maple with a spruce top. The other acoustic is a EI rosewood and sitka guitar, and the electric, well, that has the older nitro finish on it, and I want to preserve that as best as I can. Now the house is probably about 40-45% RH in the spring, summer, and fall, and keeping the Oasis humidifiers in the cases in the winter, the cases stay somewhere between 40-50% RH. It's my opinion that the higher end guitars, etc. tend to be more fragile and require more care. If you go to Guitar Center, you will notice that their acoustic room is humidified, and their "Better" acoustic room (Martins, Taylors, Gibsons, etc.) has even more control of the humidity. Not too many people are going to go to that extreme in their homes.
So anyway, back to the Asian ukes. My thought is that I'll keep a humidifier with the Antonio uke, as I do with all the other instruments. Maybe it will help, maybe not. I will just try to slowly aclimate the uke to my home, and then go from there. Hopefully, it's stable, or stabilizes without issue.
As for the use of humidifiers, it depends. My opinion is that the more use of solid woods, whether from SE Asia or the USA, the greater the chances of the wood developing issues. If you want something that is pretty much impervious to humidity, then get a laminated wood instrument.
But there are no absolutes. I own two Gibson acoustics, and a mid 1960's Gibson hollow body electric. I do keep Oasis humidifiers with them in the winter now. One is a 1978 or 1979 Gibson acoustic that was always treated well, but never humidified until a couple years ago. It sat in the case for 10 years. It's fine, and plays as you'd expect. No issues with the wood or the finish. It's maple with a spruce top. The other acoustic is a EI rosewood and sitka guitar, and the electric, well, that has the older nitro finish on it, and I want to preserve that as best as I can. Now the house is probably about 40-45% RH in the spring, summer, and fall, and keeping the Oasis humidifiers in the cases in the winter, the cases stay somewhere between 40-50% RH. It's my opinion that the higher end guitars, etc. tend to be more fragile and require more care. If you go to Guitar Center, you will notice that their acoustic room is humidified, and their "Better" acoustic room (Martins, Taylors, Gibsons, etc.) has even more control of the humidity. Not too many people are going to go to that extreme in their homes.
So anyway, back to the Asian ukes. My thought is that I'll keep a humidifier with the Antonio uke, as I do with all the other instruments. Maybe it will help, maybe not. I will just try to slowly aclimate the uke to my home, and then go from there. Hopefully, it's stable, or stabilizes without issue.
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Shopvalidulich
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Hi!
I come from Vietnam ... very pleased to be acquainted with you
I come from Vietnam ... very pleased to be acquainted with you
byjimini
Well-known member
I've not had much luck with Vietnamese ukes... of the 3 I've had, 2 necks have warped and other's top came clean off.
The sellers I bought from weren't much help as they wanted it shipping back (which'll cost more than the uke itself) so I found a local luthier to fix them instead, after which they were sold on or given away.
They look lovely and the quality is good at first glance, but I wasn't pleased with the sound nor the construction after a few months of ownership. They ended up costing 3 times as much after being fixed, which I could have used on a Kala or something instead.
The sellers I bought from weren't much help as they wanted it shipping back (which'll cost more than the uke itself) so I found a local luthier to fix them instead, after which they were sold on or given away.
They look lovely and the quality is good at first glance, but I wasn't pleased with the sound nor the construction after a few months of ownership. They ended up costing 3 times as much after being fixed, which I could have used on a Kala or something instead.
anthonyg
Well-known member
I have some BRILLIANT Vietnamese ukulele's, some decent ones and some that are just wall hangers. Yes I spend some money setting them up but honestly I've had to spend money on Kala's too and that annoys me more. After spending good money on a Chinese made ukulele I DO expect it to be built and setup properly but mostly they aren't any better than the Vietnamese ukuleles in that regard.
Anthony
Anthony
coolkayaker1
Well-known member
Vietnam we are a very friendly country...
Absolutely true. The ukes are so-so, but the people--the best!
I couldn't help but notice that it has been a year since this post. I am considering a Viet Nam uke and I would like to know how well the uke in the OP is holding up.
So Al If you see this can you give us an update ?
Inksplosive AL
Well-known member
So its been a year eh? I should be much further in my playing I've just started on the last three sheets of the UBC. I was noticing the sheets are not the challenge they were a year ago. The challenge now is memorizing the names.
The crack between the book matched top in the pictured ukulele actually doesn't have bracing running its length like the back does. If I put a flashlight inside a hole I can see light through the poorly matched top. There was some fill in there that fell out after all. Under the bridge there is a brace that feels kinds like a D so I don't think its going to explode anytime soon.
Honestly I don't play it much. I keep buying more ukuleles yet I mostly play my one soprano a KA-SEM... I do pull it out of the jungle box every so often and tune it up for a little play. Its an odd concert size with a thin neck. There a weird song stuck in it I should work on pulling out. The crack on the top hasn't gotten any larger or smaller. The crack in the back through the center strip has closed quite a bit with humidity control.
The Bruce Wei I followed the advice from blackbear and stabilized the front crack with tight bond. I cracked the rear from too much compression with a clamp it looks just like the other small crack that appeared. The top crack was stabilized the rear cracks Ive left alone. This my Wei Wei tenor has opened up in sound. Its now comparable though different to my Koaloha Concert in richness and tone.
I'm just feeling soprano lately.
~YMWV~
The challenge now is memorizing the names.The crack between the book matched top in the pictured ukulele actually doesn't have bracing running its length like the back does. If I put a flashlight inside a hole I can see light through the poorly matched top. There was some fill in there that fell out after all. Under the bridge there is a brace that feels kinds like a D so I don't think its going to explode anytime soon.
Honestly I don't play it much. I keep buying more ukuleles yet I mostly play my one soprano a KA-SEM... I do pull it out of the jungle box every so often and tune it up for a little play. Its an odd concert size with a thin neck. There a weird song stuck in it I should work on pulling out. The crack on the top hasn't gotten any larger or smaller. The crack in the back through the center strip has closed quite a bit with humidity control.
The Bruce Wei I followed the advice from blackbear and stabilized the front crack with tight bond. I cracked the rear from too much compression with a clamp it looks just like the other small crack that appeared. The top crack was stabilized the rear cracks Ive left alone. This my Wei Wei tenor has opened up in sound. Its now comparable though different to my Koaloha Concert in richness and tone.
I'm just feeling soprano lately.
~YMWV~
Thanks for the update.
If I understand you correctly you keep it in a plastic box with damp sponge in a sandwich bag and it has shown a little improvement and had no further cracking. (?)
I am not sure I would enjoy a ukulele that needs to be stored in tupperware I like my ukuleles scattered around the house ready to distract me from whatever I SHOULD be doing. So I will have to weigh my options. There is a very interesting uke i've been considering on ebay from Viet Nam. (interesting if you like a uke that looks like a poster for a "B" monster movie - and who doesn't?)
If I understand you correctly you keep it in a plastic box with damp sponge in a sandwich bag and it has shown a little improvement and had no further cracking. (?)
I am not sure I would enjoy a ukulele that needs to be stored in tupperware I like my ukuleles scattered around the house ready to distract me from whatever I SHOULD be doing. So I will have to weigh my options. There is a very interesting uke i've been considering on ebay from Viet Nam. (interesting if you like a uke that looks like a poster for a "B" monster movie - and who doesn't?)
