The jumping flea:
an appreciation and review of ukuleles
I'm not a musician: I'm just someone who likes to make
music. I hack away at it; I have since I was 14, back when the Beatles were
still new. For a short while in my 20s
and 30s, I was very serious about playing
music; I studied, I tried many instruments, and I jammed a lot, every
week almost, but because I don't have any real
musical talent or training, my enthusiasm generally outpaced my talent. Still, I enjoy playing, and perhaps learning even more. So
this is a page for amateurs like me.
Last Spring, Susan decided to give me a gift of a new guitar
after a hiatus of not owning one -
a beautiful
blue Takamine 540C. Wonderful guitar with excellent sound. Blue because of my affinity for
Wallace Stevens' famous poem. I later bought an electric guitar, an
American-made Stratocaster clone. Plus I started playing harmonica again (see
my harmonica pages, linked on the left).
A few months ago I decided to add ukulele to my
practice.
It was not intentional. I actually wanted to learn to play the charango. I had
heard buskers playing charango in Zihuatanejo at La Casa Cafe and I
became very interested in the little instrument. I spoke at length (in
my abysmal Spanish) to one of the performers, and he even let me try out
his charango. I thought it would be fun to learn. How hard could it be,
something that small?
So I ordered
a charango from an eBay seller. It came right from Bolivia. In the
intervening month between order and arrival, I decided I could learn
some ukulele because they're tuned similarly. Besides, I had been
brought up listening to George Formby on the banjo ukulele (or banjolele),
so it was in my blood.
I went to the local music
stores for advice and to purchase (always shop local, first). I was shown some cheap
$30 or less knock-offs,
and my inquiries for something of higher quality met with a shrug of the
shoulders, and the presentation of a catalogue with a single "better"
($75) uke listed. The impression I got from my discussions was that ukuleles
weren't treated as serious instruments, not serious enough for either store to have
a tuned one on hand at least. And certainly not serious for anyone to
want to take my money for one.
I went online again, to find
something a little better than the inexpensive Chinese-made brands I had
seen at
the local music store. And I got caught in the tar baby trap. So many
brands, such a range of quality. Choices, choices, choices. So of course I had to spend hours
surfing uke-related forums, blogs and websites, trying to match my
growing interests with my limited budget, trying to understand
everything about
ukulele brands, woods, strings, sizes and finishes, reading reviews and
comparisons.
I also spent time on YouTube and similar sites looking at the brilliant
new performers - like
Jake Shimabukuro
and
Mike Okouchi and
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - who have turned the uke from a novelty into a serious musical instrument
for a new generation,
and in turn helped spawn the ukulele renaissance. And let us not forget
Tiny Tim, whose
novelty act hid a wealth of talent, and to whom most of us owe a debt
because he kept the ukulele in vogue at a time when it was waning in
popularity. Their talent was an
inspiration, although I could never aspire to anything that good.
It was
also an inspiration to spend a whole lot more than I originally intended
for what was then a passing fancy. I ended up spending more than $300 for the ukulele,
case, shipping from Hawaii and the Canadian and Ontario governments'
egregious tax grab (why must I pay provincial sales tax on an item that
isn't sold or distributed anywhere in Canada, much less made in Canada?
Thieves in high places...).
My first uke was a solid-spruce top Kala tenor (see below). It was a
huge leap up from my first thought of a $30 'throw-away' uke. I
immediately fell in love with the instrument. It was beautifully made,
sounded crisp and clear and played like a charm. I was hooked, and
couldn't stop playing. I downloaded songs and tabs and practiced late
into the night, trying to become accustomed to the instrument.
There's an illness called "UAS" -
Ukulele acquisition Syndrome. It
strikes all of us who start to play. I think it's spread through Web pages that feature
ukuleles. I got it early in my introduction to the uke. I ended up
buying several ukuleles in quick succession, most from the same eBay seller ('musicguymic'
who has a large eBay store). Every time a UAS sufferer sees a new model,
he or she wants to
get it, just to try it out... I met a chap from a nearby Ontario town
with 45 ukuleles. Now that's a serious case of UAS*!
Eventually the charango arrived. I spent a few hours tuning it and
tinkering with it. It wasn't nearly as well made as any of the ukes I'd
purchased; it sounded thin and had rough fret edges. Not like I
remembered it at all. I put it on
consignment at the local music store a few days later and sold it within
a week (at a loss, of course). By that time, I was thoroughly
hooked on ukuleles and didn't want the distraction. I even sold my
Strumstick, some harmonicas and flutes to purchase ukes.
I have been having a blast
learning to play. More fun than I've had in ages. A lot more expensive
than buying harmonicas, so I can't indulge in a comprehensive review of ukes
like I
did with harmonicas. I'm completely taken by the sound. I have
purchased a few
good ukes, but hope one day to own a truly premium model (as soon as I
win the lottery...). One of the things I'm enjoying is playing the 'old
time' songs that have been resurrected with the ukulele renaissance.
Another is the fun challenge of trying to adapt favourite guitar songs
for the uke. But pound for pound, the ukulele is hard to beat for
putting smiles on your face.
A brief comment
for people not familiar with ukuleles: a uke is really a small,
four-string guitar (ukulele owners may blanch at this description; it
is true, but you could equally think of a guitar as a fat ukulele...). The strings are tuned like the higher four strings
on a guitar; the same relationship except five frets higher. Those same
strings on a guitar are tuned D-G-B-A, but a
ukulele (soprano, concert and tenor) is tuned higher, at G-C-E-A.
However, the
'standard' uke is tuned with the G string an octave higher (called
re-entrant tuning). So it's the same
note, just higher and brighter. It does mean that, if you're a guitar player, you
can play the same chords and finger picking patterns, but the
high-G
string creates a different sort of sound. You have to change some of
your patterns if you use some bass runs or particular finger picking
patterns, but it's easy to get
accustomed to playing a uke coming from a guitar.
You can also string
a uke in low-G tuning, so it has a bass note in the fourth string, not a
high note. This makes it even more guitar-like. Some songs definitely
work better in low-G, but others are best in high-G. Personally, I like both, but
I tend to play my high-G ukes more because I prefer the sound and it
makes the uke different from a guitar.
In the 1920s and 30s,
there were other popular tunings for ukuleles (A-D-F#-B most often), but you seldom see them
today. Some string packages make note of these tunings because the
strings can be used in standard or alternate tunings. But the most
common is G-C-E-A. I haven't tried it yet, but I intend to try tuning
one to an open chord and see how it plays. Think Joni Mitchell on a
ukulele... I've also read of a few people using a slide on a ukulele,
but it's rare. Nylon strings don't lend themselves well to certain
styles.
Baritone ukuleles are much more like a mini guitar because they're the
largest in size, and are tuned D-G-B-E, exactly like a guitar, with a
low D. But
this size is not as popular as the smaller sizes and some uke owners get
sniffy about baritones as being too much like a guitar. Tenors seem to be the most
popular these days, but there are people passionate about all sizes. The
small size of the soprano gives it a certain novelty cachet that
attracts people. The even smaller sopranino is still a fairly uncommon
instrument.
Possibly the most difficult thing is unlearning some guitar habits. I
initially over-reached, trying to find bass strings that weren't there,
or to reach frets that were much closer than I expected, feeling cramped
in the small space. But you adjust
with practice and persistence. Now I find guitars harder to play because they have so
much space and those extra strings... not to mention all that weight.
Then there's the playing style: the uke lends itself to a
strumming/picking style, without a pick (although a few people use a
felt pick to strum - I personally find it dulls the sound). My own
hybrid style comes from playing
a lot of folk music in the 1960s and 70s. My guitar heroes included John
Fahey, Leo Kottke and Fred Neil. But when I listen to George Formby
again, I
appreciate how good you can be as just a strummer.
Herein are my notes and conclusions (ongoing as I get and learn more). I hope they may help you
make your own decisions about some ukuleles. Caveat emptor: pros may
likely have
other ideas and reach different conclusions, and as I said, I'm just an amateur. But I don't sell anything,
and I don't have any sponsorship or links with any of these companies to
protect, and I bought all the ukes here, so I can afford to be honest.
This is an ongoing project, and will grow as I learn more and get more
ukuleles to test. I will also post some sound and video clips shortly, once I
perfect the technology to record them at home. YouTube? Perhaps in the
near future... (I just got the camera and some software so I need time
to learn how to use both).
Comments? Want me to include something I missed? Know of ukuleles or
uke accessories I
should consider? Or links I should include?
Email me:
ichadwick@sympatico.ca
And a final thought: my experience in buying online has been
mixed and not always positive, although usually entertaining. Descriptions are not always accurate and
may owe more to artistic licence than to accuracy.
Some manufacturers and distributors have been very fast to ship, but
others have taken four or more weeks to get items to me. Beware of excessive shipping charges.
Some sellers may use shipping costs to help
pad a low selling price. One seller, musicguymic, in Hawaii charged me a
reasonable $30 to mail a ukulele with hardshell case to Canada. Elderly
Instruments, in the continental US wanted $70 to mail a smaller, lighter
uke without even a simple gig bag. Guess which one got my business?
Always check and confirm shipping costs before committing to buy
on eBay or through online sellers.
And international buyers beware: "brokerage" fees charged by
couriers like UPS can be excessive and make an instrument a lot more
expensive than you expect. UPS recently charged me $40 for "brokerage"
on a used uke valued at $100 USD while Canada Post charged $8.95
processing fee (the exact same work and effort as "brokerage" requires)
for a new uke valued at $250 USD and the same for one valued at $500 USD. UPS charged almost four and a half
times the amount for the same work. Exorbitant? Excessive? Customer
hostile? Pick your synonym. And when I called to complain about this
excess? The UPS rep basically said, "too bad, pay up." Needless to say, I won't use UPS for shipping instruments across a border again!
* "Thought is an infection. In the case of certain thoughts, it becomes
an epidemic."
Wallace Stevens. Apologists call it "Ukulele Appreciation
Syndrome." Susan looks at the ukes I've collected since I first
manifested symptoms, and disagrees, although she admits it seems to be
catching online. She is, however, immune.
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My first
ukulele was this Kala solid spruce top, cutaway tenor with
electric pickup (KA-STE). It has mahogany back and sides, but
since it is not specified as solid, I suspect the back and sides
are laminates. I don't mind laminates on the back and side, but
I really prefer solid wood soundboards. The spruce gives a
clear, bright tone.
I was completely unsure of what to expect, and
only hoped for something that didn't disappoint me, but the Kala
exceeded everything. It is beautifully made, with a brilliant
gloss finish, nice binding and a solid wood (Sitka spruce) top. On top of that
it came with a nice hard-shell case. This is the instrument that
started me on this road.
I immediately noticed that the strings are tight, more so than
my guitar. The tenor is
the same tuning as the soprano, but with a longer scale length,
it means the strings are stretched much tighter. This has two
effects. First it makes the strings loud and bright.
Second, they are tighter, so they don't bend as easily as
soprano strings (and indeed guitar strings, especially
electric). This was felt in my aching finger tips of my left
hand: new calluses are forming.
Kalas are, from what I have seen and read online, probably the best 'production
line' ukuleles around. They're made in China, but the build
quality is very, very good based on the one I received. The
finish is good, the neck smooth, the intonation good. The tuners
are sealed, geared tuners.
Intonation is how well the frets line up with the notes you
should produce at that location on the string. It's important because if it is not perfect, your notes will sound flat or
sharp, not in tune. For a small neck, it's critical because even
a minute distance from the right spot can affect play.
Plugging the guitar into an amp
produces a bit of feedback through the piezo pickup and active
electronics, but not an
excessive amount unless you really crank up the volume. This Kala
model comes with basic volume and tone controls through a
built-in pre-amp. It uses a small, easily replaced battery for power. If you look
at the photos, you can see the wiring running from the pre-amp
to the pickup, visible through the sound hole. That's not very
attractive. This wiring sometimes shifts and touches the
back, causing a bit of a buzz. It's easily fixed by moving it by
hand, but I will need to devise a permanent solution (or better
yet, the factory should!).
Another source for buzzing was the pickup connector button on
the bottom. It screws in and is easy to correct, but the entire
assembly was loose when the Kala arrived. The connector, by the
way, is a great place to hang a strap on. Unfortunately there
isn't a second strap button, so you'll need a tie-on style strap
that attaches to the head.
The cutaway design is non-traditional, but lets me reach higher
frets more easily than I might be able to reach on a traditional
figure-8 design.
The hardshell case is hard foam - good, light, albeit a teensy bit bulky: it has
lots of room to carry other things, plus Velcro straps to hold
the uke's neck safely in place. It has two external straps to it's easy
to carry on tour shoulder or back.
As an introduction to the world of ukuleles, this was probably
the best choice I could have made. I will likely get a second
Kala in the future, but I am not sure about which model to
choose.
NB: The strap did not come with the uke. It's my guitar strap.
And it's too big and doesn't fit in the case very well, either. A
smaller strap is recommended, see below.
Would I purchase another Kala? Yes.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes, without reservation.
Rating (0-5): ****
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I purchased this
solid-body electric tenor ukulele for my wife, Susan. Not for her to
play, mind you, rather so I could practice quietly at night
without disturbing her. This model has a built-in pre-amp that
includes a headphone jack (plus headphones) so I can practice
late at night. Plus I figured it would let me wail through my
amp.
First thing I noticed is that the Eleuke does not sound like a
ukulele. It sounds like a nylon-string guitar, capoed up high
and amplified.
That's not bad, but it came as a bit of a surprise, although
when you think about it, it makes sense. The sound we expect
from a uke comes from the body - the wood, the soundboard, and
the empty space (including sound hole). An electric instrument
does not have the hollow body in which sound can bounce around.
Nor does it have the sustain of an electric guitar or the grunt
and flexibility of steel strings.
The Eleuke has a single piezo pickup, and a tone and volume
button, with both headphone and 1/4" output jack. The tone control helps because the uke tends to be 'boomy'
and adding a treble end make it sound more uke-like. Of course,
you can get better effects from most amps, but this helps when
you're using headphones. It does sound good through my Roland
Cube 30X amp.
The Eleuke's pre-amp is powered by a 9-volt battery, held in the
back. It's easy to replace. It also powers the headphones
(included with the uke, but not shown here.) I seriously
considered adding some homebrew effects circuits to the pre-amp,
until a forum poster pointed out I could buy a small, portable
electronic device that gave me a ton of effects, built in, for
not a lot of money.
The only complaint I have is that the highest string is located
very, very close to the edge of the fretboard. This means that
aggressive pull-offs or down-strumming can push (or pull) the
string off the fretboard. It requires a bit of conservative
action to keep from doing that. Possibly thicker strings might
help prevent it. But the action is otherwise quite good and it's
easy to reach far up the neck to playable notes.
The padded gig bag
(or soft case) was also included. It's a trifle snug, but not to
the point of being awkward to put the uke in or remove it, but
it won't carry a lot other than a uke and a set of extra
strings. It does have an external pouch, but it's not very
large. At least it zips shut.
The design is a little odd, but the holes make the uke much
lighter than you expect, and are an easy way to carry it around, and even hold
it up when playing. The neck appeared to me to be dry, so I
immediately applied some Dunlop fretboard oil/cleaner. The
fretboard is not rough to the touch, however.
Tuners are sealed, geared. Price ranges about $250-$350
depending on woods, inlay and size. Some Eleuke clones are
showing up on eBay at lower price.
There is a second strap button on the back, which is certainly
convenient, but because the uke body is so small, a wide guitar
strap feels tight and uncomfortable at that location. I prefer
to tie a strap to the head, but it's a matter of personal taste. Look for
something thinner if you want a strap. Or make your own.
I've never compared the Eleuke to other solid-body electric ukuleles on the
market, but from comments online, they all sound similar: the
differences are mostly in style and design. The advantage of
this model is the headphone capability. If you're looking for
something that combines acoustic and electric capability, this
isn't the appropriate instrument.
After a few months, I decided I preferred acoustic ukes, so I
offered this one for sale of trade online on the various ukulele
forums. I traded it for the Applause tenor, reviewed below.
Would I purchase another Eleuke? Maybe.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes, with caveats about the
expected sound.
Rating (0-5): *** 1/2
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Based
on some very positive comments on the various ukulele forums about the Flea and
Fluke, and the apparently rabid fan base they have, I was curious about the Fluke. It's an American-made
instrument, with a plastic back and wooden top, similar in
theory to the
Ovation guitar (and their Applause ukulele
- see my review below), but with some
significant differences. First, it has a plastic fretboard - you
can get a rosewood fretboard, but it costs more. Owners spoke
well of the plastic, with the exception that it can't take wound
strings, which wear down the plastic frets.
Second, it's an unusual shape. The bottom is flat, so it can sit
upright on a flat surface without a stand. I'm not sure how the
shape affects the sound, but the general comment on the Fluke
versus a traditional shape is that the Fluke sound is 'mellow.'
The shape and plastic back creates a different sort of overtone
than a traditional wooden instrument. It's different, neither
better nor worse, and quite pleasant. It's really nice to have
the Fluke as an distinctly alternate sound to my other ukuleles.
Compared to the Applause, it has a warmer sound, with better
high-end tonal range.
The soundboard is wood: Australian hoop pine. I originally
thought it was solid, but it seems it is a laminate. It's very
thin for a laminate, however.
Flukes come with many design and colour options, some quite
attractive, others rather kitschy, all more expensive than the
solid colours, most because they include custom artwork by Tiki
King. Although I actually wanted a pale blue one - blueberry I
think it's called - that colour is no longer available. I chose
instead the unadorned 'natural' finish, a rather yellow wood,
but I always presumed I might do some artwork on it myself, at a
later date (see below for updates).
The flat bottom makes it easy to store the Fluke: just put it
down on any reasonably flat surface. No stand or hook needed! I
routinely leave mine on counters, tables or the sideboard, much
to the annoyance of my much tidier (and long-suffering) wife.
Plus the plastic back is very durable and weathers bumps and
scuffs well (a definite plus in a house with animals or
children or someone clumsy like me).

The
head is also interesting, and unlike any of the others I own. The
friction tuners appear to hold quite well, although they do slip
out of tune at times. I would have thought humidity and heat
changes would not affect the Fluke as much as a solid wood uke,
but they do.
The shape raises some eyebrows, but everyone seems to love it.
It is a tiny bit more of a challenge to hold, and when playing
doesn't rest as comfortably on a thigh as a traditional uke.
Flukes really stand out. The custom painted models stand out
even more and add a whole new, exciting look to the staid
ukulele. However the plain, natural finish lends itself to
creative thinking about custom paintwork of my own. The photo on
the right shows some ideas I've been playing with - putting a
blue agave
decal and a rosette decal on my Fluke. Haven't tried it yet, but
I did find some water-slide decals that should work, and I've
played with several designs.
The
plastic fretboard is actually quite good, and my fingers can't
tell the difference from wood. Frets are low and thin, and comfortable to
play. Flea Market Music should really consider adding fret
markers on the side of the neck, but I did it myself with a
silver, permanent marker (an idea from a member of the EZ-Folk
forums).
The Flea is
the soprano model, the Fluke is concert-sized, but is also
available with a tenor neck at a higher price. My first Fluke
was the concert, and it came with thin (but bendable) Hilo strings. I was a bit
unsure about the concert neck, because it's smaller than the
tenor, and I didn't like it as much, but I got used to it. The thinner strings were both
easy to play and quieter. I didn't find it difficult to play,
but thought I would prefer a longer neck. So I found someone who
was willing to trade my Ohana for one (see below).
The next Fluke I got had a tenor neck (traded for the Ohana,
below). I much prefer it for the extra finger room. Only the
neck is different: they share the same body size. However, it has some thicker strings
(gold) and is louder than the concert. I also find the thinner strings
of the concert tend to get pulled off the edge of the fretboard
more easily than the tighter tenor strings.
Both Flukes came with their own padded gig bags with a shoulder
strap. These are
really bags: you put the uke in from the top and pull the
drawstrings to close. The padding is concentrated on the bottom
where the wood sound board is. The bag has an external pouch,
but it's open and doesn't seal (a Velcro closer would a real
help!). For travel (as in airline), you might want to consider a
more protective hardshell case.
There are factory options for
things like strap buttons and electric pickups, too if you buy
your Fluke from them. Mine came from other sellers, so I missed
them. I recommend a strap button, however.
Any future Fluke I get will probably come with a rosewood
fretboard, so I can string it as a low-G to test it. Finding a non-wound
low-G set is not as easy as finding wound-G strings.
Easy to carry, clean, play, funky looking, fun, durable - this
is a great instrument all-round. Update: I've actually
put decals on my tenor Fluke, as the photos above show. Still
need to put on the rosette, but I can't do it with the strings
on, so I need to wait until it's ready to restring. I LIKE
the agave motif look!
Update: I think I'll sell or trade the concert Fluke. I
really don't like the size as much as the tenor. I'm in the mood
for a six-string instead, but I am also seriously thinking about
a tenor Fluke with a rosewood fretboard.
Would I purchase another Fluke? Yes, another
tenor, but I would prefer a rosewood fretboard.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes.
Rating (0-5): ****
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I've tried soprano ukes, but find the fretboard is too
restricted and cramped for my fingers. Years of guitar playing
has set me in my hard-to-break habits. Several companies have
been making soprano ukes with concert and tenor necks for old
codger like myself. I thought
this solid-mahogany soprano uke with its tenor neck would be an
interesting yet playable addition to my collection, and the solid mahogany
would create a different sound from what I already had. It might
best be described as a "warmer" sound than the spruce.
First thought was: can the neck take this string tension? The
neck long looks a bit awkward on such a small body and I
wondered if it was properly anchored to prevent it from bending.
Yet the Ohana showed no signs of warping or bending and the
intonation was good, so perhaps they have engineered the proper
solution. Obviously, you want a thin/light string to avoid
putting too much tension on the neck.
My second thought was that the neck was rather narrow, and the
high A string perilously close to the edge of the fretboard
(like the Eleuke). Close enough to deter me from making any
aggressive pull-offs.
But that's more a matter of style than a serious design flaw,
and seems more common in ukes than I perhaps was aware.
Another note: the Ohana was a matte, or silk, finish. My Kala and Pono
ukuleles are all gloss finish. As a personal preference, I prefer the look
of gloss. There is talk on the forums and
around the Web about the tonal benefits of matte over gloss,
but I haven't seen enough of either to notice any significant
difference. Both are some form of polyurethane coating that will
restrict the wood in some manner. Even lacquers and shellac used
by fine vintage instruments restrict wood vibration. Only an
oil-based finish would not. I think that while any finish will
dampen the vibrations, the real factor to be concerned about is
the thickness of the finish rather than the sound reflectivity. Cheaper ukes tend to
have thicker skins (good in politicians, bad in musical
instruments...).
The sound is what matters. Soprano ukes are all about the upper
end of the tone range and this Ohana was no different. It was
loud, almost to the point of annoyance when I used fingerpicking
style, but much more pleasant when strummed. It sounded a
bit shrill and 'plinky' to my ears, though. This may be a desirable sound
for some players, but not for me. I found the smaller body
didn't have the resonance of a larger tenor. It had that slightly saccharine sound I've heard on some older recordings,
but none of the sustain or richness of my tenors. I didn't care
for it as much.
The Ohana was light and cheerful and appeared reasonably well
made, with no imperfections or blemishes visible. It came with a padded gig
bag, too. Tuners were the friction type, which I don't like as
much as geared tuners. I found it harder to keep in tune than
any geared uke. Friction tuners may be traditional, but they're
a pain in the backside too. A tiny twist can be a big change
with friction tuners, where a geared tuner allows far more
subtle changes.
After a couple of weeks of playing, I just wasn't moved by the tone, so I traded it for
the tenor Fluke, above.
Would I purchase another Ohana? Possibly, but a
proper tenor, not a soprano.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes.
Rating (0-5): ***
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Again,
my decision to buy a Pono was based
on some very positive comments on various forums about this
brand, I decided to
buy a solid-cedar top tenor Pono, cutaway design, with electric pickup.
It has solid rosewood sides and back, abalone rosette, ebony
tuner heads, sealed Grover tuners, and maple binding. I wanted
cedar because it has different sound qualities than spruce.
"Warm" is often used to describe cedar: good bass and overtones,
lots of sustain.
It is a
considerable step above my other ukes in cost. That difference
is - or should be - reflected in a superb build quality and stunning tone. This
is also my first low-G ukulele and I wanted to see what it was
like to play with a different sort of tuning, more like a
guitar. I like it! I will order other low-G ukes in future, but
I still prefer high-G for most songs I play. It's
nice to have both because there are times you really want the
lower note in runs or chords.
Pono was my first foray into the ukulele 'big league' over $500, an area
I will only visit sporadically.
Although I'm nowhere near good enough to really warrant buying an instrument
as expensive as this, I decided to treat myself, an early
birthday gift. I agonized over it for weeks before making the
buy, and was excited, with great hopes for this uke.
But I was somewhat disappointed when it
arrived.
First impressions:
gorgeous. And sound: rich tone to spare: the cedar really
give it projection and wonderful, low but warm overtones. It even has a
truss rod in the neck to enable owners to keep the neck
straight, the first I'd seen in any uke and an indication of
attention to detail. Unlike many other ukuleles he sells, MGM
doesn't set these ukes up for customers: they come set up at the
factory. That may be one source for my problems.
I plugged the uke into an amp and found it produced feedback
fairly easily. I think that's because the soundboard is so good
and responsive that it vibrates easily. Unlike the Kala, it has
a passive pickup, without a pre-amp, so it has no controls on
the uke and you have to set the tone and volume on your amp. I
personally prefer this because it means the uke body isn't
broken by electronics and there are fewer internal wires to
cause buzzing. It shares the same sort of tail button input jack as the
Kala.
Nice
finish, bindings, good detailing. It felt nice to hold. Sound
was stunning. What
more could I want?
Well, it wasn't perfect, sadly enough. Build quality initially
seemed terrific, but there are some flaws I quickly found. At
first I thought the uke had some surface blemishes, but they
turned out to be some gummy material that cleaned off fairly
easily. But why, I had to ask, would a uke - especially an
expensive one - ship out with such noticeable imperfections?
They were easy enough to spot and clean.
When
I started to play this uke - did I mention its gorgeous sound? - I found the edges of the
frets, especially around the 12th and higher fret, a bit sharper on the edge,
than on other ukes I owned. To my fingers the fret wires seem to stand out
a bit from the edge of the fretboard, particularly on the
first string side at the higher frets. Tiny, perhaps, but very noticeable
to my fingertips. I worry that these slightly sharper edges will
wear away the first string much faster than should be expected
from a high-end ukulele. My Kala and Eleuke feel much smoother
in comparison. It's also rougher than my electric guitar (but
not my steel-stringed acoustic Takamine, which is about the same).
If you look closely at the
photos of the fret edges, you can see the filed edges of the higher frets have a
steeper bevel, so they stand out more when you are running your
fingers along them (you can download and enlarge the photos to
better see this). Plus the fret dressing
at the sound-hole end of the fretboard has been sloppy enough that the wood has been filed away
at the edges between several of the frets, leaving a scalloped impression
with the fret wires standing out. This too can be
felt on the fingers. It's not this bad further down the neck at
the lower notes, where I do most of my playing, however.
There are a couple of small imperfections in the finish, too.
Most noticeable are two at the high end of the neck, one on the
right hand side of the photo, and another at the very end of the
fretboard, just above the sound hole. Neither of these affect
play or sound, but again, I expect a better quality control on
an instrument that cost me considerably more than $600 to get
here (plus $80 in the egregious government tax grab!).
No one on the forums I haunt seems to have had my share of
issues with their Pono. Most speak in unstintingly glowing terms
about their instrument. So most likely mine was one that simply
slipped past their vaunted quality control.
I wrote to the seller and to Pono ukes, and got an immediate
answer from both (MGM, as he is known, offered to pay for a luthier to
dress the frets properly, even without me asking for any such
solution). Pono showed concern and a willingness
to work to some mutual satisfaction, even paying for a luthier
to do the work, but my problem is compounded by not having a
qualified luthier within a two-hour drive.
I was unwilling, however,
to send the uke back, and lose it possibly for a long time. So I
expect I will have to live with its flaws, chalk it up to the
problem of buying something unseen from the Internet. But it did make me
reluctant to spend that much on another Pono again. However, I
grant them kudos for their attempts to satisfy a customer.
Perhaps it's simply a matter of getting used to the neck, or
just living with its imperfections, but as much as I wanted to
be, I wasn't 100% satisfied with this Pono. Still, it does sound
beautiful, so I am not disappointed in that category.
Update: I just received a solid mango tenor Pono, with pickup,
again purchased from MGM on eBay. Tuned low-G, but I also
purchased a set of Worth CT strings to restring it as high-G
once I've played it a bit.
The tone is different from the cedar
- not as much sustain, but a little brighter in the bass and not
as 'boomy', especially when plugged in. It
also projects a little less than the cedar. In
part I think the difference comes from the strings (different
brands apparently). The cedar
top has two wound strings; on the mango only the low-G is wound.
It is also not as crisp as my spruce-top at the higher tone
range, but offers a stronger, fuller mid-range.
Mango is not a popular tonewood like spruce, mahogany and koa,
but it is one of the exotic woods gaining greater popularity
among makers. Several manufacturers offer laminated mango: this
was the first solid-mango I found (I prefer solid-wood over
laminates). I have not read anything on how long it takes mango
to 'settle' compared to other tonewoods.
The tuners are Grover open-gear machines with chrome heads,
utilitarian and functional, but not
the nice sealed tuners with their ebony heads on the cedar
model. The neck and frets are smooth this time, with no rough
edges. Finish is beautiful - very glossy, but possibly a little
thicker than it might have been. Otherwise: no blemishes or
faults to be seen.
The mango wood is simply stunning. It's got skeins of yellow
and orange running through it and the grain is wildly abstract and patchy,
not straight. It's speckled like a gecko in some areas. It reminds me of those polished slices of
fossilized rock. It makes the cedar and spruce tops look staid
and conventional. I
really like it, and even Susan thinks its damned attractive. The
photos barely capture its beauty, and tend to be redder than the
actual wood shows in real light.

The A string snapped almost immediately when I began to tune
this instrument, almost right at the nut. It probably got nicked
at some point and tightening the string exacerbated it into a
tear. Not a big deal: I replaced it with an Aquila, but it's a
little odd looking now - the original strings are yellow (Gold Koolau), but now
the A is white. I'm not sure if these string brands have such different
tones, but as soon as I get a new set of Koolau strings, I'll replace
the lone Aquila to find out.
I also took the moment to use a
metal bead on the string end instead of the traditional saddle-hugging
knot. It's an experiment, but I believe beads will dampen the
bridge vibrations less than a knot does. See the photo above.
I've read that many classical guitarists string their
instruments with a bead rather than tying the string to the
bridge. This apparently improves the treble end of the tone. I found a few different types of beads to try at a local
craft shop (glass and metal) and will see if there's any
noticeable change once I restring an entire uke. There's some
discussion of this technique by
Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music at the University of
Hawaii and other sites.
It's not a cutaway model, but I don't really have any difficulty
reaching the upper frets, at least the ones I generally play on.
For all of the ukes I have, playing up above the 12th fret is
not as good as on a guitar: the strings are closer to the frets
so they can buzz easily if not fingered exactly, and the strings
don't have that clear resonance or tone that they have further
down the neck.
The
passive pickup works well and doesn't provide feedback until I get into
the "nuke the neighbours" volume range on my Roland Cube 30X
amp. I think the mango top is a little less sensitive to
feedback than the cedar.
Price
with case and shipping was $480 USD (plus another $64 in blood
money to the government). I can't complain about the quality or
sound, but for that price, the gear heads should be a little
more upscale, at the very least sealed to prevent dirt and
debris from corroding them. I plan to replace them with some nicer Grover or
similar sealed tuning gears in the near future (in my
experience, open-geared tuners get dirty and corrode faster - I
live in a house with four cats and a dog, and their hair gets
everywhere). I would have
given it a little higher rating but for that - however they don't affect the sound.
This model certainly helped quell my earlier doubts about Pono's
build quality after the problems with my cedar-top model. I
wasn't sure about ordering another, but was easily seduced by
the photos of the wood grain in this particular model. I'm glad
I did.
I think because of its more mellow, mid-range sound, this is more a strummer
than a picker, but I will know better with more play and a
change to high-G tuning.
Both Ponos came with excellent hardshell cases, but they are
very snug, with little extra carrying room aside from a small,
closeable interior space, but no external pockets and no
shoulder straps.
Would I purchase another Pono? Yes.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes, but with caveats
about possible build quality issues.
Rating (0-5): ****
Back to top
The Ovation
Guitar site has nothing about their Applause line, not the guitars,
not the ukuleles. It's almost like Ovation - guitar maker since 1966 -
doesn't want to acknowledge them. In fact, the entire Applause line,
guitars and all,
vanishes from Ovation's promotional horizon like a flatulent relative at a wedding party.
The best I could find about them online
was this
PDF sales brochure from 2004, hosted on a third party site. All that
says about the Korean-made ukes is, "Applause acoustic and acoustic-electric ukes have found
their way from World Champion Surfing events to reality television shows. These
are no “dime-store” ukes, they’re the real deal."
Endorsements like these, I fear, will hardly garner the support of the uke world
or even public at large. "Reality" TV isn't exactly aimed at the highest common
denominator...
That's a sad comment on Ovation's affection for their little stepchild ukulele,
but fortunately not a reflection on the uke itself. The Applause is a fine
instrument, although I think it suffers from the schizophrenia of not knowing if
it's a small guitar or a big uke.
And big it is, weight-wise anyway. My UA148 tenor tops the scales at 2.4 lbs
(just over 1 kg). It's also got a wider body (lower bout) than any other uke I own.
You can read some comparison weights in
this thread at Fleamarket Music)
Like
other Ovation products, it uses the trademark rounded, lyrachord back (it's also
written lyracord, which is, apparently, fibreglass, not really plastic). This pushes
the sound forward, but offers other challenges, not least trying to hold against
your body, or balancing it on a thigh when sitting. But it's somewhat easier to
hold in your lap than a Fluke.
The top is laminated spruce. Soprano Applause ukes get solid spruce, so that's a
little disappointing in the more expensive tenor (although online comments
suggest there is a solid mahogany version available). There are also decorative wooden leaves
(exotic wood "epaulets" in Ovation speak) glued around the
unusual sound holes (placed to the upper end of the body, on both sides of the
neck). Nice as they are to look at, I suspect these epaulets dampen the sound.
These are not inlaid flush as they appear to be on recent Ovation guitars, and stand
up above the sound board slightly.
The design
has a cutaway to allow greater access to the higher frets (it has 18).
The headstock is attractive, albeit a bit tall, although this design might make
it easier to hang on a wall peg. The tuners are inexpensive but sealed, with attractive
plastic (mock amber) heads. Rosewood fretboard and mahogany neck, which has a
satin finish. Frets were nicely dressed and smooth.
Overall, the sound is much more muted than any other uke I have, with a mellow
projection, lots of mid range, and low sustain. It sounds more (dare I say it)
like a small guitar than the others. That's not bad, just different. Part of the
joy of owning ukes is collecting different sounds and tones. The Applause has
its place in a collection for that reason alone. It's somewhat fuller and fatter
than the Fluke sound, too, but that may also be because mine is in low-G tuning
while my Flukes are high-G, and a difference in strings.
The neck is a bit thicker than any other uke I've owned, but it's not an
impediment to playing. The fretboard edge has a single marker for the seventh
fret. I would have preferred a full set because I use these markers frequently
when playing. Ah, well, a silver permanent marker will add a few dots.
While
the rounded back makes the Applause more difficult to hold, a bit like the
Fluke, fortunately it has strap buttons, although unlike most manufacturers,
Ovation chose not to use the strap button for the cable jack, and added that a
little lower on the body.
The built-in pre-amp is a nice package: it has a volume control, built-in
equalizer with slider controls for bass, mid and treble tones, a pre-shape and
mid shift buttons. My Applause was a trade, so it didn't come with a manual:
I'll have to experiment to figure out what these do. Once plugged in, the
Applause loses most of its woody acoustic sound and instead sounds much more
like am amplified nylon-string guitar. It has more body in its amplified sound
than the Eleuke, however. Ovations electronics get good reviews everywhere. And
it is in the amplified sound that the Applause really shines.
The pickup is Ovation's own slimline. The
soprano uses a passive pickup, not the active of the tenor. I personally like
passive pickups because I think the amp should - can can - do the work of
shaping the sound and it saves the horror of having a battery die during a
performance. But one can't argue about the good quality of the electronics
package provided.
Changing the battery is a test of skill. You need the dexterity of a
neurosurgeon combined with the patience of the Dali Lama waiting for the Chinese
to get civilized about Tibet and the physical agility of a
Cirque du Soleil performer.
First you need to open the back port and carefully remove the
cover - held in by four obstinate, stiff springy clips. This requires fishing around inside the
back with a finger or two while the cover remains stubbornly attached, trying to
locate each clip so the cover can be moved and the clip freed until the port
comes off. Then you have to
sick a hand inside to hold the battery case (attached to the inside back),
because it will fall against the soundboard if you don't. Then loosen the battery screw, remove the 9V battery case, slide
the cover off, exchange batteries, and replace the cover. That's the easy part.
Replacing the battery pack
inside the uke means stuffing your hand into the back through that port, trying to
hold the battery case inside against the back (foam side towards the back) with a couple of fingers, without tangling up in all the wires,
and feeling
for the small screw slot in the case through a screwdriver precariously balanced
against the screw head on the outside - all done blind. The screw fits into
the case slot exactly, requiring the precision of a Mars lander finding its
destination, with nanometer tolerance for positioning.
Expect to attempt this
mating of screw head and slot numerous times.
The Space Shuttle docks more easily than these two.
Put aside at least 30
minutes to change the battery, and I recommend learning some
Latin vulgarities
so you won't as easily offend anyone around you when you start cursing (usually
about three minutes into the procedure).
The
battery placement is the most serious drawback to the Applause, and not one to shrug off
lightly if you expect to use the electronics at all. Since there doesn't seem to
be an off switch for the electronics, the battery will be draining from the
moment it's replaced. Be prepared to change it with annoying frequency,
especially if you perform live. Who
designed this insanity? Is the science of ergonomic design dead?
The Applause is an oddity. It could be a great performance uke with its
excellent electronics and pickup. It looks nice, and it's well made and carries a
prestigious name. But the battery placement is discouraging. The unamplified sound is
acceptable, if not stellar, and would be greatly improved with a solid top. The action and intonation are
very good.
This ukulele
deserves more attention from its parent company and some place to shine on the
company's website. It needs a redesign for its battery
placement and perhaps a few ounces trimmed from its hefty bulk. And if Ovation wants to
attract serious uke players, switch the laminate to a solid top. That would make
it a much more serious contender in a very competitive market.
I am not disappointed with my Applause, merely bemused by its design. It's nice
to play and in the end, that's what counts. Mine came with a padded gig bag made
by Hohner, with a single shoulder strap and a zippered outside pouch. Mine was
also in low-G tuning and I've left it there until I've had some experience with
it (and I heal from my left-hand tendon fracture, which certainly makes playing
- and battery changing - a challenge).
Would I purchase another Applause? Not likely
unless the design changes.
Would I recommend them to others? Perhaps, but with caveats
about the weight, laminated top and the owner-hostile method required to
change the battery.
Rating (0-5): ***1/2 for the instrument alone, ** when you factor in
the battery changing process.
Back to top
I ordered a Republic Resonator
ukulele: a concert scale, metal-body
uke, from
Guitar Safari, in San Pedro.
I spoke with Dirk there and enjoyed the chat enough to give me
confidence to buy from him. I expected the uke to arrive in about
a week. It took two, thanks to the combined efforts of the US
and Canadian postal services, and a few days enjoying the
company of Canada Customs.
I've wanted a reso uke for a while to do some blues and maybe
some slide pieces, but most are in the premium uke price range,
close to and even topping $1,000. That's way outside my budget.
Only two - both Chinese made - are affordable (under $300 USD) to me:
Johnson and Republic. Bother are similar - metal body, concert
scale. The Johnson is bright and shiny with a pattern
embossed in the metal. The Republic most
commonly shown is the Reso Relic:
artificially aged to look like it was found buried in a barn. Personally I prefer the Johnson's look
because I think the "relic" look is an affectation. There
are several Johnson uke dealers online, but few selling
Republics. Perhaps it's because customers don't like the look,
either. The Johnson looks new and spiffy.
I was pleasantly surprised when the Republic arrived: I had
expected it to be the "relic" version but it was instead bright
and shiny. I hadn't realized Republic made two models. The
downside is that the nickel plating shows ever single
fingerprint and smudge! But I like this bright, metallic look.
For the price, this is a classy little instrument. The body is the traditional figure-eight style, wider at the
bottom, and nicely proportioned.
The back is plain with a small hump. The
uke is very heavy - 2.4 lbs. on my bathroom scale - and
has no tail button for a strap - a major oversight on the
designer's part. The weight (most of it in the body so it has
poor balance) makes it awkward to hold for a long time and
discourages stand-up play. Your standard uke thong won't work on
this uke, either, because there's no place to put the hook.
I'd read better things online about the build quality of the
Republic than the Johnson, particularly about some sharp edges
on the cover plate where the strings attach. I've not been able to determine if
the Johnson is made by the same company that makes
Johnson harmonicas. If so, then the questionable quality
might be explicable. Johnson harps aren't particularly well
made, either. But I've been told that the Republics are
American-designed and have better quality control.
I
have few complaints about the build quality, all of them minor.
The fret edges on the upper side (towards your head when you are
playing) are a teensy bit rougher than those on the other side
(but not as noticeable because you seldom play that edge).
The screw heads that hold the cover plate on have tiny burrs.
Some of the fretboard markers are non-standard: one is at the
ninth fret (not the usual tenth), the marker at the 12th fret is
single, not double, and there is a double at the 16th fret.
But
the neck is straight and smooth, the intonation seems accurate
(see below), there are no blemishes, marks or poorly finished
edges on the body: the uke seems well made and well finished.
My uke came with the cover pressed down
(see picture above) as if someone had sat on
it. Since there was no visible damage to the case, I
can only assume the damage was done at Canada Customs when it
was stopped and opened. This gave me considerable concern, but I
decided to try and fix it myself rather than return it. I removed the cover and was able
to pop the cover back into shape with no damage and not a lot of
effort. The plating was not
broken or marked. The cone, inside, was also slightly dented but
easily restored because it's thin aluminum and easy to reshape.
However, I am getting a replacement cone for it (see update,
below).
Doing this gave me a chance to look
inside. There's a wooden brace that runs inside the body. I'm
not sure why a metal body (bell brass) instrument would need it, unless it's
to help anchor the neck. You can see areas inside and under the
cover there the metal as been polished to remove any burrs. I
was especially keen to see if the string holes were smooth
because on a metal-body instrument, using nylon strings, that's
a danger zone. There are online comments about Johnson reso ukes
breaking strings there. They seemed to be smooth enough on this
Republic, and there's evidence of some polishing underneath.
I've read this is a much bigger problem with the Johnson
resonators.
The
saddle is ""ebony capped maple" but seems to be
roughly made
and the wood appears dry. The
notches for the strings are too small and strings can miss them
or slip out easily. I think the bridge and saddle are the areas
of weakest quality; the utilitarian design works well enough but
it needs a little more effort.
The
cone - which sports the bridge and saddle - sits loosely on a
rim inside and moves quite easily when the strings are loosened.
This is a bit problematic because even with the cover on,
there's a small amount of free play in the cone's position. It's
easy to slide the bridge as much as 1/8" in any direction, and
end up with the bridge on a poor angle or the strings angled
down the neck. This, of course, affects intonation and you have
to be very careful when restringing to try and position the
bridge exactly. Some sort of notch or stop to hold the cone in
the right spot and at the right angle would have made sense
because you will have to fidget with the cover position every
time you change strings. I'll have to ask online on the forums
for some engineering solutions (no, you can't glue it because
you don't know the exact placement until you have the cover back
on...)
I've had a bit of a problem getting it tuned spot-on because of
the shifting bridge, but also because the tuners were a bit loose and the
strings new. The Republic has friction tuners which may look
more authentic but seem to slide a lot and are an annoyance to
use until the strings stop slipping. I always prefer modern geared tuners and am seriously
thinking of replacing these with geared versions. That way I
could also experiment with steel strings.

The knotted end of the strings go into holes on the cover and
tighten into small slots. I might try using beads on the ends of
my next strings to see if they change the tone. The slot is the
danger zone where the metal can cut into the nylon string and
break it. The Republic's metal edges seem smooth enough, but
when you remove the strings you can feel an indentation on them
where they rest against the metal. So far none have snapped, but
it's something to keep an eye on, especially if I increase the
string tension.
The
big question is, of course, the sound. Well, the uke comes
strung with black GHS strings, which I think are too soft for a
resonator (I have them on a concert Fluke, too, and don't like
them). It really wants the tension on the saddle to transmit
the most sound to the cone. I personally feel the GHS strings are too light and
have ordered some thicker Pro Arte strings to test. Aquilas
might work as well, but they're harder to get where I live. I'm
almost tempted to try metal strings because the uke should be
able to take the added tension, but the tunes wouldn't.
As set up,
the reso doesn't live up to what I believe is its potential. A
reso should be slightly twangy - almost a banjo sound, bright, but metallic and loud. The Republic
is all of those, just not as much of any as I think it ought to
be - or what it really could be. Plus the C string seems a bit 'boomy' compared to the
others (and it's more the sound I want from all the strings!). That may be because it has the most tension, so perhaps
changing the others and leaving it could help balance that out.
So until I can change the strings and test it, I would say the
sound is only average, but has the potential to be excellent.
Oveall, it's an old-fashioned sound with some echoes of old
style blues and even banjolele tunes. That's what I was looking
for. Now all I need to do is sweeten it a bit.
I
also want to try changing to an open tuning and try some slide
playing, bottleneck blues stuff. I think a reso lends itself to
that more than the other ukes I have. The Republic comes strung
in high-G tuning, by the way. Again, I may change that to low-G
just to experiment, especially if I try open tuning.
The Republic came in a well-padded thick foam case that's has a
soft plush lining. The uke fits quite snugly in it. The case has
two zippered pockets outside and both a handle and shoulder
straps for easy carrying. That's another bonus.
This is my second concert-scale uke and I have to admit I don't
like the shorter neck as much as I like tenor scale. Had this
been a tenor, I would have been much happier. Unless the new
strings change it more in favour of the sound I want, I will
likely not play it as much because I really don't like the
shorter scale and I find my fingers are sloppy and grab the
wrong strings or hit the wrong frets more than with a tenor.
Update: Frank at Republic guitars is sending me a new
cone to replace the one damaged in shipping, no charge. That's
great customer service! He's also been corresponding with me
about string upgrades. If I want to try metal strings, he says
they'll work but I'll need to upgrade to geared tuners. Heavier
strings, like Aquila, he warns, may snap at the place where
their ends meet the cover. So I'm trying to come up with a
suitable sleeve to protect the string. Perhaps a small slice
from a ballpoint pen refill? And I want to add a glass bead to
the string ends as well.
August 13/08: I got the new cone and replaced it this afternoon. I
also changed the GHS strings to Aquilas. While the strings were
off, I also oiled the fretboard and the bride/biscuit assembly.
The new sound is
noticeably louder and brighter, with a slight metallic echo. It
sounds very much like a banjo uke to my ears. I even wonder if
the Aquilas make it too loud and twangy now. It's a sound you
either love or hate, with no apparent middle ground.
I added a glass bead at the end of each string (see above), then used a
piece of red plastic air pipe from a can of pressurized air as a sleeve to
protect the end from being cut by the metal cover. I was
guessing at the length and as you can see by the photo above, a
couple of sleeves were cut a bit too long (the cover's colour is
a reflection of my dining room walls). The ballpoint pen idea is
good, but the barrel of the refill is too wide for the notches
in the cover. The air pipe was also a bit too, but I
crimped the tube (with my teeth) after I put it on the string so
it fit nicely into the notch.
I had to really tighten
the tuner heads to keep them from slipping, because the Aquilas
have more tension than the GHS strings. The uke continues to go out of tune after a
few minutes' playing, but I trust that will settle down when the
strings are properly stretched. My only problem putting this
together was with the C string: it's too thick to make a loop
around the bead and thread it back through. I'm depending on the
knot to hold it in place. I need to find some other beads with
just a little bigger diameter hole for future use. But the other
strings were easy to set up with a bead and sleeve.
Would I purchase another Republic? Not a concert scale;
likely if they ever make a tenor.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes, but for those who
want a specific sound, with caveats about the moveable cone and bridge.
Rating (0-5): ***1/2
Back to top
I've wanted a six- or eight-string uke for a while now, to see
what sort of sound it had and how it played (I used to play the
12-string guitar too). But I've been reluctant to invest in
a good instrument at $500 and up in case I didn't like playing
it.
I kept my eyes open for bargains and when I found a "factory
second" Lanikai six-string offered at $100, I figured I could
buy it, investigate the style of play, and if I liked it,
move up to a more expensive model later. If I didn't like it,
well I hadn't invested a lot of money to learn that, so I could
sell it and not lose a lot.
I innocently posted a
question on the Ukulele Cosmos forum, asking what people thought
of the Lanikai - build quality, tone, intonation, etc.
Immediately two of the more acerbic members dumped all over me
in post after post, attacking my intelligence, my judgment, this
web site, my personal integrity, my reading skills, my ukulele
collection - just
because I asked about a ukulele brand they deemed too "cheap"
(their word) to be worth a courteous response.
Instead of a thread about the pros and cons of the Lanikai brand
and that model, as I asked, the whole thing turned into a
vituperative personal attack on me by these two members, an
attack that stretched on through eight pages of ichor.
There are those, it seems, for whom anything less than a
custom-built uke made from rare, old-growth trees tended from
seedling by Buddhist monks, built by a hermit whose output is
perhaps one uke a year, and costing as much as a motorcycle or
car is an irredeemable sign you are not serious about ukuleles.
Therefore you must be deserving of a verbal thrashing for daring
to post about anything as trivial as a factory-made instrument.
Such is the way of the Internet. Unfortunately this particular
forum allows such attacks, so I don't recommend it to anyone not
wearing a flame-retardant consciousness. Other forums keep a
tighter rein on their members when such assaults arise.
But in the meantime, a few members did provide a far more
courteous and reasonable response, albeit somewhat drowned out
in the angry din from the two harridans. Unfortunately for me,
the instrument I had originally asked about was sold before I
could get a fair response from my question. But the vehemence of
the responses made me more curious about the item of their ire,
rather than less. After all, if two such annoying people dislike
it so much, it's probably worth investigating by the rest of us!
So I hunted online for another bargain and found an eight-string
Lanikai, solid spruce top, with pickup and case, for about 60%
its retail price. I ordered it and await its arrival in early
September 08. Should I like the playing style, I will start looking
at an upscale model, perhaps a Pono or Mele. But perhaps the
Lanikai itself will prove to be as good as anything I'll ever
need.
I will post my thoughts and reviews after the uke arrives and
I've had some time with it.
Would I purchase another Lanikai? TBD.
Would I recommend them to others? TBD.
Rating (0-5): TBD
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This is a little gem I found at a yard sale,
and my only foray into vintage ukes to date (likely my last,
given the cost of most).
It's a 30 to 40-year-old uke, made by a Japanese company that went
out of business in the mid to late 1970s. It is a laminate
mahogany soprano, with mahogany neck and possibly fretboard (may
also be a lighter rosewood). It says Model 14 on the inside.
Diastone allegedly made instruments for Martin when the Martin
company workforce was on strike. Comments on other forums
suggest their guitars were quality products and are collectible
items today.
It was in good condition, a little worn from the years, but has
a straight neck, no cracks, and sounds pretty good for the old
strings it still has. New strings would make all the difference.
I decided I would sell or trade it to a collector who
appreciates vintage instruments. I am not a collector per se,
rather someone who simply likes to play, so vintage doesn't
appeal to me as much as new instruments.
According to Wikipedia
(several articles conflated):
In 1957 Hoshino Gakki manufactured what would be considered the
first of the modern era Ibanez guitars. In 1962, Junpei Hoshino,
Yoshitaro's son, opened the Tama Seisakusho factory to manufacture
electric guitars and amplifiers. The Tama Seisakusho factory
produced a line of guitars that included clones of several popular
guitars, including the Martin Dreadnought. At the time they were
also manufacturing Star Drums, available in either the Imperial or
Royal models. Hoshino Gakki stopped making guitars at the Tama
Seisakusho factory in 1966 (but continued making Drums) and from
then on contracted outside guitar factories, like there main factory
and exclusive one in Japan, FujiGen , to make guitars.
FujiGen started in 1960 with the production of violins and classical
guitars. In 1962 FujiGen started production of electric guitars. In
the 1970s FujiGen started making guitars (OEM) for companies such as
Hoshino Gakki (
Ibanez), Kanda Shokai (Greco guitars) and Yamaha. In
1977/1978 FujiGen went into a joint venture with Roland Corporation to produce guitar synthesizers. In 1981 FujiGen opted
out of acoustic guitar production to mainly concentrate on solid
body guitar production. In 1981/1982 FujiGen obtained the Fender
Japan contract which lasted until 1996/1997. In mid/late 1992
FujiGen obtained a part of the Orville by Gibson contract which
ended in 1998 and from then on have made Epiphone Japan solid body
guitars, some Gretsch models and their own branded FgN guitars.
FujiGen still do OEM guitar manufacturing for companies like Ibanez
and Epiphone but in much smaller quantities than in the past.
FujiGen has 3 factories in the Matsumoto area, the Omachi factory,
the Hirooka factory (established around 1992) and the main FujiGen
factory. FujiGen has also manufactured Variax guitars for Line 6.
Overall, it wasn't a bad find,
although hardly in the class of a vintage Martin or Gibson. Certainly a
reasonable price. I sold it on eBay to a
collector who I hope will appreciate it more than I. The best it did for me was
convince me that I didn't want a soprano. The necks are small, tight and
my hands feel big and clumsy on the fretboard. Tenor is the choice for
me: the soprano is a bit small for my fingers.
I'm not a collector of old ukuleles, nor particularly moved to seek out
vintage instruments. I like modern, and I like to play, not just collect, so
the value of this instrument and its heritage was somewhat wasted on me. I was pleased to
see that others were more sympathetic to its nature (it was bought by a
Canadian with 45 other ukes in his collection).
Would I purchase another Diastone? Unlikely,
unless it was another yard-sale bargain.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes, for collectors more than
players.
Rating (0-5): ***
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You get what you pay for. That's an old saw, and it's
generally still true. However, that doesn't mean you have to spend
$1,000 or more to get a good instrument, but you shouldn't buy anything
simply because it's the lowest price. Lower-priced instruments are
generally laminates, and made on production lines where quantity is
preferred to quality. Quality control is an expense that has to be
passed along to the consumer.
I am a firm believer in the
quality of solid wood versus laminates. Solid wood always sounds
better, but is also more expensive. Still, there are
always bargains to be had, even some solid-wood-topped ukes at
under $100 and several between $100 and $200 that are good. Anything at that price range is probably made in China.
That is not bad in itself, but it generally means assembly-line
production and limited, if any, quality control.
Nice ukes seem to start at $200 to $300, and premium ukes
begin around $500 and escalate into stratospheric heights.
Custom ukuleles are about the price of a used car. But as you can read
above, my own experience in the entry-premium end wasn't entirely
satisfactory. So price alone may not identify the quality you expect,
although in general higher prices generally point to better quality
control, better woods and materials.
You don't have to spend a large amount on an instrument
to get something very good, and it's wise to start conservatively until
you find the size and style you like. You can always spend more later
(and you probably will... there's that UAS thing again). There are some brands that make good
instruments at a reasonable price: Kala, Fluke, Lanikai and Ohana are just some examples
of mid-range makers.
For other opinions and advice, check the online forums and ask questions
first.
Remember: the goal is to have fun and learn. Ukuleles
are, first and foremost, musical instruments not status icons.
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Ukuleles are small and easy to hold, and that means
they're also easy to drop. The business
of playing music means your hands and arms are always in motion.
Sometimes it's preferable to have a strap to hold the uke up. But the
traditional guitar strap is wide, and feels like using a Hummer just to drive to the
corner store, a block away. It's big and hefty, designed for something
much larger and heavier. I found a somewhat smaller strap made from a
3/4" wide strip of leather with a 10" long, 2" wide padded shoulder
strap. It's a lot more practical for a uke than a 2" wide strap.
Ideally, a thin strap that tied to the head under the strings and to a
pickup jack or strap knob would work the best, although something that
went under the body to cradle it might also work (although it would be a
bit precarious). I'm told that mandolin
straps are workable for ukuleles, too. It should be fairly easy to get
some decorative cord or leather to make one of your own.
I managed to find a smaller, adjustable guitar strap
that has a 3/4" wide strap with a larger shoulder pad, about 8"-9" long,
for comfort. Since the uke is light and small, the pad is really
unnecessary. It works well on the Eleuke and Applause since they come
with two strap buttons, but many have one or even no buttons.
It's pretty easy to rig up a cord or leather strap that
hangs off the pickup jack, but what if your uke doesn't have a jack or a
strap knob? I don't recommend anyone but an experienced luthier drill a
hole to install a knob.
An alternative is the uke' thong' - a simple padded
hook that goes into the sound hole, and a loop/strap that goes around your
neck. There are guitar versions of this idea, too, but the uke version
is smaller. Plus there are some alternate designs with less cloth. This is not the underwear sort of thong:
do not attempt to wear it to the beach!
The thong has the advantage of being light and simple.
However (and there's always a however...) the hook creates a fulcrum
point. Your uke can tilt to either side and fall down, or fall forward
if you let it go. Dropping a musical instrument is never a good idea.
The thong doesn't hold the uke up as much as it gives you a little more
freedom of motion, especially your right strumming/picking hand, because
your arm doesn't need to hold the uke as tightly. And of course that
means fewer fingerprints or arm prints on the surface to clean later.
The downside is that the hook is held on at the
soundboard. To get the fullest and loudest sound, the soundboard must
not be restricted, and using the thong dampens the sound - noticeably so. So it's a good
for practice, but may work against you in performance. I have one: I
am not enthused with it, but I sometimes use it when I am playing around
the house, just to give me a little more freedom of movement. It isn't as good for Flukes either, because of
the angled plastic shell, but it's still usable with them.
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Like with guitars, there are dozens of resources to
help you learn and improve your ukulele playing: books, DVDs, YouTube
videos, song books and online tabs, teaching books, chord finders and
more. Here are a few I've picked up, with some notes. You can often
simply take a guitar song book and play the chords on a ukulele,
appreciating the increase in pitch. But often ukulele arrangements take
into account the instrument's differences.
There are several different styles of music
presentation. Some songs are just lyrics and chords. Others include the
musical notation (requiring you to read music). Some include tablature
(tab) - the string and fret being identified in an easy-to-read format.
I personally prefer chords and tabs because I read music slowly.
The Complete Ukulele Course, by Ralph Shaw (DVD, 2003).
You have to like Ralph: he's so bubbly and has so much fun playing and
teaching, it's contagious. This is one of those basic packages that
start from scratch - what is a ukulele? - and lead the viewer
through tuning, simple chords, strumming and the most rudimentary level
of playing. Calling it complete is misleading. It has nine
chapters all aimed at non-musicians. If you have no background in
musical theory, and have never played a guitar, and you're new to the
uke, then this DVD is a great
place to start. It's a pretty plain presentation, all business with no
distractions. If you have experience with a guitar or mandolin, you might find this a
little too elementary. Ralph has other DVDs that may interest you
including Essential Strums (see
links, below).
"Jumpin'" Jim Beloff has a lot of
books out, mostly song books. You can pretty much pick one that suits
your tastes in music. Some of these are good, but others are
questionable. I picked up Jumpin' Jim's 60s Uke-in: 25 Really Groovy Songs Arranged for the
Ukulele (Hal Leonard, 1999) because the 60s was my time. But this collection disappointed
me. It's not just the collection, which I think is a weak selection from
a great era, but a lot of the chord arrangements just don't work for me. The
songs are presented with uke chords, lyrics and musical notation. I
would have preferred tablature or plus tablature. The whole thing feels like it was tossed
together without a lot of thought about the time it is supposed to
represent.
The book comes with a basic chord list and some notes on
tuning, transposing and uke sizes, all of which are useful. Jim's books are generally good
additions to your collection, but you may find other arrangements to
these and other Sixties songs online
that suit you better. Jim is also the man behind the Fluke (Flea Market
Music), and
publishes some great collections of arrangements by performers who are
all considerably better than I will ever be. Don't judge his efforts by
this book alone.
Ukulele Fretboard Maps, by Fred Sokolow and Jim Beloff
(Hal Leonard, 2006).
This is a step beyond the beginner level, and includes a CD with 59
tracks from simple tuning through strumming styles to play-along songs. It's a
bit of a mixed bag of styles and songs, techniques, strumming style and
music theory. It mixes musical notation with tabs, so you can use either
according to your level. While the song collection is a bit meandering -
folk, Hawaiian, blues, rock - overall, the book is a great learning
package for people who have graduated beyond the beginner level and want
to learn more.
Fingerstyle Solos for Ukulele, by Mark Kailana Nelson
(Mel Bay, 2006). An intermediate level book mixing musical notation and
tablature. Comes with 27 tracks on CD. It's a bit difficult to follow
Mark's written notes on technique and style without listening to the CD
at the same time. He comments on numerous measures in the notation, but assumes the
reader can pick them out - I would have marked the annotated measures
more clearly for novices. However, this a good package for moving up to the next step in
technique. It assumes you have the basics down, but it's not advanced
enough to scare away determined novices.

Treasury of Ukulele Chords, by Roy Sakuma (Roy Sakuma
Productions, 1998). You should have a chord dictionary with your uke.
This one is a fairly basic guide, aimed at the novice to intermediate
player. It doesn't give as many alternate chord fingerings as a more
advanced player might like. You can a download one and two-page chord
charts online that give all the basics, but Sakuma's book will take you
a step further until you're ready for something more comprehensive. One
of the things that sets this chord dictionary apart is Roy's
categorization of chords by emotional terms. Not necessarily accurate,
but entertaining.

For more comprehensive reference guides, look to the
Hal Leonard Ukulele Chord Finder (Hal Leonard, 2005) or similar
Mel Bay books. Hal Leonard's little book shows more than 1,000 chords
arranged by key, with three positions for each chord. It also includes a
few introductory pages on musical theory and chord construction. It is
also inexpensive, small and fits into a uke case with room to spare.
A lot of other uke books are available through online
booksellers, and often through eBay sellers who specialize in ukuleles.
YouTube and Web sites are great sources for tutorials,
song tabs, arrangements, chord diagrams, MP3s, and techniques. I will cover
some of these in more detail
shortly. In the meantime: SEARCH. Use Google and YouTube to find what
you want. Check the forums and the links below (Curt Sheller has a page
of video links). There are a lot of free
resources online you should explore.
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Strings are ornery topics for most uke players. You can
start an argument (or to be civilized, a heated debate) among uke
players by simply asking what strings they prefer. Uke players will also
argue over the quality of various tonewoods, but not quite as readily. Strings are also very
personal and affect a player's style and expression.
Strings used to be made from gut, but now are made out of nylon (i.e. GHS, Ko'olau),
nylgut (i.e. Aquila) or fluorocarbon (i.e. Worth). The low-G
strings are usually wound (wrapped in a metal - aluminum or silver -
sheath, although Kala Reds are apparently nylon wound). Some manufacturers are also using a wound C. These wound
strings produce a
more mellow, bass-oriented sound. However, wound strings can be harder
on the fretboard and will wear down the plastic frets of some ukes.
In general, thicker strings have more tension, so they
are louder, but can be a little more difficult to play and don't bend as
easily as thinner strings (for new players, thicker strings can be more
painful until the callouses grow in). Thinner strings are more flexible, but not as
loud and sometimes prone to buzz on a uke with low action. Personally, I
prefer a slightly heavier string for more projection. Long-necked
ukes like my Ohana, above, need thinner strings for the lower tension.
For resonator ukes, you may want thicker strings with
more tension to transmit the most sound to the cone. My Republic came
with thin GHS strings, which are fine on a wooden uke but not the best
choice for a reso.
Soprano and concert strings are usually the same
diameter, concert strings sometimes being a bit longer to allow for the
greater scale length. Tenor strings are a bit thicker to handle the
greater tension on the strings, and baritone strings longer and thicker
than the rest.
Diameters vary with manufacturers. For soprano and
concert strings I have seen a ranges of: A: 0.020-0.024"; E:
0.026-0.033"; C: 0.036-0.041"; high G: 0.020-0.028". For tenors: A:
0.028-0.029" ; E: 0.033-0.036 ; C: 0.035-0.041; high G:
0.029-0.032. Low G (wound) will be around 0.035". Check the sizes on the
packages your favourite strings. You can generally use those thicknesses
as a rule of thumb for replacements, but keep in mind that nylon strings
are generally a bit thicker than the same string in fluorocarbon.
You can use guitar strings for ukuleles, if you have
the right string gauge. Some more inventive players even use fluorocarbon
fishing line (check the forums for threads on this subject:
here and
here).
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The whole point of a ukulele is playing it. Hanging an
instrument one on the wall rather than playing it strikes me as a waste
of money. You want a wall hanging, there are plenty of velvet
Elvis paintings available.
Playing is one pleasure, but making the music your own is
another. I like tinkering with songs, tweaking their structure, and
finding alternate chord patterns. It's even more fun to actually write
and publish a piece of music, if you have that aptitude. However, it is also a lot of fun to take a
guitar song and rework it for a ukulele, especially a standard
(re-entrant) tuning.
Here's my first song arrangement:
When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob
Bob Bobbin Along (PDF). Not an original song, but I made an
arrangement that I liked. And I also made
a chord wheel that can be used
for chord transposition, and has the circle of fifths/fourths for easy
reference. I'll post more song arrangements when I work them through.
Please feel free to share them. Here's an
mp3 version of the song, performed by Al Jolson (public domain).
My latest arrangement is
Hoagy Carmichael's great song,
Georgia. I'm posting a PDF of my work on it to date - it's got a few
unnamed chords as of yet, and needs some tweaking, but I think it's
okay. I started with an existing arrangement in F and simply tweaked it
to sound more like the song that was in my own head. Comments
appreciated.
Tuning is critical. And thanks to modern technology,
you can buy a simple, clip-on, battery powered uke-specific tuner for $10-$20. That
sure beats trying to tune with a pitch pipe (how 20th century!) or even
a tuning fork. There's no excuse not to be
in perfect pitch with these instruments so easily available. Tuning with
one of these little wonder devices is a snap. All digital, they are so
accurate it's scary. The only drawback: they're battery powered and
seldom accept rechargeable batteries (and the batteries are often
inconveniently located). But they're so inexpensive you can
carry one in each of your cases.
Nylon strings, especially new ones, stretch - even the
ones sold as 'pre-stretched'. That means
they go out of tune a lot until they're 'broken in'. A good tuner won't
prevent that, but will help you keep the strings in tune while you're
breaking them in. Expect to tune your uke several times each time you
play it, for a few days, until the strings settle.
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There are numerous sources of music, information,
teaching, advice and history online. The ukulele community is not as
large as the guitar community, but it's loud, active and growing.
I recommend you look into join several of the ukulele forums
(see list, below). They have some overlap in members and topics, but not all. If you have
questions, comments or simply want to read about ukes, these are the
places to go. There's an amazing amount of support to be had in these
forums on everything from fingering chords to figuring out songs to
luthiery and making videos.
But, unfortunately, like most online communities, there
are wingnuts and angry people on the forums whose sole role seems to be
to hurt others or start fights. A simple novice's question like "what
does anyone think about this ukulele model?" on one ukulele forum will
bring you pages of grief: insults, personal attacks and vituperation.
Llurk and read a while before you join, to make sure you're not stepping
into the virtual snake pit instead of a fun, friendly and supportive
forum. I recommend those listed below.
Some forums are ukulele specific, others like Ezfolk
mix other instruments (banjo, guitar, dulcimer, etc. I'm not sure what
Ez stands for - perhaps its founder was named Ezra? Ezekiel?). I've
grouped the forums together in the links section, below. Please take
some time to visit them and join those you believe will best suit your
playing. Some also have regional interests that may appeal to you and
help bring you together with other local ukulele players.
Look for old songbooks in yard
or garage sales or used-book stores. I've found many songsheets and
songbooks with ukulele chords in them. They offer you a chance to learn
some great old songs, and many are rather challenging to play. Besides,
it's fun to resurrect some of these old tunes. And look online for the
old songs, too - there are several sites that have turned old 78 records
into MP3 files you can download for listening and practice.
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This is merely a sampling of what's available online
and any absence or omission is in no way a criticism of that site, merely an
oversight on my part. Please
email me with any suggested links to include for a future
update.