It's a ukulele! No wait...it's a guitar! No wait...it's a Ukutar? Yeah, Guitalele sounds a lot cooler. Nice Job, Yamaha! My wife got me this Yamaha Guitalele (GL-1) for my birthday this year. I thought it was a cool idea, but since it was around $100, I really wasn't expecting too much from it. But I'm pleasantly surprised by it! Smaller scale guitars (like pocket guitars) have been around for some time, but these guitaleles are new territory. Here's the report card....
Specs and details: Spruce Top, Meranti back and sides, Rosewood fretboard and bridge. Scale length 17". Geared tuners.
Everyone loves a plastic uke, right? This time around we're taking a look at this Bugsgear Aqulele Plastic Ukulele. The name doesn't sound familiar, but you might actually be familiar with the work of this same company. It's the same people that make the quirky looking Peanut Eleuke.
This uke is made from ABS. This soprano scale uke is intended for the ukulele player on an adventure. It can be taken along camping, hiking, or just thrown in the back of the car without worrying about it. Think of it as the "Rocky" of the ukulele world. Here's the report card.....
I decided awhile back that when it comes to reviewing strings, I'm not going to give a report card. The sound of strings can be so subjective that comparing one brand or type to another just seems moot. In order to find the "right" strings for your individual ukulele, you just have to try a bunch of different kinds and it all comes down to which ones YOU like the best. But that's really a topic best reserved for it's own blog post so I'll stop there.
This time around, we're testing out some new strings from Aquila - Super Nylgut. Almost every uke player has tried Aquila strings at least once so we're all pretty familiar with the overall solid reputation for their strings. Most ukulele enthusiasts seem to agree that Aquilas are best reserved for laminate ukuleles since the volume and tone of the strings tend to overpower the natural voice of solid wood ukes. I have concluded that this is generally a good application (but not absolutely always).
I think that the most important question to keep in mind when doing a product review is "Who is this product intended for?". A person that runs a photography blog shouldn't review a toy camera (yes, there are some toy cameras that take actual pictures now) with the same expectation level and scrutiny with which they'd review a Nikon D4 professional camera. Doesn't make much sense, right? Like apples to oranges.
So, prefacing a little bit with that example, we're looking at the Schoenhut 5400 ukulele. Let's start off by asking the question, "Who is this product intended for?". No doubt about it, this is a ukulele intended for children - the design, the look, and the entire history of the Schoenhut company would tell you this. This is the same company that has made those awesome little toy pianos for years (I had one when I was a kid and immediately bought one for my oldest daughter when she was old enough to walk around). And much to their credit, they are taking this same approach with different instruments all geared at the little ones.
If you're looking for a "beginner" type of ukulele, I'd advise you to look at this post I did about the Best Beginner Ukuleles. I'm not comparing this Schoenhut ukulele to those. The best comparison for this type of toy uke would be to those that you could purchase at Walmart or Target in the toy section. The report card and grading scale for this review will be according to that, as it should be.
So with all that being said (whew! I'm wearing myself out already), let's begin!
Intonation - A-
This is the most accurate intonation that I've ever been privy to on a stringed toy instrument. The strings it's strung with really aren't that great and I suppose that changing these could take me from a A- to an A+ pretty quickly, but since I'm taking the review approach of it being a toy, I didn't think it would be fair to restring it. I figure that the majority of parents that purchase one of these for their kids aren't going to be ukulele players and probably wouldn't even think about replacing the strings. If you do fall in that smaller percentage that would restring it for your child, Martin M600's or some Oasis Warm strings would be a good choice since they are lower tension.
It can be a real pain playing your ukulele while standing. Is it possible? Yes. Do I like doing it? Not really. For a long time the two solutions to this problem have been to either deal with it or install hardware on your uke for a more traditional type of guitar strap. I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of end pins on my uke. I don't really like the way the look. I'm also not to keen on drilling into my ukulele.
Good news! You are no longer limited to those two options! You can just get yourself a Uke Leash!
Lori Apthorp invented this lovely little device and she deserves major props. In fact, I will state publicly that I'm envious of her for coming up with something so simple and so incredibly cool! :)
Here's how it works - you put one of end of the leash on your headstock, sling the other around your neck and put your arm through (check out the 3rd picture). That's it! And that little extra support really does make a world of difference. Here's the report card...
Quality - A-
Lori actually sent me a few of these (as well as some other goodies). One large leash made of Polypro, a medium made of leather, as well as one for guitar. Overall, the material on each seem solid and like they would last for years. The leather feels like it would hold up longer than the polypro, but both feel good. A cool thing about them is that you can leave the piece that goes around the headstock (the collar maybe?) and just unclip the leash. Good thinking! I suppose it's always possible that the little plastic clip
Jon Woodworking is an Etsy shop run by...Jon. Though I'm still not sure how he came up with the name (sarcasm, folks). Jon is a heck of a nice guy and he makes some killer ukulele and guitar wall hangers. Not a lot of flash with these. Just a simple look and quality construction. Hey, what more do you need from the device that holds your uke? Looks pretty nice hangin' the Kamoa if I do say so myself. Here's the report card on this hanger...
I'm sure you can gather this from the title, but this little ebook is especially for young beginners. When teaching little ones the basics of any string instrument, a few chords is a great place to start.
When I had more free time (when I wasn't married and didn't have kids) I taught some guitar lessons and one of the hurdles that I faced with new students was their frustration in the first couple of months...learning chords and scales with no songs to really play. Teaching a kid a few chords is just fine, but giving them a song with a structure to apply those chords too really helps them to see the light at the end of the musical tunnel.
This book really delivers in that way for young ukulele enthusiasts. It helps to build a fundamental base, without losing their interest with monotony and repetition.
Another nice addition in the package is the links to a free video playlist that helps guide a little bit with structure and strumming.
Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this wonderful uke play along book! You can check it out here on Amazon. Ukulele Play also has some other song books here on their site that you might be interested in checking out.
Kokopelli Stands is another Etsy shop that I'm fairly familiar with. Thom makes some awesome wooden stands. Admittedly, his works are more for the guitar playing crowd, but he was kind enough to send me this smaller stand that works out very nicely for my Lanikai concert ukulele. He no longer makes stands for a smaller soprano size ukulele, but this smaller stand would also fit a tenor and baritone uke nicely.
One note of caution: I wouldn't recommend storing your ukulele next to your coffee maker as pictured here. :)
If you're diggin' this beautiful white oak stand, check out some of the other sweet Kokopelli Stands here at their shop. Here's the report card....
Wow! These are more than just ukulele wall hangers. They are hand carved works of art by Toucan Mango. Check out more of this awesome work at the Etsy shop here.
I e-mailed and requested one of these for review. I already knew that I liked his work, but seeing them up close I am very much blown away. Here's the report card on these beautiful wall hangers.
I originally did a review on these new ukulele strings offered by Oasis when they were still in beta mode. You can read my full review of them here.
They weren't available for purchase yet at that time and Dave hadn't yet decided on an official recipe, but my opinion of them hasn't really changed since then. They sound great!
The wait is over and they are now available in four different types - "bright" Low and High G, as well as "warm" Low and High G.
The ones that I originally reviewed were of the "bright" variety and I liked them very much for my less expensive Lanikai LU-21C. I put the new "warm" set on the Lanikai and I think that I might like the warm better...just a personal preference, I guess. I like a more mellow type of sound out of my ukes. I like to hear the voice of the instrument and I felt like the "warm" set has a slight edge in that area over the "bright" set.
But no matter which sound you like better, they are both very clear sounding Fluorocarbon strings. You can grab a set yourself (make that two sets since there is enough for two sets) at www.oasisstrings.com
One of the extra goodies that Lanikai sent me in a care package was this clip on tuner. Officially, it's known as the Lanikai CO-UT clip on tuner. It's a pretty nifty little tuner with various settings for different stringed instruments including settings for ukulele, guitar, violin, bass, and chromatic. Going rate seems to be somewhere between $20-$25.
My experience with clip on tuners is limited. The tuners that I currently own are of the plug in or sound sensitive variety. I've always been a bit skeptical of clip ons and their ability to accurately sense vibration.
Lanikai sent me their new Lanikai TunaUke Concert Ukulele (LUTU-21C) today. I remember how excited I was when I first saw they were developing their new "TunaUke" technology, so naturally, I was pretty excited to rip open the box and start playing around. The innovation on this new technology is pretty much amazing! You can actually adjust the intonation for EACH string! Awesome! This is accomplished by four "miniature" saddles on the bridge that slide in and out. Lanikai claims that this can improve intonation up to 90% and then are absolutely correct.
Here's my complete thoughts on this uke....
Intonation - A+
Obviously, the tunauke technology makes this ukulele the closest thing to perfect intonation that I've heard yet. Enough said about that.
Tone - B
I do like mahogany, but honestly, I've heard better sounding mahogany ukes. This is not to say that it sounds bad by any means. It does have a very pleasant tone, just not the best I've ever heard...which was my expectation so I'm really not disappointed by it. You can hear it for yourself in this video review (the sound sample is a couple minutes in)
Finish and Appearance - B-
There are some finish issues (not many) and minor blemishes. Again, this is to be expected with any uke in this price range. I did like the black tuner buttons and thought that made it look a little more classy. Also think that the color looks very nice.
Innovation/Ingenuity - A++++
This is where this uke really shines. The concept of the new technology and how it's been executed make this ukulele standout above anything in similar price range...not only does it standout more..it just shatters everything else.
Feel and Playability - B-
I was a tad disappointed by how it feels and plays. This is probably because I have owned a LU-21C for years (my 3rd ukulele). I love how the LU-21C feels and plays for being a beginner concert. That being said, I like at this TunaUke concert as a step up from the LU-21C and I expected to feel and play a bit smoother.
Overall - A-
A very solid ukulele and the BEST one that could be grabbed up by a beginner without question. I was very pleased with it and my only gripes were pretty nit picky. I'm excited to see how this technology develops Lanikai higher priced stuff. BUY IT!
The Oasis company has been known for quite some time for their awesome humidifiers. They've recently started experimenting in the area of fluorocarbon ukulele strings, and after testing these strings out, I must say...these guys are onto something good.
These uke strings should be available soon and you can check out www.oasisstrings.com to find out when you can pick some up.
Here's my review, complete with a couple of sound samples/comparisons at the bottom.
It's a ukulele! No wait...it's a guitar! No wait...it's a Ukutar? Yeah, Guitalele sounds a lot cooler. Nice Job, Yamaha! My wife got me this Yamaha Guitalele (GL-1) for my birthday this year. I thought it was a cool idea, but since it was around $100, I really wasn't expecting too much from it. But I'm pleasantly surprised by it! Smaller scale guitars (like pocket guitars) have been around for some time, but these guitaleles are new territory. Here's the report card....
