29moons
Well-known member
So, I recorded this week's Seasons of the Ukulele (106 - George Harrison - sound sample) on my new Cordoba 15sm Soprano uke. I was asked to give a little review by this week's host Shady Wilbury. So, here it is.
Firstly I want to say why I was in the market for a soprano uke. I have a Luna concert Tattoo and a Leolani tenor that are strung with a low G. I wanted to get a soprano for that traditional ukulele sound for those roaring twenties style songs and more traditional Hawaiian tunes.
There is a Grandma's Music near me that has a small selection of ukes, so I went in and started sampling the goods on the wall. I tried a Kala but didn't like the tone and the neck wasn't comfortable. Then I tried a Gretsch which to me wasn't made well at all, used cheap parts and couldn't stay in tune for even a few seconds. They also had those Makala's with the dolphin bridge but those didn't interest me at all. Then I picked up the Cordoba 15sm and was amazed by the feel of the neck from the start, it was so smooth and perfectly sized for me. I strummed her and she was perfectly in tune without the tiniest turns of the machines. She was beautiful and her tone sang out to me. It was exactly what I was looking for and in my price range too ($89.00.) I saw a Cordoba 20sm hanging there on the wall for about $140.00 and thought that it must sound even better than this one so I picked it up and to my absolute wonder I hated it. It didn't feel right in my hands, the construction wasn't very good at all and it was just... well, I don't know, blah. So, I put it down and went back to the 15sm. I wasn't able to purchase that day so I went home and surfed for other, better ukes in that price range for a few months but I always found myself going back to the 15sm. Finally, my wife purchased one from Amazon for me and it came perfectly setup, with Aquila strings (high G), a beautiful satin finish with a nice abalone rosette. The machines work well and hold a tuning perfectly.
It's nice having a uke strung with a high G that I can just pull out and start playing. If you're in the market for a sweet soprano in the $90.00 range, I highly recommend that you at least pick up the Cordoba 15sm and try it. The bright tone sings out and the quality construction really makes for a great low price ukulele. If you're looking to upgrade form that first uke in the $40.00 range but you're on a budget like me then this is a great uke to at least consider.
I hope that this was helpful and sorry if I rambled.
Here's a pic:
Firstly I want to say why I was in the market for a soprano uke. I have a Luna concert Tattoo and a Leolani tenor that are strung with a low G. I wanted to get a soprano for that traditional ukulele sound for those roaring twenties style songs and more traditional Hawaiian tunes.
There is a Grandma's Music near me that has a small selection of ukes, so I went in and started sampling the goods on the wall. I tried a Kala but didn't like the tone and the neck wasn't comfortable. Then I tried a Gretsch which to me wasn't made well at all, used cheap parts and couldn't stay in tune for even a few seconds. They also had those Makala's with the dolphin bridge but those didn't interest me at all. Then I picked up the Cordoba 15sm and was amazed by the feel of the neck from the start, it was so smooth and perfectly sized for me. I strummed her and she was perfectly in tune without the tiniest turns of the machines. She was beautiful and her tone sang out to me. It was exactly what I was looking for and in my price range too ($89.00.) I saw a Cordoba 20sm hanging there on the wall for about $140.00 and thought that it must sound even better than this one so I picked it up and to my absolute wonder I hated it. It didn't feel right in my hands, the construction wasn't very good at all and it was just... well, I don't know, blah. So, I put it down and went back to the 15sm. I wasn't able to purchase that day so I went home and surfed for other, better ukes in that price range for a few months but I always found myself going back to the 15sm. Finally, my wife purchased one from Amazon for me and it came perfectly setup, with Aquila strings (high G), a beautiful satin finish with a nice abalone rosette. The machines work well and hold a tuning perfectly.
It's nice having a uke strung with a high G that I can just pull out and start playing. If you're in the market for a sweet soprano in the $90.00 range, I highly recommend that you at least pick up the Cordoba 15sm and try it. The bright tone sings out and the quality construction really makes for a great low price ukulele. If you're looking to upgrade form that first uke in the $40.00 range but you're on a budget like me then this is a great uke to at least consider.
I hope that this was helpful and sorry if I rambled.
Here's a pic:
