NUD Cherry Bonanza Homestead Baritone

[scrambled_eggs]

It’s on its way! Shelley Mai was kind enough to post a clip before sending it out. Sounds resonant, tight, and responsive which is what i look for most in the tactile feel of an instrument.

Its also gorgeous! Of course more sound samples and pictures to come. Thank you to @bazmaz to introducing this brand to my life.

 

[mikelz777]

I love my Homestead cherry concert, it's a keeper. Mine has different closed-gear tuners.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

So I've had this beauty a few days and I love it! This isn't a full review and if you're interested in it, check out Got A Ukulele's review of the homestead baritone. I know many of us here probably watch these reviews, so I am just going to add my own thoughts and observations.

This instrument came with two wound and low D standard baritone tuning, but I ended up changing to re-entrant dGBE tuning Seagur pinks as I noticed the two flourocarbon strings it came with were fraying a bit. I also wanted to adjust the action at the saddle as it was a 3.5mm at the 12th, which is far to high for me. Currently at 2.5mm and I may lower slightly more on the next change, but the action is currently perfect at the nut and I don't want to hurt the sound on an already thin instrument. That said, this baby PROJECTS and sounds lovely. It is definitely a bit more directional than a uke with bent sides and you really get the best volume in front or behind the body. Will post some sound samples maybe later today if I get a chance.



Beautiful cherry woodgrain. I am guessing these aren't quartersawn based on the grain, but what do I know.






Of note compared to my Martin T1K and Kala Elite, the fingerboard is pretty thick. I was wondering if this would make any impact at all and I've found it's nice having the extra distance from the soundhole when fingerpicking, I'm a fan. There is some gunky glue or something as you can see around the 12th fret, but it just seems like a small cosmetic blemish and doesn't bother me too much.




The package I received on Friday came with a nice note telling how to restring a through body bridge and a note indicating the nut wasn't glued in for easy changing. Just holds itself in place with string tension, much like the saddle. I upgraded to Gotoh planetary tuners and it's my first time using them. Very nice and smooth and I think make this minimalist baritone look even cooler.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Mind the dust! It actually came a bit saw dusty, but I gave it a good clean when I changed the strings, not sure what this is from, ha. I like the star shapes for the strings on the saddle, but wish the break angle was just slightly greater. This angle affects the perceived string tension and is why sometimes the strings slip or feel lose when strumming near the saddle. It's a nice tension, but I prefer just a bit more or a slight increase in the string distance at the saddle.







You can see the router marks inside. I kind of wonder why the insides aren't sanded, but I guess it doesn't matter much since it sounds great anyway.




This neck will not be for everyone, but I love it. It's CHUNKY, which I find comfortable. Doubly so with the thick fingerboard. The frets are awesome the the edges of the fretboard are extremely comfortable. The frets themselves are low and thin which are also to my preference. Intonation is great.




I don't know if I've ever seen a two piece headstock (not counting the cherry face on it). Anyway, the tuners are a nice comfortable distance from the nut and there is no likely chance you'd bump them while playing if you went with standard geared tuners.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Some other costmetic marks on the fingerboard. They don't particularly bother me, but may be something you run into if you order from them. I think the fret markers here may be aspen? They look neat!

 

[Nickie]

Congrats, scrambled eggs!

 

[Jim Hanks]

I don't have a Homestead model but I have a "super tenor" with 19" scale. Very easy player and very quiet with the cFAD tuning I have on it.

The only thing that surprises me about yours is the action it came with. I havent measured mine but I can't imagine it being anywhere close to 3.5mm. 2mm is a lot to have to take off a saddle without affecting the rest of the setup. Glad you got that sorted but that is surprising

 

[Jerryc41]

It’s on its way! Shelley Mai was kind enough to post a clip before sending it out. Sounds resonant, tight, and responsive which is what i look for most in the tactile feel of an instrument.

Its also gorgeous! Of course more sound samples and pictures to come. Thank you to @bazmaz to introducing this brand to my life.

They make very nice ukes.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Finally posting the sound sample. This is sight read so pardon the mistakes as I'm still learning it

Edit: worth noting that since my original post I have restrung with Worth Brown Baritone, re-entrant D

 

[Kenn2018]

Nice playing. Looks great. The sound is really good. Unique in a good way. Almost makes me want to try baritone—almost.

 

[tm3]

That is a beautiful instrument. I really like the style of the Homesteads.

I'm really puzzled, though, how a custom made instrument from an established maker gets delivered with a 3.5mm action. Fortunately you were able to fix it but someone like me would be stuck especially if as Jim notes the corrective actions induced other setup problems.

 

[VegasGeorge]

I'm glad you're happy with it! Always nice to get a new one that you like. But, I do have a few concerns stemming from your photos. The neck doesn't seem to be fitted to the body properly. I see gaps. The nut isn't fitted into the neck very well. It looks sloppy to me. And of most concern, it looks to me as if the bridge is starting to lift up off the top. I see a gap between the bridge and the top that shouldn't be there.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Just realized you're right about the bridge. I'll have to glue that down a bit more maybe, bummer. Overall I love the feel of the instrument, but some of the concerns you and others noted definitely have my scratching my head a bit at the price.

 

[badhabits]

The strings look deep into the nut too, deep string slots.

 

[besley]

That is a beautiful instrument. I really like the style of the Homesteads.

I'm really puzzled, though, how a custom made instrument from an established maker gets delivered with a 3.5mm action. Fortunately you were able to fix it but someone like me would be stuck especially if as Jim notes the corrective actions induced other setup problems.

That might be an area for them to work on. I ordered an HPL Flatlander Tenor from them a couple of years ago for use at local festivals. It's great for that, as you don't need a stand, and frankly doesn't look like anything one would bother stealing. Anyway, the action as received was so high that after I sanded down the saddle to get to 2.3 mm at the 12th fret, there was only about 1/16" of saddle standing proud of the bridge. My solution was to sand down the bridge to expose more saddle and add string ramps to improve the break angle. Not hard to do, but not everyone would have the time or skills - and shouldn't have been necessary.

As for the slight blemish or two around the neck on this new Baritone, I think most of you folks are being WAY too picky. This isn't a $1500 K brand, so don't expect perfection.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

That might be an area for them to work on. I ordered an HPL Flatlander Tenor from them a couple of years ago for use at local festivals. It's great for that, as you don't need a stand, and frankly doesn't look like anything one would bother stealing. Anyway, the action as received was so high that after I sanded down the saddle to get to 2.3 mm at the 12th fret, there was only about 1/16" of saddle standing proud of the bridge. My solution was to sand down the bridge to expose more saddle and add string ramps to improve the break angle. Not hard to do, but not everyone would have the time or skills - and shouldn't have been necessary.

As for the slight blemish or two around the neck on this new Baritone, I think most of you folks are being WAY too picky. This isn't a $1500 K brand, so don't expect perfection.

Yeah, I can't really go lower without sanding down the bridge at this point. Would love to see pics of the string ramps and know more about that!

At what dollar value am I allowed to be concerned with cosmetic issues? This was $500 (after gotoh tuners and shipping).

 

[besley]

Yeah, I can't really go lower without sanding down the bridge at this point. Would love to see pics of the string ramps and know more about that!

At what dollar value am I allowed to be concerned with cosmetic issues? This was $500 (after gotoh tuners and shipping).

String ramps are simple, but they will require a very small drill bit of some type.

FRETS.COM

Sanding down the bridge was simple, as I just used a sanding block with 80 grit paper, finished up with 200 grit, and oiled the wood. But that's the sort of thing that can't be reversed and is usually frowned upon for expensive instruments like old Martins. It can lessen the volume some, but I haven't noticed. As for the cosmetic issues, again I think you are being unrealistic at this price range to expect absolute perfection in the finish.

 

[badhabits]

Yeah, I can't really go lower without sanding down the bridge at this point. Would love to see pics of the string ramps and know more about that!

that reminds me of a thread where someone tried to set up a waterman... not a good comparison!

 

[chris667]

The fretboard is OK, IMO. It is a bit of a Friday afternoon job. But it sounds nice! The sound is the only thing that matters really. I think it is pretty acceptable for the price.

Personally, I don't think 3.5mm action is particularly high for a baritone uke. If you go lower you are likely to lose dynamic range.